The Bruised Romantic Glee Club
The Bruised Romantic Glee Club is the fifth solo album by English musician Jakko M. Jakszyk. it was his first release in 9 years since 1997s The Road to Ballina and first since the breakup of the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a band featuring former members of early lineups of the progressive rock band King Crimson. Jakszyk was the only member who previously hadn't been a member of the band though he did join the band when they reformed in 2013. Due to Jakszyk's membership of the Schizoid band, the album features members of the band. Overview The Bruised Romantic Glee Club is a double album in which the first disc ("Now") consists of original songs by Jakszyk and the second disc ("Then") consists of cover versions of progressive rock/art rock songs (by artists including Soft Machine, King Crimson and Henry Cow) which served as influences on Jakszyk in his youth. Originally envisaged as "largely instrumental with a couple of songs thrown in," the writing and production of the album was subsequently interrupted by significant events in Jakszyk's life including the deaths of his adoptive parents and the ending of a relationship, meaning that he ended up exploring "some uncomfortable corners of the past" through song. The album also features members of various prog rock and jazz rock bands from the 1970s until the present day, including Mark King, Nathan King, Gary Barnacle and Lyndon Connah of Level 42; Dave Stewart and Clive Brooks of Egg and Gavin Harrison and Suzanne Barbieri (Richard Barbieri's wife) of Porcupine Tree. The album also features contributions from King Crimson leader and guitarist Robert Fripp. The Bruised Romantic Glee Club features a composition that had previously been performed by the 21st Century Schizoid Band on their 2003 and 2004 tours. Called Catley's Ashes, and instrumental composition that's recorded version features contributions Mel Collins of alto and tenor saxophones, Mark King on bass guitar and Gavin Harrison on drums, as well as Jakszyk on electric guitar and keyboards. Critical responses In AllMusic, Dave Lynch observes that the album "well demonstrates Jakszyk's prog skills and makes it easy to hear why Robert Fripp would subsequently invite him to step into the KC vocalist role... But also consider that 2006's ...Bruised... is a bit of a, well, schizoid listening experience... As a result, the heartfelt original songs on the first disc stand at a fairly wide distance from the covers of '60s and '70s art rock classics on the rather short (35-plus-minute) second disc, vintage numbers from Crimson, Soft Machine, and Henry Cow performed with help from such cult figures as Dave Stewart, Hugh Hopper, Mel Collins, and Ian Wallace... For those listeners eager to hear updated versions of prog, avant-prog, and art rock numbers from decades ago, the second disc is likely to hit the CD player first... The first disc is not without its pleasures that would have fit nicely on the second, particularly the instrumental "Catley's Ashes," with its intricate arrangement of saxes and