LIVE 1975

This album is simply a MONUMENTAL MELLOTRON TOUR DE FORCE; it´s just incredible, almost every moment is filled by it. Listening to the studio albuns, like Symphonic Pictures, the first one, we can not have the emotional ´Tron workwe find here. A real gem; don´t miss it!

A few months ago I read about this CD in a review by Roger Silva (thanks!). It was a very short one but the word Mellotron was used several times so I immediately ordered this CD. Well, it is one of the most Mellotron drenched albums I have ever heard and I often got the idea that bands like Anglagard and Anekdoten must have been inspired by this German trio because of the sound of the mighty Trons, incredible! Don't expect elaborate compositions or complex arrangements, the emphasis is on the Mellotron (played by Eduard Schicke and Gerd Fuhrs) featuring wonderful layers, some splendid, very dramatic build-up pieces and bombastic eruptions. The haunting atmosphere in Dialog reminds me of early King Crimson and Seventies Italian prog, very compelling with ominous violin-Mellotron, biting electric guitar and furious drumming. The magnum opus is Modimidofre (almost 30 minutes) delivering excellent mellotron parts although at some moments the music sounds a bit fragmentic. Along the Mellotron (lots of violin but also some majestic choir) we can enjoy keyboards like the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the Moog synthesizer, exciting Fripperian guitar play and adventurous and propulsive drum work. A MUST FOR EVERY TRON-MANIAC BUT THE UNIQUE PROG BY SFF DESERVES MORE ATTENTION!

I'm not sure what to think of this "live" recording. I really need to listen to some of their studio albums probably to truly evaluate this properly. Having said that I can tell you the cd I have really needs to be remastered. The sound quality isn't the greatest.

The interesting thing with these guys is how they use the mellotron. It is really the main focus, while the other instruments are mostly in the background. Usually the opposite is true, you sometimes have to really listen for the mellotron. I actually enjoyed the bonus track the most that was recorded in 1978 and the guitars leads the way, it was refreshing.

As a lover of mellotron I was surprised I didn't like this record more.

Beware! This may well be the 'official' version of the 1975 Papenburg gig, and while it sounds pretty good, it's a travesty compared to the unofficial bootleg it's taken from. Only the 28-minute Pictures suite is retained in its entirety - the rest of the tracks are often hacked about mercilessly. True, the sound's clearer, but an awful lot is lost - it's about time the original tapes were released and cleaned up. Only one word for them - magnificent. In the meantime, if you like this crew, this is a pretty good document, and if you have even the remotest interest in the mellotron, it is essential.

Gentlemen, start your mellotrons! Hands down, SFF's Live 1975 is the most mellotron-drenched album on the planet. Really! Nothing even comes close! And the music's great, too! All complex instrumentals comfortably in the symphonic prog ballpark. Just a couple of the themes have showed up on SFF's studio albums, otherwise this album is quite unique to this German trio's already impressive mid '70s output.

Often, we get to experience the wonder of two 'trons duking it out at once which would certainly lead to pure mellotron manna for those whose tastes lean in that direction - I'm certainly one!

The fidelity of the disc, however, is a little shy of perfect - it's thankfully no "Earthbound" but also not quite "USA" either. However, the dazzling performance more than makes up for its few sonic imperfections. Reportedly, this album is a heavily edited version of the not-quite-official Live in Papenburg album - would certainly be nice to hear the unedited performance, but until then, Live 1975 more than fills the bill.