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ALTER ECHO

Alter Echo

Symphonic Prog


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Alter Echo Alter Echo album cover
3.23 | 23 ratings | 5 reviews | 9% 5 stars

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Studio Album, released in 1997

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Gulnat Vatten (5:59)
2. Stämman (4:15)
3. Eremiten (4:47)
4. Innan Strax Före (4:28)
5. Axel I Stan (3:24)
6. Daffodils (2:59)
7. Tänk Om (4:38)
8. Oleg (5:29)
9. Hem, Prelude (2:32)
10. Hem (6:09)
11. Jordbon (4:09)
12. Falska Banor (7:01)

Total Time 55:50

Line-up / Musicians

- Michael Wedberg / vocals
- Hans Hagström / electric & acoustic guitars, bongos
- Lars Guldbrand / keyboards
- Henrik Nordgren / bass
- Pelle Alsing / drums & percussion

Releases information

Compositions from the 1970's, finally recorded for release in 1997

Artwork: Elyse Petiet

CD Musea Records - FG 1201.AR (1997, France)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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ALTER ECHO Alter Echo ratings distribution


3.23
(23 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(9%)
9%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(39%)
39%
Good, but non-essential (35%)
35%
Collectors/fans only (13%)
13%
Poor. Only for completionists (4%)
4%

ALTER ECHO Alter Echo reviews


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Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by hdfisch
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars Sole album from that Swedish band with a strange name first released by MUSEA in 1997 is absolutely nothing to be missed if you never heard of it and a quite typical "end-of-seventies-prog-goes-pop" one. One might compare this record with the worst ones by KAIPA ("Händer","Nattdjurstid"). I mean not really bad music at all, maybe okay to be played in the back, but rather dull overall. In some tracks there are nice approaches of slightly intricate instrumental prog like in "Innan Strax Före" or "Oleg" for example but those are immediately canceled by going on with the usual pop-ish procedure. Most of the songs are sung in Swedish language which is not a problem at all for me even if I don't understand the lyrics. Only "Daffodils", a fully acoustic one is sung in English with a terrible accent. Sorry for the artists who were certainly not bad musicians at all but I've got to say that this one isn't worth to take an effort to find it.Really not worth more than 2 stars!
Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars This obscure Swedish band was quite a precursor in his own land. Of course, there were already Kaipa, but let's be honest: their fame is highly due now to the presence of R. Stolt and will be only effective in the late nineties while TFK will be on the forefront of the prog resurrection.

The music played by Alter Echo is a fine combination of symphonic (even eclectic) and pop rhythms. The opening song (probably the best and more complex) has a definite Gentle Giant feel (without being irritating). But even when a song sounds more straight forward (Stämman), it remains enjoyable.

Of course, there are times during which the shadow of Genesis is passing by (Eremiten). But it's the Genesis from And Then There Were Three. The mood is tranquil and mainly keyboards oriented. A gentle piece of symphonic music in the prog acceptance of the word.

There are some flaws as well on this album. Innan Strax Före for instance. Funky-jazz-prog? I don't know but it does sound very pleasant to say the least. The album enters into a more pop orientation with Axel I Stan and Tänk Om. It is true to say that it is basic prog music, but the vocal harmonies are more than acceptable and the musicianship pretty good.

The band brings us into better territories with Oleg which is again more complex. The jazz feeling is evident and the interplay guitar / keyboards is fine to listen to. This piece is instrumental and highlights the skills of the rhythmic section. Oleg provides a joyful atmosphere and is one of my fave from this work (together with the opening number).

Another technically good GG emulation is Jordbon. It only lacks the high pitched vocals but musically, it is pretty close. Actually, the definition of Alter Echo's music is a mix of a late seventies Genesis combined with an accessible GG.

I have enjoyed this album as a whole (except two/three tracks of which the closing number). This is not a grandiose album of course, but it conveys some tranquillity. One might need this from time to time. Three stars.

Review by b_olariu
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Excellent addition to my prog music collection

Alter Echo is a forgotten swedish band from the late '70's. They released so far a single album in summer of 1979. Musea Records trace this album and re- released it in 1997, now is out of print for some yers. The music Alter Echo playes something between Genesis (trick of the tail era) - Gentle Giant and some elements from their country fellows Kaipa and Atlas. So a mixed bag but the main ingredient is symphonic prog. Now , first time I've listen to this obscure and forgotten treasure I was blown away, realy good album with excelent interplays between musicians. The album is very fluent, the pieces flows one to another in a great manner, without being a concept album or something alike. There are two or thrree instrumental pieces of the highest calibre here, that shows one again that even some obscure bands are capable to creat somthing solid and valuable. Lars Guldbrand the keyboard player is truly amazing. The vocals are in swedish, but fits very well with the up lifting atmosphere and positiv attitude. Only one is sung in english and is similar with Jethro Tull (thick as brick) at least only the biggining of the piece is one on one with JT, only with a diffrent voice. So all in all a great album, very underrated but for sure this band needs to be is the same pantheon with Atlas, Kaipa, and why not to some of the well known bands from the late '70's. Extremly well crafted album with inteligent passages and musicianship of the highest calibre. 4 stars without discussion, one of the best I've heared from Sweden and from entire world from the late'70's.

Review by apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Hans Hagstrom and Ingemar Hill met each other during their military service around 1974 in Sweden and decided to collaborate together, writing their first few songs on guitar and keyboards.By late-75' a band to fully develop these instrumental pieces was necessary with Heinrik Nordgren joining on bass and Jalle on drums.Nordgren gave the band the name Alter Ego and Charlie Lidstrom joined them on drums, just prior to the first live, followed by a singer named Goran.All tracks were sung in Swedish, abandoning the early Tolkien-inspired texts, but in 1977 Hill and Goran quit and they were replaced by Lars and Micke Wedberg respectively with Lars Guldbrand entering as a regular keyboardist, while Lidstrom also left his place to Pete Alsing.A cassette was recorded and released in February 79', but the fading time of Progressive Rock condemned the band to total failure.In 1997, motivated by an interest of Musea, Hagstrom, Nordgren, Guldbrand, Alsing and Micke Wedberg re-recorded old tracks of the band under the name of Alter Echo and a CD was released in 1997.

Almost 20 years after the original recordings, these songs sound so much deeped into the 70's you will hardly think these were recorded in late-90's.Analog keyboards, old-school Scandinavian melodies and Swedish lyrics were not quite common in 1997.Musically Alter Echo combined some tricky plays with Jazz and Classical touches with acoustic soundscapes and symphonic arrangements, while a fair dash of poppy vocal deliveries are also in the menu.As a result a mix of GENESIS, KAIPA, YES and GENTLE GIANT seems like a fair description.Featuring one of the most balanced guitar/keyboard offerings of Swedish Prog, they tended to create dreamy and melodic songs with lovely keyboard instrumentals, sensitive singing parts and beautiful work on acoustic crescendos, electric textures and piano lines for what appears to be a symphonic-oriented release, full of nice synth, clavinet and organ moments.Speaking of clavinet and adding some of the quirky bass lines in the discussion, Alter Echo were definitely the most GENTLE GIANT-oriented Swedish band of the 70's.Just listen to the happy grooves combined with the complex time signatures and the symphonic/folky injections to make yourself sure.The album lacks long tracks, on the other hand Alter Echo did not need one to display themselves as a full-blown Prog band with all these impressive twists, breaks and melodies presented in their only document.

Great album for all old KAIPA, GENESIS or DICE fans.Melodic Symphonic Rock with a charming sound and a good amount of adventurous ideas.Rather unoriginal but warmly recommended.

Review by DangHeck
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Second Wave Swedes Finally Record Their Symphonic Masterwork?

The general assessment for this, Alter Echo's sole album, is... mixed, to say the least. The little material I had heard from the album just prior was awesome and I couldn't wait to jump in. And thanks is due indeed to VinylProgRock on Instagram (who has an excellent and interesting vinyl collection of Prog, as you would expect). He had posted a good 20+ of his favorite albums from 1978, and then, starting to talk with him in direct messages thereafter, he pointed me this way.

From the get-go, speaking as a fan of Symphonic Prog, Gentle Giant, Pop Rock and the Second Wave of Prog in general, how am I not supposed to love what I'm hearing?! The second time today where I could very easily mention the most excellent Happy the Man, whose debut self-titled album was released around the time this was written. Perhaps it's not as complex... and sure, it's poppy and seeks [and succeeds] to be infectious--as someone else pointed out--but weren't your favorite classic Prog bands doing the exact same thing at this time and in their absolute heyday? Hi. Can I please have one boring, run-of-the-mill album with nothing to grab onto or appeal to me or the average human person with ears? Like, I just do not know what some of y'all go on about. Get over it and have a good time for once haha.

"Gulnat Vatten" shows off their chops, for sure. Great main riff on the guitar. And everyone is on fire; the drums are fresh and bright, the guitar playing is great, and the keyboards are just as impactful now as they would have been then. I also like the vocals, really. You never know what you're going to get in this department from non-English speakers (I don't really mean in quality, but in tone and inflection and stylistic choices which may generally be perceived as 'unusual'). There's no reason this song alone shouldn't be heard.

Definitely on the poppier side is "Stämman", but Pop Rock or not, this is some excellently performed material. And come on! Give me some damn hooks! What am I gonna do? Complain about having something sweet to bop my head to? [Sorry I'm still thoroughly annoyed at some of y'all.] Great vocals and melodies; awesome solo. Excellent song. Starkly juxtaposed is "Eremiten" with bright, overlapping guitars and soft vocals. It slowly opens up into this other kind of beauty, with wide padding keys and lovely synth soloing.

"Innan Strax Före" starts off with sawtooth soloin' and very cool, heavier guitar leads. Such fun music. This definitely has a Gentle Giant thing, sure, but also maybe something comparable to Kansas or... Yes? There's also some cool little mallet trills. It won't not appeal to Zappa fans; we're definitely still in that symphonic camp, of course. Hard to explain exactly what I'm hearing, but the way it lays down before the end is so cool.

With the keys on "Axel I Stan", my mind immediately went to Supertramp. If I had no idea though, as I nearly mentioned above for another song, I would have guessed that this was Italian haha. And perhaps it's this broadly European (neo-classical/neo-Romantic?) approach that is so unAnglo-American. This is also one of the first moments, especially these bits between verses, best heard after 2:00, that I hear Genesis in these bones, too. Great rhythm, great compositional knack. Once again a juxtaposition with an acoustic number, this time it's the English-sung "Daffodils". And I think I do agree, it's not so great. The guitar is lovely though: it rolls and flows. Lovely guitar solo, too. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, really, being a fan of America (yes, the band) and Folk Rock since I was a kid.

"Tänk Om" is another sort of poppy number, but still with that classic Prog in them bones. Some Gentle Giant in there, the way it sort of overlays with the drums, guitar and keys. The guitar tone and the main melody even sounds specifically like Gary Green. It's really quite cool. A less favorite number for vocals, though. I think it will please well enough. In, at first, a somewhat similar feel is "Oleg". I'm sure it's just the fact that we live in a new world technologically speaking, but I can't help but think this track must be some kind of proof that they were aware and fans, too, of what I've considered 'New Prog' (I usually list The Flower Kings, Echolyn and Big Big Train, for those unaware of the term--I somewhat reject its use per the Wikipedia article [I must admit now, this is due to a misunderstanding and misremembering of things]--Wikipedia refers to it somewhat accurately as 'Third Wave' and New Prog as something altogether different). This is our first instrumental track, certainly hearkening back to when they (presumably) would have been hottest (and... ya know... younger).

Yet another shift is "Hem - Prelude", soft and acoustic, yet backed with these New Agey sorta keys. It's really lovely and ethereal. Certainly not mad at it, and it certainly is designed (fairly well) as a hype-up for "Hem" proper (not what I was expecting it to be, at the start...). "Hem" doesn't offer a whole lot besides beauty (and I know you might think that's a compliment and, admittedly, in a way it is haha), but it does pick up nearing minute 2. It's dancy, I guess. I'm not sure as of yet of its overall, greater appeal... Immediately much more appealing is "Jordbon". Again, that Pop-Proggy sort of thing that GG did back when. But also not. Some nice vocal harmonies herein! My ignorance felt it a Latin-esque jaunt... I'm now not so sure.

Finally, we have "Falska Banor" [to wrap up this abhorrently long review], moreso looking to GG in tone and mastery over claustrophobia. This one is a maximalist's dream! Nearing minute 4 is this awesome laxing of the rhythm, with great instrumentation and composition (more the Yes or Genesis thing). And to say that this is bookended well is certainly an understatement. One of the best tracks of the whole to close things out, and so a great match to the opener.

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