PHOENIX

"Invocatie" starts with insect like synth noises. More overdubbed spacey synths join in. Then the band does start/stop symphonic rock. Switches to a rockin' groove with vocals now. Great harmony vocals during a 'chorus' like section. All of a sudden a gong gets hit, the music stops and then it goes into a short folky section. I like the drumming and altered vocals in the middle, followed by some bell sounds, acoustic guitar and a spoken word section. Some pounding drums and "ahh" harmony vocals in the background later. Then a synth solo. Later reprises the start/stop symphonic section and continues the main part of the song. Some good drumming near the end. At the very end is some funky blues-rock with harmony vocals. Terrific song.

"Norocul Inorogului" is a folky song. Not sure what Romanian folk music sounds like, but I assume something similar to this. Good singing and nice bass synth. You hear some kind of traditional wind instruments in this song. "Scara Scarabeului" is a very commercial sounding early 70s style rock song. Good but not very proggy. "Definul, Dulce Dulful Nostru" starts with some electric harpsichord, cymbals and bass fills. A guitar riff drags the drums into the mix. Then a great mix of band, synth and harmony vocals. Some good drumming in this song. Cool guitar solo which is some kind of classical/blues hybrid. Great dramatic organ to end it.

That song segues into "Uciderea Balaurului" which is more of a typical 1970s hard rock song. Sounds like some clavinet here. "Stima Casei" begins almost funky with the bongos and the bass but quickly switches to a folk song. Good mandolin(?) playing and flute. "Pasarea Calandrinon" opens with classical piano. Goes into some great hard rock then folk-rock. The two sections alternate. Nice intricate playing before a great guitar solo. Switches to a new groove near the end. The music stops and then some jazzy piano and folky violin. I like the sadistic laugh at the end.

"Filip Si Cerbul" is another great hard rocker with some cool synth. I like the almost surf style drumming and '50s rock'n'roll guitar playing at the end. "Vasiliscul Si Aspida" starts out as a folk song with some whispered vocals. Then it turns hard rock with great drumming and harmony vocals. Some acoustic guitar later. At one point the vocals sound like they were recorded through a megaphone. The music stops and then some foot stomping and folk singing to end it. "Sirena" is more of a ballad. Good synth. Hard rocking chorus.

"Pasarea Roc..k And Roll" starts with really cool spacey synth that slowly transforms into an air-raid siren sound. Then gets almost Hawkwind sounding with punk-like shouts of "hey!" Changes to a more commercial rock song. "Canticlu A Cucuveaualiei" is a song you can listen to on PA. Begins with some music box before the band comes in on an almost Zeppelin vibe. The band grooves when the vocals enter. Some backwards guitar. Great bass playing at one point. "Zoomahia" is a highlight. Opens with spacey synth sounds and echoed whispering. The bass guitar starts to play the sequencer rhythm and then the whole band comes in. Almost sounds Canterbury. Some Gong like chanting in the middle.

I love the part starting 4:44-pure awesomeness. Another sequencer pattern leads the band. Instruments kind of float around in a Gong like way at the end. "Phoenix" is the last song. Electric harpsichord, bass fills and wah-wah guitar arpeggios are joined by drums and vocals. Nice synth. Ends with a faster version of the funky blues-rock riff at the end of "Invocatie" fading the song out. This double-album has some great artwork. The sound and production is pretty good. What stands out for me the most is the amazing synthesizer work here. None of it I would consider cheesy or dated. Instead a lot of it is spacey and experimental (for the time). I'm going to give their two previous albums more attention, but this one gets 4 stars.

"Vremuri" opens with laid back guitar and bass before the vocals join in. The singing is in their own Romanian language. Man this sounds so much like the BEATLES when it gets fuller. "Mama Mama" is even more BEATLES-like. By the way most of these songs are around the 3 minute mark and quite simple.Very commercial sounding. "Te Intreb Pe Tind, Soare" opens with guitar as bass and drums join in. Vocal melodies before these deeper than usual vocals come in. Catchy stuff with backing vocals. "Nunta" is different because it's from the debut album "Cei Ce Ne-Au Dat Nume". Raw guitar to start before the drums come pounding in then vocals. Check out the guitar after 1 1/2 minutes!

"Totusi Cint Ca Voi" is mid-paced and just over 2 minutes of pop. Some clapping too. "Floarea Stincilor" opens with gentle guitar and piano. Light drums and vocals join in. Vocal melodies before 2 minutes. A mellow and enjoyable track. "Ar Vrea Un Eschimos" opens with piano as the wind blows. Drums join in. Vocals before a minute with bass. "Balada "Negru Vodo"" is also off their debut so it's different from the rest. In fact this is an almost 15 minute epic. Violin in this one along with some killer guitar and drum work. Great track. "Canaral" is ballad-like with keys and a light beat with reserved vocals. "Nebunal Cu Ochii Inchisi" has vocals and backing vocals on it and lots of violin. Sounds like an ethnic Folk song.

Not a bad compilation of songs but it pales when compared to their debut or their third album "Cantofabule".

I took less than one minute to decide that I like it: the two guitars which start the first track have a touch of 60s Psychedelia. A quite Hypnotic track because of repetition, but the hard- rock sound of the lead guitar won't make anybody fall asleep for sure.

The intro to "Primavara" (Spring) reprises the fadeout from the previous track and it's absolutely rock. Its follow-up starts with a choir that's a demonstration of the dotted line who connects all the indo-european folk music. Listen to the "chanson de provence" or to some traditional celtic: only Romanian or Gaelic speaking people will catch the difference.

"Vara" (Summer) comes directly from the 60s. A very acid guitar, a distorted bass riff and vocals that remind to early Wishbone Ash. Unfortunately the quality of the recording is not very good. It's not clear if the bass has a distortion effect or is the recording itself to be distorted. It's an excellent song anyway.

"Toamna" (The Fall) is a fusion of Folk and Rock. The melodic line seems to come from the local popular traditions while the rhytmic part is rock. The acid guitar solo is nice even if the four chords below are everything but new: A-G-F-E.

Back to the seasons: "Iarna" (Winter) is again divided in intro and follow-up. 1 folkish minute and another minute of percussions and bluegrass-like guitar. Just an interlude.

"Nunta" (Marriage) is again based on a fusion of psychedelia (bass and drums) and traditional music (Vocals). It's one of the most interesting tracks with changes in tempo, impressive bass line and the omni-present acid guitar, a bit more Hendrix-like this time.

"Negru-Voda Balada" (Black Voda Ballad) I think Voda is a town, but I'm not sure. The longest track of this album. It's mainly a long jam session of blues-rock of the kind that can be found on "Colosseum Live". It's a very good jam indeed, but there was plenty of tracks of this kind during those years. This track is more proto-prog than prog-folk, but it doesn't mean that I dislike it. I'm comparing them to Colosseum, not to Phil C.

"Pseudo Morgana" is probably the most progressive track. The percussions are still from the 60s, the repetitive guitar harping and the bass give it a particular sound. Even if based on just two chords, it's highly enjoyable due to the hard work performed by the bass.

In summary, this is an excellent album with an important characteristic: they didn't try to clone any specific western artist. The influence of blues-rock and psychedelia are evident but this album comes from 1972, so it's natural. This is a band which tries to have an own characteristic sound and the fusion with traditional music gives it a touch of uniqueness.

It's a pity that the recording is not very clean, but it's not too below the standards of those years. Surely it's in line with the standards of the late 60s.

Stars? 4-

You can find there plenty of different influences - from baroque to Deep Purple-like Hammond attacks to spacey/psychedelic Pink Floydish moments. Romanian folklore is less dominated, but presents in many places. Melodic and often a bit melancholic. Plenty of real rocky guitar, and really balanced mix of all components.

My first impression of that album was a bit mixed - I was afraid of too much of symphonic influences in that music ( and I prefer it more raw and bluesy). But with every next listening this album grew up in me. In fact, it is the work which could be placed in the Hall of Fame of Eastern European progressive , besides of best SBB albums.

Recommended.

I believe to get the full impression of this album you must understand the language, because it looks lyrics are very important component there (as in many epic musical works). Another important component of the album's sound is British folk.

Unhappily, ambitious project doesn't have enough diversity or dynamics to be attractive during all his content. After few first compositions you start feeling as listening one long and often repetitive ballade with many folklore elements (incl. characteristic folklore vocals).

Possibly, for real prog folk fans this sound is more interesting, because it's full of original folklore instruments. For me, the listener who could be attracted by folk as much as it is just a nice spice to real prog rock sound, rock component of this album is really not enough for keeping attention.

Still great bass line and small but pleasant Balkan violin, rare electric guitar soloing and common authentic atmosphere though. My rating - 3+.

I am familiar with progressive rock from almost all Eastern Europe, but Phoenix was a first Romanian band for me. And when comparing, I can say there is the difference in sound you will easy recognize band's music.

Besides of characteristic electric guitar and bass sound (you can hear similar sound on Polish SBB albums from same time period), all music base there is Romanian folk, not blues-rock. So the result is quite interesting - in fact it's a two cultures elements melted in one . Vocals, rhythmic structures and melodies come from Romanian folklore, and guitar sound, bass and some internal aesthetics are all early Western prog rock. And when listen you can easily hear both components, they aren't mixed in one, but exists one near the other.

Really interesting album for researcher, must have one for any serious Eastern European prog collector. Possibly, not easy listening for any taste, but could be a nice surprise for those searching for obscure artists and unusual sounds from early prog time.

My rating - 3,5,rounded to 4.

"Invocatie" Various electronic noises open the lengthy first song. When it gets going, it has a commanding presence with deep vocals and bass-dominated music. It is followed by a spoken-word acoustic section that ushers in an eerie chorus of vocals and a whiny synthesizer lead.

"Norocul Inorogului" This is a pleasant, almost hymn-like traditional-sounding song with thick vocal harmonies and sweet instrumentation featuring keyboard and flute.

"Scara Scarabeului" A short, happy tune, this is more like a late 1960s pop rock song.

"Definul, Dulce Dulful Nostru" Without a doubt, the band that springs to mind as I listen to this song is Eloy- straightforward psychedelic rock enriched by enchanting keyboards.

"Uciderea Balaurului" The highlights of this upbeat rocker are the two solos during the second half, one electrifying guitar solo and one wild organ workout.

"Stima Casei" Another short, upbeat song, this is closer to more traditional progressive folk like Jethro Tull.

"Pasarea Calandrinon" After a delicate piano introduction, the band launches into another heavy rocker. The piano and violin affair at the end is a bit of an avant-garde non sequitur.

"Filip Si Cerbul" Grainy guitar and a thudding bass introduce solid vocals for yet another decent heavy rock song, this one with a fluid, almost symphonic refrain.

"Vasiliscul Si Aspida" Voices join a solo flute on its melodic journey before the gritty guitar jumps in to begin some heavy psychedelic music. The middle bit is for all intents and purposes a "mini-song" rather than a bridge. I particularly like the soaring vocals and bass work.

"Sirena" Blending psychedelic and folk music, this piece incorporates acoustic guitar, light melodies, coarse electric guitar riffs, spacey synthesizer, and almost tribal percussion.

"Pasarea Roc...k And Roll" Loud and awful synthesizer experimentation, sounding like alarms and extraterrestrial insects make for a difficult-to-listen-to introduction. The rock music on this one is pretty standard business, and the periodic shouting of "Hey!" gives it the feel of a sports anthem.

"Canticlu A Cucuveaualiei" After a light introduction, the band comes in, this time accompanied by some creative guitar goings-on in the backdrop.

"Zoomahia" More experimental electronics, this time with frightening vocals, create a terrible introduction, but this time the track isn't saved by a good song proper: There's a mishmash of noises coming from the various instruments- a dissonant muddiness.

"Phoenix" The final song is a pretty and relaxing one, with competence and restraint shown from all members. At its conclusion, the piece hearkens back to the end of the first one.