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Artist: Esperanto
Country: Multi-National
Album: Last Tango
Year: 1975 (reissue - 2001, Si-Wan Records)
Style: Progressive rock
Genre: Eclectic Prog
Format: FLAC (separate) +CUE+LOG+SCANS
Size: 320 Mb
Source: eMule by Flogger
I have never been a big fan of The Beatles but of course I knew some of their songs. When I heard ELEANOR RIGBY performed by ESPERANTO – it blew me at first listening! Wow!! What a wonderful and neat arrangement this band has made. The intro part (keyboard sound without other instruments) reminds me to EARTH and FIRE's "To The World Of The Future" but it's totally different thing when all instruments are played together. It's so uplifting and full of energy that even I could not remember the original melody of the song, really. The arrangement really struck me. I love the domination of violin and cello in this arrangement. Even, having heard various versions of ELEANOR RIGBY to-date, I still consider that the one produced by ESPERANTO is THE BEST! The second version that I like is the one performed by my home country rock band GOD BLESS in their debut album 1976.
For those of you who never heard any music of this band, I want to brief you the kind of music they play. It's actually tough to describe any association or reference of "the like" about their music. Definitely it is NOT like KANSAS (violin-based prog rock) or RENAISSANCE (female vocal). Probably, I would describe it "similar" (not really) with Dutch's EARTH and FIRE. The only difference is in the heavy violin and cello that ESPERANTO uses. Hope you can picture the music of the band in your mind. Well, if in 70's prog we knew the name of VAN der GRAAFF GENERATOR who experimented with saxophone to replace guitar, ESPERANTO was the one who replaced guitar with violins and cellos. It's a great experimentation.
I first knew the band from this album. Later, I found out the two previous albums of this MULTI NATIONAL band. Yeah, they are all citizens of the world with different nationality: English (Timothy Kraemer and Geoffrey Salmon), Belgian (Raymond Vincent and Bruno Libert), Belgian/Italian ( Gino & Tony Malisan). Well, music is universal man!..
I enjoy every track of this album. It has a very strong songwriting and musicianship. Having considered these only, it's enough for me to forget the mediocre sound production (hey, it's 1975 man... don't expect too much!). I consider this album is legendary and MUST HAVE for any of you really want to explore various kinds of prog.
"Still Life" is an energetic song with great blend of violin and bass guitar sounds at the intro part. The upbeat tempo is combined nicely with female vocal voice and great piano fills. Violins and cellos accentuate the textures of the song.
"Painted Lady" is a relatively short song (3:26) with poppy touch. The beauty is that it does not flow as typical pop song, it's a little bit heavier. This track has little touch of violins / cellos, only at the interlude. Keyboard flows with the music.
"Obsession" is a relatively slow tempo song with great vocals. The keyboard sound plays nicely at background to form a sort of orchestration. Very enjoyable. I especially like the orchestration by violins and cellos in the middle of the song.
"The Rape" is an epic (12:07) that is my second favorite after "Eleanor Rigby". The arrangement is so powerful. The intro part reminds me to KANSAS, actually, but not really when the music flows to the body of the song. This is accentuated with a ELP-like keyboard play. The violin and cello orchestration has enriched the composition of intro part. Very very interesting intro. I used to play my stereo set loud during this intro to create a symphonic nuances of listening pleasure. Observe when the vocal part enters the play (followed by dazzling violin & cello sound)! It's stunning!!! The melody changed dramatically (with smooth transition!) when the RICK WAKEMAN-like keyboard sound starts to roll in. Ghusszzz... so beautiful!
"Last Tango" is a piano-based song with excellent vocal and melody. This track is well positioned to conclude the album. The violin and cello are used sparingly in this track. Really cool.
Oh man... don't waste your time reading my review! Just PURCHASE the CD and enjoy yourself! You would hardly regret with this record. I'm not that naïve if I give this album with FIVE STAR as this is a masterpiece.
Line-up/Musicians:
Timothy Kraemer - cello
Bruno Libert - keyboards
Gino Malisan - bass
Tony Malisan - drums
Roger Meakin - vocals
Kim Moore - vocals
Geoffrey Salmon - 2nd violin
Raymond Vincent - 1st violin
Track Listings:
1. Eleanor Rigby (7:43)
2. Still Life (7:27)
3. Painted Lady (3:26)
4. Obsession (4:33)
5. The Rape (12:07)
6. Last Tango (3:29)
Bonus tracks on Si-Wan cd release:
7. In Search Of A Dream (4:45)
8. Busy Doing Nothing (3:44)
Total Time: 47:14
