JANUS

Norwegian outfit "Aunt Mary" was considered one of Norway's more prominent progressive outfits of the 70's. Their 3rd studio album "Janus" is in my opinion, their definitive record. Released in 1973, it combines Psych, Blues, and Beatle-esque influences to create a unique blend of sounds, The album is a great introduction to the band and shines a light on the talent of these lesser-known Norwegian bands.

The album's first three songs are a large 11-minute suite, inspired by many different genres and influences. The 4-minute "Path of Your Dreams" starts with a rambunctious synth and high-velocity musicianship. Despite their nationality, the band members sing in English (and their accents aren't too unbearable). The movement smoothly transitions into the clear Beatles-inspired "Mr. Kaye," which some think is a Tony Kaye reference? I have no clue why they would be referring to him, but the short 2-minute song is a nice jumpy segway into the longest movement "Nocturnal Voice." It's nothing special musically, but it's a chill song until the extended guitar solo from Bjoern Christiansen. The epic closes with the original motif from "Path of Your Dreams" to finish up.

The following track "For All Eternity," is a very "Yes" inspired piece. While it has its merits, it's pretty much a "Yes" clone song. Although the originality is a bit lacking, I have no complaints because this song rocks. The vocal harmonies in the beginning coupled with the fast-paced organ and guitar passages are always something I can get around. Instrumentally the track is much more lively and doesn't go stale too often. Overall I'd say this is by far a highlight on the album and one of my favorites. After the the 40-second throwaway titled "Hidden Track" Side A is concluded.

Side B opens with the 6-minute bluesy jam "Stumblin' Stone. For the first three minutes of the song, the thumping bass line, and organ undertones just mesh together and create some background music. Eventually, an organ arpeggio pulls the song into formation with the appearance of a song structure and heavily accented vocals. "All We've To Do Is Dream" reminds me of "Across the Universe" by the Beatles. This short acoustic ballad adds some much-needed contrast to the tracklist. The next track "Candles Of Heaven" is my favorite song on this album. After an entire album of impressive keyboard, work Bengt Jensen outdoes himself here on the organ to create an amazing motif that just sounds right to me. It is very reminiscent of Keith Emerson with the use of dissonant chords and staccato interplay. The vocals are accompanied by VERY high-pitched choir interludes. The last minute of the 5:30 song goes into a full-on Emersonian organ jam to close the song and smoothly transitions into the closer: "What A Lovely Day." The song opens acoustically on guitar but evolves into a heavy rocker with some killer guitar and a grandiose choir to close out the album strong.

While I do think that this album is not exactly essential to a prog-rock collection, It is certainly an excellent addition by all means, which leads me to give this record a solid 3.5 stars. I have to round up because I feel that this album is closer to a 4-star rating than a 3-star. The album cover is also really cool for those who appreciate that :). This is a a standout record and a great way to end on a high note for this short-lived Norwegian quartet.