ON TOUR

When Alquin called it a day in the late seventies, they left us with a live album. The album contains tracks from all the previous albums. The two things that make this album really interesting is the inclusion of their best progressive tracks: I wish I could and The dance. Especially the performance of I wish I could is excellent, this version is even better than on the studio album. All the tracks are performed very well. So luckily they ended with a great album, to make up for the two more funky albums they released before. But still, when you want to explore the music of Alquin you should get hold of the first two albums.

Alquin is a Dutch progressive rock band that released two fine - if not essential - jazz infused prog albums in the early seventies. The band was obviously influenced by Soft Machine and Pink Floyd, but had not stomach to make music that artistic and intense to listen to. After the first two (crossover) prog records the band would grow towards a pop-rock group and release some hit singles in the Netherlands, most notably 'Wheelchair Groupie'. On this well-recorded 1976 live album the band would play some of its more commercial rocksongs, but enough of its progressive classics ('New Guinea sunrise', 'The Dance' and 'I Wish I Could') to make this a very worthwhile release for fans of their progressive period. The wind-instruments by Ronald Ottenhoff and the thick woolly Les Paul sound by Ferdinand Bakker give the band its specific instrumental edge, while lead-singer Michel van Dijk has crept up from under the layer of album-mixing - he's actually a good, slightly raspy live singer. Alquin is not a very outspoken group when it comes to their moods and rhythm changes, in stead creating a solid, relaxing and joyful live album that doesn't have a single moment of weakness. Neither does the record have any moment of greatness. Yet, it in its totality I think this album is an enjoyable and non-offensive Sunday afternoon record that deserves a warm three and a halve stars.