SRC's second album isn't radically different from their debut, but it certainly captures the group in more comfortable and energized form. Rather than go back into the studio, the members of
SRC used their recording advance to build a recording setup in their rehearsal space, and on
Milestones, the group seems more willing to push the songs in a harder and faster direction without losing touch with their psychedelic and progressive influences. Gary Quackenbush steps farther into the forefront with his lead guitar on
Milestones, demonstrating why he was one of the most acclaimed soloists on the Detroit scene in the 1960s, and he bounces his lines off keyboard man Glenn Quackenbush and rhythm guitarist Steve Lyman with skill and fire. Scott Richardson's vocals are also in excellent form on this album, and he performs with greater passion and increased imagination on
SRC's second effort, though he can't quite overcome some of the lesser material. And
SRC were writing songs with a harder and more physical edge for
Milestones, most notably "Checkmate" and "No Secret Destination," though if the album has a flaw, it's the presence of not one but two adaptations of the works of
Edvard Grieg -- "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "The Angel Song," Some might argue that
SRC was best off leaving this sort of thing to
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but while the band can't quite rise above the material, they do sound far better and more comfortable performing
Grieg than anyone would have a right to expect. If in many respects,
Milestones was an experiment, it was a successful one, though it unfortunately didn't sell as well as the first album, leading to the first steps toward
SRC's eventual breakup. ~ Mark Deming