Ain Soph - Studio Live Tracks
SKU
01-Musea 4705
“Ain Soph are a band to be recognised alongside Kenso, KBB, Asturias or Bi Kyo Ran for the quality of their musicianship and composition. With 4 excellent studio albums to their credit over their 30 years together, this release compiles previously unpublished live in the studio recordings, taken between 1985 and 1988, of pieces most of which had appeared on the Canterburyesque Hat and Fields as well as one new number from 2005.
Two unreleased works, "Flight" and "Odessa", front the album. "Flight" opens with a frantic keyboard solo in Canterbury vein, joined by fast flowing guitar where the style becomes more attuned to heavy fusion such as Mahavishnu Orchestra. The rather longer "Odessa" is more reflective with delicate piano and guitar passages which build gradually to a faster pace. The drumming is particularly impressive as it steers the piece through its many changes in pace and direction underpinned rhythmically by a figure of 3 repeated chords. There is an adagio section before the pace hots up again for a bit of a discordant blitz on exit.
The next four compositions are all versions of songs from Hat and Fields, or, in once case, Story of Mysterious Forest, and whilst the tracks show what anyone who has seen them live on stage knows, that they are extremely technically accomplished musicians, the drawback sonically is that the tracks sound rather hollow and echoey compared to their fully mastered studio release. The extended guitar solos on this version of "Hat and Field" are one of the highlights however.
The new piece from 2005 was I think played at the last Bajaprog show. It shows all the hallmarks of the fusion/Canterbury style which made the band stand out, with the addition of an exceptional sax player.”-Sea Of Tranquility
- LabelMusea
- UPC3426300047052