"The Book Behind the Album" – A look at the story that inspired Tony Banks's masterpiece - A Curious Feeling.

Tony's debut album ; A Curious Feeling was released early in 1980, but the book which inspired it was very much a child of the Sixties.

Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes tells the story of Charlie Gordon, a man with, what we would call these days, limited intelligence. The butt of everyone's jokes but genuinely liked by his peers, Charlie's life changes forever when he is selected to take part in a series of clinical trials and experiments the aim of which is to artificially enhance intelligence. Not quite overnight, but drastically he acquires a level of inelligence beyond his dreams or those who have subjected him to the experiments – whose intelligence he soon outstrips.

The consequences for Charlie and those around him are brilliantly examined in the story which is a very painful read. Charlie's initial exhilaration at his new found intelligence quickly turns to frustration as he loses patience with those whose inteliigence no longe matches his own artificially enhanced IQ.

He is shunned by those whom he formely regarded as friends as he can no longer share their simple pleasures and they in turn cannot understand what has happened to their friend. By gaining intelligence, he has lost humanity. However, he is not alone in his journey. His companion; Algernon, a mouse on whom the initial experimenTs were conducted also goes through his own trials and tribulations and it is through those that Charlie eventually begins to realise that his own newly acquired intelligence may be short lived as both of them reach heights of intelligence undreamed of only to find them slipping away as the effects of the experiment begn to wear off. Charlie's increasing frustration as he realises that his own abilities are failing and yet he cannot return to the simpler life he had before is painfully examined in the story. Charlie Gordon is an Everyman character whom we can all relate to. His struggles with day to day life are ones which we all face but his additional burdens, both genetic and scientifically imposed, take his struggles to a level whch few of us can begin to comprehend.

Suoperbly written, the story is one which resonates today as the current experiments with AI gain even greater traction. Charlie's character is brilliantly depicted by Keyes and you are immediately able to empathise with his situation. Personally I found the story both fascinating and deeply upsetting but I am glad that I read it.

Translating this story into words and music was never going to be easy and indeed the musical based on the story sank without trace. Not so the album which Tony produced. A Curious Feeling manages to concentrate the essence of the story and turn it into a tightly woven musical masterpiece. The two are a compelling pairing and both deserve a wider audience.