Third division contemporaries of Amen Corner and Marmalade at the pop proms of 1969, sevenpiece MOR pop-soul combo The Web tried their hand at cashing in on the underground scene with their second album. Sadly their stylistic compass spins so wildly they lose direction completely.
Typical is Like The Man Said, which has American vocalist John L Watson channelling Sammy Davis Junior as lightweight brass bravado gives way to cod-jazz which swings about as easily as an anvil cased in concrete. Add some limp, ersatz African percussion workouts, a risible rendition of Sunshine Of Your Love and Watson singing cheesily about his jet-setting life on 1,000 Miles Away From Home, and you’ve got something that would be hard pushed to liven up The Val Doonican Show. Two BBC radio bonus tracks and a stab at an early Gilbert O’Sullivan ballad only add to the unbalanced feel.
Ultimately, this multi-racial Jack-of-all-trades outfit fails to live up to the exemplary Esoteric packaging in which it’s housed. Future Greenslade player Dave Lawson would join for their third and final album, and that’s really where proto-prog seekers should head.
