Artist: John Young
Title: Life Underground - The Demos
Label/ Date: Heritage Records 1999 (CD-R)

Tracks:

1. All Grown Up [5:08]

2. Closer [4:34]

3. Palmistry [5:27]

4. Wings to Fly [2:12]

5. Last One Home [4:37]

6. Nothing At All [3:30]

7. Imaginary People [5:17]

8. Ivory Tower [6:54]

9. Life Underground [4:14]

10. Reprise [2:24]

The Review:

Multi-talented John Young shows, on his first demo, that he can do it all with playing all the instruments as well as singing. Vocally, he is similar sounding to his some time band mate John Wetton.

The music on this demo is more in the singer/songwriter vein and would appeal to the all audiences who appreciate beautiful song based prog rather than the complex or agressive progressive music. They songs have a strong radio-friendly adult contemporary/ soft rock presence with a with possible Top 40 status.

All ten of the songs (most are under 5 minutes with one that is under 7 minutes) but the song that stands out the most for me is called "Last One Home".

According to John Young this is an early incarnation of the John Wetton song "Arkangel", written before but recorded two years afterwards with different lyrics and slightly different instrumentation. It almost sounds like a companion piece.

John Young has some outstanding credits to his name that, including such artists as the afore mentioned John Wetton, Bonnie Tyler (touring), The Scorpions (touring), Fish (Sunsets on Empire Fellini Days [correction: may 8th, 2002]) and most recently fronting and providing secondary keyboards for the legendary band Greenslade.

In closing, John Young has a very bright future in this side of his talented musical experience and it shows on the demo CD, with it's very well done production and arranging.

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on April 25th, 2002

Reviewed Discography

• "Life Underground - The Demos" 1999
• "N.C.V. (No Commercial Value)" 2000
• "Significance" 2002
• "The Shape of Things to Come" 2003