Вижу Землю / LOOKING AT THE EARTH

Leaded by one the finest prog drummer ever (Rishad Shafi) Gunesh Ensemble is maybe the greatest band from ex-URSS. They are exactly from Turkmenistan and in a nutshell they are a central asian sounding progressive horn rock/fusion group or maybe better a little orchestra. But Gunesh are better than that may imply. Looking at the Earth is their second album and surely the most progressive and best one. The album is a perfect mix of so many defferents ingrendients coming from western and oriental music: trippy Caucasus mountain music, Muslim prayer calls, psychedelia, hot fusion, Vietnamese traditional music, etc.. The unexpectedly beautiful arrangements appeared,and polirhythmic compositions with odd measure were further developed thematically. This is surely a must have for every prog lovers, maybe 5 stars is little bit too much, but if we contestualize it in the geographical area and in the history period we can justify the maximum vote

Going through the tons of albums I have from Turkmenistan (ha!), I think i've found a favorite! The GUNESH ENSEMBLE (sometimes found only as Гунеш (GUNESH) was a highly eclectic and energetic group led by drummer Rishard Shafi. They were masters of jazz-fusion mixed with all things Central Asian folk including haunting chants and exotic instruments. Of course they even had a Vietnamese singer! After their first album of mostly folk material they really stepped it up and created something truly unique and unbelievable.

Вижу Землю (Looking At Earth) in an unearthly amalgation of musical majesticness. The album begins with a whispering wind and some temple bells before Russian dialogue ushers in some seriously deranged funkiness and energetic percussion and horns with some strange electronic 'talking.' The jazz-fusion doesn't waste any time getting warmed up. You know you're in for a very wild ride with this one. The album continues to surprise with abrupt changes but quite capable of sustaining a beautiful melody in the form of song or chant. The interplay of 10 plus instruments may be going on at any given moment. Absent are any influences from Western bands. All sounds original and isolated like it was all created in a remote area that still hasn't made contact with the Western world. However parts do remind me of Italian avant-proggers Area and the last cut sounds like a traditional Vietnamese song meets the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

If you like eclectic world fusion then you will love this. Must hear to believe.This album had only one vinyl release in 1981 and is probably impossible to find but fear not. Rishad Shafi released the first two albums on CD titled "Rishad Shafi Presents Gunesh."

Search hard and you will be rewarded! This album is actually on Spotify currently, but written in Cyrillic (Гунеш - Вижу Землю). Not ideal for those of us with a UK keyboard but it is there!

I've listened to this for the first time, and without a doubt it is the best thing I know of to be produced in Turkmenistan.

It really is a wild ride. The first track wouldn't sound out of place as the funky theme tune to a 70s cop show, before track two slides into an oriental style trance that leaves you feeling like you're floating in outer space, followed by something sounding like a Muslim call to prayer (you'll have to forgive me if that's totally wrong). All the while jazz fusion elements build up in the background. I could go on and describe the rest but I recommend just listening to it yourself.

Turkmenistan's location in the world means it's no surprise this album seems to incorporate cultures and styles that cover the majority of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It really is something.

I only know two prog rock bands from Turkmenistan. Gunesh Ensemble and Firyuza. Both have released each one amazing album. Just as it happened on other countries, in the cited region progressive rock only started to develop on the passage from the 1970 to the 80's. But I can't tell you if there is(are) other prog rock releases from there. In a brief research I didn't find any other groups within this musical genre coming from Turkmenistan.

The first album from Gunesh Ensemble is from 1980, and this one came four years later. On that time, you couldn't Google about that country or their people. And if I'm not mistaken, the north-west side of the world had a simplified and naive preconception of the middle east region: thought as a population with a very traditional, archaic culture. It's very understandable that this work is so unknown by europeans and north-americans.

Don't be fooled by the beginning of this work. The sound of winds doesn't have anything to do with world music, new age and/or traditional songs. It ends very briefly and gives place to a consistent dynamic interplay of jazzy prog tunes disposed in various layers; lots of wind musical instruments collaborate. Next, a smoother jazz-prog takes in, but when they go back to a more energetic execution, starts to gather some few psychedelic ideas. These are replaced by a brief blend of electronic prog with world music. That´s when the first vocals are included; with almost 10 minutes of the vinyl. The vocals that are made before the end of side A, along with the use of atabaques and other percussions, delivers a charming oriental/arabic felling. The beginning of side B is similar to the first minutes of side A. Bass sometimes becomes a little funky, and the violin has the incredible ability to quickly change from a straight-rock tune to a more classical sound, or go very arabic. I find deeply touching those vocals that seem to be carried with some very profound and emotional lament, that can be heard only on the middle east. When he finishes, the drums, violins and atabaques get very fast, as they were celebrating an important confraternization. The last track, called Vietnamese Frescoes, can catch your attention because of its singularity and exotique musicality. But for me it's the weak part of this sublime effort. If this track wasn't there, I'd give them 4.7 stars.

4.4 on a five-star scale.

4.5 stars. GUNESH ENSEMBLE formed in Russia in 1970 as an all vocal band using "state" musicians for live shows mostly. They sang traditional folk songs for the most part. They were very much a collective, and as the seventies progressed they were adding musicians until they were a band, releasing their debut in 1980 with a Vietnamese female vocalist. "Looking At Earth" is their second and final recording from 1984 and features different singers bringing a world music vibe along with the few ethnic instruments that are in play. I do get the jazz fusion tag here with that drummer and bassist especially, and the occasional horn, not the blasting brass parts though.

There are eleven musicians plus vocalists on here. That closer "Vietnamese Frescoes" is like a visit to their previous album with those female Vietnamese vocals early on. Some powerful drumming followed by ethnic sounds. I have to say the first band that this record made me think of was ICEBERG out of Spain, and that's completely because of the drummer here, playing in that fast paced intricate style. He only knows one speed. The clavinet on here is awesome, and the violin is prominent later in the album, and is very impressive.

The album opens with the wind blowing for some time along with church bells ringing before it's like we're listening to a sample from a movie of guys talking including radio transmissions. There's an explosion too at one point before the clavinet comes out of this on fire before 2 minutes. Fast paced drums are in tow and then those five horn players lay down the law. Blasting in unity and the bass stands out too. This is all so good. Jazzy late with sax and more.

The second track "Bu Derdy" is another uptempo tune with the drums leading the way early on. An ethnic direction will follow after a gong. Some deep and I mean deep spoken words arrive at 3 minutes. It's spacey here. Ethnic male vocals follow sounding great, this is melancholic and we get some sitar too when the vocals stop. Multi-vocals are crying out late. The first two tracks along with "Rhythm Of The Caucasus" are my top three. The latter is the longest at 8 1/2 minutes. The clavinet is a great way to start as horns and more follow including violin. Guitar at 1 1/2 minutes. Ethnic vocals are crying out before 3 1/2 minutes in a powerful atmosphere. How good do those vocals sound a minute later. Drums lead around 5 1/2 minutes as the violin solos.

"Oriental Express" honestly sounds like a BRAND X track with those intricate sounds and drums leading the way. Very jazzy and we will get plenty of horns as well as guitar. A Fusion workout right there. "Wind From The Gang" and that Vietnamese closer keep me from rating this the full five stars. Still, I am into both tracks just not as much as I am the rest. This is an incredible record. Different. But a good different with some real players and singers, so much talent here. This will be high on my "best of" 1984 list.