![]() |
RUPI'S DANCEIan AndersonProg Folk |
From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website
![Bookmark and Share](http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif)
![5 stars](static-images/5stars.gif)
![2 stars](static-images/2stars.gif)
![4 stars](static-images/4stars.gif)
"A Raft of Penguins" and "Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)" give off spirited feelings and melodies that really stay with you. The intricate orchestral pieces are also very beautiful. The fact that Ian plays flute is something that I probably don't have to explain, but once again, it's surprising how he conjures up all that inventiveness and virtuosity. At one moment you're moved and the next moment you're amazed. Admittedly, you must like progressive folk and classical style music, otherwise the album will not reveal its' secrets.
The instrumental "Eurology" has a taste of the 'Songs from the Woods' album and "Old Black Cat" leans towards the 'Heavy Horses' album. And if you hear a little something of "Stand Up" in "Photo Shop", then you're definitely aimed in the right direction.
We get loads of "new" progressive material every day, but lots of it is borrowed from the past or, even worse, a shameless copy. Sometimes a good "borrowed" copy can be better than a bad original, but if a living legend such as Ian Anderson brings out a great CD, then you can definitely understand why some people are world famous and others not!
![4 stars](static-images/4stars.gif)
With a well-dressed blend of rock, world and new age sensibilities, ANDERSON makes his way through 13 animated tracks and an extra special sneak preview of the "Christmas JT" album with "Birthday Card At Christmas," which I found to be delightful as well.
When Ian plays the flute, I get a big smile inside. Three songs grabbed me more than all the others... "A Week Of Moments," "A Hand Of Thumbs," and "Eurology," a stunning instrumental composition. I found all of them to be inexhaustible works of musical art.
I am still wondering how Ian holds his leg up against the other, keeps his balance, and nimbly plays the flute after all these years. He is truly a renaissance man with a multitude of talents to share with us all. This is merely one piece of his world. Do yourself a big favor this year, buy this CD and rub elbows with Ian ANDERSON.
Rating: 4.5/5
![5 stars](static-images/5stars.gif)
![2 stars](static-images/2stars.gif)
![4 stars](static-images/4stars.gif)
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
Ian Anderson is one of my favourite song writers of all time. Normally, as a leader for Jethro Tull - one of my favourite bands - here he is on his own. Some people seem to think that this album and the previous one, The Secret Language Of Birds, sounds just like Jethro Tull albums. These people cannot have heard many Jethro Tull albums. If this is to be compared with Jethro Tull it must be pointed out that this is a very naked and strongly acoustic Jethro Tull. But this is not enough to put them apart. The Secret Language Of Birds and Rupi's Dance are more towards Folk Pop than Prog Rock. It is certainly not mainstream, but also hardly progressive. Rupi's Dance is a slightly rockier and slightly better album compared to The Secret Language Of Birds. But otherwise these two albums are very similar to each other.
The songs on Rupi's Dance are all very well written, highly melodic, flawlessly performed, perfectly recorded, mixed and produced. Indeed, everything about this album is perfect to the point of verging towards being too perfect, almost glossy, but not quite so. Ian has a strong attention to detail and this is a high quality product. But I would certainly not call it progressive rock or compare it with Jethro Tull. An Ian Anderson solo album can, as far as I am concerned, never be compared with a Jethro Tull album.
I enjoy the heavily flute and vocal based musings of Rupi's Dance, and it is a good album overall. But I would certainly not put it up there with Jethro Tull's music. But this is a good Folk Pop album in it's own right. But certainly no more than that!
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
![4 stars](static-images/4stars.gif)
I remember looking at the Rupi's Dance CD cover, back in the fall of 2003, when it was first issued. I pondered the picture of an ageing "eccentric one-legged flautist" I had known from before, accompanied by a cute black kitten. I wasn't sure what it meant, but it touched some strings deep inside. I had to have it, there and then.
I clearly remember it was in the Heath Row airport in London, England, in one of those rip-off stores that take advantage of jet-lagged, disoriented transatlantic travelers. The CD was outrageously expensive ... £22.00, I think. I bought it and started listening to it on my laptop, while in a waiting lounge.
I thought Rupi's Dance would (hopefully) take me to the Tull's memory lane, and it did, but more importantly, I found myself making an unexpected excursion into the depth of Europe. Have you ever had this curious "homesick" feeling for places you have never been to? Like, wouldn't you wish you were sitting in this little Italian/Serbian/Portuguese cafe, on a leafy cobbled street named after a guy who had lived and died centuries before Columbus sailed off to "India". Drinking coffee as thick as yellow pea soup, watching in slo-mo the sand of time trickle between your fingers. But, this is a prog forum, so we shan't digress any more.
Back to the Tull experience: having listened to Rupi's Dance a few times, I conceived a disturbing thought: what if there had never been such thing as Jethro Tull band? Only a mighty Nordic deity Ian Anderson, towering over a couple of musicians who played along with him?
Because Rupi's Dance is more Jethro Tull than anything else. Granted, somewhat tamer, smoother and more melancholic than their prominent 1970's efforts, but still the same relentless Jethro Tull we knew - adorned with the appropriate signs of graceful ageing.
The music is really pretty and tasteful. If you like what's now called prog-folk, you'll enjoy the whole 50+ minutes of Rupi's dance. The lyrics is witty. The band is great, and all the sound engineering technicalities are perfect. The flute is still there, and is being put to a good use. Wish this album was available on vinyl, but one can't have everything, can one?
Since Rupi's Dance really isn't opening any new frontiers, I will assign it 4 stars, even though it's probably more like 9/10.
![5 stars](static-images/5stars.gif)
![4 stars](static-images/4stars.gif)
"I was trying to explain this piece to a journalist as being a pun on the study of the urinary tract and its diseases when he asked me if it was difficult to play. "No, it's a piece of piss, actually", I offered" Quoted from Mr. Anderson relating to the track "Eurology".
Whereas I really liked "The Secret Language of Birds" album I absolutely adore this album. I have no hesitation whatsoever in awarding this album 4 stars. Nothing on it is throwaway or padding.
![3 stars](static-images/3stars.gif)
What doesn't work at all are the solo acoustic and full band hybrid songs such as "I Get Lost In Crowds", with it's jarring electric guitar riffing choruses, and "A Raft Of Penguins", with it's forced orchestral string embellishments. The two instrumentals, "Eurorolgy" and "Griminelli's Lament" are trite and come off as album filler, even though Anderson may been enamored with them.
This is not a terrible album by any means, but Rupi's Dance falls short of the excellence displayed by it's predecessor. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
IAN ANDERSON Rupi's Dance ratings only
chronological order | showing rating only
-
andretecno@ig
-
juangl062@hot
-
kajetan (kajetan)
-
Voyteck
-
kyrandia
-
sauromat (alexander)
-
papini_xiii (Hitomi Takayama)
-
fifek (Rafal Bigda)
-
JJ (Jorma J)
-
Mirsset (Miroslav Krajnik)
-
mdelval (Manuel del Val Latorre)
-
Menestrel (Diego Bezerra)
-
lampernaqui
-
BarryGlibb (B)
-
stefanbedna (STEFAN)
-
yair010390 (Eduardo Yair Robles Jiménez)
-
check7 (Jan Dolezel)
-
Lynx33 (Balázs Markó)
-
Anster (Anton Ermakov)
-
R. Hugo (R.Hugo Villanueva J.)
-
Thewitchdoctor (Jesse Ainsworth)
-
magoatem (Fabio Poggi)
-
cloudynow
-
ssudak (Alex Sudak)
-
mogol
-
CJSrans (Jose)
-
Lemmings (Naji Chmayssani)
-
king Of karate (Alex)
-
al b
-
Dr. Yes (Artem)
-
Retropolis (A Blaze)
-
mohaveman
-
milosshomi80 (milos)
-
carlazy (Eugene)
-
BrunoSamppa (Bruno Sampaio B.)
-
tmay102436 (Thomas May)
-
hawkzen (Kenneth Borody)
-
SergeUnseen (Serge Filimonov)
-
Jihnik1958 (Evgeniy)
-
Wanorak (Jeff Nichols)
-
pars (Valeriy)
-
progstreaming (Markwin Meeuws)
-
Rendref (Ilia)
-
Psychomodo (Mike)
-
Tasartir (Alex)
-
nickel (Jon)
-
progressouno
-
faroutsider (Craig Farham)
-
Sabbather (Temo)
-
Progosopher (Robert Fox)
-
BORA
-
GKR (Gustavo)
-
mwood (Marshall Wood)
-
deckard33 (Leullier)
-
sorcerer kermes (arvin)
-
Proglandish
-
teermin8r (Christopher Teer)
-
plam
-
Serg (Sergey)
-
Kingsnake (Kingsnake)
-
Ackspice
-
sergeyluk (sergey)
-
JAK
-
csurbanov
-
Antony (Antony)
-
Jeth (Vadim)
-
proghaven (Nicolas N. Sorokin)
-
Guran7004 (Lars-Göran Rosén)
-
Tull Tales (Bruce O)
-
Kogaion (Dragos MASALA)
-
GaryD
-
Silenus (Tom)
-
thoughtships (Nick Lee)
-
Sina_81 (Sina HM)
-
Gongo
-
freewheeler (Sergei Komarov)
-
Gopo (Popescu Radu)
-
charles_ryder (Alexandr)
-
NoSonOfVine (Thomas)
-
proggrog80
-
improove
-
The Engineer
-
Matt-T (Matthew E Thomas)
-
crimsogenes
-
Harkonnen (Alex Ramos)
-
floflo79 (Florian Decros)
-
Aleandro96 (Alejandro Leandro Brenes)
-
delu
-
Ennio
-
andrewdene (Andrew Dene Helbig)
-
Progear (Progear)
-
Pieromcdo (Pierre McDonald)
-
pepecastello (jose castello)
-
zuzuwelsh (Bob Welsh)
-
Dima_Phoenix (Dmitrij)
-
Edwin333 (Ed Lohrer)
-
occido
-
rocknrolldoctor (Uwe Schwarz)
-
filofeev (filofeev)
-
klawyer
-
mud (Sergey)
-
manga
-
postprog (U. Schwarz)
-
yoghill (Thierry ANTOINE)
-
bessiegilsson (Bessi)
-
Pintos (Sasha)
-
Hanz24 (Hansel Hernández Córdoba)
-
Liam Walrus (Waldemar Corner)
-
ed14 (ILDAR)
-
negipan (KH)
-
cunico (Wilson)
-
pelham (roberto poggetti)
-
dimonichlv
-
khonepius
-
fant0mas
-
karolcia (Piotr Lachowicz)
-
pink_prog80 (milos)
-
APartOfTheUniverse (Matthew)
-
marc.josep (Marc)
-
puzart (Artur)
-
luminol (ivan)
-
gegece (gustavo garate de Nacional)
-
hockeyhabs00 (perry)
-
Maggese (Kürşat)
-
freewheeleer1962 (Sergei Komarov)
-
HarryAngel746 (Maciej) COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
-
Q_ukko (Tuukka Jussila)
-
Fischman (John Fisch)
-
land9004 (land9004)
-
carltonh (Carlton Hobbs)
-
Trinity S (Mark)
-
Soul2Create (David Romera)
-
sepozzsla (Santiago Mendoza)
-
dyyigor1958 (Igor)
-
Soulshine
-
Kalacho (Carlos Mendoza)
-
marus (Alexey)
-
Tipper112 (Sam)
-
SkynyrdLynyrd175 (Ivan Zemlyakov)
-
Psychedelic Paul (Paul)
-
joseph1962 (Joseph Acocella)
-
Halcott (S.Novitskaya)
-
Fernandi (Fernandi Gunawan)
-
Snafje
-
Philchem8 (Phil C)
-
zeb1981 (Tom-Erik Løe)
-
jordiyes
-
Karagote (Kastytis)
-
jacobaeus (Alberto Nucci)
-
Kaplan (Stéphane Laquerrière)
-
g.bostock (Chris)
-
LevySpearmen (Brian)
-
Dr. Whatnick (Vano Mouradeli)
-
Art for Rock (Alexandr)
-
progresssaurus (Jara)
-
PintosMob (Olek)
Post a review of IAN ANDERSON Rupi's Dance
You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.
MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE
As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.
You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).