FIRE, WATER, EARTH AND AIR

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Keyboard player Werner Nadolny sets Jane back on an even keel after the disappointing previous Lady album. Hippies can rejoice in this dreamy let youself be free musical overdose. All the traditional Jane ingredients are here in full force, lagging beat, Gibson Les Paul solos and trippy vocals by Klaus Hesse. Jane proves that the 60's are not over until they're over on this 1976 classic. Recorded using an experimental technique known as "Dummy Head" which didn't catch on much the same way as quad didn't back in the 70's, make this one of the best headphone albums ever. All the cool tracks flow nicely into one and other without any breaks so it's like listening to a 33 minute song on the CD version. This is perhaps the best Jane album of them all and will have special appeal to fans of the Hammond Organ. Eloy fans might also want to tune into this one as well.

As it was evident with the previous and uninspired album Lady, Jane was clearly running out of ideas as a "prog'n roll" act and decided to shake themselves awake by turning into a more progressive unit. Such a move, however courageous it might be , is not only risky but fairly common as this was a sort-of-fad that a few band did in those days in Continental Europe (I am thinking of Birth Control, but many more).

I said risky , because one band does simply not become progressive on command and therefore may lose their credibility and show their limits. Jane certainly fell in that category IMHO, because they simply did not have enough inspiration for it. I want for first proof of this , this very weak concept of the four elements punctuated by wind , running water, fire noise to invoke those elements . Apart from a weak outside artwork sleeve and a slightly better inside gatefold drawing, everything transpire lack of inspiration. Even their good musical skills seem to be ampered by the restraint of more complicated song structure and genral lack of enthusiasm (IMHO but onr should have no problem seeing my point - they just seem to go through the motion).

By all means , do not let my incisive remarks let you think that the excellent Jane musicianship is AWOL, this is still a worthy Jane album , just not one of my fave. I would recommend prospective progheads who would rather not investigate their early hard-prog carreer to start with this one and then Heaven & Hell.

Great equipment: Gibson guitars, Ludwig drums, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer and Gibson Thunderbird bass. Great sound: special 'Dummy-Head' effects. Great music?

Most of the seven compositions contain a slow rhythm featuring lush Hammond organ waves, Moog synthesizer flights, lots of bluesy howling electric guitar runs and melancholical vocals. I won't conclude that on this LP Jane make memorable, inventive or original progressive rock (understatement for precarious progressive bluesrock) but to me their sound on this album is often pleasant and sometimes even moving. Especially the interplay between the guitar and keyboards like in the highlight "Air (Superman)" with echoes from RAVEL his "Bolero". And in 1975 it was hot to present yourself with sophisticated technical ideas (inspired by PINK FLOYD's "Dark side of the moon") so the Dummy-Head effects were a fine bonus in those days. Conclusion: a nice album but I prefer the better renditions on the 2-live-LP "At home live" that was released a year later.

By the way, if you want to witness this Jane 30 years later on DVD, buy the 2- DVD "Krautrock meeting" delivering an excellent 30 minutes performance with veterans Peter Panka and Werner Nadolny, what a warm and inspired gig!

RETURN TO THE JANE SOUND!

After flirting with blues rock, then straightforward rock including some ''soul'', JANE came back at doing what they are the best at: playing melodic prog rock played with emotions and big heart with some spacey athmosphere and majestuous guitar performances. So with their fifth studio album FIRE WATER EARTH & AIR we are sent back to the moods of TOGETHER full of organ tapestry, heart warming guitar sounds that move you deeply.

I am sure that the return of the original keyboardist WERNER NADOLNY helped the band to go back to their roots , find again this sound that made JANE a pleasure to listen to with their first 2 albums . FIRE WATER EARTH & AIR is not the definitive symphonic/space album, not even the best of the JANE catalogue but all the ingredients are present for us to enjoy this journey.

The title track is a 17mn ''epic'' with all the JANE characteristics we love: slow start, a great melody, the organ omnipresent, melancholic moody vocals and of course the moment of grandeur belong to the wonderful playing of guitarist klaus HESS who can play so melodic, so refined first then getting loose and bringing a lot of energy to the song with blistering riffs and great solos . The second side stays in the same spirit than the first one like on the great track AIR (SUPERMAN) with it's nice intro riff followed by this beautiful melancholic melody backed up by a haunting organ soundscape. JANE at its best!

The only probem with FIRE WATER EARTH & AIR is that it lasts only 33 mns even short by the standarts of the times (1976) when it was possible to put well 40mns of music on a LP. You are going to tell me, better 33mns of good music than 80 mns of fillers and that the way i think. Lets's enjoy this album as there is nothing to ''press forward'' as would put it our greatest reviewer ZOWIE ZIGGY!

Also the vocals are still not the best in the world as HESS and PANKA cannot be mistaken for G.LAKE or D.BYRON but they do a decent job, definitely not worst than their predecessors.FIRE WATER EARTH & AIR is good simple symphonic music played by skillfull musicians with no pretense, just having fun with what they are doing. If you are into ELOY or early PF, JANE is for you!I would have liked to give 3.5 stars so will be 3 stars: a good melodic prog album!

3.5 STARS.

SUPERMAN, COOL AGAIN. EASY!

One thing is for sure. We won't get the awful vocals from Gottfried Janko on this release. This breaking news can only be a stunning and positive fact for the "Jane" fans. A great relief, indeed!

This very short and conceptual (?) album is a good trip back into Jane's catalogue. Some hard-rocking parts combined with some more spacey ones to illustrate the theme of the essential elements shared on this planet are the ingredients for this good "Fire, Water, Earth & Air"album.

The long and introductory suite is one of the attraction of this record. Mostly instrumental, it provides some excellent guitar moments, but keys are essential. Either as a backing or as a leading role one. These organ sounds have always been a T for the band, and they remain so for this recording.

IMHHO, the highlight of this album is "Earth". An emotional crescendo song in which vocals (!) do have a major role. Their combination with these guitar sounds are so emotional... A ground breathing song in which the whole band is playing at his max. Great, great and great. That's all I can write about it.

Last couple of songs mixed together are maybe weaker but by no means do they need the "press forward" button as nicely mentioned in Febus's good review.

This album is worth seven out of ten IMHHO. Just falling out the four star rating.

Jane was basically a psychedelic hard rock band that enjoyed jamming and just generally having fun. This was evident on the first couple of albums that, despite their release date, were really products of the previous decade. After the failed power blues trio experiment with "Jane 3" and a supposedly partial return to form with "Lady" (which I have not heard), they decided to explore Floydian soundscapes and cosmic/progressive rock in general. After all, it was 1976 and prog had stood the test of time and was in it for the long haul, right? That's another story.

Even though the tracks are longer than ever, Jane is more restrained here than on "Here we Are" and especially than "Together". They go more for mood setting and buildups, in their typical somewhat clunky fashion, and in it works extremely well on parts of the opening suite as well as "Earth(Angel)". Even their visitation upon Ravel's Bolero is worth a few yuk yuks on "The End". Yes, they do rock out, but it's generally more listenable than previously.

If you want something equally or more proggy and much more refined, go with the followup "Between Heaven and Hell", but "Fire Water Earth and Air", does have all the basic elements in its primordial soup.