1972-75

"1972-75" is a compilation release/collection of songs that should have been the second album from Danish progressive rock act The Old Man & the Sea plus a few archive gems. In 1975 The Old Man & the Sea was sadly dropped by CBS Records even before releasing anything on that label and it meant the end of the band as they weren´t able to secure another deal. The album therefore ended up shelved and it wasn´t until 2003 that Karma Music picked it up for a release. When you listen to this album it´s hard to understand why though as the compositions are well written and the musicianship is excellent. Some of the tracks from "1972-75" also appear on the bootleg album titled "The White album" along with some unreleased live songs from when the band re-united for a short period in the 90s.

Stylistically the music on "1972-75" is somewhere between the early symphonic prog of Yes and the more hard rock oriented progressive rock of an artist like Kansas (add a bit of Deep Purple to the mix and you´re just about there). The music is a bit more simple than the music of both Yes and Kansas though. There are many hard rock guitar riffs on the album as well as some very dominant organ playing. One of the greatests assets, other than Tommy Hansen´s excellent organ playing, is the vocals by Ole Wedel who is a very strong singer with a great voice. Tommy Hansen and Knud Lindhard´s backing vocals are also very well performed. All lyrics are sung in English.

All material on the compilation are of a good quality but I have to mention the instrumental and synth dominated "Love 77" as it´s a standout track. "The Sea of Green part 1" and "2" are also pretty special as they are actually a re-arrangement of a track from 1972 where Tommy Hansen has only used the original drum tracks. It´s one of the more progressive songs on the album. "Nasty backbone" is another highlight.

There were several well playing band´s in Denmark in the 70s (artists like Burnin´ Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster, and The Savage Rose come to mind), but you can add The Old Man & the Sea to that list. They are a very well playing band. "1972-75" is well produced too and upon conclusion it´s a real shame this album didn´t see the light of day back when it was recorded. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.