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CzesŁaw Niemen - Niemen Vol. 1 [Aka: Marionetki] CD (album) cover

NIEMEN VOL. 1 [AKA: MARIONETKI]

CzesŁaw Niemen

Eclectic Prog

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fluiddruid
4 stars This is the first Niemen album with the then SBB members. Psychedelic and blues components still here, with jazz and avantgarde elements." Marionetki" is a mournful ballad with church sounding organ and calm trumpet. "Piosenka Dla Zmarłej" starts with floating organ and continues with Niemen's soulful vocal and bluesy guitar of Anthimos. "Z Pierwszych Ważniejszych Odkryc"is a pure hendrixian psychedelic blues. Excellent ! "Ptaszek" is a filler with vocal , upright bass and laughing. "Com Uczynił": Niemen steps in the jazz territory: agressive hammond playing a'la Quatermass and soaring trumpet. Second vinyl begins the "Requiem Dla Van Gogha".This is a pure contemporary piece with reading role of the upright bass, prepared piano and space sounding organ, infuenced by John Cage. "Sariusz" is an another filler. The last "Inicjały" is very Miles Davis- In Silent way sounding, with Niemen's vocal acrobatic. This is very interesting, experimental album.
Report this review (#447517)
Posted Friday, May 13, 2011 | Review Permalink
João Paulo
4 stars This album shows a phase of improvisation and psychedelic rock made ​​in the seventies in Poland Psychedelic moments presents a chaotic context, which goes to other moments of pure rock We can hear some jazz improvisation in the context of fusion, mixed with moments ethnic backgrounds, which makes this multifaceted album difficult to appreciate in the first hearings. The lyrics are in Polish and I know your message but the voice is pleasant and is not the main component of this work It is a good time to appreciate jazz fusion and enjoy good times rock, but we have to get used to enjoy these more complex jobs that can only be properly assessed after several auditions. Another great Polish author of Progressive and compulsory for lovers of progressive rock in Eastern Europe, which is high quality and to discover these unique works 4 stars but 4,5 really
Report this review (#488055)
Posted Thursday, July 21, 2011 | Review Permalink
TheEliteExtremophile
4 stars The second half of Marionetki?Niemen Vol. 1?is more overtly jazzy and experimental than Vol. 2. The 17-minute "Requiem dla Van Gogha" ("Requiem for Van Gogh") opens the disc. A sinister growl of a bowed bass and gently muttered vocals start this song on an ominous note. Much of this track is improvised and borders on free jazz. The focus here is on mood and atmosphere, rather than structure. A move like that is often risky, but the musicians' chemistry is good enough to keep this track tense and engaging. Some of the wailing string instruments and cacophonous keyboard parts remind me of some of the more abstract contemporary post-rock acts. This song might be a bit longer than is necessary, but it remains surprisingly focused.

The brief "Sariusz" has more structure and momentum than the previous track. The song opens on a weirdly peppy, bouncing piano line, complemented by fuzzy guitar and Niemen's oddball vocals. At only a little over three minutes long, it works as a great interlude between this disc's longer pieces.

Vol. 1 ends with the 13-minute "Inicjały" ("Initials"). Much like the opening track, this song is largely improvised, though vocals play a more prominent role here. The song starts off with some noodling before eventually settling into a groove. The drumming does a great job of keeping things moving as bass and trumpet trade licks in the spotlight. The drummer eventually gets his turn in the spotlight with a fun little solo as well, which is just the right length.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2022/10/31/lesser-known-gem-czeslaw-niemen-niemen-vol-2-niemen-vol-1-marionetki/

Report this review (#2904583)
Posted Tuesday, April 4, 2023 | Review Permalink

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