Equatorial Rain (Ache, 1971)

Taken from the band's second album "Green Man", this "Equatorial Rain" combines Hammond-driven early prog and electronic effects in an arcane, rather dark song. The intro is based on rain effects and keyboards, while Torsten Olafsson's voice draws nocturnal landscapes. Then the tempo rises up and a Hammond plus drumming break comes in, introducing a lively, even joyous section à la The Nice. 

"Green Man" also exists on CD, including Ache's debut album.

Then, "Equatorial Rain" features some beautiful electric guitar / keboard interplays, just before the final reprise of the opening mysterious atmosphere. Seven minutes of beautiful progressive rock, IMHO, cleverly structured on a four movements pattern, a coherent and diversified architecture showing once again how great Ache were. They're surely worth a wider attention from my progressive friends over there.

Rockin' Edward (Iron Duke, 1974)

Here you are a Danish prog act from the Golden Era of our genre, playing a keyboard-driven progressive rock, full of classical echoes and tempo changes. This suite, titled "Rockin' Edward", comes from their debut album "First Salvo" and includes all their trademark features. Like ELP, they decide to re-arrange, expand and loosely adapt a classical standard, Grieg's "Peer Gynt" suite, based on a drama by Ibsen. Compared with ELP, Iron Duke are softer and more on the melodic side of rock, but this is a dynamic and diversified track all the same, let alone a well performed one.

Iron Duke also released a second album titled "Gammel Dansk".

I like very much the vintage but never too dated sounds of this epic, and also the military mood surfacing here and there during the track. Some guitars  also grace "Rockin' Edward", adding the right amount of roughness to the big picture, that never goes too affected nor too smooth. In short, this song perfectly represents its period and still delights my ears. What about yours?

Going Blind (The Old Man & The Sea, 1972)

What about another one-shot band? From Denmark, this time, and from the early '70s. The Old Man & The Sea based their music on a warm Hammond organ and a slightly acid guitar, not to mention the Tull-like flute. This is the closing song of the album and the longest one, so that this tune and its beautiful variations pleasantly linger on into the listener's mind. The 10 minutes of duration of "Going Blind" allow the band to put in guitar solos and assorted riffs, especially with Benny Stanley's electric guitar and Tommy Hansen's keyboards.

This LP was released on CD along with an outtake album.

That said, Knud Lindhard's bass is also worth a mention... and he's also responsible for the vocals instead of lead singer Ole Wedel. The acid and heavy guitar solo ruling the central section of the song is likely the most famous passage of this pearl, but I also like the bright and melodic following section, where I appreciate a sung section, then the acoustic guitar introducing a devilish Hammond solo. Hot stuff, baby.

Keyboard Waltz (Culpeper's Orchard)

Please let me introduce some tracks from the folk side of prog, from time to time. This is the case with this delicious song by Danish band Culpeper's Orchard, coming from their second studio album, titled "Second Sight". The early '70s were full of folkish bands and songs, but this one has its own taste, based on a mid-tempo background and evolving with some gentle slide guitars and a very, very rich percussive carpet.

This Danish band had a British singer: Mr. Cy Nicklin.

Now and then the song changes and opens new horizons, carefully unfolding its musical curtains. The warm and acoustic feeling of the hippy era meets an electric and slightly acid sound, so that "Keyboard Waltz" has a comfortable mood, but a less homely approach than many other tracks from that period. All in all, a track I still like to put in my playlist after so many years.

Thoughts (Zaragon, 1984)

The very sound of the '80s is here, my prog friends. Zaragon were an interesting Danish act, playing a lushing kind of neo-prog and playing it well. This long song comes from their first and only album, called "No Return" (that's what they did, more or less...). You'll find a wide, melodic singing, a series of instrumental bridges, sharing the foreground between guitar and keyboard solos. The latter are maybe a little dated today, still they're definitely pleasant.

The CD re-issue of this album includes a specially recorded bonus track.

Please don't forget this song was recorded during the first wave of neo-prog bands, well before Marillion's international success. So Zaragon gathered many different models and inspirations, and if I had to choose the band they look like the most, well, I'd say Eloy, but with a bonus taste for melody. All in all, this is a plain, enjoyable piece of music, something you could listen to on a relaxing, festive morning... remembering all the good old days. Gone but not forgotten.

Dance of The Demons (Etcetera, 1998)

I was pleasantly surprised when I first listened to this suite. I didn't know the Danish band behind it, nor their self titled debut album, but I listened to this track three times in a row. I like the way it develops each theme, exploiting its different features in both melodic and rythmic aspects. The track is divided into three parts (well, two parts and an interlude called In Medias Res), spanning over 21 minutes of good old symphonic rock with an original twist. All is well done here: the creative drumming background, the usual abundance of keyboards, the lively and eclectic guitars, even the saxophone coming in from time to time.

All Etcetera's albums feature this shortened Etc logo.

There are roughly three moods in this "Dance": a melodic one, a classically rock one and a slightly jazzy one. They're so well set in the big picture that you scarcely could be bored by it: tempos and instruments always change and the final effect is almost visual, with dark and bright moments following one another. If you ask me, listening to this is one of the best things you could spend your next 20 minute spare time.

De Homine Urbano (Ache, 1970)

I'm finally adding a Danish band to my little collection. And with pleasure, because Ache are really worth more than a listening and also the Esoteric label remastered reissue of their first two albums. "De Homine Urbano" is the title track of Ache's debut work, a 19 minutes early symphonic suite in 10 movements. An excellent specimen of Hammond prog era, believe me. Not only Peter Mellin's organ, but all the instruments create a rather mysterious and almost mystical mood, where Torsten Olaffson's bass guitar shines with its creative lines and incessant embroidelries.

There must be an ocean of forgotten masterpieces over there...

It's a long and interesting trip into our own darkest side and Ache need no words to describe the torments and dreams hunting the so called civilised world. Each tempo change, each new theme, each organ chord, each guitar riff come like a surprise and give me a special pleasure. It's also interesting to know that this suite was originally conceived as the music for a ballet. Please discover this long forgotten pearl, you'll be back to it very soon.