----------------------------------------------------- NOVEMBER, 1975 ----------------------------------------------------- Source: RAM Steve Howe - Beginnings By Mike Guthrie God knows Steve Howe is a very good player indeed. But "Beginnings" lacks an overall musical vision. He's a jolly adept player, a terrible solo singer. His songs and tunes are short on melody, long on arrangement. He whizzes through a variety of guitar styles and his repertoire of technical skills. There is a lot of clever and difficult guitar playing on "Beginnings." But there should have been something else. Otherwise Steve could just as well have done "55 Pieces for Various Guitars" and left it at that. The title track is a suite in classial jazz style. It pinpoints the album's problem in that the playing is undoubtedly superb but the tunes are unmemorable.  "Australia" is a sub-Yes piece that tells of the boys' travels to Oz, their somewhat startled realisation the country had planes and highways and was an (ulp!) Western Civilization. It concludes with the proposition that they're "taking the easy way out" and not coming back. I mean, couldn't he have just sent a press release? "Ram" is a nifty workout in country-style picking. Any other points of interest on the album are entirely incidental. Close Window YesInThePress.com For site comments, problems, corrections, or additions, contact YesinthePress@aol.com