EKSEPTION 3

This third album by Dutch jazz-rock and classical influenced band had confirmed their stand as solid band with inventive music compositions. The CD of this album is quite rare and I can only review this through my cassette collection that I purchased in the 70s. The album kicks off nicely with "Peace planet" (3:32), an instrumental piece with catchy organ like Procol Harum music style followed by fast tempo music where the organ solo is supported by tight bass lines and inventive clavinet. It's an energetic song that creates an uplifting mood. Drums are also excellent. But I salute the bass playing style of Cor Dekker, it's so powerful throughout the album.

The second track "B 612" (4:08) is a song with vocal (Steve Allet, who replaced previous lead singer in "Beggar Julia's Time Trip" album. This song has a great brass section combined beautifully with clavinet in jazz rock style. There is a nice trumpet solo at the end. The overall style reminds me to the music of Blood, Sweat, and Tears. "Morning rose" (3:04) starts with nice clavinet in slow tempo followed beautifully with vocal line. Clavinet provides great work at background. Right after first verse the organ enters brilliantly in Procol Harum style.

"Piece for symphonic and rock group in A minor" (5:53) comprises two movements: a) Part one: Passacaglia and b) Part two: Painting. Part One starts with an orchestra in ambient mood demonstrating clarinet solo. It's really a catchy opening in slow tempo. String section then takes lead in solo while the background music combines orchestra and timpani sound. On Part Two, the music then turns into fast tempo with dazzling drum, inventive bass lines, staccato trumpets and great organ. All instruments play in intertwining roles.

"The lamplighter" (3:01) is another instrumental piece with great organ at opening followed with trumpet solo while bass playing is obvious and tight, followed with great organ solo and then great church organ work. "Bottle mind" (2:45) is an instrumental music with fast tempo, staccato brass rock section which reminds me to Blood, Sweat & Tears music. The music interlude is wonderful with pulsating organ sound. "On sunday they will kill the world" (3:26), the opening part reminds me to Chicago 7's "Old Days". Vocal enters nicely. Music interlude is nice with great organ / piano work. Bass guitar is also great. "Another history" (4:37) has a great brass section backed by piano & dynamic bass lines followed wit trumpet solo backed with dazzling bass guitar work . Vocal line enters beautifully in low to medium register notes. After the first verse, organ gives a Procol Harum sound. It s really COOL!!

Overall, this is a VERY GOOD album by Ekseption and I think it deserves a four stars rating: an excellent addition to any prog music collection. For those who love jazz-rock, this is a MUST HAVE album that you should not miss. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Once the Ekseption machine was switched on, it was really hard to be slowed down, even if the line-up changes were a frequent phenomenon for the band.Vocalist Michel van Dijk parted ways with Ekseption to taste a brief stint with Brainbox and later to join Alquin.He was replaced by Steve Allet (born as Coen Merkelbach).Also drummer Peter de Leeuwe returned behind the drum kit, replacing Dennis Whitebread, who went on to join Cargo under his real name of Dennis Witbraat.Even so van der Linden & co. recorded a third album for Phillips in 1970, simply entitled ''3'', another concept album around the story of Le Petit Prince.

Again the music is largely instrumental with strong Classical influences and van der Linden adapting moments from the timeless music of Bach, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven, mixing them cleverly with a fascinating Jazz/Horn Rock and obvious 60's psychedelic influences.Superb work on Hammond organ and harsichord with beautiful manipulations, offering both melodic and virtuosic themes, highlighted by the excellence of the background trumpets and saxes.Grandiose and pompous instrumental textures, that are pleasant to the ear and, even a bit dated, speak straight to the heart of the listener.New singer Steve Allet had a very JIM MORRISON-kind of singing style and in fact a couple of songs in the album do sound like a Classical version of THE DOORS with deep, psychedelic overtones, for example the fantastic ''On sunday they will kill the world''.For the most of its length the album is majestic with nice string sections, dreamy horn sounds and ethereal keyboards, while the songs are perfectly structured to deliver both magnificent melodies and more progessive colors, led by the complexity of Classical Music's fundamentals.Note that most of the lyrics were written by Dutch radio-presenter Will Luikinga.

Impressive combination of Classical and Jazz/Horn Rock in a highly adventurous album, full of pompous, very tight pieces and a deeply symphonic finesse.Another step towards perfection by this overlooked Prog band.Highly recommended.

For this third album from EKSEPTION again there were some changes in the line-up: lead singer Michel van Dijk was replaced by Steve Allet (although van Dijk appears in 'Another History' as lead singer and lyricist), and drummer Peter de Leeuwe returned to the band. For this album Rick van der Linden composed all the original music with the rest of the lyrics being written by Will Luikinga. Producer Tony Vos again appeared as guest playing saxes.

This is another concept album by the band, this time having as central theme Antoine de Saint-Exupery`s book titled 'Le Petit Prince' ('The Little Prince'). This album is even more Progressive than their previous two albums, and it seems to me that with each new album the band was having more confidence, a more stable line-up (with Rick van der Linden, Rein van der Broek, Cor Dekker, Peter de Leewe and Dick Remelink appearing together in this and other three albums during the seventies) and a more stable musical style with less inclinations to Pop music. For this album, van der Linden was increasingly becoming the musical leader of the band and his influence over the musical arrangements is even more clear, with maybe J.S. Bach`s music and Baroque music in general having more influence in the musical style of the band.

'Peace Planet' is an arrangement from J.S. Bach`s 'Badinerie From Suite No. 2 In B Minor', played with energy. I remember that parts of this track were used in a TV ad in my country in the late seventies.

'B612' has Steve Allet in lead vocals, with very good spinet playing from van der Linden and with very good Jazz arrangements and very good solos from van der Broek and Remelink.

'Morning Rose' is another song which was sung by Allet and with some Hammond Organ playing by van der Linden which makes me remember PROCOL HARUM a bit.

'Piece For Symphonic- And Rock group In A Minor (Part 1: Passacaglia, Part 2: Painting)' has in the first part an orchestra playing mostly without the band, and in the part two the band playing an instrumental Jazz-Rock influenced musical piece, without the orchestra, again with van der Linden playing spinet in some parts and an organ solo.

'The Lamplighter' is an adaptation from J.S. Bach`s 'Prelude And Fugue In Minor' with some Jazz arrangements.

'Bottle mind' is a fast instrumental musical piece with some (uncredited) influences in the melody from 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' from Grieg`s 'Peer Gynt Suite No. 1'. It also has a very good and brief bass solo by Cor Dekker.

'On Sunday They Will Kill The World' is a more influenced Rock musical piece sung by Allet with musical parts taken from Rachmaninoff `s 'Prelude In C Sharp Minor'.

As I mentioned before, 'Another History' is sung by Michel van Dijk and has lyrics written by him. Maybe it was recorded for their previous album ('Beggar Julia`s Time Trip', 1970) and also it maybe has an uncredited Dennis Whitbread playing the drums, but I could be wrong. Very influenced by Jazz and J.S. Bach`s music, and with Hammond organ solos which makes me remember PROCOL HARUM again. This song was also released as a single.

'Rondo' was taken from Beethoven`s 'Piano Concerto No.3 In C Minor', with van der Linden playing the original piano parts in an organ, and with an extended and maybe improvised instrumental Jazz section with him on piano and with very good solos from Remelink and van der Broek. Apparently it was recorded 'live in concert' because it has applauses from an audience at the end (with van der Linden or someone else saying 'Thank you!' to that audience).

I watched on youtube a video (maybe done for TV) with the band playing live in concert some parts of songs from this and previous albums, with 'Rondo' and 'On Sunday They Will Kill The World' being played from this album and with Steve Allet on vocals in this last song. The band appears playing in a stadium, with a lot of energy.

As a whole, this album is very good, and it is maybe one of their most Progressive albums.