THE LOST BROADCASTS

I did not have the focus on this band in the early 1970's. Not sure why, maybe somehow because they simply were well ahead of time, not easy to pigeonhole anyway. So what, in the aftermath, more than 45 years later, 'The Lost Broadcasts' shows them on rather eclectic paths, while blending classical, symphonic, fusion and folk elements to their own approach of playing sophisticated rock music. Furthermore, of course versatile front singer Sonja Kristina, who for example also was involved in the London version of the musical Hair, marks a special trademark. And she's a real eyecatcher on top of it, you bet!

The band witnessed a lot of line up changes during the years. On this occasion, concerning the year 1971, we have a shift on the bass guitar to notice in any case. However, when following the band's official timeline, drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa should be the correct listing when it comes to the second session, which took place some months later. But for me it looks like Jim Russell is involved here. Never mind, it doesn't matter in the end. The first song Vivaldi surprisingly sees Sonja sitting behind the keyboards. Darryl Way turns out to be the centre of attention due to some strong violin soloing. And again, differing to the studio version, Sonja is present with vocals too.

It Happened Today and Propositions are wellknown band songs played with a jazzy vibe. Especially the latter evolves to Francis Monkman's showpiece. Excellent! Both Back Street Luv versions then are somewhat peculiar, relatively short, because for what reason ever abandonded, just when Monkman is going to start some solo activity with his guitar. Piece Of Mind finally is their most complex and tricky performance. Taken from the original German Beat Club series and released on Gonzo Multimedia, this DVD/CD couple offers a song collection with acceptable audio and video quality. Quite a spellbinding documentation of the bands qualities.