VIVA BOMA

A new discovery that brings me great joy! I really like the more laid back Canterbury approach--of which I am happy to find on many albums from the subgenre--and I love the excellent contributions and mix of all instruments on this album--with the added bonus of some really fun, beautiful and excellent female vocals. I have to admit that the album's opener, "Perhaps the Next Record (7/10)--with its Kraftwerk-like computer percussion, synths and Jaco Pastorius-like bass toying around threw me off a bit. Not quite what I was expecting. But the next one, the album's title track (8/10), has some great hand percussion and world rhythms--not unlike the music of one of my all-time favorite albums: JONI MITCHELL's Don Juan's Reckless Daughter! (minus the Björk-like vocal.) Though the two versions of "Nog Verder" (9/10) are both awesome, there really is not a weak tune on this album! "Boehme" (8/10) starts with a great Zeuhl feel to it before getting a little RTF-like; the stripped down "Flamboya" (9/10) reminds me of the most accessible of a Bruford/Stewart/Annette Peacock collaboration (very cool keyboard & pitch experimentation!); "Lulu" (10/10) has the beautiful and awesome Santana guitar & supporting keyboard feel; "L'idiot Léon" (9/10) is totally awesome prog rock start to finish-- probably my favorite on the album. The original album's closer, "Ixelles" (7/10) is a little disjointed--an odd puzzle to try to piece together, but still interesting. (Odd mixing of the cello!) If this were the end of the album that I purchased, it would be enough--unquestionably a masterpiece of prog--Canterbury or no. But there are four bonus songs on my version--ones that couldn't fit into the old 40-minute time constraint of a 13-inch vinyl record (unless you were Todd Rundgren). "Mon Rebis" (6/10) starts out prettily enough with Mike Oldfield-like acoustic guitar playing, but then takes on an unpolished, unfinished feel to it once the other instruments are added into the mix. Same for "Reine de la vallée" (6/10). The demo version of "Nog Verder" is great--maybe even better than the 'polished' album version, and "Fanfan La Tulipe" (8/10) is actually quite charming and entertaining (in a Robert Plant/Led Zeppelin kind of way). If you've never heard this one, pick it up, add it to your collection. Yes, Margaret, there was still some great music being put out after 1975!