The Chameleons UK

Literally the last recorded moments of the Chameleons - the band broke up mere days after the session documented here, partially due to the death of their manager, after whomthe release is named - the sheer sense of what might have been from this four-song release amazes. Even with a basic demo session, the Chameleons seemed capable of magic every time they picked up their instruments. "Is It Any Wonder?" carries a gentle touch to it, while "Denims and Curls" is a quick, sweet little guitar pop number with the band's usual edge downplayed a bit, but not by much. The clear winner here, though, is "The Healer," every bit the big epic as "Swamp Thing" and with a similar sense of build while not sounding like the earlier song at all; Burgess' own continued fondness for the track has shown in his various performances of it during his post-Chameleons career. One of the rarest Chameleons releases, Tony Fletcher has since surfaced as a bonus disc on the Return of the Roughnecks compilation on Dead Dead Good Records, making it an essential purchase for fans. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide