MARAKESH

A luxurious, acceptable bridge obscurity between pop and progressive rock in mid 1970s. It's saud a Dutch one-off project MARAKESH would have been active from 1970 until 1978 and actually could have seen the light only when their eponymous album was released in 1976. I guess they would have tried to launch their catchy essence just in the beginning of a long period of recession for progressive rock scene but their fruitful effort and trial could not get approved enough to push them up to popularity. Anyway we progressive rock fans feel happy to stumble upon them and their creation full of obvious progressive texture in the same vein of the vanguard in early 70s and pop atmosphere around them in those days. Surely they should have wanted to spread their artistic value like capillary tubes in a leaf (yes like the sleeve pic of this album) ... As you understand via their orthodox theme e.g. "Autumn / DY 49", in this stuff is filled with jazz- oriented improvisational paragraphs to make the audience comfortable and relaxed. Upon another field, you can find easily something digestible as "pop harmony" getting familiar with your ear via "Will She Come" or "Moonshadows", or blended ones like "I Will Stay", "Hounted Man" and so on. "Sentimental Dream" is easy psychedelia leaning towards mid-late 60s rock scene. Through the last "Will You Do It" you can hear all of their musical elements like jazz, psychedelic, heavy, or pop. As a result, let me say, they should not have had something excessive or innovative even in the winter season of progressive rock world, and their life would have been finished after the album released, sadly. Aside all, this album can be thought as an obscure gem for "so-called" progressive rock. An interest, at least for me.