DEDICATO A FRAZZ

Back in my teens, I used to spend most of my free time hanging around in record shops and libraries. When selecting albums, I had only two criteria to go by: the first being song lengths, the second album covers. Quite inadequate selection criteria maybe but still they brought me to King Crimson, VDGG, Magma, Schulze and Ange. Not so bad I'd say.

You got to understand we are talking about 1985-1988 here. In that pre-internet and pre-CD age, shops didn't even have individual headphones to sample new albums. And while shop owners might have played the latest Cure album for a customer, I always got a decisive "No, not that guy again!" headshake when I dangled my Jethro Tull and Rush finds in front of them!

Song lengths have become completely irrelevant for me since ages, but occasionally an album cover still attracts my attention. From the first time I saw Semiramis' Dedicato A Frazz make its remarkable appearance on the homepage, I simply had to have it. And of course the music doesn't disappoint!

Sadly enough, there are some issues with the album mix, the drums are way too much in the back and everything has too much medium range and too less vivacity. But the songs are all excellent; the first three are even superb. Never taking up more then 6 minutes, they are nevertheless very audacious and simply packed with ideas. It's sure a difficult album. At best, it won't probably be more then just 'intriguing' at a first listen. But nothing is more rewarding then biting your way through a thick skin to find the delicious fruit inside. (Hear me out, I'm even starting to talk all flowery and fluffy now)

I'd strongly suggest this album would get more regular reviews here. Not only do we need to see this artwork gracing our front page more often, also this music should be heard by the prog-masses.