SANDROSE

An excellent female voice progressive band. Her voice is out of this world. Very touching and very melodic album. Definitely a masterpiece of NON UK Progressive albums. Guitar is not that technical BUT it really serves the songs of this obscure masterpiece. In other words, a must have for collectors of this kind. I own many obscure albums but this one made me feel like inventing this music recently. Is one of the few albums i listened several times the same day of purchase and then again and again and again. The vocals might seems a bit bad at the first hearing of the album but the second time the listener will realise that are really matching with the whole album and are Perfect.

I finally got an old Musea CD reissue of this. Well, better late than never, given I've heard of this group for literally years and heard of their reputation. One of those albums I should have owned in my early days of collecting prog rarities and obscurities (but around 1993-94 I never heard of them, not until around 1999). It's apparently one of the first titles Musea ever reissued back in 1988 (it's not the first release on the label, as they released stuff as far back as 1986). It seems Sandrose was already a rarity and collectible even back in 1988. I don't have the money on me to get an original LP copy to begin with. First released in France in 1972 on Polydor, it received a UK release the following year, but the French original does feature the gatefold the UK pressing lacks. Whatever the case it seems Sandrose has been a Musea best seller.

OK, the one band frequently brought up is Earth & Fire. Certainly, like the Dutch band in question, a female-lead band with Mellotron. But Earth & Fire had pop sensibilities that made them big in their home country. Sandrose didn't. If you replace Rose Podwojny with a male vocalist, it's not too terribly different from early UK prog found on Vertigo and Neon, like Spring, Gracious, Cressida, and Beggars Opera (particularly Waters of Change). A lot of French prog bands I've heard tended to be spacy with a King Crimson or Pink Floyd influence (Pulsar, Carpe Diem, Arachnoid and Artcane comes to mind), but clearly Sandrose follows the early UK prog template of those bands mentioned. So in that case, if you like those UK bands mentioned, you'll have no problem adapting to this. The only trouble may be Rose Podwojny. While she's quite accomplished for an 18 year old, she sometimes had trouble controlling her voice when hitting loud or high notes, so it ends up a bit shrilly. But like those UK bands, Henri Garella packs it with lots of Hammond organ and Mellotron, Mellotron fans certainly need this album as its packed with it. "Vision", while I love the mood and vibe shows some of Rose's disadvantages with her singing as she sounds a bit strained in places. I still love this piece. "Never Good at Sayin' Good Bye" sounds very much like Cressida with a female vocalist. "Underground Session (Chorea)" sounds like it should be a bunch of nonsense, but actually it's just a wonderful extended piece with some nice jazzy parts. "Old Dom is Dead" was actually released as a single, again showing that UK influence. "Summer is Yonder" is a cover, but I can't seem to pinpoint who did it, other than J. Cockenpot is credited. "Metakara" is clearly different, this is a Henri Garella instrumental where he cuts loose on clavinet and Hammond organ. I gather this was towards the end of recording as he never used a clavinet elsewhere. Reminds me of Brian Auger's "Ellis Island" from Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger & the Trinity's Streetnoise from 1969. The last one features a German title "Fraulein Kommen Sie Schalaffen Mit Mir". It's a real short piece, just a bunch of goofing about. I'm glad they didn't try polka here. While the focus seems to be on Rose's singing and Henri's keyboard playing, it seems the mastermind of Sandrose is guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen. The only flaw may be Rose Podwojny, as her voice can be a little hard to take in, but the music is very much the classic it is. Worth your time.

In short: interesting, Mellotron-loaded and charmingly vintage (ie. slightly worn-out sounding) progressive rock, but an awful female singer! The latter is the sole reason I'm now finally removing the CD from my collections. Frankly I've hardly ever listened to it since I wrote the prog book chapter about it in July 2012. The CD edition that I have (Lion Production, 2011) includes a long article and band photos.

SANDROSE, as a symphonic prog band with a distinctive female voice singing in English (very rare in the french scene), could be compared to e.g. AFFINITY, BABE RUTH and perhaps most of all to the Dutch EARTH & FIRE. The mellow sound contains a lot of Mellotron, often reminiscent of Gabriel-era GENESIS. The composers, guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen and keyboardist Henri Garella, had an instrumental band called Eden Rose (their sole album being On the Way to Eden, 1970). Then they met the Russian-born Rose (!) Podwojny and renamed the group as Sandrose. OK, she can sing also decently enough, definitely not a great voice even then, and her shaky vibrato is ugly. But when she raises her voice in a scream-like manner, as she often does, it sounds pretty annoying to my ears. Worse than SHIRLEY BASSEY, and that's a big statement. (I actually like entertainment vocal music with all the evergreens and emotional impact, but Bassey I have to pass due to her vocal style.)

So, Rose Podwojny's vocals ruin many songs that I'd otherwise would enjoy. The delicate 'Never Good at Sayin' Good-Bye' with all the Mellotrons in the chorus is one of such songs. The 7-minute 'To Take Him Away' is a highlight, or would be with a good vocalist. 'Summer is Yonder' has a beautiful, dreamy atmosphere but sadly there's that screamy voice. Good grief.

Happily there are two instrumentals. 'Metakara' is a jazzy, fast one. The 11-minute, very proggy 'Underground Session' is without a doubt the whole album's highlight. It makes me give the third star. "Sandrose" has become a classic album. I'm not saying it wouldn't deserve it, but I advice to approach it with incorruptible ears. Even if you didn't hate the vocals like me, the compositions may lack something too.

No matter how classic some albums might be, if classic is an apt word for such an obscure piece of prog as far as the number of ratings is concerned, it does not manage to really act out all of it's praise. At times it's like acquiring a splinter from the cross of Christ, only to fill you with a sense of doubt as to whether it is real or not. Maybe that is symbolism a bit stretched but I dare say some of you get my drift.

Sandrose is a great band. Don't get me wrong. They are. The thing is, the problem or whatever you would like to call it, is that the songs, no matter how enjoyable they are when you listen to them, leave little to remember. Whenever I look at the CD I cannot recall more than a few tracks, though I have been listening to the album many a times. More than really able to hum some of it's contents I go "That's a good track, if I am not mistaken" and then I start to doubt the authenticity of the cross.

Two tracks in particular stay in my head and those are "Never good at saying goodbye" and the great "Underground session". These I know for a fact to be truly fantastic. The rest blends together in big lump of music. The reason for this is the similar sounds produced. Sort of mellow, organ based semi-progressive music. If I listen to one song only, and that can be any song on the album, I go "This is so amazing", but as a whole I enjoy it though little remains, as I have stated. It is like eating a too big a bag of sweets. In the end all taste the same and you fill full of it.

With all this said I guess it sounds like Sandrose really is a substandard album but it is not. It is very enjoyable and I will not part with it. It is a great album to relax to, a wonderful rainy day companion and a fine example of french progressive music. Take a listem. Maybe you'll agree with me or maybe you won't. At least you will have been able to touch the cross. Then it's up to you to judge it's authenticity.

A French band formed around guitarist Jean-Pierre Alarcen with some members of Eden Rose and others, Sandrose released one sole self-titled album in 1972, and it's well worth the rediscovery by vintage prog fans. This symphonic prog band were somewhat comparable to Earth and Fire, mostly due to a striking female singer out front and plentiful use of emotional Mellotron in just about every track of their album. Singing in English, charmingly accented vocalist Rose Podwojny is a powerhouse performer, the perfect balance of gutsy and feminine charms, although her sometimes exhausting delivery won't be to everyone's tastes (Gudny Aspaas from Norwegian band Ruphus is instantly comparable). Recorded in only a week, `Sandrose' is delicate one minute, overwhelming with power the next, and while it's certainly no classic, it's still exquisitely performed by a talented group of musicians and distinctive vocalist.

Opener `Vision' quickly builds in urgency, a pounding relentless drum-beat beside Rose's vocals that border on losing control, reverberating heavy echoing electric guitar strains racing along the background. `Old Dom Is Dead' sees Rose adopt a more gospel influenced vocal, reaching ear-splitting levels of spiritual rapture over sublime lifting clouds of Mellotron that never cease. The main repeated theme of `To Take Him Away' melds romantic Camel-styled lead guitar and accompanying Mellotron with a catchy repeated chorus, plus a powerful instrumental outro where the 'Tron comes closest to resembling a sweeping orchestra. `Summer is Yonder' is a downbeat psych/folk ballad, but some pained and slightly pitchy higher vocals from Rose almost derail it.

Two lengthy instrumentals are sure to be favourites of prog listeners. After a majestic gliding Mellotron fanfare opening for `Underground Session' (which will also be repeated throughout the piece at regular intervals), a bombastic wordless male band member chorus booms before ragged extended electric guitar soloing, rippling Hammond organ, crashing gongs and pulsating bass reach maddening moments of tension and drama. A thick dirge-like slab of Mellotron with King Crimson-like intensity smashes all in its path in the final minutes as well. Later on, the up-tempo `Metakara' is an infectious and tightly constrained jazz/fusion workout, with dancing electric piano and bubbling Hammond, Jean- Pierre moving through lightly jazzy guitar licks to some ripping scorching faster runs. The album concludes on a baffling psychedelic snippet that sounds like nothing else on the album and is really quite out of place!

But special mention must to `Never Good at Sayin' Goodbye', a restrained and heart- wrenching ballad. Acoustic guitars gently float with Rose's wounded whisper, and then when the chorus hits, the piece roars to life with a rising vocal and Mellotron crescendo. "I'll look back on the love we knew...I'll remember when you're far away that I love you...". Rose completely nails the right level of heartbreak and dignity on this track, and it's impossible not to be moved by this powerful display, a real showcase for her.

Easier to find again due to a recent Mini LP CD reissue from Musea, Sandrose and their album are not an essential purchase for prog listeners, with endless other albums, both French and otherwise, worth tracking down beforehand. But long-time prog collectors looking for some other worthwhile titles to add to their library can be easily assured they'll receive a quality album if they were to take a chance on this. It's a sumptuous work that deserves some more attention, and fans of rare female singers in vintage prog bands and Mellotron fiends who can't get enough of the instrument should probably make a note to look into this one right away!

Three and a half stars.

This is not the sort of album that causes the jaw to drop on first listen, or even one that goes through that heavy rotation in the first few weeks of acquisition. In fact, until recently I thought I had at least provided a review for said disk in the 3 odd years of ownership. But it quietly slid to the back shelf only to be resurrected as a result of a relative flurry of recent reviews.

This is a fine symphonic progressive album from a pretty early period for the genre. The combination of celestial mellotron, expressive lead guitar and edgy feminine vocals brings to mind EARTH AND FIRE, but Rose does not curb her enthusiasm to nearly the same degree as Jenny Kaagmen. I wonder how different the album would have been had BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST not released "Once Again" a year prior, as the keening lead guitar/tron attack more than suggests John Lees and Woolly Wolstenholme. But SANDROSE is more adventurous and seemingly more musically versed. While it is not terribly intricate, this release might nonetheless appeal to fans across the prog spectrum, even those who like complex prog.

Influences dispensed with, it must be stated that Sandrose appears to have exacted their own influence on later French bands, in particular TAI PHONG, who borrowed a particular style of suddenly quieting the music in the middle of a vocal section, and the much later ECLAT for the reined in theatrical aspects.

Apart from a few weaker shorter tracks, this is all good especially the "Underground Session" , "Old Dom is Dead", and "To Take Him Away", highly melodic and gently improvised symphonic rock with richly layered guitars and electronic keyboards, and a colourfully dramatic side.

While not a classic, SANDROSE's self titled album deserved to be the beginning of a notable career rather than a one-off. Thankfully it remains a sought after relic with more than mere historic value. 3.5 stars.

This is the only album from a lineup formerly known as Eden Rose, with the exception of lead singer Rose Podwojny (aka Laurens). And also with the exception of Laurens, the music in my opinion isn't dramatically different than the blend of folksy, slightly psych and jazz-tinged stuff Eden Rose recorded in 1970.

Laurens does make a difference though, her rich contralto voice lending more weight to the shorter tracks with its distinctive lounge-act timbre and mood. The best examples of these songs include the opening "Vision", "Never Good at Saying Goodbye" and "Summer is Yonder" which projects a bit of the dramatic stage flair band leader Jean-Pierre Alarcen probably picked up during his stint with the one of the traveling productions of the musical 'Hair'.

Elsewhere the band relies on longer, more instrumental tracks to flesh out the album. On these Alarcen's guitar soloing style and Henri Garella's symphonic-leaning keyboards shine, much as they did on the Eden Rose album a couple years' prior. The lengthy "Underground Session" is the highlight of this type of arrangement and of the album in total, although the alternating keyboard/guitar leads and passionate rhythm of "Metakara" makes it a strong contender for my favorite track.

Not everything works here. For one, even though Laurens' articulation and vocals are quite good, I think the music would have had greater depth and passion had she sung in her native French rather than English (which I suppose had more to do with commercial appeal than artistic merit). "To Take Him Away" is an awkward track that smacks of being nothing more than filler. And the closing "Fraulein Kommen Sie Schlaff" bears no resemblance to anything else on the album and although quite brief really doesn't belong here.

From what I've read these guys were quite popular in France, and the original vinyl of this album still fetches tidy sums today. No need to make that investment though thanks to Musea's CD reissue (though truth be told even that one isn't particularly easy to get your hands on).

In any case I like this record, a little more so every time I play it. Lauren's vocals sound more like 1977 than 1972 though, and even though she is a very good and emotive singer I have a bit of trouble reconciling her singing with much of the instrumental music. Despite that this is easily a three star effort, and worth seeking out if you are into contemporary French prog folk or eclectic styles of early seventies prog. Well recommended.

peace

Sandrose was a one shot french band that gained much praise from prog circles in latter years. So I was quite curious about them for a long time. And when I found their only CD I can´t say I was exactly thrilled from what I heard. Ok, they were good. Instrumentaly speaking I could find no fault about them: excellent guitarrist, very good keyboards and a tight rhythm section, as the non vocal track Metakara proves very well. The main problem you have to overcome is Rose Podwojny´s affected, over-the-top, style of singing. She has a good voice but her singing is too forced on some parts, as she is trying to reach some tones she obviously can´t. When she restrains her exaggerated perfomances, which unfortunatly she often does not, it works very well.

Which is really a pity since Snadrose has some strong tunes and very good musicians. The production is also very good for the time. I loved the use of Hammond organ and the waves of melltrons working together with Jean-Pierre Alarcen´s brilliant, slightly jazzy, guitar playing. I´m sad this band broke up soon after they released this album. Certainly they had lots of talent and the group could evolve into something really big if they persisted a little more time. As it is I think this album is quite good, especially for the ones who enjoy early 70´s prog rock stuff. Rating: something between 3 and 3,5 stars.

Sandrose is one of the french early '70's progressive band that didn't manage to release only one album in 1972 selftitled. Everything on this band is around excellent guitar player Jean- Pierre Alarcen, who had already a moderate succes in late '60 with Système Crapoutchik before joyinig Sandrose in 1970. Sabdrose is one of the better bands from sumphonic prog movements from France from early '70's, the music offered is from mellow sectios to more up tempo full of great interplay between musicians. The female voice of natural born polish Rose Podwojny did a great job here. Underground Session (Chorea - is a perfect ex of Sandrose at their peak and the instrumental one Metakara are the highlights here, specialy the latest where musician realy shine , a very uptempo piece with great musician ship and some superb guitar arrangements made by Jean-Pierre Alarcen. So, a pleasent album for sure, not realy something excellent, but good and decent most of the time. 3 stars is a fair rating, a good album but nothing special about.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with idea that this album, as instrumental one, will be almost perfect one. Her vocals aren't bad completely, just when she's singing loud, these shouting passages. For example Never Good At Sayin´ Good-Bye is good, because (oh, I forgot to say that songs here are mostly calm ones, so - ) her vocals are calm too. Guitar work is also perfect, maybe not virtuoso's in modern way, but guitar solos here are tremendous.

I should rate highly, because I just can get myself over some vocal parts, which I see as only major mistake. At least it's not just my problem (personal problem), that other people feels it too. Underground Session actually reminds me Caravan's "In the Land..." last song. And even it's not tear bringing, it brings great deal of memories about things I know from my childhood. Similar to "Rare Bird's" 1969 album, where similar situation occurs, but with different mood and instruments.

4(+), guitar solos, atmosphere, vocal parts (surprising ? just some of them are bad) sometimes.