Mike Oldfield started something when his Tubular Bells and subsequent albums were all monster hits. No-one had thought instrumental rock albums would sell, but his did, and former folksinger Gordon Giltrap found similar success with his own series of instrumental albums during the mid-70's. Voiceprint have now reissued these albums, and all of them have extra tracks, many of which are rarities for the fans. Fear of the Dark was the first of Giltrap's hit albums, and it is easy to see why: layered guitars, keyboards and a string section to give it a lush sound. For an ex-folkie it is surprising that these albums didn't draw on traditional music, like Oldfield did, but went for something a lot grander. The extra tracks on this album include a pretty fine version of Peter Green's Oh Well, and the single version of Fear of the Dark. Perilous Journey is more of the same mix of acoustic guitars and quasi-orchestral backing, this time the extra tracks include a version of Parry's Jerusalem, and a fifteen minute demo track of the album, featuring all the main themes. 1977's Perilous Journey still featured the acoustic guitar, but was a little more electronic, with synths coming to the front more. The extras this time include a fully orchestral version of Quest, the demo of Heartsong and a twenty-one minute compilation of the demo tracks, with Giltrap calling out the chord changes - something any guitarist will find useful if trying to learn these pieces. Okay, crunch time - I love these albums, I did when they first came out, and that hasn't changed but it is interesting to hear them together and see just how much they were cut from the same cloth. These three albums sound as if they could have been recorded at the same sessions - most of the same musicians, arrangers and production team are involved on each album, and it makes it hard to distinguish one album from another. But then, with musicianship this high, who cares!