Track Summary
"Entropy" is a very quiet keyboard-based melody, vaguely cyclic in nature. On vinyl editions of the album it is so quiet it almost gets lost in the groove noise, even on near-mint copies, but on digitally remastered CD copies the track is much clearer and reveals a deep organ-pedal bass underpinning the melody. "Black Sheep Of The Family" is the album's first full length piece, beginning with a series of crashing chords, interspersed with powerful drum breaks. The backing tracks are a layered mix of organ and piano, arranged to make a guitar unnecessary. "Post War Saturday Echo" is a slow electric blues number with delayed and double-tracked vocals in stereo, which combine with the multi-layered keyboard tracks to lend an "otherwordly" quality to the piece. The balladic "Good Lord Knows" is performed as a prayer by John Gustafson, backed by harpsichord and strings. The string arrangements were by Peter Robinson. The next track switches the tempo, "Up On The Ground" being a powerful hard rock song with virtuoso bass riffing and rock organ solos. With "Gemini" Peter Robinson again arranges piano and organ to form a texture which leaves no requirement for a guitarist. "Make Up Your Mind" is an example of stop-time instrumental, and also features explorative keyboard riffs in odd time signatures punctuated by drum and bass licks. "Laughing Tackle" is an extended, often exploratory piece, which commences with a pulsating, bounding bass guitar pattern and cymbal work, double tracking by Robinson on electric piano and organ, and a slow-building organ solo culminating in a descending chord break signalling the start of a Mick Underwood drum solo highlighted by extensive rolling. The original vinyl release then closed with the repeat of the intro, "Entropy (Reprise)." Of the bonus tracks which feature on subsequent reissues, "One Blind Mice" is the best known, having been released also as a single, and demonstrates a heavy rock influence and descending chord progression. The organ solo releases into a phasing wash which carries through to the final verse and chorus. "Punting" has solid bass and drum lines textured with exploratory musings by Peter Robinson using the ring-modulator.
Read more about this topic: Quatermass (album)
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