SACRED BABOON

Yezda Urfa is a prime example of a 70s prog band being too late to the train and not getting the love they deserve. Founded in 1973 Yezda Urfa was led by vocalist Rick Rodenbaugh and Bassist Marc Miller. They recorded their first demo album 'Boris' in 1975 and it was unofficially released. Their sophomore album 'Sacred Baboon' (recorded in 1976, with tracks 3, 5, and 7 being reworked versions of songs from 'Boris') was picked up by Syn-Phonic records in 1989 and only then released. This album contains some wonderful instrumentalism coupled with Yessian vocals, perfectly nonsensical lyrics, and the goofiest song titles of all time!

The album opens with the off-beat, rambunctious, "Give em' Some Rawhide Chewies" which is a great choice for an opener. Lots of crazy Steve Howe-esque guitar work on this track. "Cancer of the Band" begins with a melancholic flute and piano intro. The motif from the intro is built up for a solid 4 minutes, then completely shifted to a fast-paced section with crazy lyrics like "Nidulant sarcolysin fruit, a two and six were built where four and five have stood before."

The 3rd song "Tota in the Moya" is a 10-minute epic, and is definitely a highlight of the album. Is seamless weaves through many different movements each of which is better than the last. They utilize the use of obscure instruments such as the Mandolin, Marimba, and cello. "Boris and his Three Verses" is the most notorious reworking from 'Boris' on the album, but unfortunately the reworking is actually much worse. The actual song is not that bad but its timespan has been cut from 11:00 minutes to about 2:00 minutes.

"Flow Guides Aren't my Bag" is very similar to the opener. Extremely fast, rhythmic, and off-beat. The musicianship is wonderful, but the singing on some of the harmonies is quite honestly repulsive. I prefer the vocals from "Cancer of the Band" much more. "(My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head" has some nice parts on the piano and vibraphone but some of the harmonies aren't too great either.

The closing track, "3, Almost 4, 6, Yea" is my favorite song on the album. It is dominated by great bass lines from Marc Miller and, and awesome percussion from Brad Christoff. It features keyboardist Phil Kimbrough on a variety of different instruments including Hammond Organ, Piano, Moog, Fender Rhodes, and Wurlitzer. The best part is when it goes into an acoustic part halfway through the song, and is brought back to the main theme in a dramatic fashion. This album is a prog gem and more people should give it a listen. Fans of Gentle Giant and Yes will absolutely love this album.