Tuesday 29 August 2017

Lady of Shalott (Atmosphera, 1977)

Back to the Seventies, here you are a long epic by Israeli band Atmosphera, taken from their only album, released in 1977 and re-released in 2002 with an entire bonus CD. Efrayim Barak's voice sounds much like Jon Anderson's, but Atmosphera aren't just another Yes clone: their music ranges from Procol Harum to Camel, including glimpses of Genesis, Pink Floyd and - of course - Yes. Rather easy and melodic, this composition also features more tricky passages, some interesting keyboard and guitar solos (Moti Fonseca has an excellent touch, IMHO), and I especially like Yuval Rivlin's piano and Alon Nadel's intriguing bass lines. 

The 2 CDs version  also includes a videoclip of Lady of Shalott.

This suite (well, it is virtually a suite, even if an undivided one) has a solid and coherent pattern and isn't a mere period piece, being as enjoyable as it was in 1977. Some tempo changes actually strike me, and each passage seems to me well conceived and even better performed. In short, if you're searching for neglected jewels from the Golden Era of prog rock, this one's for you.

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