As one of the progenitor records of neo-prog movement and an alleged crowning achievement of the band
Twelfth Night in question, I went into 1982's
Fact And Fiction with an open mind and a sense of adventure. After all, I was familiar with Marillion, Pallas and Pendragon to some degree or another, and am a huge fan of most of the 80's biggest proggy crossover acts too (
It Bites,
Tears For Fears,
Saga, etc.). Thus, I dove in...and enjoyed things despite a few rough spots.
My biggest problems with
Fact And Fiction have, in fact, little to do with the music itself. Rather, its the tinny production and inconsistent vocal delivery of
Geoff Mann which bar this LP from going into my top echelon of prog picks. Mistah Mann is certainly a man of considerable range and talent (and obviously a prominent influence on guys like
Fish), but he has trouble with the higher notes and occasionally comes across as straining.....almost to the point where I wonder if he's in any pain up there under the studio lights, lol!
Still, as an aficionado of all things prog and 80's, I find quite a bit to like here nevertheless: 'Creepshow' is a helluva epic with an atmosphere that rivals the best of the genre's golden years half a decade prior, and even the punkier numbers here are steeped in tasty sounding synthpads and reverberation that contrast well when a
Gilmourian guitar solo comes ripping into the mix!
Interesting lyrical content abounds throughout, a trait generally spot on amidst most of the "classic" albums of neo prog canon. The human condition is such a staple of art-oriented songwriting that I feel like I would need some linear notes or something to fully appreciate what Mann is elucidating, but I think most of its understandable enough for your average listener to follow even without reference. Politics has never been my bag though. xD
My overall impression? Definitely a couple years ahead of its time, and its heir apparent that
Twelfth Night set the beat for the rest of the decade as far as neo-prog is concerned (without the post-punk diversions). The longer songs are really good whilst the shorter cuts do the band something of a disservice: they were definitely more "suited' as it were, to suites. xD
VERDICT: A solid
7.5/10 from me, rounded up to an
8 for the particularly neo-prog prone amongst ye.