| Terry Reid moved to California in the mid-1970s, befriending a number 
        of musicians from those parts and broadening his sound in the process. 
        One result was this album, produced by Graham Nash and featuring David 
        Lindley on acoustic and slide guitars. Seed of Memory isn't as heavy as 
        his earlier work, and not remotely the bold, strident virtuoso rock production 
        of his first LP -- most of it, apart from the vaguely Led Zeppelin-ish 
        "The Way You Walk," is fairly laid-back by Reid's standards. 
        "Ooh Baby" tries for a kind of meld of funk and British blues. 
        But several numbers, like "Brave Awakening," with its relaxed 
        beat, high harmonies, and understated backing orchestration, or the ominous 
        acoustic-textured "To Be Treated Rite," seem more like outtakes 
        from Nash's Songs for Beginners or his subsequent albums, or one of Neil 
        Young's mid-'70s albums, than they do like the work of one of England's 
        most promising '60s bluesmen. The album ends on an ambitious but disjointed 
        note, with the ambitious but not wholly successful "Fooling You," 
        which makes extensive use of the saxophone. It all just might not be what 
        fans look for in Reid's work, and lacks some of the excitement of his 
        other albums.  (by Bruce Eder, All 
        Music Guide) |