THE LORELI

I remember seeing the band live in probably '83 at Warrington and they completely blew me away. By this point I already had their superb debut, but the keyboards and guitars of Cyrus Khajavi and Dillon Tonkin were a joy to behold. I found Quasar almost completely unique; I had never heard a band sound like this. A mixture of gorgeous lush synths, with guitar and guitar synths laid over the top of the most delightfully melodic symphonic prog you could find. I really felt there would be no holding back this amazing band, and that they were on the verge of something really big.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to happen.

By the time The Loreli came to be, the band was a completely different animal, and to be honest I only found out about the album's existence when I discovered PA. The line up is completely different and Tracy Hitchings is the new vocalist. In my opinion the blend does not work here at all and her vocals are much too harsh for the lush soundscapes Quasar create musically. It seems as if the vocals and the music are completely at cross purposes, and that is a major difficulty for me to overcome.

I already knew most of the material from The Loreli off their Live 1984 release ( to say Live 1984 is a rarity is putting it mildly!). Unfortunately the versions here are generally not a patch on the live versions. The music seems watered down, the band have tried to change direction, and not for the better. The overall lush sound is still there, but lacking some of the drive and majesty of their earlier work. That is not to say it is a bad album by any means, just a little disappointing for a die-hard fan like me. The Loreli is a delightful short piece, and Seeing Stars Part 2 is excellent too. The highlight is the stunning Logic, a real masterpiece of an epic, although a much weaker version than the one I already know. In short, it's good, but it just doesn't move me, and I know that this band was capable of so much better.

I really think Quasar could have made it really big in the prog world, had they just managed to maintain the same line up and create a bit of longevity. I think that was their big problem.

I will give this album 3 stars. I cannot give more than that, and though I possibly could have awarded less, given the affinity I have with Quasar, and the fact that this is still a good album, I'll keep my rating as 3 stars. To be honest though, for anyone wanting to test the water with Quasar, you should get Fire In The Sky, rather than The Loreli, as it is much the superior of the two.

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