TAÏ PHONG

I was lucky to be a pre-release recipient of this remarkable album , I loved it then and still love it today. I felt the urge to review this French Prog classic because I hold it dear to my heart and also because I love to cross swords with my prog alter ego Sean Trane, with whom I disagree 95% of the time. God bless him, we need balance and polar opposites in order not to fall off the planet ! Ther are very few UNANIMOUS about prog albums anyway, so... From the fabulous asiatic artwork, to the shimmering production, the stunning musicianship and the heartfelt melodies, Tai Phong combines a heady mix of qualities that make this a stunner. First off, a French prog band led by Vietnamese twin brothers is already an eccentric singularity,adding a soon to be infamous French pop/rock star (JJ Goldman- the parisian Springsteen) on guitars, displaying a really deft use of various effects and technique, brilliant keyboard work and a solid bass/drum combination. The album also gave birth to a huge "slow" hit , played to death in nightclubs (not yet disco) a modern "Nights in White Satin" where young french girls got to get close and personal with young french boys on the dancefloor!!!This is the lightest moment on the disc and the commercial tidbit needed to sell the album, very common in the corporate 70's anyway. The epic tracks are the focus of our attention: Years & Years and Field of Gold. My fave track is the 11 minute epic closer "Out of the Night" complete with thunderstorm, howling winds and highly evocative vocals. Great instrumental work here on keys and a majestic, drawn out lead guitar solo ("not much interest to progheads" , says Sir Sean ?), with a dizzying upward crescendo to end the festivities. A definite winner , a precious oddity and a mesmerizing addition to any collection. 4 eastern winds