Wednesday 25 May 2016

Thijs Van Leer's Pedal Point in the stunning Dona Nobis Pacem (1981) [no download]





What a shock that there are still such progressive masterpieces sitting around utterly unknown.  At least to me.

My attention was drawn to this by one of those wonderful aforementioned friends who are always finding things I would never have known about, or to put it in his words, "the hungry dog always finds a bone..."  And we sure have been ravenous lately with the endless series of library records and fusion opuses, so many dipping their cold toes in the inclement waters of the eighties...  Which ironically is exactly what composer Thijs van Leer is doing here, in this work which could easily have been made or written just after his 1975 magnum opus O My Love.  (One of my all-time favourites.)  Note that he does steal from himself on the one track, the resurrection, using the title track from the prior.  I guess we can forgive him that.

Check out the highly progressive material we have on the third track, which starts with the classical flutes weaving a beautiful tapestry, whereupon suddenly the electric guitars intrude in the style of ol' Mike Oldfield:





Wow.  One might also mention how similar to Pohjola's composed works this sounds.  I mentioned earlier how much I love Thijs for his work arranging Bulgarian-Dutch angel Bojoura in Beauty of Bojoura (wasn't he married to her once too?)-- now some six years ago.  (What a lot of previously unknown progressive and beautiful music we've heard in those 6 years.)  It's interesting to me as well how successfully the music has been married to the oratorio style.  Often there is some spark lacking as I found with another roughly contemporaneous such attempt involving Garfunkel (of all people!) and the great songwriter Jimmy Webb (how could he ever go wrong?) about the Christmas of Animals.  An egregious work which shocked me insofar as there is not a hint of the master who wrote MacArthur Park, By the Time I get to Phoenix, Up Up and Away, I'm still Alive, etc., etc.  Not to pummel him, esp. since some of the tracks he wrote for Art were some of his most beautiful songs, like on Watermark which was their best collaboration (most people will mention Scissors Cut however), but my point is that these religious works meant presumably for concerts are often lacking spontaneity.

Not this one though.  (Nor the Kantata of Siebert.)  This is absolutely amazingly magical from beginning to end, a double-LP moreover, and it's shocking to me that I never knew about it despite loving Focus-related artists deeply.  Note that it was released to CD in 1990 and thus out of respect for the powers to be the link if there is one permitted will be down very quickly.  I'm guessing from the price of the CDs on discogs though these are relatively rare too and must be out of print.

Really stunning music.






17 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great! Where do you find all these things?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great album. Also checked out the Oh My Love album. I agree, top-notch! Thanks again Julian.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Julian, thanks very much. Beautiful album.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank´s Julian ,another great Lp as usual from you .! Hug´s !

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a gorgeous, stunning affair! Gifts from the spirit-world,
    you never cease to amaze my brother, Thank you so much!
    How you've enlightened us...
    Here are three magical mixes,
    a free-range trilogy like three wild cousins,
    whose sheer joy of being created new realities...
    ...once upon a time...
    from the country of the Heart
    Love is the Key that opens you,
    then you'll see it too,
    and you'll soon be on your Way!

    Red In The Morning...
    1. Intro: My Old Man; My Daddy Is A Millionaire...Buskers
    2. Plastic Rat...The Fraternity Of Man
    3. Ain't Life Dumb...OHO
    4. ...beware of the devil...OHO
    5. Concentration Moon...The Mothers Of Invention
    6. Chinese New Year Waltz...Cleanliness And Godliness Skiffle Band
    7. Evil Dark Face...Eddy Detroit
    8. Word Game...Bruce Haack
    9. Greatest Hits - Love Your Navel...J. Marks And Shipen Lebzelter
    10. Horse Cock Pephner...Sun City Girls
    11. Easy Ride...Relatively Clean Rivers
    12. Robbin' Banks...Have Moicy!
    13. Time Is Money...Boa Constrictor And A Natural Vine
    14. Piggies...The Beatles
    15. The Red Telephone...Love
    16. Blowjob...Bruce Haack
    17. Tuesday's Victim...The Victims Of Chance
    18. Chicken Run...Hapshash And The Coloured Coat
    19. River Of Shit...The Fugs
    20. Let's Split...The Crazy People
    www116.zippyshare.com/v/uP6Uxia9/file.html

    Travel Time Caravan
    1. Border Town Blues: A Blunt Instrument...Candy OST
    2. Wild Bill Hickock Rides Again...The Open Window
    3. ...in the beginning...The Appletree Theatre
    4. Hightower Square (the start of it all)...The Appletree Theatre
    5. lullaby...The Appletree Theatre
    6. Saturday Morning (about a Saturday morning)...The Appletree Theatre
    7. Nevertheless It Was Italy (a deja vu in a pizza parlor and
    a bit of merry olde England)...The Appletree Theatre
    8. The Heroes And Villains Suite (A Musical Comedy)...The Beach Boys
    9. Do You Like Worms...The Beach Boys
    10. Satori...Bobby Callender
    11. Journey To The East...Bill Plummer And The Cosmic Brotherhood
    12. Listen, Learn, Read On...Deep Purple
    13. Space Child...Spirit
    14. Evening: Time To Get Away ~ The Sun Set: Twilight Time...The Moody Blues
    15. At The Wedding...The Open Window
    16. We've Loved Before (Yasmin's Theme)...Arabesque OST
    17. I've Been Over The Rainbow...Mort Garson
    18. Caravan...Harumi
    19. I Took A Ride (Caravan)...Rotary Connection
    www48.zippyshare.com/v/ARWuBshJ/file.html

    EarthFriend
    1. Earthfriend Prelude
    2. Earthfriend
    3. Prologue: Thru Spray Colored Glasses...Follow Me OST
    4. Quai E O Caminho Da Praia...Follow Me OST
    5. Carnaval Of The Animals...Earth And Fire
    6. Rainy Day, Dream Away...The Jimi Hendrix Experience
    7. Cloudy...Simon And Garfunkel
    8. Mother Nature's Son...The Beatles
    9. Roads Go Ever Ever On...The Hobbit OST
    10. Big Sur...Mort Garson
    11. Transmigration ~ Travel With Me...Bobby Callender
    12. Interlude: Like The Wind And Sea...Follow Me OST
    13. Wind Chimes...The Beach Boys
    14. Indian Summer...The Doors
    15. Gentle On My Mind...The Original Joplin Forte
    16. Spring This Year...Chamaeleon Church
    17. Nature...Bobby Callender
    18. Water/Cool, Cool Water...The Beach Boys
    19. Suite: Genesis Of Beauty (in four parts)...Ultimate Spinach
    20. 4:00 A.M., June; The Sky Was Green...The Open Window
    21. Messages Of Beauty And Courage...Indian Spring (Hearts Of Space #191)
    22. Right On...Jackpine Savage
    23. Outermission...Jackpine Savage
    www42.zippyshare.com/v/E73YHTJd/file.html

    Enjoy my friends!
    Sending lots of Love & healing Good Vibrations
    with these messages of beauty and courage!
    With spiritual comfort & inner calm
    we enter a New Reality of A Life Worth Living!

    ReplyDelete
  7. ...And seeing old expired links of mine
    made me round up all my existing links still up...
    Here they are: -my comps are first/then OOP shares-
    ...he-he-he couldn't resist upping a couple killer wild-cards
    just to spice things up, I hope it's all good :)
    -MidSummerMagic-www9.zippyshare.com/v/93737675/file.html
    -Into The Great Summer-www40.zippyshare.com/v/v4Tpc20X/file.html
    -October Country-www55.zippyshare.com/v/24309844/file.html
    -3 A.M. Halloween Magic-www48.zippyshare.com/v/35799173/file.html
    -Graduation-www18.zippyshare.com/v/60304133/file.html
    -Graduation Key-www6.zippyshare.com/v/rizsMjK2/file.html
    -FromAllOfUsToAllOfYou-www72.zippyshare.com/v/33793275/file.html
    -XmasEveNightMagic-www51.zippyshare.com/v/65094534/file.html
    -Minutes To Go!-www51.zippyshare.com/v/hvyrRzpW/file.html
    -Blowback-www13.zippyshare.com/v/D3OBcjlX/file.html
    -Treasure Island-www46.zippyshare.com/v/wm3lgCWz/file.html
    -Haunted Lore-www74.zippyshare.com/v/3QuJ6iZl/file.html
    -The Spell Breaks!-www64.zippyshare.com/v/ZjTkF89H/file.html
    -TheLastOfTheJediWillYouBe-www97.zippyshare.com/v/1vyPILhE/file.html
    -Blastido'z Castle-www71.zippyshare.com/v/niVioKPr/file.html
    -----------------
    -The Open Window [320]-www75.zippyshare.com/v/63962131/file.html
    -TheOpenWindow[wav pt.1]-www37.zippyshare.com/v/C2sPiIrg/file.html
    -TheOpenWindow[wav pt.2]-www37.zippyshare.com/v/CHrdqDBD/file.html
    -TheOpenWindow[wav pt.3]-www37.zippyshare.com/v/NOGHHU5t/file.html
    -Happenings4TomeiNingen-www38.zippyshare.com/v/27027434/file.html
    -RogerGlover-Elements-www78.zippyshare.com/v/99568566/file.html
    -M-OfficialSecretsAct-www11.zippyshare.com/v/74972142/file.html
    -BassBongos&Bob!-www2.zippyshare.com/v/51840973/file.html
    -MandrakeMemorial-Puzzle-www54.zippyshare.com/v/87482583/file.html
    -DrWhoGhostLightOST-www39.zippyshare.com/v/72861482/file.html
    -SeedsOfDoom/ZygonsOST-www50.zippyshare.com/v/56648606/file.html
    -WhoIsDoctorWho-www36.zippyshare.com/v/61662677/file.html
    -HorrorPopSounds-www4.zippyshare.com/v/9G9D1teG/file.html
    -2001SpaceMusic-www61.zippyshare.com/v/6c5kUVJq/file.html
    -MagicalRing-www61.zippyshare.com/v/UUj0XAXt/file.html
    -FragmentsOfLight-www82.zippyshare.com/v/IczkX09n/file.html
    -BlackberryWinter-www39.zippyshare.com/v/fpkidDj1/file.html
    -Konrad-www39.zippyshare.com/v/VyILc67y/file.html
    -Hypnose-www4.zippyshare.com/v/ncjCRJlQ/file.html
    - :) -www53.zippyshare.com/v/NlpL6CZM/file.html

    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi
    Very unknown stuff (except Roger Glover, Sensation Fixx...) ! Is it a killer symphonic track in all these records please ?
    Cheers,
    Sosgotcha

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm happy you enjoy this recording we did such along time ago. I think it stood the test of time very well... sonically and harmonically

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. people really loved this one, I have heard nothing but expressions of wonder...

      Delete
    2. 'Check out the highly progressive material we have on the third track, which starts with the classical flutes weaving a beautiful tapestry, whereupon suddenly the electric guitars intrude in the style of ol' Mike Oldfield...' The 3rd track starts with the Flute melody on top and a guitar synthesiser playing the the 2nd melody below... just saying'... ;-)

      Delete
    3. no problem! appreciate the correction!!

      Delete
  10. A true progressive masterpiece.-

    ReplyDelete
  11. Can you reupload this jewel?

    Sincerely

    JRAC

    ReplyDelete
  12. Can you reupload this jewel?

    Sincerely

    JRAC

    ReplyDelete