GREGORY ALLAN FITZPATRICK'S SNORUNGARNAS SYMFONI

Snorungarnas symfoni from 1976 is Samla mammas mannas fourth studio album, the last before guitar player Coste Apetrea quit and they changed name to Zamla mammaz manna. This is a composition by Gregory Allan FitzPatrick, an american living in Sweden since the sixties who was very innovatory in the Swedish music scene in the seventies and eighties. He sung and played on many swedish left wing and flower power records (with progressive tendencies) in the early seventies. He doesn't appear on this disc though. The disc is a symphony divided in four pieces and lasts for thirty-four minuts. The gruop is claimed to be an avant-garde group but this record is best describes as symphonic progresssive rock.

Yeah, this is symphonic rock as it should be. I was totally surprised by this record's perfection. This was the first time I listened to it and I could be nothing but amazed. Here we have so strong and driving meldies, mostly in form of guitar and piano and a terrific drum play. What is visible here is the gamesome but very professional attitude they hade to their music. That reminds us of Frank Zappa. In the seconds movement there is a mix of thriller, nursery music and children teasing chants. The third piece is the most jazzy but the piano also reminds me of Renaissance. In the fourth and ending part we return to a known melody that evolves slowly and ends in euphoria.

Nothing here is clumsy or poorly done. This is just as pretentious I want it to be. Symphonic avant-garde rock meets perfection. I didn't thought it to be a five star record, but here you have one. Highly recommended.