PRESENT FROM NANCY / TO THE THE HIGHEST BIDDER

I used to erroneously believe that another Dutch band (Earth and Fire) were some kind of funk band, and that this Dutch band was a disco band fashioned after Rick James! ;-) So much for questionable choices in band names.

First, the negatives: The cd cover art here is lousy, and you get basically zero information in the liner notes about the band or the making of these albums; that would have been a nice plus. But I don't mark off for it...

The big positive is that you get two fantastic albums (probably the band's two best) in one affordable package. And this is a band that should be known to all progressive lovers. If you're a fan of Canterbury bands like Caravan and Hatfield & the North, this should please you. Lots of flute and sax, and the vocals are well done - I'm not even a huge fan of the wackier or "avant garde" stuff out there, but I do find this band a joy to listen to. There's a fair amount of dissonance and jazzy rock moments, especially on the "To The Highest Bidder" half of the cd. That second album seems to be a little more mature or thought out, but I love the way the first album ("Present From Nancy") sort of segues seamlessly from track to track. This is very fun progressive music with a surprising show of virtuosity and songwriting. Find it cheap someplace and give yourself a "present to the highest bidder"!...

Review Nº 791

Sweet OK Sister was a progressive rock band founded in 1967 in The Hague, Netherlands. They changed their name to Supersister later, but they're the same band. They became known as one of the best Canterbury bands, which is ironic because they weren't from Canterbury or even British. Though, they were considered part of the Canterbury Scene. They had a sound similar to The Soft Machine and Caravan. Supersister melted strongly influences of the Canterbury style with jazz and some typical Dutch progressive rock trademarks. Supersister originally released five full length studio albums between 1970 and 1974 with "Present From Nancy" and "To The Highest Bidder" being the first two.

"Present From Nancy/To The Highest Bidder" is a special compilation album of Supersister. This is an economic package including their debut studio album "Present From Nancy", released in 1970 and their second studio album "To The Highest Bidder", released in 1971, on a double disc. It includes two indispensable works from the band that would be a worth purchase. These are considered the two best studio works from the band. Both are two great works from Supersister in only one package. But, for those who have already both albums, this compilation album only can be interesting as an addition for those who are collectors and fans. Anyway, this is a cheaper way to can get both albums.

The line up on both albums is the same. So, we have here Robert Jan Stips (lead vocals, keyboards and vibes), Sacha Van Geest (vocals and flutes), Ron Van Eck (bass guitar and fuzz bass guitar) and Marco Vrolijk (vocals, drums and percussion). "Present From Nancy" has also the participation of Gehard Smid (vocals and guitars).

As I've already reviewed these two albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my both reviews. However, in here I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of both albums.

"Present From Nancy": "Present From Nancy" is an amazingly accomplished album for such a young new band. There are few bands who have managed to record such a strong, fully developed first album after only two years of existence. Supersister's debut effort remains one of Holland's best progressive rock albums and a classic of the genre worldwide, even though the group garnered only fringe interest outside of Europe. All elements of the band's sound are there. The excellent debut album of these young lads brings to us partly a very energetic and frenetic Canterbury sound but also with touches from the classical music. The closest connection to my mind would be The Soft Machine around 1969 but Supersister had a slightly less jazzy feeling being more accessible, less academic and had classical elements. But, unfortunately, "Present From Nancy" was a successful debut album by a band that has rightly been almost forgotten today, despite the high quality of their works in the 70's. However, anyone who appreciates Soft Machine and Caravan or the Canterbury sound in general shouldn't have any problems with it. This is an album that must be recommended.

"To The Highest Bidder": "To The Highest Bidder" is a great work that can be recommended to any Canterbury lover. Supersister's unique sound truly flourished on their second work. Keyboardist Stips had taken control of all the song writing and managed to work out the obvious influences of the band. At this point, Supersister isn't borrowing ideas from others. It's developing their own ideas alongside the biggest progressive rock acts at the time. Overall, this is an album with great complexity. It's very unique and great what Supersister has developed here. This is an album that just oozes the joy of playing and delivers a work that is fun from the beginning to the end. It's an album with many fine moments that are fun and clever too. But what it mostly accomplishes is to exorcise the band's interest in the studio experimentation, paving the way for more focused song writing on their next third work. If you're looking for an album that delivers a beautiful melodic and instrumental sound without being kitschy, you shouldn't go wrong with this album. So, this is a great album, an excellent starting point to further discover the music catalog of the group from The Hague.

Conclusion: "Present From Nancy" and "To The Highest Bidder" are two excellent progressive rock albums nothing inferior to many of the albums released by their contemporary progressive acts at the time. Both albums make part of some of the best works released in The Netherlands by their compatriots Focus, Finch, Kayak, Trace, Earth And Fire and Golden Earring. However, if you have already the two studio albums of the two individual works, you don't need to buy this compilation album because it has nothing new to offer, like bonus tracks, unless, you have a collector's spirit. In this case, it will be a nice addition to your collection. But, if you don't have these two albums and you own this compilation, it substitutes perfectly well those original albums. If this is the case you had save in money and space.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)