STEEL MILL - Steel Mill Jewels Of The Forest (Green Eyed God Plus) FLAC & MP3

STEEL MILL - Steel Mill Jewels Of The Forest (Green Eyed God Plus)

(including both FLAC & MP3@320 files for your choice of one or the other or both)

Like every scene, the 70s British prog rock movement had its bands that came and went without creating a ripple – some justifiably, some inexplicably – and unfortunately Steel Mill were one such victim. Jewels Of The Forest (Green Eyed God Plus…) neatly brings together their sole album, 1972’s Green Eyed God, along with the two singles that comprised the band’s entire output. Also included are recently discovered demos, and, most surprisingly, a brand new track recorded in 2010. Green Eyed God was only released in Germany upon its completion in 1972 and it wasn’t until 1975, long after the band’s demise, that it appeared on domestic shores. Listening now to this little progressive masterpiece it is truly mystifying as to why any label would sit on this little gem, with its quintessentially English mix of prog, folk, hard rock and blues that at once has a broad enough spectrum to draw in fans of Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull and Led Zeppelin, and yet is a unique and characterful album brimming with great songs.



Steel Mill Jewels Of The Forest (Green Eyed God Plus)

Track Listing:

Original Album:

1. Blood Runs Deep - 5:05

2. Summer's Child - 4:25

3. Mijo and the Laying of the Witch - 7:52

4. Treadmill - 4:00

5. Green Eyed God - 9:45

6. Turn the Page Over - 3:52

7. Black Jewel of the Forest - 6:04

8. Har Fleur - 0:48

Extra Tracks:

9. Get on the Line - 4:15

10.Zangwill - 3:43

11.Green Eyed God - 3:46

Previously Unreleased:

12.Confusion - 3:50

13.Monday Arrives - 3:15

14.Super Clean Man - 3:33

15.Keep Working - 3:56

16.Growing Bald - 3:52

New Track recorded 2010

17.A Forgotten Future/A Future Past - 5:00



Total Time = 77:43



allmusic review:

Although it ironically coincided with the compact disc format's slow but inexorable march toward likely extinction, the third millennium's first decade witnessed an incredible boom in CD reissues of obscure ‘70s hard rock bands; bands whose careers quickly floundered or never even took off due to any number of reasons, like the subject of this review, London's Steel Mill. Like many of these commercially failed entities, Steel Mill made the fatal mistake of attempting to partake in the relatively isolated worlds of both progressive and heavy rock, instead of committing to just one or the other, and so their sole LP, 1972's Green Eyed God, fell through the cracks of consumer tastes and wasn't even released in the U.K. until 1975, three years after the group's demise. Be that as it may, few heavy prog bands favored such a dramatic clash between their artier musical pretensions and more visceral instrumental instincts than this London quintet, resulting in fascinatingly schizophrenic numbers boasting as much inner city grime and bluster as they do pastoral purity and whimsy. Tone-setting opener "Blood Runs Deep" alternates between the bludgeoning Neanderthal riffing of Black Sabbath and the horn- and keyboard-sparked refinements of a Genesis or Atomic Rooster; "Mijo and the Laying of the Witch" moves from portentous King Crimson horn lines to a North African Bedouin camp luau before settling into an insistent heavy trudge marked by histrionic vocals à la Sir Lord Baltimore; the title track prefaces its own proto-metallic freakout with a pagan toast featuring wooden blocks and woodland flutes sounding like Jethro Tull at their most eerie, and these qualities are also shared with the pernicious bolero "Black Jewel of the Forest." Among the more linear compositions, "Summer's Child" plays it far too safe and never escapes its subdued folk/jazz idyll; "Treadmill" delivers a shockingly literal commentary on slavery punctuated by rhythmic chants, grunts, and dragging chains; and the comparatively lively "Turn the Page Over" finally shows some true single potential, thanks to its memorable vocals and snaking guitar lines, underpinned by driving piano chords. The latter also ultimately explained why Steel Mill's shortsighted independent label saw little commercial promise in the group and decided to shelve Green Eyed God until 1975 (and its limited German release in 1972 obviously didn't change their minds), but one has to wonder if things might have turned out differently for the group if this truly impressive opus had been given a chance during what we now know was the golden era of the long-playing album. At least this is how it feels with the benefit of hindsight, following the record's 2010 reissue through Rise Above Relics, now under the expanded title of Jewels of the Forest (Green Eyed God Plus), and augmented with non-LP single A- and B-sides, early demos, and, astonishingly, even a new track recorded by two surviving bandmembers. Whereas most of these belated ‘70s hard rock reissues reveal bands that were simply inferior or unoriginal, capable of nothing more than trailing the era's leading lights, Steel Mill possessed a recognizable spark of imagination and talent that can be appreciated even decades later.



seaoftranquility review:

Leave it to a company like Rise Above Relics to unearth a splendid little hard rock/prog rarity like this 1972 release from British act Steel Mill. Recorded in 1971 and released in Germany the following year, Green Eyed God didn't see a release in Steel Mill's home country until 1975, and sadly by that time the band had already disappeared, despite some tours opening up for David Bowie, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Ray Russell, and Taste. This Rise Above reissue contains the original album, completely remastered (discovered thanks to help from original members David Morris and John Challenger), along with a wealth of bonus tracks (singles, b-sides, mono recordings, and a newly recorded song from 2010 by four of the original members) and a thick, informative booklet containing all the information you need to know about the band and plenty of photos.

Steel Mill back in 1971 were John Challenger (sax, woodwinds), David Morris (vocals, keyboards), Terry Williams (guitar), Jeff Watts (bass), and Chris Martin (drums). Mixing elements of hard rock, progressive rock, and jazz, the band had a sound that can best be described as a cross between Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Traffic, and Deep Purple. Williams' heavy rock riffs play well against the soaring sax and flute of Challenger, and Morris' vocals & occasional keyboard work are quite excellent. The heavier numbers like "Blood Runs Deep" and "Treadmill" contain some pretty ferocious riffs and pounding rhythms, while the more progressive, jazzy tunes like "Summer's Child", "Black Jewel of the Forest", and "Mijo and the Laying of the Witch" have a haunting, folky flavor, made all the more majestic thanks to Challenger's gentle flute passages and Morris' alluring vocals. "Green Eyed God", the enchanting title track, might just be the best song that Traffic or Jethro Tull never recorded, a near 10-minute epic filled with wispy flute lines, intoxicating vocals, and fuzz-toned blues rock guitar riffs.

The bonus tracks all contain some sparkling material as well. "Get One the Line" is a proggy, jazzy heavy rocker with some throbbing bass, crushing riffs, and squealing saxophone, while "Zangwill" has more of a jazzy groove but also retains the hard rock & blues element. There are five previously unreleased studio recordings from 1970 also included here with a different drummer and bass player, but the feel is still the same, with bruising blues-rockers "Confusion" and "Super Clean Man" mixing in with folk-jazz numbers like "Monday Arrives" and "Keep Working", while "Growing Bald" has a bit of that late '60s psychedelic pop feel to it. "A Forgotten Future/A Future Past" was recorded in 2010 by Morris, Challenger, Martin, original bassist Derek Chandler, and new guitarist Graham Parker, and to put it mildly these guys haven't missed a beat in all these years. Containing heavy riffs, fluttering flute, and plenty of jazzy/proggy atmospheric passages, we can only hope that the band decide to do more in the future.

As far as reissues of rare '70s recordings go, this is really a great one. Steel Mill most certainly deserved more than their fate turned out, and anyone into heavy rock with a prog, jazz, and folk feel from that era would be well advised to check this release out.



Torrent created and uploaded by mikes0008 on kickasstorrents 2015.03.27