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Direct Link To This Post Topic: M.L. Bongers Project (Germany)
    Posted: January 28 2012 at 16:46
A rare German band from the 70's with one album "Pacific Prison" in 1978. I found them labeled as krautrock but they have some Genesis sound in them I think so check for yourself what kind of subgenre is this. Discogs has the info: http://www.discogs.com/ML-Bongers-Project-Pacific-Prison/release/1178507






















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Points: 5820 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 01 2012 at 08:25
I'm definitely hearing the (early) Genesis sound you mention, and can't really envisage this as Krautrock. Prog it most definitely is, so we have to find a spot for it somewhere...maybe Symphonic team could take a listen for starters?
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Points: 13298 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 03 2012 at 20:45
Not sure about this one, I'll have to come back to it.
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Points: 22989 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 20 2012 at 09:10
Another great find by our historian. ;) I'm not sure about this either, sounds like a mix of Genesis, Nektar, heavy blues rock/prog and some pastoralism too. I'll notify the Eclectic team.
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Points: 2086 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 24 2012 at 12:02
Originally posted by harmonium.ro harmonium.ro wrote:

Another great find by our historian. ;) I'm not sure about this either, sounds like a mix of Genesis, Nektar, heavy blues rock/prog and some pastoralism too. I'll notify the Eclectic team.
 
Agreed Smile
 
Edit: on second thought this is symphonic prog - and great too!


Edited by earlyprog - February 24 2012 at 12:19
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Points: 32482 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2012 at 11:25
The Eclectic Team believes symphonic should hear this band.
https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays
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Points: 19535 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 26 2012 at 11:54
Well, for what I heard:

1.- Has a heavy organ in the vein of URIAH HEEP
2.- Blues Rock structure
3.- Space Rock passages like in First Dispair
4.- A bit of Jazz
5.- Some Genesis reminiscences (The Night) but not enough to make them Symphonic
6.- Some pastoral influence
7.- Some Psychedelia like in "Escape in a Lightbeam"

I agree they not Krautrock by a chance, but neither Symphonic IMO.

I will notify the team anyway.

Iván
            
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Points: 14256 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 27 2012 at 01:46
Listening now

1 - Isle of Patience & Faith - Heavy Hammond organ, fast rhythms, excellent flute passages, classic 70s rock with strong time changes, vocals with Genesis influences.
2 - First Despair - Nektar like rhythmic style, similar to material on Recyled, lots of keyboard spaciness, guitar swells violining, instrumental with lots of guitar and flute (a bit like Snow Goose), waves crashing on beach effects. 
3 - The Night - ominous organ chords, dominated by cathedral style pipe organ sound, vocals on this, rhythmic guitar, vocals and especially flute reminds me of Gabriel era Genesis. Symphonic passages on this with organ and ambience atmospherics. 
4 - Escape on a Lightbeam - 1:35 min  instrumental with lots of howling wind, organ, building guitar - like Camel or Nektar.
5 - A deadly Smile - tons of flute, odd time sig, weird vocals and wind. 
6 -  Look into the Future - spacey! vibes, soft vocals, fuzz guitar, dreamy flute, psych synth effects 
7 - Daybreak - More spacey wind howling, weird sounds, psychedelic feel, nice bass drone heartbeat while a guitar plays, then loud echoed vocals, shimmering organ, phased guitar, very spacey.  

They are not Krautrock
Nor Heavy Prog
They could be either Eclectic or Symphonic. Perhaps Space Rock/Psychedelic may suit too as there are lots of spacey sections. 
They would fit in those genres though not an easy pick. 

I would put them up with a likeness of Genesis and Jethro Tull or Nektar.

Try Space Rock/Psychedelic first and see what they say... It is more likely to fit in there.






Edited by AtomicCrimsonRush - February 27 2012 at 02:05
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Points: 19535 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2012 at 09:30
Well, with two negative votes and Fritz being unsure, M.L. Bongers Project hasn't been accepted by Symphonic.

We don't agree in the destination though.

Scott suggessts Psyche / Space Rock
I suggest Eclectic or even Crossover.

But it's for the teams to decide

Iván


Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - February 28 2012 at 09:38
            
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Points: 19535 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2012 at 09:43
BTW: Checked other respectable sites

Proggnosis

1 - 1
Listing Artists/Bands whose name has the characters "" in it
COUNTRYGENRE-subgenre-styleARTIST   (#Listed)
  (click to view Artist page)
GermanyProg - Early Progressive - Hard ProgM.L. Bongers Project  (1)

Only found them in Proggnosis

Iván


Edited by Ivan_Melgar_M - February 28 2012 at 09:45
            
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Points: 445 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2012 at 11:04
From "The Crack in The Cosmic Egg" encyclopedia:
"

An obscure band, fronted by singer Marcel L. Bongers, of whom we know virtually nothing historically. Comparable to many other fellow late-1970's progressives: Second Movement, Rousseau, Pancake, et al., the strangely named M.L. Bongers Project had a slightly different angle, in that they made that spacey type of progressive, often more akin to the French band Pulsar. They were a lot better than most, with thick wedges of keyboards, guitars and lots of flute, especially the lengthy suite covering side 1 of the LP.

Discography...

PACIFIC PRISON (7/1978)

Look Into Future / Isle Of Patience & Faith / Diedown / Time Goes By / First Despair / Daybreak / The Night / Escape On A Lightbeam / A Deadly Smile

LP private F 666.372 (1979)

Jacques Thysen (bass, acoustic guitars), Günter Heinz (drums, percussion), Joe Grande (guitar), J. Georg Kobeck (keyboards), Marcel L. Bongers (vocals), + Georg Michels (flute)
BeGiantForADay

"This British band is just the cup of tea for aficionados who demand virtuosity,progress and originality in their mix."

http://rateyourmusic.com/~GentleG
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Points: 19535 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: February 28 2012 at 11:29
Originally posted by GentleGiant GentleGiant wrote:

From "The Crack in The Cosmic Egg" encyclopedia:
"

An obscure band, fronted by singer Marcel L. Bongers, of whom we know virtually nothing historically. Comparable to many other fellow late-1970's progressives: Second Movement, Rousseau, Pancake, et al., the strangely named M.L. Bongers Project had a slightly different angle, in that they made that spacey type of progressive, often more akin to the French band Pulsar. They were a lot better than most, with thick wedges of keyboards, guitars and lots of flute, especially the lengthy suite covering side 1 of the LP.

Discography...

PACIFIC PRISON (7/1978)

Look Into Future / Isle Of Patience & Faith / Diedown / Time Goes By / First Despair / Daybreak / The Night / Escape On A Lightbeam / A Deadly Smile

LP private F 666.372 (1979)

Jacques Thysen (bass, acoustic guitars), Günter Heinz (drums, percussion), Joe Grande (guitar), J. Georg Kobeck (keyboards), Marcel L. Bongers (vocals), + Georg Michels (flute)


Thanks Gentle Giant, seems that the Cracks in the Cosmic Egg Encyclopedia is very ambiguous

They say that M.L. Bongers sound is close to several bands, and mentions:

1.-  PULSAR, a band that is in Symphonic God knows why:

Quote Pulsar biography
The legendary French space-rock group. On their debut "Pollen" the media had them promoted as the French PINK FLOYD, though they were a lot more original than that would suggest, with much use of flute and electronics. They had a uniquely French sound. PULSAR's third album, issued in 1977, "Halloween" (a conceptual "horror-rock" symphonic opus) is generally considered one of the ten best symphonic albums in the world. A masterpiece of refinement. Definitely indispensable for all progressive rock fans! "The Strands of the Future" contained beautiful, spacey, symphonic progressive music along the lines of PINK FLOYD, GENESIS, the early ELOY albums. This album featured some of their finest work, particularly the 26 minute mostly instrumental title-track. The atmosphere is enhanced by fantastic passages for mellotron. Probably as good or even better than "Halloween"! An excellent album!


A band that we keep in Symph due to their relation with French Theatric Symphonic despite the fact that they are not Symphonic really

2.-  ROUSSEAU: A German band clearly inspired in CAMEL, that has absolutely no relation with M.L. Bongers Project because Rousseau is very calm and atmospheric, while Bongers is frenetic

3.- PANCAKE, a Kraut band very close to ELOY and PINK FLOYD.

This just proves that the Encyclopedia is lost, because not one of this bands has connections between them, or that M.L. Bongers is hard to classify.

Iván
            
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Points: 93 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 21 2017 at 21:15
I know this is a few years old, but I am familiar with ML Bongers Project, musically, as I own Pacific Prison, as an original LP. The problem is posting individual cuts from the album makes it rather difficult to determine whether they're symphonic, eclectic, crossover, or space rock. The songs on the album tend to segue into one another and if you get to hear the whole album, you get a better chance the category and a possibility for this to be included in PA (I'm all eager to review this album if M.L. Bongers Project is accepted). In my opinion, this artist deserves to be in Prog Archives, this is truly a nice, hidden gem of German prog. I found a posting of their entire album, no interruptions:



Edited by Progfan97402 - May 21 2017 at 21:16
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