As a "conductor" and organ/electronic synthesizer player,
Byrd is very much the leader of this circus. With a couple drummers, a half-dozen horn players (including a young
Tom Scott), three female vocalists, and a half-dozen or so other musicians popping up over the course of the album, there are a lot more people involved in this project than there were in the (relatively) stable lineup of
the United States of America. Despite the ambition of this LP, it ultimately serves to illustrate just how
Byrd benefited from the unique synergy provided by the other members of
the U.S.A. There are all kinds of adventurous electronics and eclectic ideas bouncing back and forth, but the songwriting is simply not as strong as that of
Byrd's previous group. The best songs are the ones which most strongly recall
the U.S.A. in their spacy melodicism ("Moonsong: Pelog") and driving psychedelic pulse ("You Can't Ever Come Down"). Unfortunately, the female singers on these tracks are no match for
the U.S.A.'s Dorothy Moscowitz, although they seem to be aspiring to the same dreamy, icy quality.
Byrd himself is quite a mediocre singer, as his attempts at taking the lead on straightforward rock material prove. Otherwise, there are some bad takeoffs on gospel and old-time music, haphazard primitive early synthesizer, and dated social commentary/satire. As ambitious in its scope as
Byrd's first rock project, this album is not nearly as successful.