Track Listing

1. Hell's Bells
2. One of a Kind, Pt. 1
3. One of a Kind, Pt. 2
4. Travels With Myself -- and Someone Else
5. Fainting in Coils
6. Five G
7. Abingdon Chasp
8. Forever Until Sunday
9. Sahara of Snow, Pt. 1
10. Sahara of Snow, Pt. 2

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40141 in Music
• Brand: BRUFORD,BILL
• Released on: 1990-08-31
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
Vinyl LP pressing of the 1979 album from the British drumming legend and his band Bruford. Bill recorded his debut album as a leader in 1978 but it wasn't until the conclusion of an 18-month spell with the band UK that his vision of a more permanent outfit bore fruit. Joining Bill and guitarist Allan Holdsworth in Bruford was bassist Jeff Berlin and keyboardist Dave Stewart. Key tracks on One of a Kind include 'Hell's Bells', 'Fainting In Coils' and 'Five G'. This re-issue includes a previously unreleased bonus track: 'Manacles'. Bruford. 2009.

Customer Reviews

Drooling in Coils -- Bruford's best compositions
Bruford had THE finest pedigree of all British progressive drummers -- Yes, King Crimson, UK. His first album, 'Feels Good to Me', had its highlights, but he was still feeling his way, unsure whether he needed female vocals etc. But on this, his second album everything came together superbly.

As stated in other reviews, the guitar solos by Allan Holdsworth are outstanding, sinewy creatures that weave through almost every tune. Bruford's compositional skills are also assured -- you never get the impression, as you might with many jazz-rock pieces, that a passage is included just to show instrumental virtuosity. Every passage has a purpose in the carrying of the tune.

The keyboards were played by Dave Stewart, incidentally, who had previously played for National Health and Egg. He also released a magnificent single -- 'Busy Doing Nothing' -- in the early 80s with Barbara Gaskin. Goodness knows whyhe doesn't get equal credit with Holdsworth and Berlin on the Bruford 'Master Strokes' compilation.

If you like UK, Gong's 'Shamal', King Crimson's 'Red', or Corea's 'Romantic Warrior', there's a pretty good chance you'll love this album.

The Whole is Even Greater than the Sum of its Stellar Parts
I'm not a big jazz guy (for instance, Earthworks leaves me cold) but I AM a big prog guy and this album definitely qualifies. It is, indeed, as others have said, a great step forward from "Feels Good to Me". I also agree, along with others, that it is one of Alan Holdworth's finest moments (along with his solo album, "Metal Fatigue".) More on that in a minute.

This is what jazz-oriented prog should be, quirky, challenging, but infinitely accessible after four or five listens. It grooves. You can bang your hands on the dashboard to it (and I do). Yes, I like mid-Seventies King Crimson as much as the next person, but I can't listen to side two of "Starless and Bible Black" over and over or "Providence" on "Red" like I can this album. There's not a weak cut on "One of a Kind" and after 15 years I still listen to it over and over.

I think what makes this album work is that it is a true team effort, with personalities playing off of each other and keeping them in check. Both Dave Stewart (who should be in the Canterbury Hall of Fame for his work in Hatfield and the North and National Health -- I can't believe how many reviews in the selection don't praise him, or even worse, don't know who he is) and Alan Holdworth are kept under control by the other band members so they do not fall prey to their worst excesses. Sort of like Lennon and McCartney in the Beatles.

This is especially true of Holdworth. Most of his solo work after "Metal Fatigue" strikes me more as some kind of clinical, soulless guitar exercise than music. He's good on "UK", too (and hated the constraints placed on him there, by the way) but here he is less conservative without getting too obscure. Makes me sad that he didn't play like this more often. His work alone is worth the price of this album.

Bruford sits behind it all, his usual gracious self, one of the best drummers in the world working as part of the musical fabric, never overshadowing the cohesive purpose of the piece.

This is great stuff. And if you are a prog fan it's essential listening.

The title says it all...
I first became aware of Bruford's drumming prowess when I was a kid, overhearing my older siblings' Yes albums. The three that I still enjoy to this day -- "The Yes Album," "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge" -- had many things in common, most notably the unique drumming of Bill Bruford. With his amazing way with complex time signatures and his unique, tightly tuned drums, Bruford was one of the main reasons I took up the drums.

Several years after leaving Yes, Bruford made this magnificent jazz/fusion album (following the almost-but-not-quite-as-good "Feels Good to Me"), featuring Jeff Berlin (bass), Allan Holdsworth (guitar) and Dave Stewart (keyboards, not the guy from Eurythmics). While I'm not crazy about the jazz/fusion genre, this album sets itself apart by actually being tuneful. Most jazz/fusion is expertly played, yet detached, dry and impersonal. Bruford's stuff has actual melodies -- hummable, even -- and is probably the only fusion album I've heard that will leave its songs stuck in your head.

The band weaves in and out of the knotty compositions with grace. Holdsworth's solos blast in and out of the songs wonderfully. Berlin's bass is fluid and effortless (his solo on "Travels With Myself" is a real mind-blower). Dave Stewart adds diverse color to the songs with his arsenal of keyboards, without ever sounding tacky. And what can be said of Bruford himself? Simply amazing. Probably the best rock drummer I've ever heard.

The songs are complex yet quite accessible. Highlights for me include the title track, "Five G," and "Travels With Myself." but there really isn't a weak track in the bunch.