The Well's on Fire

First published review!

Hermann Braunschmidt writes to BtP (January 2003):
Good Times seems to have the first review of The Well's on Fire ... in their 2003 Feb/Mar issue .

Good Times has regularly about 200 CD reviews in each magazine. The Well's on Fire made it the Highlight CD for this year's number 1 issue. Eagle Rock promote the new album with an half a page colour advert listing the German tour dates as well.

The review was written by Uli Twelker, a highly-respected German Rock journalist who also wrote an essential book on the Small Faces in 1993 (Happy Boys Happy, issued in London) and is an absolute expert on the Hollies . he wrote the liner notes for many Hollies reissues. The review is half a page long:

Some quotation: "Brooker and Fisher reunited the line-up that already convinced live in the mid-nineties: the dynamic Mark Brzezicki, Matt Pegg plays a ground solid bass and Geoff Whitehorn, who proved his virtuosity already with If, Roger Chapman and Paul Rogers. Experts as energetic as relaxed, ideal support for the Brooker/Fisher tandem.

"Brooker and Reid on the small path between long-awaited recognition and slight deviation. Gary still is the master of half-tone steps . Just as to prove that the revitalised band does not want to rest on their fame for ballads, they start the album with lots of power. The catchy piano riff is picked up by Geoff's Gibson [sic]. Reid's message 'I've been shadow boxed" with many metaphors about what you have to stand during life, gains urgency on driving rock patterns. [The reviewer has the Promo running-order here].

"On the other hand the listener soon registers references to old great works. Not only the literal The Emperor's New Clothes" wakes memories to A Salty Dog; The Signature reawakes Bach's church organ from AWSoP, many quotes ... but why not ?

"Other songs seem to remind on R&B roots from the pre-Procol Paramounts, whereas The Wall Street Blues comments on the end of the unscrupulous brokers in the stock market (???). A warmly-produced album, with wonderful, mature songs, without really surprises – except perhaps one : that the legendary band really is intact, as if they never had been away."