THE MOST BEAUTIFUL DAY

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go, I ho a dairy oh, a hunting we will go! After 42 years of prog stalking, you think you can smell a prey from far away but there is always some hidden gem that never lets itself be caught, sometimes highly adept at blending in with the scenery like a chameleon. In many cases, it's behind the former Iron Curtain that one can catch these little beasts, who for decades were in hiding from the Stalinist Music police, as anything with a Fender, Gibson or Moog was considered 'decadent imperialist propaganda' which was only laughable in that the whole 'Western' rock movement was inherently a social upheaval against overt capitalism and blatant materialism. Shows how inane those idiot commissars were! Hungary and Poland were relatively open to Western stylistics (Omega, Lokomotiv GT, SBB and Skaldowie) but Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany and Mother Russia were severely reprimanded by the authorities governing music, where subversive lyrics were particularly targeted and annihilated. It explains why the all-instrumental jazz scene was so huge there, it was the only conduit for artistic dissent. So since 1989, there has been a flood of hitherto unreleased or poorly distributed material that begged for a new day in the free sun.

Exodus actually went to the unreal level of waiting for the People's Republic of Poland to begin its course towards change with the advent of Solidarnosc. 33 years later, I get to hear and purchase this phenomenal symphonic jewel. It's never too late to be impressed and feel cheated out of such pleasure for so long. There is a reason why Exodus are labelled the 'Polish Yes' mostly due to lead vocalist Pawel Birula's soaring Polish language voice and Wakeman copycat Wladislaw Komendarek's flowery keyboard display. The bass guitar is delicious but not as overtly trebly as Squire while the drums lean more towards White than Bruford (Who can drum like Bruford?). The percussor's name is Zbiegnew Fyk (it's not pronounced the way you may think, this is a family site!) and the soaring Howe-ish guitar strains are from Andrzej Puczynski who also plays bass, synths and background vocals. His brother Wojciech handles mostly bass and switches to guitar when prompted. They are all accomplished musicians with a clear and concise style that will appeal greatly to many prog fans. The mood spans the gamut from muscular to spacey, keeping things nicely spiced up and refreshing.

The opener "The Chosen Ones" is a romping anthem-like piece with tinges of Saga-like zeal and lots of bright sonics, weird synths noises and a hustling beat. The slippery electric axe solo is a definite highlight. Almost immediately a feel good sense kicks in, best exemplified by a ravishing melody on the delicious "Stary Noe", jangly guitars, high-pitched chorus and trashing cymbals all conspiring to carve utter beauty (an acoustic guitar solo of the finest pedigree). Birula's voice is simply wonderful and highly playful on the potent "A Golden Beam of Sun", Komendarek's synths carving some lovely patterns amid the exacting rhythmic pulse, while Fuczynski's guitar style will remind one of Bacamarte's Mario Neto. An upbeat, happy and empowering experience. The dreamy "The View from the Hill" offers some interesting synthesized sounds, clanging guitars, pulsating bass patterns and a divine vocal once again. It explodes literally into a deep space groove that inspires intently, an acoustic Genesis style that surprises with a Tony Banks-like synth chorus of grandiose beauty. When the mellotron layers onto the melody, the proverbial goose bumps appear. A fitting prep for the highlight epic track, the 19 minute title track suite, perhaps Polish prog's finest moment on record. Tremendous build-up with stinging guitar bites, sharp synths, booming bass rumbling and hard-hitting drums , Exodus ramp up the angst with a colossal crescendo of epic prog, fast , furious and exalting. Birula does some serious vocal calisthenics, giving his best theatrical inspiration (before Marillion even appeared on the scene), the volume pedal guitar work here is simply outstanding, clearly reminiscent of Steve Howe on "Gates of Delirium", allied with the harpsichord-like sounds in the background. The influence is uncanny but not clonish, just a fine piece of music all together. At the 9 minute mark, the ionospheric voice becomes breathtaking in its simplicity and effect. It evolves into another glorious melody, both fragile and confident, Birula really showcasing a serious vocal talent, allied with some simple choir work. Three minutes later, a basic and clean guitar riff kicks in, escorted by a loopy bass motif and they just both take off into the wild blue yonder, fueled by crazy Moog solo. There is an obvious Deep Purple tinge ("Highway Star"?) for a few minutes and then some Wakemanesque ivory play. A whispered vocal and grandiose coda finale ends this sucker on a very high note, the choir goodbye is just fantastic stuff!

First bonus track is the playful "Ponury Pejzaz", armed with a deliriously brilliant vocal and a chorus that will stick in your head forever. Pawel Birula moves from child to adult on the microphone with utter impunity. Imagine a hard lullaby and you will get the musical drift. Then we have an unpretentious ballad "Uspokojenie", straight out of the mid-period Genesis playbook, acoustic guitar carpeting a stunning and operatic vocal, cascading lead guitar lines and basic rhythm foundation. "W Kalendarzu?" puts this remarkable experience to bed, another sensational piece of vocal genius amid clanging rhythmic play, the voice spanning the spectrum, from spry to bold. A very slight hint of Aerosmith's "Dream On" and an Ian Astbury tinge at the end, only makes this reviewer smile as these are clever musicians making attractive symphonic prog.

I cannot recommend this 1980 jewel enough, it caught me by surprise and proved once again that there is immense treasure out there even for the seasoned prog pro I foolishly thought I was. I feel humbled and contented.

5 gorgeous eras