Ramases "Glass Top Coffin" (UK Symphonic Prog & Folk 1975)

Three years had elapsed since Space Hymns mesmerized all who encountered it, a period during which Ramases' own career stood still, even as his former backing band went on to glory as 10cc. Indeed, it was the reflection of their fame that brought Glass Top Coffin the media attention it did receive, although few listeners lured in by the link would have been expecting this.
A very different album from its predecessor (despite packaging in an equally captivating sleeve), Glass Top Coffin relies on orchestration for its punch, conjuring images of a downbeat Moody Blues as Ramases and Sel trade vocals across some almost heartstoppingly melancholic pastures — "Long Long Time" and "Only the Loneliest Feeling" paramount among them. But there are also moments of spellbinding joy — the duet between the Mona Lisa (yes, the painting) and an onlooker trying to solve the riddle of her expression ("Mona Lisa Now") is magnificent, while the mantric "Stepping Stones" harks back to the proggier elements of Space Hymns, without losing sight of the distance between them. Balancing these jewels are a couple of songs that, in any other hands, could be construed as sure-fire commercial hits — the punchy "Sweet Reason" and the flowing "Saler Man," while the title track seems to take every instinct that was bottled up elsewhere on the album and unleashed it in one breathtaking roar. It is this variety and versatility that still holds Glass Top Coffin in good stead today — unlike Space Hymns, it has scarcely dated, and the greatest regret is that there would never be a follow-up. ~ All Music Guide