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This review featured in:
John Collinge's Progression Magazine

Phil Mercy: Fear of Fantastic Flight (CD, 43:27); Mellow Records MMP 337 import This is a one-man show of guitars coursing deftly through synth mazes and a sophisticated synth drumlines. Phil got tired of mainstream music doldrums and relaxed creatively in his studio and 'fore he knew it he discovered the joys of all instrumental rock without the irritating chaff of commercialism. This CD is the results of a musician not "selling out". For this alone I praise his efforts. Sum this release up as havin' fun doin' yer own thing. Musicianship is excellent -- compositions are "driving tunes" kind of guitar-rock. "Aliens Wear Boots" and "Fear of Fantastic Flight" are Satrianic riffs over Argent/ELP- Tarkus analogish keys and time signature changeups ample enuff to keep things lively. "Symphony" is an intriguing little ballad of Brian May meets Satriani over BoHansson keys in a Happy the Manish mode. "Tears" is a building, slow-mover ballad with more Satriani voicing and a tinge of Eric Johnson. "Pump II" does recall Jeff Beck's days trading licks with Jan Hammer but Mercy still sounds more like Satriani. Well at last, in "Dance of the Aliens", I get to hear a tad of amphetamine-jazzrock fusion guitar pursuing manic keys in again the Tarkus mode. It drops down to second gear for an extended but mellow-to-peppy synth solo sounding very 70's. I would have really got into a mellotron wall of sound in there somewhere, Phil. "Khaa Bhut" is the final piece with a Steve Morse/Al Dimeola/Satriani melodic feel meeting Chick Corea, circa Romantic Warrior, again using that very familiar Not-of-This-Earth gestalt. I got a whiff of Ken Watson in this one. If you're into early Satriani then have Mercy. -John W. Patterson

More Mercy guitar here: Thieves' Kitchen

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