PHANTASMAGORIA

I am personally very attached to "Melinda (More or Less)" because it brings me back to my adolescent years. This song used to be frequently played at the venues I was hanging around, without actually knowing who the artist was. What's amazing is that I only recently discovered it was CURVED AIR, the band that was not very known back then, at least in former Yugoslavia.

Personal emotions aside, "Phantasmagoria" starts exceptionally promising with "Marie Antoinette", "Melinda" and "Not Quite the Same", which all have wonderful melodies, excellent Sonja's voice and firm musicianship. "Cheetah" brings some violin extravaganza and the bass chords that somehow precede CRIMSON's David Cross-lineup the following year. Had the album continued in the same manner until the end, this could have been the true masterpiece...

But, the second half, starting already with unnecessary "Ultra Vivaldi", shows several weaknesses out of which the biggest is "Whose Shoulder..." with dull vocal experimentation. The title track and "Over and Above" bring back some energy from the album start but the momentum was already over. Too bad.

Even with these weaknesses "Phantasmagoria" is still a very good album. It captures the creative peak of the band. Their sound was still fresh and quite original in the prog scene of 1972 (female vocal and violin solo), but their composing skills were unfortunately limited. Objectively this album would qualify between 3 and 4 stars, but given their neglect and obscurity, let me be more leniant...!

PERSONAL RATING: 4,5/5

P.A. RATING: 4/5