Jade Warrior - Released (Expanded and Remastered) (1971/2022)

Formed in 1970, Jade Warrior were one of the most original British bands to emerge during the Progressive Rock era. The band’s first incarnation featured Tony Duhig (guitars) and Jon Field (flutes, percussion), both of whom had been in the Psychedelic group July, and Glyn Havard (bass, vocals).
Signing to the legendary Vertigo label, the band recorded their self-titled debut album in March 1971. Their unique sound ventured stylistically between ethnic music, melodic, gentle ethereal and ambient sounds and heavier guitar driven rock.
By the time of the recording of this, their second album, issued in November 1971, the band had expanded to a quartet with drummer Allan Price adding a new character to the band’s sound. The sessions also featured a guest appearance from saxophonist Dave Conners. ‘Released’ was a huge progression from the band’s debut and featured such classic tracks as ‘Three Horned Dragon King’, ‘Eyes On You’ and the epic 14- minute piece ‘Baranzibar’.

If Jade Warrior's second album has any overwhelming flaw, it is that its predecessor traveled so far off the conventional beaten tracks of early-'70s prog that anything less than absolute reinvention could only be regarded as a rerun of past glories. To write off Released as little more than a slapdash shadow of Jade Warrior, however, is to overlook the leaps and bounds that the band did make. The opening "Eyes On You" journeys in on a positively spiky guitar and horn duel, while Glyn Havard's vocals have taken on tones that are far-removed from the Jethro Tull-shaped nuances with which they were once most readily compared. Staggering, too, are the almost bluesy guitar work-outs that leap unexpectedly in and out of the mix, overwhelming all but the most ferocious elements elsewhere in the arsenal – judging only by the crescendo that closes it, "Three Horned Dragon King" could not have been better named. Similarly, "Water Curtain Cave" is as much a melting of souls as it is a gentle song, while other numbers tackle light jazz and classical prog without once vacating the band's accustomed framework of brilliance. Again, there is little here that Jade Warrior itself did not predict, but the unerring delivery of those predictions is a marvel in itself.

Tracklist
1 Three Horned Dragon King
2 Eyes On You
3 Bride Of Summer
4 Water Curtain Cave
5 Minnamoto’s Dream
6 We Have Reason To Believe
7 Barazinbar
8 Yellow Eyes
Bonus Track
Minnamoto’s Dream (Sudden End Version)