SACRED BABOON

Second, but unreleased at the time, album of the Indiana-Illinois quintet combo Yezda Urfa. Recorded in 76 (one year after the release of their debut album), Sacred Baboon didn't see the light of the day, until Greg Walker's label Syn-Phonic (now long-defunct) made it one of their first publications in 89 on vinyl and under a different artwork a bit later on CD. The reason is apparently a change of mind of Dharma Records, but the Gentle Giant-esque derivative sonics might have been somewhat a valid reason to their eyes. Indeed, if the YZ debut had a sense of urgency, due in parts to its rawness, but here, the clean production changes radically the band's soundscapes. Indeed, if the debut was closer to Yes, C-SB is definitely closer to GG, maybe too much or unbearably so, because they lack the originality, but also the pure talent to make such complicated music. Somehow, we're not far from Gryphon's last album Treason (still not recorded until the following year), which had lostall its origins, by hovering between yes and GG. In this case, YU bases its influence on the GG albums of TP&TG and FH, both hardly my fave in the latter's catalogue.

If you really want a Gentle Giant clone, might I suggest you that you go for the Québécois band Et Cetera, whose sole album is a much nicer homage than YU's. But rest assured that if you're into mid-70's unearthed US gems, Sacred Baboon is one that will ravish most progheads starving for such things. Syn-Phonic's release comes with the vinyl artwork reproduced on the booklet's innerfold and a mandrill (instead of a baboon) drawing, plus the usual band pics, individual pictures and exhaustive instrument list, a brief history and the lyrics. What more to ask? Except for a real baboon, maybe.

YEZDA URFA were another great symphonic-prog band from the late-70s American prog scene. Their two main sources of inspiration seemed to be YES and GENTLE GIANT, but they pushed those two influences to the extreme (If you think the Jon ANDERSON's lyrics were esoteric, you got to hear the lyrics on this album). Not to mention that the music here bursts with energy and invention. Marc Miller, the bassist, plays some of the most exciting bass lines ever recorded. In fact, after listening to prog rock for about 10 years, I've never heard another album with bass playing quite like this. The other musicians also offer some pretty tasty chops. Their guitarist plays using a clean Steve HOWE-influence style. The guitar-riffs are played at a frantic pace, and somehow mix HOWE's American-guitar chops with European classical influences.

If you're eager to hear a prog album that emphasizes complexity, tempo-changes, all-you-can-eat time-signatures, instrument changes in mid-song, and lyrics stranger than the writings of Tristan "Dada" Tzara, be sure to pick "Sacred Baboon".

Almost perfect, except on a few music passages emulating bands such as YES and GENTLE GIANT, which are not very original, as well as some vocal passages of the lead singer when he's alone (for this reason only it should be righter a "4 stars rating"). Instead the splendid track "To-ta in the Moya" or the last instrumental one, are a true personal imprinting by YEZDA URFA. The label Syn-Phonic by Greg Walker has just re-issued their debut album "Boris" and of course this is a splendid occasion to look at both albums, suitable for whom doesn't know their music; even though to me "Sacred Baboon" is better and more mature too.

Highly recommended!!

I can't believe this band didn't take off at the time when they made these albums. All the musicians in this band are extremely talented and their writing skills are close to bands such as GENTLE GIANT (obviously no ones that good..), YES, KING CRIMSON and GENESIS. I would give this album 5 if it had more original ideas in it, but alot of the time you can tell that they use quite a few ideas that other bands have used already. But there are a few really progressive, clever bits which give the band their own originality in places. The lyrics are completely off the wall and i don't really understand them too well, the singing has a jazzy touch, but the rest of the band plays at silly speeds, especially the drummer and the guitarist. Anyone would likes GENTLE GIANT and YES alot should give this band a chance.

SACRED BABOON is even better than BORIS. Here, the songs are of an absurd complexity, elevating GENTLE GIANT´s propose to the extreme limit of perfection. I keep saying that Marc Miller could scare even Steve Howe with his wonderful fast and furious guitar playing. And the keyboards are WAY better here than they where on BORIS: more discret, not so apparent. All in all, SACRED BABOON is Yezda´s true masterpiece, a little more well played than BORIS.

But get both anyway.... "in my eyes I have seen this before...."

Thanks to the prog archives, I decided to go out on a limb and pick up this CD. I am glad to report that it is a great album; its a shame these guys never "made it." At first you may pass them off as a Yes clone like Starcastle or something, but repeated listens will draw you in just like the prog greats we all know and love.

A must for 70s prog fans. Oh and if anyone can understand the lyrics, please post what they mean; sometimes they kind of come off as if they flipped through a dictionary and came up with the most intricate "smart" sounding words. Either that, or I'm an uneducated idiot!

I do recommend this to the ELP/Yes/Renaissance/Tull fans out there. Time sig. changes, engaging lyrics, great strong melodies, slight folky infuences, and no weak songs. Its about time an American band sounded this good!

-Mickstafa

For my first review I've decided to go with something I easily consider to be worth 5 stars. Even considering the rigid criteria the site recommends for 5 stars, I do not hesitate to award them. Sacred Baboon contains some of the greatest music I've ever heard. The band delivers some extraordinary harmonies, which would leave Gentle Giant in awe. Together with an amazing ability to run through some mindbending rhythms, the result is a barely controlled choir of sounds that will leave you euphoric. The band is kind enough to slow things down about half way through with Boris and His Three Versus, but end things with a fun instrumental. With the exception of the singing the music is sometimes reminiscent of some Zappa material, particularly Apostrophe, mostly due to instrumentation. Speaking of the singing, I particularly enjoy the singing on this album. Don't waste you time trying to discern the words, many of them are literally nonsense syllabals. I think you can find the lyrics through the band's official website if you really care to read them. This allows you to really enjoy the voice exactly as you would any other instrument. That is, the voice acts as an independent instrument lending its own unique timbre to the sound and providing a melody line which isn't cluttered with words to detract from the musical intent.

All in all, a truly magnificent album.

I bought this album after reading reviews I am not disappointed. This group is really great! They have their own unique style and I like that a lot. Though they sometimes remind of Genlte Giant and Yes (in vocal parts) but the music is not so polished as GG and Yes. It certainly has drive. I also like singing on this album - the voice is clear and strong (though in few moments singing is a little bit out of tune, but that may be intentional), but I have to confess I don't understand lyrics. Here So sorry the group had no commercial success and has only 2 albums - it could have become a classic prog band.

Great work! I'm a fan of Yes and this album sounds like them and sometimes like Gentle Giant. Beautiful compositions, great vocals and a strange mixture of prog. Maybe out of his era, very vanguardist. One of the best bands of USA 70's prog. An excellent addition to any prog collection, specially 'cos Yezda is a great example of what a band can do when they take prog to an extraordinary limit...

Ah, the dilemma of the clone band. Whether it's Germany's Neuschwanstein with an obvious neo-prog update on classic Genesis, or Japan's Bi Kyo Ran who do homage to Red-era King Crimson, it's tough to know how to assess these bands, who produced excellent albums with everything except that oh-so-basic pre-requisite of originality. Such is the problem I faced from the moment I encountered Yezda Urfa, a mid 70s American band who clearly worship at the altar of Yes and Gentle Giant. To describe the precise similarities between Yezda Urfa's music and that of its guiding lights would take an age (and quite possibly, defy belief ... even the band's name ensures that it will sit alongside Yes records in most record stores!) so I'll try and sum it up briefly.

The lead vocals and melodies are clearly influenced by Yes' John Anderson (like Flash's Colin Carter and Starcastle's Terry Luttrell, Rick Rodenbaugh even manages to sound like little ol' pipsqueak), but the bizarre vocal harmony sections and air-tight angular shifts in mood all laced over that peculiar dissonant, contrapunctual, poly-rhythmic rock that I thought only Gentle Giant could do ... well Yezda Urfa have it down pat. Believe me when I assure you that musicians like keyboardist/flautists/mandolin player Phil Kimbrough and bassist/cellist/vibraphonist Marc Miller had the talent to be giants in this field.

Maybe that's why I've grown to respect this band. Sacred Baboon has gradually overcome my initial prejudice, simply by the force of the musical skill on display. From the opening thrusts of Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies, which throws in some Tony Kaye-style organ and concludes with a nice offbeat guitar solo, through to the chamber music meets free jazz of Cancer Of The Band and the mammoth prog jamming of Tota In The Moya, all the way to the final half frantic, half sublime (the Renaissance-era passage in particular is intoxicating) effort that is Three, Almost Four, Six Years, this album is jolly good fun. In fact the main ingredient that Yezda Urfa themselves have brought to the party is a sense of fun ... the storming fifth track is called Flow Guides Arent My Bag!

Because Yes and Gentle Giant between them have done this all before, Sacred Baboon is not a top-drawer album, but it would be a real mistake to pass up on it just because of the strong influences it shows. While the album has the odd meandering moment, there is some astonishing music on display here, and it is somewhat sobering to think that it was recorded in 1976, but only released some 13 years later. Roll up, folks ... 73% on the MPV scale

One of the obscure 70s US prog bands playing highly sophisticated and interesting music, Yezda Urfa originally recorded "Sacred Baboon" as their sophomore album in 1976, only to have it shelved . It was only in 1989 (some 8 years since the band's break-up) that it was finally released thanks to the Syn-phonic label, which provided the progressive rock world with quite a gift, as "Sacred Baboon" is easily one of the best prog records to come out of America. There is, of course, an issue with originality: as many have pointed out, the band owes a whole lot to Yes and Gentle Giant. The former is most evident in the high-pitched vocals of Rick Rodenbaugh (who, unfortunately, has problems with intonation), and the latter in blatant copying of GG's trademark vocal arrangements.Naturally, both bands are also noticeble influences on the songwriting aspects of the music, GG apparently being the bigger one due to the complex, challenging nature of the compositions.

Nevertheless, Yezda Urfa begins the album by sounding more like Yes than Anderson, Wakey and co. ever did themselves - which is what we get with "Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies" , an uptempo track particularly reminiscent of "Roundabout" due to it's funky guitar riff and typically Anderson-esque vocal melodies. While it may appeal to some (fans of Yes, mainly), I find it to be "Sacred Baboon" 's weakest song. After the disappointing opening number, the album takes a significant upturn with "Cancer of the band" . The main theme doesn't really grab me, but it's simple and pleasant enough to whistle along to; the song's true strength lies in the intricate instrumental parts that pop up in between the vocal section: in particular, the weird, yet totally catchy interlude first heard around 5:44 is probably my favourite spot on the entire album.

Next comes the 10 minute "Tota in the Moya": after a short propulsive intro an interesting theme with well-crafted tonality changes is established by the guitar, soon joined by Rodenbaugh and the rest of the band; after about 4 minutes, this section is replaced by an even more fascinating instrumental prog excursion featuring outstanding riffs which replace each other practically every few seconds;the song concludes with a major-key verse section - it's considerably simpler and mellower, but the band's complex compositional tendencies still manifest themselves occasionally.

"Boris." , a relatively short track guided by Rodenbaugh, is decent, but as the music doesn't really shine when the band is in the accompaniment backseat, it's one of the album's weaker songs.

"Flow Guides Aren't My Bag" is one of the more accessible tracks on the album - and one of the catchiest too, with the sweet harmonic minor melodies and mighty riffing providing a very enjoyable listen (unfortunately, spoiled by yet another bizarre and out-of-place vocal section copied from GG).

I don't consider "(My Doc Told Me I Had), Doggie Head" (what?) to be a highlight, as throughout it's duration it sounds kinda forced and there isn't much to latch onto. Nevertheless, fans of awkward time sigs, "difficult" music and frighteningly weird song titles should love this one as well.

And finally, we have another strong prog number in "3, Almost 4, 6 Yeah". The intro theme is my favorite part of the (practically instrumental) song, but, once again, there is a great deal of mighty riffing throughout, even augmented by a guitar-based classical interlude.

Overall, one of the most creative and adventurous statements of 70s prog rock. To some, the compositions may appear too frantic and overdone (they frequently are), but those who appreciate interesting, challenging music should love this album.

There's not much to add to previous reviews; this band is phenomenal. I would rank this album amongst the best of progressive rock. Imagine members of Yes and Gentle Giant playing together in top form, but developing a unique signature sound at the same time, and you'll have an idea of what this band sounds like. It is certainly reminiscent of those bands, and others, but never becomes derivative or slavishly imitative. They certainly have their own sound. The music constantly moves forward, but never lets the listener lose interest from overload. It is a respectable feat to walk the fine line between complexity and evocative and engaging melodies and harmonies. Yezda Urfa does it with aplomb. Supposedly they are actually still together and planning the release of a new album. Long live Yezda Urfa!

3.5 stars. YEZDA URFA's debut album "Boris" was recorded and released in 1975 but no record label would take them on, but the following year (1976) a record label called "Dharma" agreed to release an album. So they recorded "Sacred Baboon" and re-recorded several tracks from the debut along with 3 new ones. Anyway "Dharma" began to flounder and the deal fell apart leaving this album to sit there collecting dust. "Synphonic" eventually released it in 1989. I feel that "Boris" is an amazing recording. If it didn't exist i'd probably give this 4 stars, but because my 4 favourite tracks on here were already on "Boris" it's hard to give this that rating. Especially when in my opinion those songs sound better on the debut. Still if you can't track down "Boris" i'd definitely recommend you listen to this one. What we have here is a sound that reminds me of both YES and GENTLE GIANT. Even the vocalist to me sounds better on "Boris" . At times he sounds like he's strained and maybe having trouble keeping up with the fast pace on this album. I'll touch on the 3 tracks not on the debut.

"Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies" features some huge bass lines and Howe-like guitar. Vocals come in fairly quickly. This sounds like YES until before 2 minutes when we get a brief GENTLE GIANT flavour. "Cancer Of The Band" is melancholic with flute to begin with. Vocals and piano a minute in. Nice vocal arrangements bringing to mind GENTLE GIANT. An acoustic guitar solo follows before vocals return. Good song. "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" opens with some chunky bass. The vocals seemed strained here at times.Synths are a nice touch when they arrive. A GG vocal arrangement and then some good organ 4 minutes in.

If I didn't have "Boris" this would be a valued recording, please track down one of these two albums if you'd like to own some early and impressive American Prog.

Taken their name from an iranian city (Yazd) and a Turkish city (Urfa, or sanliurfa) Yezda Urfa was destined to go down in history as an unknown band, fortunatly they were discovered well after not releasing this album. And due to Syn-Phonic records there 1976 privatly funded album "Sacred Baboon" saw the light 13 years after it's recording.

And what a marvelous album this is, enjoyable from the first note, and the enjoyement continuous till the last struck of a chord. Yezda Urfa are very clearly inspired and influenced by the symphonic styles of Gentle Giant and Yes, with very fast almost frantic changes of melodie and pace.

The song titles are rather random, and have nothing really to do with the music itself, but strange lyrics ask for strange song titles. (Tota in the moya actually is the way the niece of Brad Christoff pronounced Two (O'Clock) in the morning).

This is a fabulous recording, and I'm very happy it against all odds has been released.

Fans of Gentle Giant, Yes, Echolyn and assorted bands, must surelly try to get a hold of this album. Maybe not a masterpiece, but pretty awsome. Highly recommended.

Let's go the other way around and start with the Cons:

CONS: Originality's not the strong point here. The YES, Gentle Giant, ELP and some other stuff influences are a bit obvious on some occasions. Beautiful and touching melodies don't seem to be the band's goal also, and I find Rick Rodenbaugh's vocals annoying as hell.

PROS: Outstanding musicianship, over the board complexity and creativity in their compositions.

For earning those 4 stars, you better believe the Pro list surpasses all the flaws this album may have, including all those lame song tittles!

As is the case with many prog bands, yezda urfa did not manage to release their first album proper (boris beeing just a demo recording) at the time of its recording (1976). Instead it was released a considerable time later (1989) via syn-phonic label. On with the music then... there is one word that I think characterizes this album : COMPLEXITY. The band is one of the most complex operating under the symphonic sub-genre. Musically, they draw their influences from gentle giant and gryphon and to a lesser degree Yes. Vocally however, YU's vocalist is a Jon Anderson clone and that's why many people find this band to be a Yes-clone, something I dont particullarly agree with. So, if complex symphonic prog is your thing, be sure to check this one out. The only drawback is that the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired, hence the four star rating.

If ever an album could be slotted into a category labeled 'Ultra Prog' then this would be it. From beginning to end this is simply an astounding recording. Fast, slow, hard, soft and even humorous at times, this offering from Yezda Urfa is a stunning achievement. Many before have rightly drawn parallels with other groups such as Gentle Giant but for me atleast, this recording is all the more listenable from start to finish than a fair portion of the GG material.

Although it's breathtakingly complex in it's structure, I found that this record succeeded in burning itself deep into my consciousness after only a few plays. As a consequence I can remember every passage as it happens. This has got to be a good sign in my book, although I'm wise enough to know that music like this will never be appreciated by the masses.

Wisely I think, any passages that verge on the confusing, do not last long. At times the pace is electrifying and on the first hearing I thought they were losing it in places. But no, on closer scrutiny, I think they managed to keep it together, just. No mean feat considering the speed of certain frantic sections! The singing is more often than not always in the Madrigal style like GG and is, like the music, there to keep you on your toes.

The nightmarish quality of To - Ta in the Moya is just spot on. Listening to certain sections it's hard not to conjure up images of restless bodies disturbed by unholy and wicked dreams. And, of course, Yezda jokingly almost, then go and hit you with something more upbeat which totally threw me before getting back to it.

The last song, for me at any rate, is the best of the bunch. Essentially an instrumental song, '3, Almost 4,6, Yea' speaks of something impending or grandiose about to happen and then cheekily signs off with 'nah nah 'n' nah nah'. Great stuff.

I must concur with those who finally released this until now un-issued album. I believe it was right to bring it out first and then produce the first album, Boris, at a later stage. Sacred Baboon is an electrified version of the former and, to my mind, a superior effort. Interest would not have been so lively had Boris seen the light of day first.

The Sacred Baboon album suffers slightly from being recorded 'back then' but I'm not going to hold it against the musicians when giving out marks. Recording technology wasn't quite as good as it is today.

There is a single mistake on the album, which in normal circumstances, would mean I should mark it down. Fortunately, somebody coughed over it and I didn't hear it. That means I have no alternative but to give this offering the full five stars. Superb!

Oh...silly me! I read the reviews and jumped at it. Musically, quite impressive. You're right to assume these guys "sound like" Yes and "sound like" Gentle Giant...and occasionally "sound like" National Health. My problem is that I keep reaching for Yes and Gentle Giant after the first few tracks. If this doesn't bother you...then you're looking at a 4 star rating for this CD. If this rubs you the wrong way (the "sound like" factor), than 2 stars it is. If you're curious, give it a try. The vocalist DOES remind me a little of Steve Walsh from Kansas trying to pull off a convincing Ray Shulman vocal(Gentle Giant). It fails miserably, IMHO. :-(

Imagine what would happen if Jon Anderson got tired of Yes and, walking on the streets, fell down with his head on the sidewalk and got mad. So, he woke up and searched for a band and found an equally crazy lunatic and frenetic Gentle Giant. Well, this would be the birth of a new band called YEZDA URFA!!! This album is a must listen to any Prog fan, really a great pearl. Crazy and absolutely nonsense lyrics, strange and great melodies, amazing complexity and instrumentation, huge sense of humor... The problem of it, like all the reviewers said, is that the album isn't the most original stuff ever... Actually, just the style isn't original, 'cause they take the Yes/Giant oriented sound to its limit. I mean, it is not a clone of particular songs and melodies that those bands did, but what they could do. Well, as a matter of fact, I not sure if they really could, because this is very dared and crazy. It's strange to say that, but besides the sound style is not very original, the songs are very creative. This album is a lot of fun guaranteed. You can laugh reading the credits!!! They don't hesitate on crediting stuff like 'cough', 'air guitar' and 'table percussion' (look in their website for the explanations). The canons here are great to (and abundant), showing the band's ability and competence. The guitar is fast and frenetic, as Rick's singing. It's impossible to sing along when he starts to sing quick melodies and absurd invented words. And it's not only frenetic music here, but peacefull and quiet moods too. GREAT ALBUM!

Well, 4,6 stars to it!

Completely unbelievable.

This band is a UFO amongst all oddities in the prog world. What kind of imagination does it takes to write this kind of stuff? It goes from A-Z in the same song MANY times, which means it's 75 songs ideas crammed in one record of 7 songs. And the musicianship is probably one of the fastest, most skilled I've ever ecountered (a blend of Gryphon, Yes and Gentle Giant); which means they pound their instruments like blacksmiths on a poor anvil.

Take a perfect Jon Anderson clone and grow him a thick beard and dress him medieval. Good. Then, give him a lot of stimulants and some woodwinds. Okay. Finally, make him write lyrics after depriving him from 72 hours of sleep.

Absolute masterpiece of strangeness.

God what a band. After years of prog hunting it's not often the cynical and jaded fan comes across a true masterpiece they hadn't already heard. But that's exactly what Sacred Baboon will be for many. And though magnificent, Yezda Urfa (a name taken from regions in Iran[Yazd] and Turkey) was not as tight as Yes, precious as Genesis, bold as Crimson or cool as Tull. They were just one of the finest American prog bands ever and this 1976 recording - a proper session made after the Boris demo - is so full of consistently high-quality material, it's hard to fully digest at times. Other than the easy Gentle Giant comparisons, the closest thing to these five ingenious madmen would be S.F. avant-garders Cartoon, though technically YU out-do even them.

The silly song titles belie a fantastically intricate and demanding paradigm of whimsy and obsessive brilliance, as on 'Give em Some Rawhide Chewies' and 'Cancer of the Band' with the group's vocal rounds negotiated flawlessly by lead singer Rick Rodenbaugh, keyboardist Phil Kimbrough, bassist Marc Miller who also handles cello and Vibes, and Mark Tippins on guitar. 10-minute 'To-Ta in the Moya' and the two cuts that follow will be familiar to fans of the Boris re-release [also Syn-phonic, thanks for a great production Greg!], will remind of Yes's more adventurous periods and features mind-bending key changes, modulations and rearrangements. Really cool track.

Pop music this is not and I don't wonder they were completely missed in their time, or any time for that matter. I mean, what were these guys?; Avant garde? A hippie art band? Tragically misunderstood or indulgent crap? No, just progressive rock at its best and most troublesome. 'Flow Guides Aren't My Bag' proves it with calamitous playing between drummer Brad Christoff & bassist Miller, Tippins' sure acoustic ax, and an urgent, popping arrangement by Kimbrough. Split personalties of brilliantly mad '(My Doc Told Me I Had)Doggie Head' and '3,Almost 4,6,Yeah' closes the show.

That bands like this actually existed at one time - on the planet we currently reside - is enough to add this glory of glories to your prog collection. Even if you hate it you'll love it.

For several years I avoided any YEZDA URFA album, because most of what I heard about them is that they formed a YES clone band with GENTLE GIANT structures, interesting as it may sound for many, I'm not a fan of GENTLE GIANT and find Jon Anderson's vocals annoying to an extreme, but last week I bought a cheap copy of "Sacred Baboon" and honestly don't plan getting their debut album.

Not that they are bad, on the contrary, they are good (not great), but originality is not a word in their dictionary, the vocalist Rick Rodenbaugh tries with all his strength to sound like Jon Anderson and he partially achieves success, because sounds very close but Jon is original and charismatic, this guy not.

The vocal works are complex and elaborate,. but sound as a "B" class GENTLE GIANT, they abuse of the dissonances but aren't able to capture the unique Medieval - troubadouresque atmosphere (in most of the parts), which was the most interesting feature of Derek Shulman and company, in what GG was unique, this guys are bellow average.

The album starts with the interesting "Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies" intro, which gives the impression of a Medieval track, but it's a mirage, then the band looses the path and never retakes it, start playing in the vein of YES but suddenly change into the vocal style of GENTLE GIANT to go back to YES, simply unimaginative and boring.

"Cancer of the Band" starts with a soft and contradictory flute section, a hybrid between Medieval and cheesy, but when they are capturing the essence Medieval Folk music, they add a dissonant guitar that sounds empty, despite their later efforts, the band is not able to retake the sound they started with.

"Tota in the Moya" is quite funny, sounds like "In a Glass House" with hits of "Relayer" (To be Over), touches of "Tubular Bells" (The mandolin) and Rick Wakeman's musical jokes.......The big question is ...Where can I find something that sounds like YEZDA URFA, sadly the answer is nowhere. People describe this track as an epic I believe it's a long song with patches of different bands.

When I believed it was enough of cloning bands, comes "Boris and His Three Verses" that sounds like "Tormato" with Medieval hints, but the band fails creating a convincing atmosphere, floating in the middle of two bands who play in a contradictory style, thanks God it only lasts less than 3 minutes.

"Flow Guides Aren't My Bag" could be the only song that sounds remotely original, until those keyboards taken from "The Advent of Panurge" brings us back to reality, but at least some attempts of creating an own sound.

"(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" starts Jazzy with few references to any band, even the dissonant sections sound original, but as soon as Rick Rodenbaugh adds his vocals, sounds like Jon Anderson singing in the style of Derek Schulman, no more commentaries.

Just when I was going to stop listening "Sacred Baboon"comes "3, Almost 4, 6, Yea", an excellent track with complex but melodic arrangements, the drumming is outstanding and the bass is completely accurate, fast, vibrant and at last original, the acoustic middle section is delightful and the ending is brilliant (The lack of vocals helps a lot).................If only this guys had realized before they can write outstanding music, the story would had been different.

Now I understand why their material was only released 12 years after it's recording, because almost everything YEZDA URFA played was done before by more famous bands and better.

Because of the obvious musical skills of the band members and the last track, I will rate this album with 2 stars, because I was tempted to give them only one, something that pisses me because they are all outstanding musicians

If YU debut album attracted by it's freshness and sometimes by freaky beauty, this, second work missed of both. Better organised, but openly Yes oriented ( even in vocal) album, still sounds pretty well. But when listening, I just catch myself on collecting separate their music pieces and trying to expect, where from it was borrowed. Yes, Gentle Giant for sure, plus more Kansas-like places as well.

I can't say this album is bad,no, but just it isn't original enough to be really attractive. You will listen it as great tribute band, and even will notice ,that musicians are skilled enough to put some personal grains into music. But it will be difficult just to accept it as original music, that is a problem.

Anyway, even if not as interesting, as their debut, I believe that this album could be interesting for listeners, searching on Yes-like music.

Yezda Urfa - A buried treasure!

If you dig deep enough in the prog goldmine you may occasionally unearth some buried treasure. In the case of Yezda Urfa the treasure consists of two master works. The first is the demo which became 'Boris' and featured many of the tracks on this, their official release, resurrected from the 70s; brought back to life solely to enthral progheads, as the band are long since gone and scattered into musical directions only known to themselves.

So we are left with this 'Sacred Baboon'. In a similar way to the masterpiece by Argentinian proggers Bubu, the one and only full album of Yezda Urfa will go unnoticed by the music world but to progheads it is one album you must get hold of.

The band adopt a ferociously original approach and yet draw on influences such as Yes and King Crimson, and there is nothing wrong with that. I could not get hold of the infamous and elusive 'Boris', that has received high accolades on the PA, so this is where it begins and ends for me with Yezda Urfa, and I was pleasantly surprised.

All of the tracks from 'Boris' that made their way to this 'Sacred Baboon' are brilliant tracks which says something about the quality of that debut. There is much on offer here that would make any connoisseurs of prog drool over.

'Cancer of the Band' is an odyssey of musical textures, that begins with multilayered soft flute.

Finely crafted songs are the order of the day with a smattering of Gentle Giant and huge dollops of Yes influences. The multi harmonies are total Yes and there is a Gentle Giant sense of humour, even lapsing in to Gong territory occasionally but this is still original enough to hold the interest.

I can recommend this over many of the other offerings in that bleak year of 1989.

Someone Slipped Some GG Goofballs in Yes' Drink

Once upon a time there was fantabulous Yes tribute band who were flawless in their craft but yearned for more. After opening for Gentle Giant for a tour and coming on stage for several songs a night, the band was at a crossroads. Remain forever playing covers or try to make a name for themselves? They finally decided to go for it, and placing intravenous lines of Cuban Coffee, they proceeded to compose, practice, record, and mix an album in 72 straight hours where no one slept and only one visited the rest room. The result was SACRED BABOON, a maniacal piece of chaos complete with dissonant harmony, angular tempo changes, and mistake-covering collective coughs.

Or something like that. In actuality, Yezda Urfa is a talented American 70's prog band known for their demo, BORIS. This album, SACRED BABOON, was an album recorded a year later (1976) for a failed label, sitting under dust bunnies for 13 years until it was discovered by a new company. The albums share 4 songs, though all are reworked and re- recorded for BABOON. The new versions sound much better, though the performances aren't quite as intense as on the debut. The overall recording is mixed better, the transitions are smoother, the songwriting more mature. The new songs are big improvements over the demo, and the Gentle Giant influence is much more in evidence. Rather than just a fun oddity, this album is truly a hidden treasure in the prog vault.

Aside from the removal of the cliché 60's reverb from the vocals, the addition of a chorus to the guitars, and increase in Gentle Giant contrapuntal compostion, the primary difference between the two Yezda Urfa works are the three new songs. "Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies" is a personal favorite of mine. Its tight songwriting and accessibility are precisely what BORIS was lacking. Though I wouldn't call any YU song "listener friendly," this one comes closest and is a perfect opener. The second song "Cancer of the Band," begins as a wind trio, moves to piano and voice, and shifts to guitars. Initially a clear GG take-off, the dissonant guitar parts and minor tonalities are a uniquely YU touch. The darkest and most challenging piece on the album, "Cancer" would have to have a place in any "most complex prog" contest. Finally, "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" is a quirky prog-feast featuring a mainly Gentle Giant styled melody exchange punctuated by guitarist Mark Tippins' Steve Howe psychobilly solo stylings.

The reworkings of the songs from BORIS involve smoothing some rough edges, for good and for bad. "Ta in the Moya" retains its great signature melody but benefits from major rearrangements. Though the vocal delivery is a little less emotional, the instrumental sounds are much more coherent. Similarly, "Boris" and "Flow Guides" move more smoothly, sound better, but lack just a bit of bite. The best result is on the closer "3, Almost 4, 6 Yea," now a near-instrumental with more generous attention applied to the Gryphon- esque medieval atmospherics. Just as the band seems to be finishing calmly, a tightly intense section comes in with about 2:30 to go that jolts the listener awake before the song, album, and band departs with a kind of overture of themes that serves as a fine dessert to a delicious helping of prog.

There aren't a lot of places to go if you're a Gentle Giant fanatic and have exhausted their catalog. SACRED BABOON may be the best of any of the options. Even BORIS pales in this particular aspect. Despite being derivative in many aspects (really the only thing keeping it from masterpiece status), it is amazing prog. Every GG fan and most serious prog fans should have this in their library. 4+/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this album, first thing i noticed was, Did Chris Squire play bass in this band, that first tune sure sounded like a Yes cover Band. the singer sound Anderson like, but not to distraction. I felt as if, this band could have really developed into something given the proper backing, and good luck of course. To-Ta-in the Moya , and 3,Almost,4.6,yeah are very original and do not sound like Yes or Gentle Giant. One wonders where this sound could have taken them, I will surely listen again. 4.5 stars easily. the cd cover is cool too. The Baboon is in charge. check him out. just sittin there waiting for some poor dude to roll through in his Daktari SUV, and beat the hell out of it with his Baboon minions.

"Sacred Baboon" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US progressive rock act Yezda Urfa. That´s if you count the demo album "Boris (1975)" as the group´s debut album. "Sacred Baboon" was recorded in 1976 and the recording of the album was funded by the band themselves. However they were not able to get a record deal and the album was shelved until 1989 when the Syn-Phonic label released it.

The music on the album is technically well played and very eclectic progressive rock. We´re talking fast played runs, loads of tempo- and time signature changes and complex song structures. Lead vocalist Rick Rodenbaugh has a voice and vocal style that often reminds me of Jon Anderson (Yes) and Yes is definitely a reference here, but it´s Gentle Giant that comes to mind most often while listening to "Sacred Baboon". While the tracks are generally very complex, they feature enough hooks and memorable moments to stand out from each other and melody is not a stranger to these guys.

The production is professional, powerful and suits the music well.

Fans of energetic and complex progressive rock should be able to find great interest and enjoyment in "Sacred Baboon". I guess Yezda Urfa wear their influences a bit too much on their sleeves to be called original or innovative but less is sometimes enough. "Sacred Baboon" is a good example of this. A very nice album this one and a 3.5 - 4 star rating is deserved.

"Give em Some Rawhide Chewies"! Oh, man, does that title ever ring bells. I used to work in a pet food and supply warehouse long ago and I know Rawhide Chewies. It's also a crazy title for a song. Then again, "Flow Guides Aren't My Bag", "(My Dog Told Me I Had) Doggie Head", and "3, Almost 4,6,Yea" are among the craziest song titles I have heard this side of Budgie.

Yezda Urfa made their name from a city in Iran (Yezd) and a city in Turkey (Urfa). They were part of the American prog scene of the seventies, which included bands like Lift, Babylon, and Happy the Man. Kansas made its mark in popular music with its brand of barroom rock meets classically influenced keyboard and violin. But other bands attempted to stray further from the mainstream and Yezda Urfa certainly weren't aiming for AOR when they recorded this, their second album.

After their first album, they self-financed their follow-up and hoped to attract the attention of a label. Unfortunately things didn't work out and this 1976 recording didn't see distribution until 1989.

I purchased this album after reading about it in Stephen Lambe's book "Citizens of Hope and Glory: The Story of Progressive Rock". Of course, I checked out the music a bit on YouTube first. As others have stated, this sounds very much like a blend of Yes and Gentle Giant with some nods toward Gryphon, particularly when the woodwinds come in. The instrument line-up is not overly complex: guitars (electric, acoustic), keyboards (organ, synthesizer, piano), a well-played and well-mixed bass, drums, and a bit of cello and woodwind. There's lead vocalist, Rick Rodenbaugh, whose timbre is close to Jon Anderson's but in my opinion not as strong a singer. Don't expect a solo album, anyway. But his voice is still good enough to make the album enjoyable. Then add to all this the other members who also sing so that Yezda Urfa can do wonderful imitations of Gentle Giant with those triple vocal parts with each person singing something different. There's also a jazz element present at times, which also resembles Gentle Giant.

The opening track, the Rawhide Chewies one, sounds a lot like Yes on higher speed right down to the guitar sound. "To-Ta in the Moya" is an epic instrumental in that they explore different musical themes and change tempo on a dime. They go from a gallop to a canter to a trot. There's even a good sing-a-long melody. "Flow Charts Aren't My Bag" features an exciting prog ROCK piece that includes an Ozric Tentacles-like eastern influenced part and more Gentle Giant vocals. The final track "3 Almost 4,6,Yea" is the most exploratory piece yet. It moves through mid-tempo ranges and includes woodwinds and organ and also some Spanish guitar and cello but also becomes more frenetic as well.

The production is very clear, unlike what I heard from their first album. Just as I came to write this review based on the notes I made today, I read over some other reviews. It seems that the album loses a star for sounding too much like Gentle Giant and Yes. But aside from that, the music is diverse without straying far from an album theme, it's played very well, and it has a lot of what you would expect from a band who really want to do something apart from the middle of the road.

If you are into sing-a-long music then don't bother to proceed further. But if you'd like to check out something bold and unbridled and exciting, this might be more up your alley. Just keep in mind that this is very much like Yes/Gentle Giant/Gryphon, often on higher speed.

5 stars !!! When I heard for the first time in early 90's this "Sacred Baboon" by YEZDA URFA, I stay wondering about how this album don't was released in the 70's or even in the early 80's ?

A very probable answer is... the massive prog rock production in 70's and the ascension of (**?????!!!!) punk rock and disco music in 80's , both more commercial and lucrative in the records business " eclipsed " a countless number of excellent albums ! I can't find any other explanation !

This a album is a must item to a prog collection, you can hear echoes of fantastic bands as for instance YES, GENTLE GIANT, GRYPHON, KING CRIMSOM and some others.

Unlike the majority I consider, in the track 1 "Give 'Em Some Rawhide Chewies" Rick Rodenbaugh's voice more close of Coilin Carter of FLASH than Jon Anderson's vocal timbre. Track 3 "Tota In The Moya" sounds like a KC meeting GG with a fantastic closing section in YES style. Overture of track 5 "Flow Guides Aren't My Bag" (about 1 min 57 min ) is a "demolition" heavy-prog theme and recall me RUSH with fantastic guitar/keyboard/bass and drums performance, the middle theme in GG "flavor" with "crazy" percussion/vocals counterpoint ! In short a pearl , my rate is 5 stars !!!

YEZDA URFA was too early or too late depending how you look at it when they arrived in 1973 with their highly charged electric progressive rock sound. Too late for the initial prog boom that lasted from roughly 1969-74 and way too early for the revival that didn't really hit big until the 90s, a similar fate for most of the American bands too late to compete with the European big boys club. Had there been a serious next phase of prog after the glam rock and punk explosion, YEZDA URFA surely would've been one of the best bands to usher in the second wave however prog had to sit dormant for well over a decade, at least in popularity's terms with only a few isolated pop infused bands like Marillion and the neo-prog scene that kept the genre alive during the 80s.

Having found no interest in their now classic demo "Boris," YEZDA URFA basically had to fund what was to be their debut album from their own pockets and although they had a bite with a small Chicago label, the whole thing fell at the last minute. Frustrated with swimming upstream when once great prog giants were either folding or jumping into the world of simplified pop and hard rock, YEZDA URFA scrapped any idea of releasing their album SACRED BABOON and in the vaults it sat until the master tapes were discovered by the Syn-Phonic label who was so blown away by the manic energy of the album that they finally brought life to the album by releasing it in 1989. The crazy thing is that the band stayed together until 1981.

SACRED BABOON picks up where "Boris" left off and tackles a unique fusion of Yes' compositional fortitude along with Gentle Giant's dexterous experimental gymnastics along with Keith Emerson's energetic virtuosic wizardry only embellished with what sounds like the eclectic folk rock ethos of Gnidrolog especially when it comes to Rick Rodenbaugh's brilliant vocal performances. YEZDA URFA may very well be one of the first examples of what is now called brutal prog. While this Indiana gang was a mere quintet, these guys were seasoned multi-instrumentalists crafting unique tapestries of tones, timbres, zigzagging manic motifs and of course incessant runs of frenetic time signature changes at hyper speed with oft sudden breaks into Baroque classical music without losing the underlying melodic gist.

While "Boris" seems to get more attention due to its outlandish display of lush prog melodies teased out into virtuosic technical wizardry, this only bonafide album release ("Boris" was a demo that didn't get an official re-release until 2004) is every bit as impressive as its demo release predecessor. In many ways SACRED BABOON is a much more focused collection of seven tracks that enjoyed a more robust production job in two different studios and has interesting material that was reworked from the "Boris" demo which keeps the connection between the two phases of the band perfectly intact. Laced with the same melodic hooks that showcase the vocal phrasing just a tad out of sync with the frenetic Yes inspired barrage of guitar, drum and bass, the keyboards often exist in their own Emerson, Lake and Palmer world.

While the entire album is over-the-top eclectic, perhaps the best is saved for last with the one-two no punches held back combo pack of "(My Doc Told Me I Had), Doggie Head)" and "3, Almost 4, 6 Yea" with all of those brutal frantic time signature barrages crafting some of the knottiest workouts outside of Gentle Giant's run of masterpieces of the early 70s. In fact YEZDA URFA shamelessly borrowed the great GG's mastery of polyphonic vocal runs only YEZDA URFA employed them much faster and upped the weirdness factor manyfold. Add to that are folky flute runs that are very much in the vein of Gnidrolog as are the lead vocals. This is jittery prog for sure with crazy hairpin turns and mind-shattering counterpoints of all the instruments sallying forth in Keith Emerson mode! THIS is the stuff right out of prog heaven no doubt! In my world SACRED BABOON is every bit as much of a masterpiece as "Boris." Oh yeah!

Yezda Urfa is a prime example of a 70s prog band being too late to the train and not getting the love they deserve. Founded in 1973 Yezda Urfa was led by vocalist Rick Rodenbaugh and Bassist Marc Miller. They recorded their first demo album 'Boris' in 1975 and it was unofficially released. Their sophomore album 'Sacred Baboon' (recorded in 1976, with tracks 3, 5, and 7 being reworked versions of songs from 'Boris') was picked up by Syn-Phonic records in 1989 and only then released. This album contains some wonderful instrumentalism coupled with Yessian vocals, perfectly nonsensical lyrics, and the goofiest song titles of all time!

The album opens with the off-beat, rambunctious, "Give em' Some Rawhide Chewies" which is a great choice for an opener. Lots of crazy Steve Howe-esque guitar work on this track. "Cancer of the Band" begins with a melancholic flute and piano intro. The motif from the intro is built up for a solid 4 minutes, then completely shifted to a fast-paced section with crazy lyrics like "Nidulant sarcolysin fruit, a two and six were built where four and five have stood before."

The 3rd song "Tota in the Moya" is a 10-minute epic, and is definitely a highlight of the album. Is seamless weaves through many different movements each of which is better than the last. They utilize the use of obscure instruments such as the Mandolin, Marimba, and cello. "Boris and his Three Verses" is the most notorious reworking from 'Boris' on the album, but unfortunately the reworking is actually much worse. The actual song is not that bad but its timespan has been cut from 11:00 minutes to about 2:00 minutes.

"Flow Guides Aren't my Bag" is very similar to the opener. Extremely fast, rhythmic, and off-beat. The musicianship is wonderful, but the singing on some of the harmonies is quite honestly repulsive. I prefer the vocals from "Cancer of the Band" much more. "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" has some nice parts on the piano and vibraphone but some of the harmonies aren't too great either.

The closing track, "3, Almost 4, 6, Yea" is my favorite song on the album. It is dominated by great bass lines from Marc Miller and, and awesome percussion from Brad Christoff. It features keyboardist Phil Kimbrough on a variety of different instruments including Hammond Organ, Piano, Moog, Fender Rhodes, and Wurlitzer. The best part is when it goes into an acoustic part halfway through the song, and is brought back to the main theme in a dramatic fashion. This album is a prog gem and more people should give it a listen. Fans of Gentle Giant and Yes will absolutely love this album.