The achievements evidenced on Alan Goldberg’s Fuel For the Fire—40^th Anniversary Edition, come as rapidly as the alliteration in the very title of this piece. The collection of cuts makes order from bedlam sound pleasing, the simple sound progressive, and the possibilities nothing short of illimitable.

Through it all (which only lasts eight tracks, some of which are far too short for this reviewer), the prime attraction is the graceful, studied poise of Goldberg’s piano playing. You won’t find any vocals on here. The synths are vintage 70’s material and the instrumentation inspired, challenging, and more than a bit heady.

Granted, there’s no denying the incendiary nature of some of the electric guitars, which may have been responsible for the motif of this conceptual album centered on keeping it lit during an epoch in which it was more than fashionable to do so. However, with song titles like “Spark From The Dark”, “Fuel For Fire”, and “Chasing Stray Flames”, it’s apparent that some of Prometheus’ better efforts are on display.

Yet, it’s on tracks like “Crossroad”, which seemingly eschew the album’s theme (or possibly counterpoint it) that the really good stuff begins to get unveiled. The pianos sideline their shiny brilliance found on “Fire” in favor of an understated, spooky sounding appeal: the stuff of classic horror films. The percussion is rich and speaks to one sans words, a wah wah guitar adorns the highs, and you’ll be all but darned if Goldberg’s not in and out in two minutes and change, when he could’ve easily doubled it and kept the audience riveted.

“Flames” is a similar honest means of beseeching the very essence of music in its originality—which is never to be taken for granted. It’s got a celestial, outer space vibe, replete with swirling synths and artless (check the definition) pianos that evoke a ballad, as well as open fields of verdure and, perhaps, those daring enough to frequent them.

Still, it’d be tough to deny that the LP doesn’t hit a high note on the closeout, “Warm Enough”, with its clean, pretty pianos, surfeit of upper range keys, and elongated synths that are seemingly designed for meaningful conversations, moments, and the interchange of the two.

Yes, the accomplishments are many and myriad on this piece, which likely hits today just as hard, if not harder, than when it was first released.