POD NIEBEM CZAS / THE TIME BENEATH THE SKY

When this album was originally released, back in 2002, I was absolutely blown away and to this day it is still one of my favourite Polish albums. This reissue is a double disc set, with the original album and a DVD ? more of the latter in a minute. My lack of understanding of the Polish language in no way detracts from the album as a whole, as for me the vocals becomes another instrument. Emila Derkowska had a wonderfully clear voice and the whole band gels and shines together in a similar fashion to the way that Pink Floyd once did. With a flautist within the band (Jacek Zasada) it gave them the opportunity to move away from the (reasonably) standard five person prog set up, and they also used guests to fill out the sound even more (oboe, flugelhorn (!), mandolin, accordion).

This is a progressive album that really is, one that brings together different instruments and players in a way that makes it feel as if they belong together. There is a cover version on the album, a brilliant take on "No Quarter" that nearly breaks the twelve minute mark, and the second half of the album is taken up with a complex piece which when taken as a whole is thirty minutes long (although it can be subdivided into five songs). I still believe that this is the best of all of Quidam's albums, showing the majesty and grace that only a band at the height of their powers could achieve.

At the beginning of 2003 after Quidam had come back to Poland from shows in Belgium and Holland, they started preparations for a special show in the band's hometown, Inowroclaw. As it turned out later, this performance was the last one of the band's line-up of that time as singer Emilia Derkowska decided to quit the band. On 16th February 2003 Emilia bade farewell during the sold out show in Teatr Miejski in Inowroclaw. Soon afterwards, the rhythm section, Radek Sikorski and Rafal Jermakow also left and the band had to regroup. Luckily, that final show was captured by three digital non-professional cameras and this is the DVD. If you have never been fortunate enough to see this line-up of Quidam in concert (and most of us haven't) then this is the only opportunity we will have. Also, this was one of the times that Colin Bass (Camel) made a guest appearance with the band so it is definitely worth catching.

A great reissue of a great album, www.rockserwis.pl