MOVIN' ON

Review Nº 872

The progressive rock music in the 70's was essentially a British phenomenon. However, there were many other great bands that appeared in the world, mainly in the West Europe. In the case of Europe, I'm talking essentially about bands from Germany, Italy, France, The Netherlands and of the Nordic countries, mainly Sweden. All these countries were responsible for some of the best prog made at the time in Europe. But, that wasn't an exclusive phenomenon of those countries. It also appeared in many other European countries that never were a hot bed for the progressive rock music. This is the case of the band that is the object of this my review, Circus. Circus is probably one of the two best Swiss prog bands. The other is Island. Despite being a bit two different works, "Pictures" of Island and "Movin' On" of Circus are two great works. So, after having already reviewed "Pictures" some years ago, it's now time to review "Movin' On".

Circus was formed in Basel in 1972 and that was disbanded in 1980. Circus was one of the key bands in the Swiss prog rock history. Ideally situated near the French and the German borders, Circus released three studio albums, their eponymous debut in 1976, their sophomore effort "Movin' On" in 1977 and the third "Fearless, Tearless And Even Less" in 1980, and a live document of them in concert "All Stars Live" in 1978, featuring many guest musicians from other top Swiss bands. They came apart because it was not possible for them to make a living with the progressive rock music.

The line up on "Movin' On" is Roland Frei (lead vocals, acoustic guitar and tenor saxophone), Andreas Grieder (backing vocals, flutes, alto saxophone and tambourine), Marco Cerletti (backing vocals, bass guitar, bass pedals and 12-string guitar) and Fritz Hauser (drums, percussion and vibes).

The Swiss Circus is one of the prog rock bands where King Crimson's influence is directly evident. Circus is comprised of outstanding musicians. This quartet had no electric guitarist and no keyboardist, which is apparently a strange thing, despite they had acoustic guitars. It's true that many great prog bands had no electric guitarist or keyboardist. But the both absences are almost a sacrilege, especially the absence of the keyboards. In fact, the keyboards are almost an indispensable instrument in the prog rock music. Another interesting point is that the singer of Circus could sing in English with a not bad accent. At the time, they were creating their own sound, such as the powerful development of music, the acoustic guitar sound using various effects, and the effective use of the flute being played in the right place.

"Movin' On" has five tracks. "The Bandsman" has speed and is rocking. It begins with a Grieder's flute intro with a lively guitar rhythm and from afar a dancing flute. This is really an upbeat and exciting song. You need to listen to very carefully each instrument part played by the four members. It intrigues us enough to go on further. "Laughter Lane" is a solid progression from the opening track. But, unlike the first song, this second song creates an atmosphere of silence. Hanser's vibraphone playing softly from the back brings a sense of mystery. The improvisational performance of the vocals and saxophone in the second half of the song is quite impressive. "Loveless Time" is another fascinating track that runs through a range of moods within a relatively short period of time. It begins from a quiet introduction but in the middle and in the second half, the sound is full of tension. This is a nice driving rocking piece that is kept simple and straightforward. The deep and sophisticated bass sound is very cool. "Dawn" is entirely instrumental giving us an eerie atmosphere throughout. It's one of the better examples of what descriptive music is. It can be compared with some of the classical pieces of the composers of early 20th century. It sounds like an avant-garde piece with some hints of jazz and psychedelic. It's simply astounding. The title track "Movin' On" is the great opus, which represents the synthesis of all the preceding ingredients. Playful, intricate, virtuoso, sometimes gentle, then rocking, sometimes jazzy, then weird, but always exciting. The performance is very tight and impressive and where we can see that the whole band consisted of great musicians. The track includes some surprisingly Yes-like harmonies but the rest of the vocals are Circus' style.

Conclusion: "Movin' On" is a quite interesting and original release from this Swiss prog band. Their music isn't easy to describe, as they actually doesn't remind me much of any other band. However, I think we can feel several influences from some British prog bands, mainly King Crimson with some hints of Van Der Graaf Generator. Still, some others can also be felt, a kind of a mix of Gentle Giant, Yes and Camel but with their own touch. The songs are very complex, atmospheric and intriguing with lots of tasty flute, acoustic guitar and often emotional and beautiful vocals. Some vibes and saxophone are also used, giving the music a slight jazzy edge from time to time. Some minor folk influences can also be heard. Thus and all in all, maybe lacks to it a bit of power in terms of performance, but it's quite sophisticated, glamorous, mysterious and delicate. So, the second album of Circus is a recommended stuff, a valuable Swiss delicacy.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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