PAZOP

The band formed in Brussels in 1972 and was forged out of a group of talented musicians who had ties to various previous musical acts. Flautist and vocalist Dirk Bogaert, drummer Jacky Mauer and keyboardist Frank Wuyts all emerged from the Brussels based Waterloo, an early Belgian band making a transition from the world of 60s blues based psychedelic rock into the more progressive styles that were blossoming all across Europe. Bassist Patrick Cogneaux on the other hand emerged from the short-lived Arkham which was one of the first bands to emerge out of England that was dabbling in the world of Canterbury jazz that had practically just begun with bands like Caravan and Soft Machine a few years prior. The fourth member, the Polish born classically trained violinist Kuba Szczepanski had his connections with the Brussels Opera Philaharmonic Orchestra before joining the Baroque psychedelic pop band the Wallace Collection in 1968.

Starting out without a name and eventually settling on Pas Op, the Flemish word for "Warning," the quartet stylized the name to PAZOP which gave it a rather unique moniker which also added an air of mystery. The name actually perfectly matched their idiosyncratic blend of progressive rock that was as inspired by King Crimson and the zany avant-prog whimsical antics of Frank Zappa as it was with the jazz-fusion sounds of England's Canterbury Scene. Having proven themselves as a popular local live band in the local Belgian scene, the band was wooed into a contractual agreement with the Barclay label and allowed to begin recording sessions on their debut album titled PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS, the PSYCHILLIS part referring to a species of peacock orchid native to the West Indies. After recording a total of eight tracks that were to be the debut album, the label rejected them based on the fact that weren't commercial enough for the market they were aiming for.

Completely dismayed but not totally demoralized, PAZOP continued on by delivering well received live performances that showcased the band's exquisite compositional flair of writing clever musical scores, some vocal based and others completely instrumental but each with a unique spin on the world of progressive rock which gave the band its own distinct unique style from the very beginning. Adding insult to injury the band was approached once again by the musician Sylvan Van Holme who wanted them to adapt musical scores from classical artists such as Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Mozart and Verdi to the world of modern progressive rock so once again the band was off to the recording studio and recorded a "second" album of innovative arrangements that offered an even more demanding spin on the band's already quirky stylistic approach that it had developed on the unreleased debut. Once again the band's efforts were completely rejected due to the fact Van Holme as aiming for a more pop-oriented watered down approach to such musical hybridization.

That was the final straw for a completely deflated PAZOP. Financially and emotionally bankrupt, the band called it quits in 1974 leaving two phenomenally brilliant albums to collect dust for more than two decades until the prog revival of the 1990s found labels like Musea scouring the rubble of the past in order to salvage the lost treasures that should've materialized during their day. The two albums emerged together in 1996 as the compilation PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS which featured eight tracks that were intended to be the first album and an additional eight tracks that were created to be the second.

Musically speaking, PAZOP were top dogs in the world of prog with an amazing display of compositional fortitude fortified with seasoned instrumental interplay and dazzling virtuosity. The band's eclectic sound is hard to pigeonhole. The potpourri of influences range from the world of classical legends and Canterbury jazz rock to the quirky whimsical brilliance of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. On vocal tracks Dirk Bogaert showcased a wide range of singing styles ranging from an emphatic well pronounced huskiness to utterly off the wall wailing and complete irreverence to established vocal norms. The first album is a bit more conservative with more emphasis on established song structures and singing styles but by the time the band recorded its second album, the members had garnered a true sense of musical freedom and went for the jugular as far as delivering some of the most far out music that existed in the world of whimsical prog. Amazingly enough the band consisted of a vocalist / flautist, keyboardist, violinist, bassist and drummer and yet delivered their whole enchilada without a trace of guitar.

PAZOP was one of the Belgian greats that was obviously too far ahead of their time to be recognized in their region of Europe. The band did everything right. Lyrics were in English. The melodic elements were instantly catchy and the hooks were irresistible. Soloing and progressive elements were cleverly constructed in a logical cohesive manner and the band exuded a charismatic delivery of tracks that all stood out from one another by offering a limitless expansive creative edge over pretty much anything going on in the Belgian scene during the timeline of 1972-1974. A lost gem perhaps but one that finally has gotten the recognition it deserves and if you ask me PAZOP was one of the most creative and talented bands to come out of the entire Belgian prog scene before the darker avant-chamber prog bands like Univers Zero and Present came onto the scene in the latter half of the decade.

To make things even more confusing, the French based Replica Records also decided to release the band's two albums only as separate units. This label would release the archival first album with the same title as this compilation by Musea and then would release the second album as a self-titled release. Both albums are fairly irrelevant considering everything you could possibly want from PAZOP is on this sole Musea compilation. This album really delivers it all! Outstanding tracks that range from a proto-prog stage that features more standard vocal and songwriting techniques to the utterly bonkers tracks such as "In The Army (Devil Likes Smoke)" and "Airport Formalities And Taking Off / Stewardess And Breakfast." PAZOP really delivered the highest caliber of early 70s prog and suffered one of the greatest injustices of the entire era perhaps. This is a must for fans of Canterbury infused progressive rock that indulges in wild excessive creativity, hilarious jocularity as well as top notch instrumental elegance. I wouldn't call it an understatement to claim that the record companies committed one of the greatest prog crimes of the century by ignoring PAZOP.

The band was a local sensation on the live scene which got the attention of the Barclay label to sign the band and send them to the recording studio to record their debut album. The band recorded eight cleverly crafted songs but proved too be a bit too crafty, too eccentric and too ahead of their time to be considered viable and therefore after all the recording sessions, was told that their album wouldn't be released. As if that wasn't bad enough, the band deflated but not completely demoralized continued on only to be approached by another interested party who sent them to the recording studio to record an entire second album's worth of material with a different focus. Once again the band's creative efforts were a too outside of the expected parameters and rejected a second time.

PAZOP basically existed from 1972 to 1974 and engaged in two separate recording sessions that resulted in two albums worth of material but neither album was released during its time in existence. The master tapes would have to sit on dusty shelves for over 20 years before the Musea label would scour the artifacts of the past and find the brilliance of PAZOP suitable for a bonafide delayed release in 1996. The compilation PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS was released on CD and featured both albums in their entirety spanning the band's earliest proto-prog leanings of the earliest recordings to the oft whimsical and serious adventurousness of the more serious tracks.

The confusing part of the release PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS is that under this title, the album was actually released twice. First by Musea as a comprehensive compilation that featured both unreleased albums and then a second time by the French label Replica Records which for some reason though it best to release both albums as separate units in 2016. This label retained the title PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS but only released the first eight tracks of the album that were supposed to emerge as the band's debut album back in 1972. The second album was released as a self-titled PAZOP album with the eight tracks that were supposed to emerge as the band's sophomore album.

As far as the music goes PAZOP were masters of their trade. Clever prog compositions that offered diverse creative musical styles that mixed everything from King Crimson influenced prog to Frank Zappa inspired wackiness all fortified with the technicalities and sounds of England's Canterbury Scene. The music on this version of PSYCHILLIS OF A LUNATIC GENIUS is brilliant to say the least however it is rather unnecessary as a release due to the fact that Musea already released both albums together 20 years earlier. I guess the main reason for this release is because Musea only released the compilation on CD and this edition was the first edition on vinyl so for those who only wish to own their music on an LP format then this one is obviously the way to go but for everyone else who is indifferent to such things then this is fairly redundant.

It should have at least carried a slightly different title reworking to distinguish it from the Musea compilation of the same name. This vinyl version also features a completely different album cover that offers more of a psychedelic vision of what the era represented. While i prefer the Musea comp with both albums side by side. This Replica Records vinyl edition does offer what the original debut album was supposed to be. Great music no matter how you find it. PAZOP offered a true sense of originality that set it apart from the very beginning of its existence.

The band was a local sensation on the live scene which got the attention of the Barclay label to sign the band and send them to the recording studio to record their debut album. The band recorded eight cleverly crafted songs but proved too be a bit too crafty, too eccentric and too ahead of their time to be considered viable and therefore after all the recording sessions, was told that their album wouldn't be released. As if that wasn't bad enough, the band deflated but not completely demoralized continued on only to be approached by another interested party who sent them to the recording studio to record an entire second album's worth of material with a different focus. Once again the band's creative efforts were a too outside of the expected parameters and rejected a second time.

PAZOP basically existed from 1972 to 1974 and engaged in two separate recording sessions that resulted in two albums worth of material but neither album was released during its time in existence. The master tapes would have to sit on dusty shelves for over 20 years before the Musea label would scour the artifacts of the past and find the brilliance of PAZOP suitable for a bonafide delayed release in 1996. The compilation "Psychillis Of A Lunatic Genius" was released on CD and featured both albums in their entirety spanning the band's earliest proto-prog leanings of the earliest recordings to the oft whimsical and serious adventurousness of the more serious tracks.

Twenty years after the Musea CD release, the French label Replica Records released both albums separately vinyl in 2016. One of the most confusing aspects of this decision was that the label opted to retain the title "Psychillis Of A Lunatic Genius" for its stand alone collection of eight tracks that was intended to be the debut album back in 1972 therefore the title refers to both the double album compilation as well as the vinyl edition that was basically half the music. Also in 2016 Replia released the intended second album as a self-titled release that featured all eight tracks from the later recording session. The music on this second release offered more adventurous excursions into complex prog inspired by King Crimson and England's Canterbury Scene in the form of instrumental workouts as well as featuring a stronger sense of whimsy with hilarious Zappa inspired tracks like "In the Army (Devil Likes Smoke)" and "Airport Formalities and Taking Off / Stewardess and Breakfast."

While it may seem redundant in many ways, for vinyl purists this one is certainly of interest as the music of PAZOP was unique, complex, quirky and utterly accessible simultaneously. While i always prefer more bang for my buck with compact units that offer multiple albums especially of unreleased archival material, this PAZOP album offers some of the greatest musical moments of the entire early Belgian scene therefore musically it's excellent and highly recommended. After all having too many versions of a lost album released is by no means a bad thing at all especially after the indignant disregard of the band's brilliance that was crafted in the classic era of prog. Thankfully rediscovered and payed the proper respect, the world of PAZOP is available on both CD and vinyl thanks to Musea and Replica Records. That is a great thing indeed.

Bami, Lychee Si opens with what the instrumentals one can expect from this album, stellar e piano, squeaky violin, versatile flute and funky/driving bass/drums. The only female vocals on the album come in at around two minutes and remind me a lot of Pascale Son of Cos. Then one gets their first dosage of the albums carnival music. Then the music ends and French (?) comes in then wordsalad chanting "Bami Lychee Si Don't Call Me Chicano". This song does a good job summing up everything one will find on the album.

Harlequin Of Love is a very old sounding song, mid 60s? Vintage yet quite catchy, "I'm the HA-A~A-laquin of lOve! Of looove." The singer does a good job, there English is impeccable. The track also features some nice e piano and segues into the next song.

Can It Be Sin begins with ominous flute over distortion. The song gets calm after this with cymbals emulating waves as violin plays. After male vocals come in to croon "Can It Be Sin~". Then the song erupts and heads into a bombastic piece that quickly returns to the vocals. The bombast returns but this time the the singer sings along with it using equal grandeur.

And The Hermit Will Be The Master kicks off with piano then heads into the kind of instrumentals that colour this album. The vocals on this track are not as distinct as on the previous tracks. There is also saxophone with some kind of effects giving it a plastic quality, lovely. Towards the end of the track one is graced with the tracks title being shouted out and some laughter which does not kindle joy for me.

M. M. M is a pretty instrumental where the keyboard and flute really shine. There's even a bass lead part towards the end.

In The Army (Devil Likes Smoke) opens with shouting then enters a military March and talking. I hate this song, makes me feel like I'm watching a movie or listening to a musical.

Track 7 opens with a solid rhythm over which a tapestry of keyboard magic is weaved. Two minutes in the flute takes the lead in all its overblown glory. At four minutes the song has a chaotic breakdown and enters a spoken section, again atrocious.

It's the end is as the name says the closing track. It's pretty much echoey vocals bidding the listener goodbye, cute.

Overall If you like artists such as Kandahara, Frank Zappa or Supersister you should definitely check out Pazop. I for one find the vocals to be a massive obstacle on the album as when the human voice appears on Pazop it is usually quite ugly.

Oh no .... Where have I been so far that I have never known PAZOP at all? In fact the music is really unique and it has a class of its own. A category of its own. Oh yeah ... I can find some falovors of Soft Machine, hatfield an The North, Egg or National Health ....but hold on ... Pazop is a bit different. I tell you what, when I first listened to the opening track "Le la Loo Loo le La" (2:29) it reminded me to the kind of circus music where it has all energy and dynamics to open the show at particular evening. With dynamic piano work this opening track sets the overall tone of the album. The following "Harlequin of Love" (2:50) has dynamic vocal in it and I really enjoy the strange music they make especially with the use of flute and violin! It then slows down with "Crying for Disaster's Hand" (4:08) demonstrating the kind of vocal that does not seem to follow memorable melody but it still very enjoyable.

The jazzy track "What Is the Further Purpose" (3:10) is a funny song and I tend to smile listening to how vocal harmonies work their ways to its best combined with dynamic basslines as well as inventive flutework. Wow man!!! Marvelous! It then slows down again when it enters "Swaying Fire" (3:32) using flute as main instrument on top of rhythm section accompanying the strange vocal screaming nicely: SWAYING FIRE!!!! Woooow .....!!! It's really wonderful man!

Let's reflect ...

I am not going to review at track by track level but I want to do some sort of reflection about this band. This only album was released in 1972 - an ultimate year in the history of progressive rock. Why? This was the time when Genesis crafted Foxtrot where they included an epic Supper's Ready with 20 plus minute duration. And we had also Yes penned their lose to The Edge album which this site by today makes it the number ONE prog album of all time. Yes, Yes also made epic track with duration approx 20 minutes. And then we had Jethro Tull who claimed themselves as teh first band who produced song with duration at the maximum space of one side of an LP: Thick As A Brick,

What did it tell you my prog head friends around the globe?

When all progressive bands made solid efforts in making concept album with epic tracks, PAZOP came into play with SHORT duration tracks but they are all one another make some sort of "links" that the transition from one track to another sounds like seamless eventhough they are not. So in this case .. PAZOP is a true prog band as they did not follow what happened in the market - in this sense ....

Overall, I highly recommend you to have this hard-to-find album especially those of you who enjoy the vintage sound and unique musical composition. To kill your curiousity, go to you tube and type PAZOP .. Boom! You got it full fledge album. Enjoy! This album deserves 4.5 stars rating. Keep on proggin' ...!!!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

The music is very intriguing and at times mildy complex. In addition to drums, bass and keyboards there are lots of flute and especially violin on Psychillis of a Lunatic Genius. There are no guitar on the album, but don´t worry you won´t have time to miss it as there is always something exciting going on. The most Canterbury influenced songs are What Is the Further Purpose, Mirela, Bami, Lychee, Si ( even though it has a weird RIO like ending), Can It Be Sin and M.M.M. while the RIO influences can be heard in songs like Harlequin of Love, Freedom Dance, And the Hermit Will Be the Master, In the Army (Devil Likes Smoke) and Airport Formalities and Taking Off... All Songs are very good IMO. There are no weak songs on Psychillis of a Lunatic Genius and as a consequence this is an excellent album that comes close to being a masterpiece.

There are a few flaws that doesn´t suit my taste though. A lot of the songs fade out which I find annoying. SOngs should be finished properly IMO. It´s very seldom fading a song out works for me.

The musicianship is outstanding on this album, so look forward to listening to the many details these musicians play. This is really great. I have to mention Dirk Bogaert as he is an excellent musician. He has got a really good voice and he masters many different singing styles. His accent is hardly hearable and when it shows it´s kind of charming IMO. The polish violinist Kuba Szczepansky also has to be mentioned as he is great too. Listen to some of those fast runs and strange sounds he makes. Just brilliant.

The production is good. It has that soft Canterbury sound that we´ve all come to expect from bands within that genre.

I´m very impressed with Psychillis Of A Lunatic Genius and if you like your Canterbury prog rock with a weird twist this should also appeal to you. This is highly recommendable IMO. It ´s definitely one of the more original albums I have heard in a long time. At this time there are very few ratings on this album which is very undeserved if you ask me. Try this one out you won´t regret it. The 4 big stars are well deserved.

"Le La Loo Loo Le La" is a good, uptempo, instrumental track with keys, violin and drums leading the way. "Harlequin Of Love" is where we first hear vocals, and it took me a while to get past how much they sound like David Clayton Thomas from BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS. This is a complex track with lots of tempo shifts. It's Zappa-like at times with lots of flute. "Crying For Disaster's Hand" features a jazzy sound with fragile vocals to begin with. Organ, bass and flute lead the way. Cool song.The tempo picks up after 3 minutes when drums and piano become prominant. "What Is The Further Purpose" is very jazzy with fast paced vocals. Great sound. Nice bass lines. "Swaying Fire" features outbursts of violin that come and go in contrast with the soft vocal passages. Vocals do get stronger, and the drumming becomes more prominant. "Mirela" is an instrumental that has Canterbury written all over it. Nice. "Freedom Dance" opens with flute and theatrical vocals trading off before an uptempo melody arrives. "Lovelight" has some very JETHRO TULL sections on it. Great tune !

The next half starts with an instrumental called "Bami, Lychee, Si." I was reminded of ZAO as it is very smooth and jazzy. Some vocal melodies come in. Some mellotron as the sound is building. Crazy spoken words to end it. "Harlequin Of Love(second version)" is like a reprise of the first one. "Can It Be Sin" is the longest track at almost 7 minutes.This is a slower paced, solemn song but with funny lyrics. Mellotron on this one as well. "And The Hermit Will Be A Master" opens with keys. Violin, drums, bass and vocals soon join in. Jazzy. Vocals get theatrical after 4 minutes. "M.M.M." is an uptempo instrumental with lots of flute. It calms down before 2 minutes with flute still leading the way. It becomes quite jazzy later. "In The Army(devil likes smoke)" would make Zappa proud. Hilarious lyrics and a crazy instrumental background. Well played of course. "Airport Formalities And Taking Off / Stewardess And Breakfast" is a true Canterbury song title no ? It definitely sounds like classic Canterbury anyway. I love this track. Check out the organ work ! Spoken words to open and close the song. "It's The End" is a silly little number that would have been perfect to end a concert with.

This is one of those obscure albums that makes the search all worthwhile. A must !

Another pristine-perfect re-issue from Musea records with a thorough search on the life of the band's adventures both before , during and after PAZOP's short life. Musea even pushes the honesty by not including the four commercial tracks they had recorded before their first album (one of which was called Merry Jungo) because they thought this might ruin the enjoyment of the album. They do however include many tracks from their second unreleased album and I cannot thank them enough for it. Pazop came to form out of the ashes of Wallace Collection, Waterloo and Arkham but never really managed any real success because of bad management and non-respectful records label managers.

The music developped here is somewhere between Canterbury and some fusion bands of those same years and they are fairly distinctive-sounding because they have no guitarist in the line-up. The lead instruments are the flute, violin (played by polish origin Kuba Szczepanski) and keybooards. In the vocal dept , Dirk Bogaert is simply one of the better rock singer from Belgium at the time along with the lead singer from Irish Coffee. Jacky Mauer is a fantastic percussionist using all sorts in this record. Pazop is a perfect example of Belgian Zanyness on record and obviously they listened to Zappa and Robert Wyatt's Matching Mole. Crying From Disaster's Hands is an early peak in the album , Can It Be Sin nother and the hilarious In The Army another soon followed by Airport Formalities .

A real lost gem from 70's Belgium.