LIVE IN AMSTERDAM

This is a 'nostalgia trip' for me, since the band was founded in the second half of the Seventies I have seen fellow Dutchmen Flairck at least 10 times during the tours of the albums Variaties Op Een Dame (1978), Gevecht Met De Engel (1980) and Circus (1981), mainly in the wonderful venue Diligensia in my hometown The Hague. Every concert was a captivating and adventurous musical journey with virtuosic skills on a wide range of instruments and .. some fine Dutch humor (the Belgians can also enjoy it).

This live 2-LP (1980) is a perfect registration of the Flairck sound featuring many exciting improvisations and extended solo work. The one moments you hear warm 12-string guitars and soaring flute, the other moment propulsive acoustic rhythm guitar and powerful acoustic bass, blended with swirling panflute (very omnipresent) or violin. The one moment it's folk (from Celtic to Eastern Europe), the other moment jazz, classical or a blend of several styles with lots of shifting moods and great solos on many instruments. The great thing about Flairck is that the skills are from excellent to virtuosic but the music contains a lot of emotion, it never sounds too clinical.

I still feel honoured that I have seen this awesome progressive folk formation many times on stage, I hope this era will be captured on a DVD. My conclusion: highly recommended and a good start to discover the unique Flairck sound in the late Seventies and early Eighties, later their musical direction changed, not always my cup of tea.

No matter how astounding their studio albums are, the preferred Flairck experience is the live one. This double CD set from 1980 features nearly every track from the first two albums and one unreleased 20 minute masterpiece.

The live setting creates a focused energy that brings out the best performance in each player, making each track more vital and dashing then its studio counterpart. On top, Flairck take plenty of opportunities to improvise; they change tempos, add or extend certain sections, remove others, and so on. It makes this into a must-have live album for fans and for others it's an excellent compilation to get acquainted with this music.

All tracks are from Flairck's beginnings, which were their most progressive period. Flairck doesn't play rock obviously (no electric instruments nor drums) but this is as progressive as folk can get, it's an instrumental mix of European folk traditions and classical music, but the long symphonic compositions and musical virtuosity have nothing ado with traditional folk song or pop song writing. Flairck take you virtually anywhere within the course of their songs. Especially the 20 minute pieces The First Day After You Left and Variations on a Lady are an intricate array of musical scenes, melodic wealth, different moods, changing tempos, solos,... the works. No, it's no rock 'n' roll, but it sure rocks.

Flairck are a stunning band and their first few years especially are highly recommended to prog fans and folkies. 4.5 stars.