Danger Money

This is an excellent album. The "missing link" it could be called. The UK debut with Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford is amazing, but not well recorded (they never recorded together) and not at all UK, or what UK wanted to do. So Holdsworth and Bruford left, and they created maybe one of the best CDs of the 70s in Bruford's amazing "One of a Kind." Then, Jobson and Wetton along with Terry Bozzio, fresh from Zappa and Missing Persons, went on to pursue the more classical/orchestral, and pop-oriented Danger Money. Listening to and contrasting these three great CDs really does put together an important pop/prog/rock chapter. The UK debut clearly has proto One of a Kind and Danger Money songs, and it's possible that neither effort would be as great without the initial UK collaboration.Danger Money is very much a world-class effort, and should easily be in any top 50, or even any top 25 list of most important progressive rock CDs. And if anyone has checked out the recent flawlessly performed 2012 UK tour performances, it is more clear than ever how important the Danger Money album is.Eddie Jobson, John Wetton, and Terry Bozzio: Yes, King Crimson, Zappa, Roxy Music, Missing Persons, Asia,... the lineage is spectacular, and so is the Danger Money album.

When Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth left UK they decided to continue as a three piece with Terry Bozzio on drums. The result is a more rock and prog oriented album than the first. Excellent material and playing on this. Five stars.

U.K. was the most short lived progressive rock band, and it's a shame, as the 2 studio albums they put out were excellent (I haven't heard their live set, Night After Night). Their 1st studio one was very good, but this one is really amazing. Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth left the band, leaving only Eddie Jobson and John Wetton. The devilishly underappreciated Terry Bozzio (who made his name with Zappa's 1970's bands) was brought in, and they didn't bring in a new guitarist, becoming a prog rock trio. I am a huge Emerson, Lake, and Palmer fan, and there has never been a band that has come close to them in technique and sound. Until U.K. released this album.This is a really intricate, complete prog masterpiece. Prog rock was going away in 1979, but you couldn't tell it from this album. Jobson, Bozzio, and Wetton gave it everything they got and then some. There's no concession to "changing tastes" at the time. It's really ironic that ELP released the abysmal Love Beach in 1978, a blatantly commercial album, and this album, which sounds like classic ELP (with a touch of U.K.'s formidable, distinctive playing), came out a year after that. Every song is excellent, but a special mention must go to Carrying No Cross, a 12 1/2 minute prog masterpiece that only a handful of people have ever really heard. Jobson and Bozzio really shine on this song, and it's one of the most complex, definitive prog songs ever recorded. Miss it at your peril.There are many bands nowadays that have picked up the prog rock banner (most notably The Mars Volta), which is welcome news. This was only one of 3 albums U.K. made, and it's their best. This album is a bit hard to find right now, but if you can, pick it up immediately.

This disc is often overlooked on the big list of cool prog albums/CDs. John Wetton, who handles bass and vox on this disc spent most of the 70's building his prog chops with the likes of King Crimson, Uriah Heap, and others. He's most well-known for his work with Asia that followed his UK stint. Eddie Jobson is quite the proficient keyboard player (as well as violin), and anybody who knows Frank Zappa, knows that Terry Bozio could cover the drum kit proficiently (and that's an understatement).The most succinct way to sum up this UK CD is it's almost a cross between Asia, the Yes' "Drama" line up, and ELP. Definitely more commercial-leaning than the first U.K. album and definitely more prog-leaning than the Asia debut. It's a shame this line-up didn't produce another album, but given the direction popular music was pushing at the time, it's understandable that the momentum on this died pretty quickly. If you listen to Wetton's early vocal work with King Crimson, you'll see (and appreciate) that he developed quite a bit as a vocalist in the 70's. Like "Yes Drama" this is a clear lead-in to the sound that Asia would hit the airwaves with in the early 80's and have some measure of success with. I would also say the U.K. debut (with Holdworth) isn't quite as commercial, though it certainly has some stunning interplay between the parts (drums, keyboards, guitar and bass), and has only a few similarities with what's on this disc (though they're both good in their own right).As a side note, I'm eagerly awaiting the remastering of this album as this version (that I'm reviewing) isn't exactly pristine and digitally cleansed.As mentioned in other reviews, "Carrying No Cross" is definitely the highlight of this album.SO... if you would like the Asia debut album crossed with a touch of Emerson-like keyboard work, and think that Yes' "Drama" was interesting (sound-wise, not necessarily as a Yes album) then you should check this CD out. As well, consider U.K.'s "Night After Night" which although live, has better recording quality than this disc.Added about 5 years after my initial review:Well, they FINALLY released the remastered version of this disk and I picked it up about 9 months ago.And how is it? Well, given the really not-great-non-remastered initial release, this is definitely an improvement. But unfortunately NOT as much of an improvement as I was hoping for or expecting. The low-end seems sort of muddled at times, and though the parts (keys, bass, drums, vox) come through with more clarity, there's not near as much punch or shine in the mids to highs as I expected. Not sure if it was just the EQ'ing they did when they remastered it or this was just the best they could get given the source tapes they were working from, but I admit my feelings are mixed on the audio quality: it's better than it was, but not near as good as I was hoping for. And if the audio quality was about 3-stars before, I can only say it's about 4 stars now. It's only the quality of the music and performance that drives this disk to a solid 5-star rating.

UK only put out 2 albums, with Danger Money being the last. It is a mixture of progressive rock and jazz fusion, and if you were a King Crimson or Yes fan, I think there is a lot to enjoy. The talent of the musicians is lost in today's music!

This album is a minor classic of 70s progressive rock. Featuring the great Terry Bozzio on drums!Best song: "Rendezvous 6:02"

Took a few weeks to get here from Japan I guess, but having waited more than 30 years to get this on CD and be able to listen to this awesome music again, a few weeks was no problem. CD arrived in perfect condition. If you're a fan of YES, ELP, or early King Crimson, UK should be on your list. Especially the first UK album with guitarist Allen Holdsworth and drummer Bill Bruford. Prog rock at its best.

Finally, after quite a bit of hunting, I managed to locate a copy of this excellent album secondhand in CD format. Many, many moons ago I had a vinyl copy which went the way of all flesh, and as anybody who appreciates UK knows, CD versions are in extremely short supply. I now own both their albums (the original UK and this one) and, on balance, prefer 'Danger Money' - perhaps because it a little less experimental.There is absolutely nothing second-class about this album. All the tracks are innovative, brilliantly performed, and may be listened to repeatedly without a hint of boredom setting in. It is sad to think that musicianship of this quality is, increasingly, a thing of the past - and John Wetton's powerful vocals are a reminder that he is no longer with us. All of us have our favourite track on the LP, and for me I think it would have to be 'Nothing to lose' - with its brilliant electric violin solo, which sends a shiver up your back every time.Given the pedigree behind this album (King Crimson, Asia etc), it is surprise that (a) UK is so little known, and (b) copies of their albums are as rare as unicorn's tears.

Great songs,great singing and impressive performance

„Danger Money“ heißt das zweite und bereits letzte Studioalbum der britischen Progressive Rock Band U.K. Von der Besetzung des ein Jahr zuvor erschienen Debut-Albums waren noch John Wetton und Eddie Jobson übrig geblieben. Terry Bozzio hatte inzwischen am Schlagzeug Bill Bruford ersetzt und der Part von Allan Holdsworth an der Gitarre wurde gleich völlig fallengelassen. Dafür stehen die Tasteninstrumente und die elektrische Violine jetzt sehr im Zentrum der Musik von U.K.. „Danger Money“ wurde im März 1979 bei E.G. Records veröffentlicht und erschien in der Wiederveröffentlichung auf Universal Music. Die ausgekoppelten Singles heißen „Nothing To Lose“ und „Rendezvous 6:02“.Auf „Danger Money“ hört man durchaus massenkompatiblen Progressive Rock, der ins Ohr geht und dabei rockig aus den Boxen strömt. Allzu kompliziert klingt es auf dem Album nicht, auch wenn die zu hörende Musik ganz klar dem Genre des Progressive Rock zuzuordnen ist. Die Lieder gehen schnell ins Ohr und müssen nicht erst großartig erarbeitet werden. Im Falle der Singleauskopplung „Nothing To Lose“ hört sich die Musik von U.K. zudem bereits schwer nach dem Mainstream Rock der Band Asia an, mit der John Wetton kurze Zeit später Erfolge feiern sollte. Doch dieses Lied stellt glücklicherweise dann doch eine Ausnahme auf „Danger Money“ dar. Das zwölfminütige „Carrying No Cross“ ist zum Beispiel eine zwar eingängige, doch sehr vielschichtigere und abwechslungsreichere Nummer, während der mit Atmosphären, Tempi und Rhythmen gespielt wird, die sich perfekt arrangiert ergänzen und ineinander überfließen.„Carrying No Cross“ stellt auch einen der Höhepunkte auf „Danger Money“ dar. Ende der 70er Jahre noch solch eine Progressive Rock Nummer zu hören, war und ist keine Selbstverständlichkeit. Der zweite Höhepunkt der Platte ist die zweite Single des Albums, das Lied „Rendezvous 6:02“. Von einer sehr schönen Melodie getragen, weniger rockig als der Rest des Albums und vom Keyboard wunderschön dominiert, erklingt hier ein Lied, welches sich bereits beim ersten Mal des Hörens fest einbrennt.Fazit: Die rockige Variante des Progressive Rocks gibt es auf „Danger Money“ von U.K. zu hören. Rockig und eingängig ist diese Musik, die auch sehr abwechslungsreiche Stellen, neben bereits im Mainstream angesiedelten Abschnitten aufweist. Mit der Musik von Genesis oder Yes zu Beginn der 70er Jahre hat diese Scheibe zwar nichts mehr zu tun, doch wenn man sich die Musik von Asia sehr viel abwechslungsreicher vorstellt, dann begibt man sich in die Gefilde von U.K. auf „Danger Money“.

UK return for a second time as a trio with the departure of both Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth. Eddie Jobson and John Wetton would be joined by drummer Terry Bozzio.Musically there is little difference except the drums are more rock than jazz and keyboards are more prominent. The vocals are a different story. Wetton is, generally, a strong vocalist but either the mix has buried him or he has chosen to be a little less forthright.Of the six tracks the opening and title track leaves a little to be desired but from that point on the album improves and 'Rendezvous 6:02' is almost 'best on album' 'Caesar's Palace Blues' ranks highly but best track is the closing 'Carrying no Cross' with its nod to ELP - by accident or design.The absence of Holdsworth's guitar is made up with plenty of electric violin, sounding, in places, like the guitar.This album and their first Self titled effort are worthy additions to any prog collection.

L'album vale la pena acquistarlo anche solo per il brano n°2