POSEIDON

Poseidon unfortunatly only lived a short life but managed to record one brilliant album before falling out. "Found My Way" is not typical underground 70's Krautrock and actaully has more English prog feel about it. Poseidon blend vintage 70's deep synths with great guitar, bass and drum work and create a very unique and accessible sound. This band were very melodic and harmonic and at times reminds me of crosses of Fruupp, early Kansas, Procol Harum, Sweet and a bit of Floyd too. The vocals are excellent as are the harmonies used throuhout the album and sung in English. Considering the age of this recording the sound has been well preserved and this one sounds great on the ol' stereo. "Found My Way' is the kind of album that Prog hunters will be pleased to have found and for me is an album that gets still lots of airtime. My only criticism is the short length of the main album. The fine folks at Garden Of Delights have filled in another 40 mins with rare live tracks from a gig in Karlsruhe.

Poseidon has wrongly been described as a cross between Eloy and Troya, when in fact they sound little like any intersection between those two bands. They do not even sound very German to me, and the style is more basic rock with the progressive tendencies one would expect in 1975. Think Grand Funk Railroad's better acoustic based pieces for an idea of where this goes, and add on a bit too many variations in too short a time, and you might get an idea.

The melodies, while occasionally strong, are not particularly challenging even for those who enjoy lighter prog, and, while the acoustic guitars are pleasant enough in a late 60s/early 70s sort of way, the lead guitars lack some subtlety. The vocals are competent but without distinction.

"Found my Way" is not unpleasant to listen to, but it lacks highlights or even a really knockout track. The organ work of Tony Mahl rises above the fray at several points, especially in "Swimming Against the Stream" and "Cold Farmer", but the songs' meanderings expose how Poseidon's ambition tended to exceed its compositional talents. The bonus tracks are of even less interest, clearly of the out-take variety even by already lowered standards.

I cannot recommend this disk unless you are a German prog completist and are looking for something with as much American and Kraut influence.