MIDNIGHT SUN

"Midnight Sun" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish rock/jazz-fusion/psychedelic rock act Midnight Sun. The album was released through the Sonet label in 1971. It´s actually a re-recording of the band´s debut album, which was recorded under the Rainbow Band monicker and released in January 1970, but as the band were forced to change their name to Midnight Sun and also replaced their lead vocalist Lars Bisgaard with Allen Mortensen, they felt that re-recording their debut album was the right thing to do.

A few songtitles have been changed but otherwise it´s the same tracklist featured on this re-recorded version of the Rainbow Band/Midnight Sun debut album. Stylistically Midnight Sun play a hybrid blues rock, jazz-fusion, and psychedelic rock style. Mortensen has a soul/blues rock vocal delivery, which sounds a lot like his predecessor. The material is pretty eclectic which is further enhanced by the dominant use of piano and various reed instruments. The songs with most reeds playing from Bent Hasselmann remind me a bit of the early albums from the English band Audience, while other songs like "King of the Sun" starts out more sixties blues rocking and then while the guitar plays solo the song almost shifts to fusion territory.

The album is well produced, featuring a clear, organic, and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. While I think I prefer the original version of the album, this re-recorded version is well worth investigating too. Fans of artists like Blood, Sweat & Tears and Traffic should find a lot to appreciate here. A 3 star (60%) rating is deserved.

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