There are so many bands that had Unicorn’s trajectory. Formed by close friends in early 1960s England, Unicorn experienced the usual personnel changes, touring and a record deal with a small record company (Transatlantic). More personnel changes came but then a well-known musician stepped in to produce and secure them a better deal (that would be Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour who got the band signed to Charisma, and later EMI). This is resulted is solid albums in the mid 70s and tours in the States behind the likes of the Doobie Brothers, but still no real chart success. That led the band splitting, leaving in their wake a legacy of music, some of which has been remastered and reissued, namely two albums: Blue Pine Trees and Too Many Crooks.
Blue Pine Trees is country rock, more mellow then rock actually. It begins with the upfront mandolin, vocal harmonies and fine bass playing from Pat Martin on “Electric Night.” From there, we’re into the roiling “Sleep Song” where the vocals are reminiscent of the Monkees and the pedal steel is masterful. Then the perfect and — dare I think with David Gilmour producing here — Alan Parson Project sounding “Autumn Wine.” When Kevin Smith joined Unicorn his songwriting and slide playing truly upped the ante for band, as it does here.
There’s Martin again on “Rat Race,” followed by a real commercial country offering, “Just Wanna Hold You,” supposedly a fan fave and I can see why. This is simply a great song — harmonies in balance, produced economically by Gilmour. We get a couple of Grateful Dead sounding numbers with “Nightingale Crescent” and “The Farmer” (the latter featuring Gilmour on pedal steel). The band continue to show off their phenomenal harmonies on the title track (they were said to have been influenced greatly by CSN) and on what I consider the very best tune here (with a great sardonic lyric), “Ooh! Mother.”
Too Many Crooks, which followed (in the States, this would be considered the band’s second album when in actuality, it is their third), sees Gilmour again in the producer’s chair. The band (with the same line up) is really in the moment here. Whether it’s Andy Jackson’s meticulous remastering or that all the pistons were firing for Unicorn at this point, “Crooks” sounds fantastic.
The poppy opener “Weekend” sees the band so full and pumping, but “Ferry Boat,” with lyrics like, “Drowning my liver in beer,” has such a perfect vocal harmony, you nearly forget how great a song “Weekend” is. Keyboardist Chris Pidgeon is, with aplomb on “He’s Got Pride,” the only thing that makes this song interesting. The straight ahead rocker “Keep On Going” reprises the band’s fantastic vocals, some great lead guitar and a jam at the end that gives drummer Pete Perrier time to spread out.
David Gilmour provides the pedal steel guitar on the title track. Vocally, the band sounds like early Eagles. But really Too Many Crooks is all Unicorn, with enough wacky changes, restraint and a vibe to make it unique. “Disco Dancer” isn’t disco but a quick single release with strings added. The Poco sounding “Easy” is just that, but “No Way Out Of Here” might be the centerpiece of Too Many Crooks. Recognizable to Gilmour fans from the version on this first album, Smith’s slide, Perrier’s deceptive drumming, Pidgeon’s keys and the harmonies make this melancholy tune what may be, according David DiSanzo’s well-researched liner notes, the band’s finest moment in the studio.
We get some fun and funky with “In The Mood,” said to be Gilmour’s favorite. As a bonus track “Nothing I Wouldn’t Do” is a studio demo of a tune that appeared on the next Unicorn album, One More Tomorrow. It’s a laid back, slipin’ n’ slidin’ easy vibe of a tune.
Really, ya gotta love this stuff. It’s unpretentious with solid songwriting, singing and playing. What DiSanzo notes as the band’s reason for NOT selling (the fact that they were producing American country rock for a UK market that didn’t care for it and an American market over-saturated with it) is a joy to behold on these unique reissues of Unicorn’s Blue Pine Trees and Too Many Crooks.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
