NEW BORN DAY

Norway's prime 70's band (much better than Titanic or Aunt Mary at least on their fist two albums) along with Junipher Greene in the prog dept. Ruphus 's debut album is a real masterstroke as they manged to have one of those exhilarating sound of those fantastic 70's british band somewhere between MkII Purple and Genesis (if you can imagine that!?!? or Heep and Yes. Wooooow , I'd better calm down on my description here but there is a little of that and some of that everything that made me love this first album a lot when I discovered it in the early 90's. Although , they are strong in every instruments , the musicianship is not excellent but much better than some of the newer bands doing prog but the thing that strikes me the most is the enthousiasm of the players especially the singer.

The opening track on Ruphus’ debut album is a bit misleading with its seventies hard-rock driving guitar riffs, fairly simple organ bleats and dueling vocalists Gudny Aspaas and Rune Sundby. The song sounds closer to something Babe Ruth would have put out than most of what follows. Props to Ms. Aspaas for her excellent metal-like shrieking vocals here though.

The band slows things down considerably on “Scientific Ways” and introduces more variety on both keyboards and guitar than the power-dirge opener has. There’s a hint of Yes-like keyboard progression, and once again Aspaas provides stellar vocals with very good range. Sundby offers lead vocals as well as saxophone on the heavier “Still Alive” and again the keyboards are ranging against an unrelenting bass line. This is a band that undoubtedly put on an energetic live show.

“The Man who Started it All” is a typical seventies heavy rock number in the vein of bands like Uriah Heep, BTO and the like, while on “Trapped in a Game” Aspaas and guitarist Kjell Larsen come off like the Wilson sisters of Heart in their late seventies incarnation. This would probably be considered an AOR number if it weren’t for the brooding organ tracks.

The title track and “Day After Tomorrow” are rather lackluster in my opinion with nothing musically or lyrically to distinguish them from dozens of other bands doing the same thing around the same time. Unfortunately these two tracks make up nearly a third of the album and except for an extended keyboard foray around the middle of the second song are rather forgettable.

“Flying Dutchman Fantasy” has a creative, choppy guitar riff that gives it some character amid the overly-wordy harmonizing vocals of the band’s two singers, while the closing and confusingly titled “Opening Theme” picks up where the actual opening track left off with a driving guitar/bass base, but the keyboards in this case come off as almost playful in what seems to be an adaptation of a classical music riff of some sort. Kind of a Norwegian version of Ekseption but with more guitars.

Not a bad album, but not a classic either. Ruphus managed to release an impressive volume of work with seven studio albums in the mid- to late seventies before petering out amid internal squabbles and the changing times. This was the first but probably not the best, and the band reportedly moved to a more symphonic progressive sound ala Yes with their next couple of releases. This one is a three star affair, and is recommended mostly for fans of the heavier rock sounds of the mid-seventies. It does not age particularly well though and won’t likely appeal much to younger and newer fans.

peace

"New Born Day" is without a doubt one of the best albums to come out of seventies Norway. We get male and female vocals and this is one of those rare times where it doesn't matter to me who is singing because they both are great. Lots of vocal melodies too.The bass is prominant and Squire-like while the drumming is outstanding throughout. We also get some excellent guitar, flute and sax added in the mix in this fairly hard rocking album.

"Coloured Dreams" has this excellent guitar intro then it turns fuller quickly. Dual vocals on this one. Nice guitar solo 2 minutes in as well.The organ is prominant late. "Scientific Ways" opens with strummed guitar as reserved male vocals join in.They do become more passionate. Female vocals before 1 1/2 minutes and she sings with passion after 3 minutes. Flute after 4 1/2 minutes to the end. "Still Alive" has a good heavy sound with the bass digging deep.Vocal melodies follow then the male vocals lead as it stays heavy.The organ sounds good too. Sax after 3 minutes then the themes are repeated. Great tune.

"The Man Who Started It All" opens with piano as flute joins in then it picks up before a minute.Vocal melodies then male vocals come in. Great sound. Female vocals come in too then piano only ends it. "Trapped In A Game" opens with drums then it kicks in. It settles back quickly with female vocals.The focus here is on her singing. Organ only 2 1/2 minutes in then church organ takes over in a powerful way.The vocals are the focus again 4 1/2 minutes in while guitar takes the lead a minute later. "New Born Day" opens with organ as the bass then drums join in. It's building. Squire-like bass here.Vocals 1 1/2 minutes in. I really like the drumming but the bass is stealing the show here. Nice guitar after 3 minutes that goes on and on.Vocals are back. Amazing tune ! "Day After Tomorrow" inspired the movie. Okay not really but this is the epic track at almost 9 minutes in length. Drums and organ lead the way early and the guitar comes in before a minute making some noise. A calm follows as male reserved vocals come in. Female vocal melodies too.Intricate sounds before 4 minutes after the vocals stop. It settles with female vocals after 6 1/2 minutes then kicks back in. An intense finale.

I wasn't expecting this to be that good but it fits my tastes really well. I'm impressed.

Ruphus burst onto the scene with New Born Day, which presents a sound which much of the time resembles a heavier version of Yes, with the influence of pre-Larks' Tongues King Crimson and a bit of Van der Graaf Generator craziness mixed in and a vocalist - the mighty- lunged Gudny Aspaas - who can rock out with the Robert Plants or Roger Daltreys of this world with ease. The group wear their influences on their sleeves and whilst the album isn't an essential classic by any means, it's still a very credible homage to the early prog greats that's worth a listen for anyone curious about the early roots of the Scandanavian prog scene (which, arguably, would overtake the UK scene by the 1990s).

"Trapped In A Game" is one of the coolest songs I've ever heard in my life.

Just figured I'd throw that out there before I give this album some general assessment. What we have here is the debut from one of the first prog bands from Norway, and man does this thing cook. The opening track sets the tone, essentially a hard rock tune with a generous amount of Hammond organ banging to compliment the heavy guitars and bass. A pretty sweet rockin' riff too, with only the slightly jazzy style of the drums keeping this song from full Deep Purple worship. But there is also the vocals...and that's what sets this band apart.

I don't tend to give such a high score to an album, even if I really dig it, unless it has something unique to offer or something I haven't heard before that endows the album a with specific individual vibe. In this case it's the dual male / female vocals sung with a wide-eyed enthusiastic passion. Gudny, without a doubt, is one talented and maybe more than a bit crazy vocalist who has no time for terms like subtlety or restraint. From her introduction on the first track, she's already reaching for ridiculous high notes in an almost unhinged fashion, but damnit she sounds great with a killer tone. Rune, for his part, does the male foil role more than adequately, dishing out strong vibratos and taking the lead in some of the tracks. The overall vocal dynamic is great and adds a lot of character to the album.

Talent-wise the band can certainly jam, but some little gaffs can be heard here and there, such as the bass player's occasional struggle with the difficult runs during the title track, but it's a small trifle. What's more important is that I can feel the wild enthusiastic aura permeating from each of these songs. This gang took inspiration from Purple to Yes to King Crimson to Uriah Heep and swirled them into their own blend, keeping tunes varied, unpredictable, and especially engaging. Seriously, some of these tracks are teeming with fantastic hooks and exceptional melodies flowing through them.

Again, though, "Trapped In A Game" is some next level thing. A sort of prog-torch song with a ton of soul and a bizarre organ mid-section that morphs into some drumming fury, it's one of those go-to songs when I'm in the mood for some serious female pipes soaring over rock music of any kind. A Gudny Aspaas showcase, she puts on a damn clinic straight from the heart, really reaching for those notes with powerhouse lungs. A spectacle in itself.

Other highlights include "Scientific ways", which reveals the more adventurous 'proggish' nature of the band after the more straightforward rockin' opener, the smooth saxophone soloing displayed in "Still Alive" (which also boasts a groovy bass-line and some oddball lyrics), and "Day After Tomorrow" ends things on a suitably bombastic note. If there's anything this album doesn't possess, it would be a dud. Every cut is essential. Granted, I will say that the vocals may not be for everyone...in that I can imagine some folks would find them overbearing, but I love them. New Born Day is great stuff performed with sheer exuberance, and deserves a high recommendation for anyone interested in the roots of Scandinavian progressive rock.

Norwegian band RUPHUS were among the first progressive rock bands in Norway that made something of an impact. The band was formed in 1970, and in their initial phase they explored many different varieties of progressive rock, going from hard progressive rock at the onset to a more refined variety of jazzrock in the final stages of the band. "New Born Day" was their debut album, and was initially released in 1973.

This is a good album, and one that hasn't lost all that much with age. It is very much a product of it's time and it's era, but still strikes me as good music that Father Time has been rather kind with. If hard, organ and guitar driven progressive rock of the early 70's is something you appreciate, then this is an album that merits an inspection for sure. And I'd wager a guess that this remixed version of the album will give the superior experience as far as enjoying the best qualities of this album is concerned, as the task has been handled by someone with a very good ear for sound indeed.