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A personal review...
...of Ken Hensley's solo album Running Blind.
It arrived in the mail today. Fast executed by the Swedish record shop Record Heaven. And my first thoughts go to those poor heepsters who has paid for this cd in advance, but hasn't received it yet, probably due to some criminal moron stealing the mail delivery.
But apart from this, I only got good feelings and high expectations, so now I'll give the record a first spin, and along the way I will write down my thoughts and feelings.
1-2. The instrumental overture is kinda relax and get in to the right mood track. I think it will grew on me and I'm sure it's a good concert opener. Then comes track two and that's really groovy!!! It has more tempo, hammond and slide guitar, and is still instrumental. This must be 100% great live, as a concert opener!
The guitar play makes me associate to Blackfoot and Hensley's presence there. I get a �Siogo�-feeling and that's just fine.
3. But, but, but� this is very Blackfoot like. This song is in the same vein as �Send Me An Angel� and �Teenage Idole� on Siogo!!! Yes, indeed it's very similar to those tracks.
Now I'm focusing on Hensley's vocal. It's no problem at all to recognize it's him singing. No association to Prouds Words� though. This is more like a revival from early 80's.
4. A somewhat rockin elephantine opening. Great! But it still sounds very much like Blackfoot, and once again like those songs �Send Me An Angel� and �Teenage Idol�. Great but, but� this was not what I expected at all. No classical Heep here. This is more like �classical� Blackfoot. And Hensley's vocal sounds mature and good.
5. Great Hammond and then comes the guitar riffs. Still it's like listening to Blackfoot. Or is it the Phantom Of The Opera? No such associations in the refrain section though.
6. This sounds more in the vein of the Free Spirit record. Hammond and slides. Softer. Poppier. Surely alright!
7. Still softer, easier. Light. I associates to the 60's and some songs by Gods. It's a nice and good song, and here Hensley seems very faithful to his personal rock roots. It also contains a good �La La La� section which could qualify as a classical Heep song, but then I would demand more bass and also a thicker/broader sound picture. (If one doesn't compare with some songs from Hig And Mighty� There it could have filled right in.)
8. Here I got the first association to records like Prouds Words and Eager To Please. Yes this is a strong song. Very thin, soft and easy. I'm sure it will grow on me. It's simply beautiful.
[Here my wife, Linn�a, is associating while the guitar is played to Come Away Melinda. But I don't agree with her.]
9. Another soft one. It doesn't catch me at first. But suddenly it goes up, and after a while it goes even more up. And then he sings the one word �Julia� followed by a nice slide guitar. And when he starts to sing again I feel really inside the song. �Juliaaa�� But then it goes down and stop exactly at the point where it should have continued even stronger. This is a miss. It should have been one or two minutes longer.
10. A half rocker. Yes it's �Free Spirit�. And there is no such track on the album Free Spirit. It should have been, if this was an out take.
11. This is a killer tune. Soft hard rock at it's best. Look forward to here it live! What a refrain: �So I'm moving, moving in for the kill�. And here I'm very impressed by Hensley's strong vocal.
In terms of associations I still feel that this is a kind of early 80's revival. Even this track could have been included on the record Free Spirit. (But instead we'll find it on AGOG, together with track six.)
12. This sounds very poppy. And somewhat in the vein of the early 80's. But suddenly in the end section the melody is changing and in a hard harmonious way that I like very much. First part isn't that strong though.
13. Another killer song. Very melodious. Good swinging refrain. And the swift drumming is important here, it integrates the rest, and underscores the switches. Interesting guitar play mid section, and then again in the end. But best ingredients is the beautiful refreain. It hooks you right in to the song.
14. A rocker. Now this song could easily have been included on any classical Heep record without any changes!!
Good choir. And a very good lead vocal by Ken!!!! This song got all what it takes. It could for example had replaced �All My Life� on Demons And Wizards and it would have sounded like it always had been there. And I cincerely think this is the closest Hensley ever can come to sound like Byron! So this was a nice surprise in the end, because the rest is not sounding like classical Heep to me - but it's very good music.
Summary: Best musical experience I've had since Sonic Origami. This record will spin a lot from now on, until the concerts in Oslo and Uppsala. And I know it will grow on me. I also hope that eventual changes in the concert setlist will not be lesser songs from this record. Right now I rather hear this whole record live by the Free Spirit band, than any old Heep songs!!! And for all true heepsters, this record surely is a must have!
Filip Björner
Stockholm, 8 March 2002.
Scanned from inside sleeve:
This record exists in two versions. Both of them can be ordered from Ken Hensley's own site.
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