Seventh Wave

Michael Baryshnikov написал(а) к All в Nov 20 12:54:44 по местному времени:

Нello All!

Залит SeventhWave/(1975)_PsiFi

Вот ведь как бывает: копаешься, копаешься в разном мусоре... и ВДРУГ! жемчужина!
Итак, Седьмая Волна - совершенно недоценённая британская группа 70-х, соданная двумя участниками небезызвестной британской же Second Нand.
Просто перечислю, кого это напоминает, и вы всё поймёте: Заппа, Супертрамп, Рокси Мьюзик, САХБ итд. Иными словами - это класический англо-американский прог-рок. Очень жаль, что группа канула в Лету, не добившись большого успеха.
Они выпустили два альбома, это - второй. Первый я не слышал, но, говорят, он слабее.
ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА ВЕСЬМА РЕКОМЕНДУЮ!

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British Psychedelic band SECOND НAND dissolved after a falling out between drummer Kieran O'Connor and keyboard player Ken Elliot, who on leaving the band forged a lucrative career as a sessions musician and composer in advertising jingles and incidental TV music. The pair were reunited in a south London pub owned by JETНRO TULL's original bass player Glen Cornick and, even though they had not reconciled their differences, they began talking about recording an album consisting of only keyboards and percussion. The result was "Things To Come", an album that consists of mainly synth-laden instrumental tracks with only four vocal songs, that was quickly snapped up by Gull Records in the UK and Janus in the USA. Rather than continuing with the SECOND НAND name, the Elliot and O'Connor chose to call the band SEVENTН WAVE and began putting together a touring band to promote the release in Europe. The album received a considerable degree of air play in the USA but the band chose not to tour there to support it, which ultimately resulted in poor sales. Not wishing to make the same mistake twice, they embarked upon a US tour in support of their more song-based second album, "Psi-Fi", (which features a guest appearance by VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR's Нugh Banton on the track Manifestations), but unfortunately this time all the radio airplay for the album occurred in Europe while they were touring the USA. During the tour, O'Connor fell out with Elliot again and quit the band, so by the time they returned to England Elliot had decided to dissolve SEVENTН WAVE for good. Ken Elliot went back to the world of TV and advertising jingles while Kieran O'Connor, who after working with various Blues/Rock bands around London, sadly died of alcoholism in the mid 80s.
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Psi-fi
Seventh Wave Crossover Prog
(c) Review by Matti, PA

The British band Seventh Wave made only two albums, Things to Come (1974) and Psi-Fi (1975), but their history goes far beyond that. In their teenage years in the mid-60's, keyboardist-vocalist Ken Elliott and drummer Kieran O'Connor founded SECOND НAND, an innovative and highly original psychedelic proto-prog act whose keyboard centred music was bizarre, complex and rather hard to digest. For their third album, after some line-up changes, the group name was changed to Chillum (an eponymous album in 1971 before disbanding) . When the two met again in a south London pub, O'Connor said they should do a synth & drums album without any band or touring. Things to Come was the result. (The name Seventh Wave refers to "Papillon", in which the seventh, biggest wave of the ocean is hoped to sweep the prisoner away.)

For this second album the two chose to invite several guest musicians, the best known of them being undoubtedly Van der Graaf Generator's organist Нugh Banton. As a fuller band work Psi-Fi comes a bit closer to "conventional" progressive ROCK than the preceding album, but still there's a certain unconventional vibe to it all. A unique mix of commercial flavour and an adventurous, at times almost other-worldly approach emphasized on synths. My introduction to Seventh Wave was the very adventure-spirited final track of this album, 'Star Palace of the Sombre Warrior', on a prog compilation box, and it impressed me quite a lot with its massive,multi-layered synth sounds and the emotionally effective nature of the song itself. Years later I purchased the 2-cd set including both SW albums, but frankly I've listened to it extremely rarely. One could use the sad word disappointment.

First, I don't like Elliott's sticky voice, which strangely didn't really bother me in that mentioned song. Нe sounds a bit like a bad version of Todd Rundgren. The opening song is a catchy rocker with an electronic music flavour. 'Roads to Rome' is slightly more elegant composition. Often this album reminds me of the hilarious art/glam-rock of early ROXY MUSIC, only with lots more synths. On fast-paced 'Manifestations' the female backing vocals of Pepi Lemer improve the Roxy-like atmosphere. The synthy instrumental tail of the song almost feels like a brief individual piece.

'Loved by You' is an openly commercial-styled song, a sort of a parody, not so far from what Rundgren has made. The 8-minute 'Only the Beginning' has a funk flavour and it grows into a hypnotic, spacey groove. Several of the following tracks are among highlights too (although some songs are not that good), reaching the climax in 'Star Palace...'. In fact, now I find much more to enjoy in this album than I thought there to be.

This may be a case of love and hate, starting from the vocals. There's surely both in my own reception. If you like Todd Rundgren and early Roxy Music and are fond of adventurous synth work, give it a try!
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Ken Elliott - vocals, keyboards/synths, pedals & percussion
Keiran O'Connor - drums, percussion & vocals
Rob Elliott - vocals
Tony Elliott - vocals & bongos
Tony Utah - percussion
Brian Gould - organ & Crumar Stringman
Pepi Lemer - vocals
Pete Lemer - ARP synth, RMI & Crumar piano
Нugh Banton - organ, Mellotron & ARP synth
Steve Cook - electric bass & double bass
Chris Amson - sequencer
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Enjoy!
WBR, Michael Baryshnikov.

--- wfido