(Eclecktic Prog) Paleys Watch - November 1994 , FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

PALEY'S WATCH was a Christian Prog Band formed in 1992 by Marc CATLEY (classical guitar, wobbly guitars, vocals) (collaborator with Geoff MANN (ex: TWELFTH NIGHT), Duncan PARSONS (drums, keys, guitars, mandolin, SFX, programming, vocals, production) and Hungarian born Marianne VELVART (guitars, vocals) in 1992. Compositional duties were spread between the members, the overall style was a blend of Classical Acoustic Rock and wobbly guitars from CATLEY, Joni Mitchell styled JazzFunk from VELVART and ProgJazz from PARSONS. The individual influences come from all over the place: GENTLE GIANT, TALKING HEADS, BRUFORD, THE WHO, STRAVINSKY, SEGOVIA, STOCKHAUSEN, GENESIS, JONI MITCHELL, various Canterbury styles..

Their first recorded appearance was on the "Mannerisms" tribute CD to the late Geoff MANN, a cover of 'Certainly' and used a quartet of classical guitars to achieve a unique sound. This was followed by other tracks on samplers which demonstrated typical prog attributes - multiple musical styles; rich harmonies; intelligent, often humorous lyrical content; etc.

Only one full CD was made, "November" (1994) (modelled loosely on GENTLE GIANTS "Three Friends" cut) which told the story of 6 characters living in the northern UK mill town of Bury (Catley's stomping ground) and what happened to them one November in the early 1980's. Surrounded by a prologue and epilogue, each of the charaters has their own piece. The album showed flair and imagination, and attracted a reasonable amount of critical praise, but failed to make much of an impact in terms of sales.

In 1996, Marianne left to pursue solo work. After a brief time of collaboration with Duncan PARSONS, she was signed to Rick WAKEMAN's 'Hope' label, tho' no recordings have ever been released. In 1997 Duncan PARSONS left to find work that paid the rent (!) and now works as a programmer, tho' still writes and plays and can be found around some music forii. Marc CATLEY still teaches classical guitar, and is understood to be preparing to train as a Vicar.

Whilst they made little overall impact on the prog scene, PALEY'S WATCH offer a unique and very British sound, taking in Ambient, Rock, JazzFunk, Folk, minimalism, rich vocal harmony... Whilst the individual tracks from samplers may not amount to much, "November" is worth tracking down.

Why this artist must be listed in http://www.progarchives.com :
Paley's Watch were an english prog band with links to Geoff MANN and TWELFTH NIGHT, Rick WAKEMAN, and Bill BRUFORD. The style harks back to classic prog, whilst taking in newer influences and creating a unique, appealing sound.
(progarchives.com)

Reviewed by Andy Long

So, Marc Catley finally pulls his finger out and comes up with a serious album. First one since 'Fine Difference', and about time too. It's a prog rock concept album revolving around the intertwining lives of six residents of Bury during the month of November. If you enjoyed the 'Off The End Of The Pier Show' album you'll go bananas over this. "Prologue" opens with that familiar delay guitar sound, the comparisons made to Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips hit the nail squarely on the head. Marc's new vocalist Marianne Velvart has a wonderfully creamy voice that brings a touch of spice and drummer Duncan Parsons contributes guitar, mandolin and keyboards (versatile chap!). Duncan also brings a definitive jazz stamp to the album, which, combined with Marc's classical influences, makes for a final result that sounds not unlike Curved Air. As an old progger I find great satisfaction in any song that stretches past the 10 minute mark and is not afraid to use more than one time signature. The contributions of some amazing violin from Simon Evans, lead guitar from Clive Davenport and cello and flute from Damaris Schultz add a variety of interesting flavours and textures to the sort of album that is all too rare nowadays.