The History: 1984-2000
	Produced by Karl Groom and Nick Barrett
	Released on August 29, 2006
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
PROG CD 0072 GD cover [high resolution scan]

I dreamed I had long hair again last night. I woke with the same sense of satiety that follows any good dream, dispelled in a rush of guilt when I realized it was tied to once-long locks of hair. The lesson? You can delude yourself when you’re dreaming, but the present won’t be denied in the waking world. So what does this have to do with Pendragon? Lots. I had heard of them before only because the eye doesn’t see “Pendragon” without stopping on it and cataloging it for some future adventure. That adventure finally came knocking with The History: 1984-2000. Actually, it arrived it the mail from Metal Mind’s promotional agent (nice fellow). Before I could review it, Dave Thompson was all over it in Goldmine. Best compilation of the year, he wrote. I respect him greatly as a writer and a critic, but it smacked of hyperbole to me. After all, we were in September with much of the year in the rear-view mirror. So I sat down for a history lesson. First impression? Whatever light shone from Genesis and passed through Marillion was theirs to claim. Third-generation, third-tier and third-rate. The opening “The Walls of Babylon” was clearly patterned on “Watcher of the Skies,” “Am I Really Losing You?” on “Soon.” If this was the best they could do, I was saving my money for Marillion. I softened on the second lesson and placed it in the provincial court of Queensryche. The third time, I fell asleep and woke to “The Voyager.” And this is where the hair thing comes in (finally!); I had that same strange sense of peace. Was I back in the storied land of prog? After a minute I realized, no, I was in the built-to-scale city of Neoprog, and the dream duly dissipated. But for a moment, Pendragon took me somewhere very nice. In the present, waking world, Pendragon are third-generation storytellers: recounting old tales with a little less sense of wonder and new tales that invariably pale in comparison. If Marillion is a cornerstone in your collection, then by all means advance to Pendragon. If Genesis is your cornerstone, use more caution and travel by way of Marillion. I appreciate the History lesson, think the inclusion of two new acoustic versions a kindness and find the errant booklet translation oddly amusing (“the extremely vigilant and penetrating activity of Polish customs services” indeed). Of very minor note to the numberers among us: the CD lists the last two letters of the ID as “DG,” the CD spine “GD.”

PROG CD 0072 GD trifold sleeve

TRACK LISTING

1. THE WALLS OF BABYLON    10:44
2. THE SHADOW    9:55
3. TOTAL RECALL    (music: Peter Gee, lyrics: Nick Barret)    7:05
4. THE VOYAGER    12:15
5. THE BLACK NIGHT    9:58
6. AND WE'LL GO HUNTING DEER    7:14
7. AM I REALLY LOSING YOU?    4:47
8. THE KING OF THE CASTLE (ACOUSTIC VERSION)    4:43
9. PAINTBOX (ACOUTSIC VERSION)    4:23
10. THE LAST WALTZ (VIDEO)    (music: Nick Barret/Peter Gee, lyrics: Nick Barrett)    5:18
    
    All music & lyrics written by Nick Barrett unless noted

CREDITS

NICK BARRETT -- guitars, vocals
PETER GEE -- bass guitar, acoustic guitar
CLIVE NOLAN -- keyboards
FUDGE SMITH -- drums
Tina Groom -- end vocal melody (8)
Tracy Hitchings -- additional backing vocals (2)
GRAAL -- cover design
Artur Chachlowski -- liner notes
Agnieszka Dobrowolska -- liner notes translation

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