CULPEPER'S ORCHARD

The self titled debut album from the Danish CULPEPER'S ORCHARD is actually a fairly impressive entry into the early progressive/post-psychedelic ranks. Indeed, it's probably among the finest albums I've heard in this particular style. At once highly melodic and whimsical, the band has a sharp knack for dark, swirling psychedelia and stunning melancholy. Essentially, the sound is characterized by a hefty amount of overlaid clean, jangling electric guitars, punctuated by the occasional surging distorted riff or fuzzed out solo. Vocals are smoky and sublime, capable of some extraordinarily addictive melodies, fusing beautifully with the grace and atmosphere of the rest of the album. Having not heard much other Danish prog to compare this to, one pleasant surprise was that even though the lyrics are in English, there is scarcely an accent to be detected. Not sure if that's par for the course or not, but I wouldn't know this album wasn't from England unless informed otherwise. The lyrics are generally pleasantly eccentric, often strikingly evocative if marred by the occasionally embarrassing line.

Anyway, despite all the attributes of the album, there are some flaws, mostly having to do with a lack of consistency throughout. Had the strength of the first half of the album, particularly in the rousing "Mountain Music Part 1" and the stunningly gorgeous "Teaparty for an Orchard", been sustained on the second, this would be an unequivocal classic. As it stands, CULPEPER'S ORCHARD get less interesting from "Ode to Resistance" on, until we are rescued by the sweepingly powerful closer, "Mountain Music Part 2". Sure, the redundant refrains of "Gideon's Trap" and "Blue Day's Morning" may fly by unnoticed the first few times through, being buried in the middle of the album (as filler should be), but more frequent listenings do reveal a drop in quality towards the latter half. Still, a continuity is undoubtedly maintained through the general tone and atmosphere that renders the albums weaker sections more anonymous than offensive.

Culpeper's Orchard is one of those pivotal group from Denmark. not that they became very popular or had an impressive release catalogue (max 4 to my knowledge), but they made with this debut , an album that sort of set the standard for Danish bands for years to come. Not particularly prog if you are to compare it with the prog classic from England of those same years , but progressive enough AND A DAMN GOOD ROCK'N ROLL ALBUM!!!!

This is an album really on the borderline of psych and prog much the same way that Burnin'Red Ivanhoe's and Ache's debut were also! Another classic Danish rock album from those years would be The Old Man And The Sea's sole album. I can only tell you to read Angelo's review here below as I could not agree more with him on his description of the music, although I find him a bit harsh about Ode To Resistance! Yes, from a prog point of view side 2 is a little weaker but on a rock point of view , this is another album album!

Certainly this is not a fully progressive album, but considered in the context of history, it is a remarkable album in the genre. The titans of progressive rock were also only flirting with the genre in 1970. Tull's "Benefit," Genesis' "Trespass," Yes' "Time and a Word," and ELP's eponymous album could also hardly be considered fully progressive in scope. Truth is that Culpeper's Orchard's debut is a great rock and roll album flirting with elements that would soon blossom into the melodic/symphonic/blues/folk progressive rock scene. Of course, in terms of complexity, eclecticism and dynamic progression, some of the Canterbury blokes were already ahead of the game, but Culpeper's Orchard deserves mention alongside the burgeoning progressive scene.

This album was my own introduction to the Danish progressive rock, and it is certainly a very good album. Though the opener "Banjocul" is quite unnecessary intro without much happening in it, the following "Mountain Music part 1" really shows the band's talent and the characteristic manners of their style, this being artistic bluesy hard rock of the early 1970's with many kind of details and influences enriching their sound as unique and personal. Layers of acoustic guitars soften the quieter parts, which contrast the more faster and heavier phases, creating nice tensions to the songs. Compositions are also quite sophisticated, and the majority of the music is controlled with surprising rhythm changes and arrangements for larger amount of instruments. All this is also nicely balanced with moments for open jamming, and the music sounds free, relaxed and powerful. In the first song's guitar work I'm hearing some similarities in the playing of The Who's Peter Townshed style, aggressive rock'n'roll riffs with manic rhythms and roaring tones. The heaviness of this music could be compared to early 1970's Deep Purple, only that these guys are more personal, artistic and richer with nuances than the British group mentioned. "Hey You People" is a short upright acoustic piece with multiple vocal harmonies, and it leads directly to "Teaparty for an Orchard", over a six minutes long track with euphoric acoustic beginning, which morphs as a another sequence with different melodies trough an acid soundscape. "Ode to Resistance" has some nice flutes, and as these are companied with an acoustic guitar, baritone vocals and interesting hard rock punches, this could be compared with "Aqualung"-era Jethro Tull. "Gideon's Trap" sounds then like Procol Harum, as it builds up from minor steady beating bluesy tune for piano and organ, the roaring solo guitar bursting at the end. The theme of the first song continues in the conclusion, creating a loose concept structure to this fabulous album, which I would really recommend to all those who like artistic 1970's classic rock music. What here was really pleasant to my ear were also the singing, as this is not done in the usual fjord vocals style familiar from the days of this recording (Uriah Heep's vocals were called as such, sounding like somebody is falling of a fjord in a very cold day).

This self titled studio album is the debut album from Danish band Culpeper´s Orchard. Culpeper´s Orchard is fronted by former Cy, Maia and Robert member Cy Nicklin. Cy Nicklin is as opposed to the rest of the band from England which means that the vocals are not strongly accented which sometimes was a problem with other danish acts from the sixties and the seventies.

The music reminds me a lot of the early Jethro Tull albums This Was and Stand Up without exactly sounding like Jethro Tull though. But try and listen to Your Song & Mine or Ode to Resistance and tell me that this doesn´t sound like Jethro Tull. I can almost imagine the flute from Ian Anderson even though there are little flute on this album ( there are some flute in Ode to Resistance though). The music is very guitar driven and there are some great bluesy soloing here and there from lead guitarist Niels Hendrikson. Songs like Mountain Music Part 1, Teaparty for an Orchard and Your Song & Mine are great examples of bluesy and mildly progressive music that Culpeper´s Orchard play. I also hear some cream and Wishbone Ash in the music. The Eclectic prog tag is just right as there are both folk, psych and blues rock in the music.

The musicianship is great and I really enjoy Cy Nicklin´s vocals. He´s not a very distinct vocalist but he has a pleasant style. The instrumentation is mostly stripped down to vocals, guitars, bass and drums but there are parts with organ, piano or flute.

The production is really good. Warm and pleasant.

Seen from a progressive angle this debut album from Culpeper´s Orchard isn´t the most exciting release but it´s still good rock music and does deserve 3 stars. It´s only mildly progressive but still serves as a good representative of the early seventies Danish experimental music scene. Listen to the album more than once. I know I did and it still grows on me so it might be a 4 star rating some time in the future. There are more details here than you´ll probably hear on initial listen.

Sure, it might be hard to get a hold of the music of CULPEPER'S ORCHARD (Haven't been album to find their second album yet myself) but the fact their self titled album won't even appear when you search under Denmark on the PA Top Albums' page is an injustice! Find it and start rating it people! It's worth the effort because what you have here is a genuine prog rock band that delivers both the prog and the rock. Lyrical quality is top notch and Cy Nicklin and Neils Hendrikson deliever them with a strong and versatile voices. CULPEPER'S ORCHARD members are no slouches with instruments in hand either. Neils Hendrikson dominates the lead guitar while also contributing some harpsichord! But this isn't about the work of one great instrumentalist as all four members show great skill at their craft and work together in perfect sync. The highlight tracks on this album would be highlights for any rock band: Mountain Music (both parts), Teaparty for an Orchard, Your Song & Mine, and Gideon's Trap. Don't be scared off by the odd little opening track Banjocul, this is just a nice little acoustic opener to a fantastic rock album. Certainly and excellent addition to any collection! While not quite an essential I'd consider my prog collection forever incomplete if I somehow lost my copy. 4.4999999 stars really.

Not a progressive rock masterpiece, but excellent rock all around. I think 1970's were still the beginning of the classic era so CULPEPER'S ORCHARD isn't out of place. The music is a mix of rock, folk, blues and probably other stuff as well, sometimes very guitar heavy and very remniscent of LED ZEPELIN for example. Highlight would probably be the two part eclectic "Mountain Music" with over 14 minutes in length but "Your Song & Mine" is a good rock out track as well. There are some needles fillers but they don't ruin it but sometimes bring a country music atmosphere in them (which is something that prevails at the end of their career allegedly).

A friend of mine asked me name, in my opinion, five best albums of all time. In order, at that. Well, "In the court of the crimson king" got the No.1-spot and Culpeper's Orchard came in as No.2. Alongside the Crimson debut this album ranks among my absolute favorite albums of all time.

I bought it in a recordstore with the basic selection of albums, ranging from the usual pop to the usual metal, but in the far corner there was a shelf with hard to get reissues with the likes of Leaf Hound, Kahvas Jute, Dr. strangely Strange and so on. And then there was Culpeper. The cover struck me immediately, of course. Such a magnificent piece of art. This purchase took place way before internet, so there wasn't any chance of me really finding out anything about the band, apart from the fact that they seemed to be danish and maybe with an english speaking singer. Anyway... I bought the album and I have never looked back.

The music is an interesting mix of hard rock, folk an Tull-ish prog, I'd say. The music is hard rock in a way thah Tull was at the time but retaining a personality of it's own. There are also the scent of late 60's folky rock-approach of, say, Grateful Dead in "Hey, you people".

From the opening "Banjocul" to the magnificent, omnipotent, powerful "Mountain musit Pt.2" the album never lets up. I find it to be the perfect mix between prog, hard rock and folk. Culpeper never sounded this good or this inspired again. The musucianship is great and played with a really rough edge, which I like. The atmosphere is english with danish topping and that is really great. Danish prog seems to me almost as good as the british, which I always prefer.

Amazing album and really one of the jewels in the crown if prog. There you have it.

"Nicholas Culpeper (1616 - 1654) was an English botanist, psychologist and astrologer. He is known for his work with herbs, for use against diseases and was against the doctors from his time. Lawyers and Priests used Latin as there Internal language to demean the normal citizen, who didn't understand that language. Culpeper's Orchard was formed in 1969, their name was made as a memorial for Nicholas Culpeper."

Culpeper's Orchard are: Cy Nicklin (lead vocals, rhythm & acoustic guitars, percussion), Neils Hendrikson (lead guitar, piano, lead vocals, harpsichord), Michael Friss (bass, organ, flute, two finger piano, percussion), Rodger Barker (drums, percussion). This album has a psychedelic (as you can see at the cover art) blues rock mixed with folk passages. You will find some folky banjo at the opening title. The second track, Mountain Music Part. 1, reminds me of Jethro Tull early albums like Stand Up, and suddenly falls into a Led Zepellin kind of hard rock domain with very interesting guitar riffs and solo by Neils Hendrikson. After the guitar rage, the track becomes slow, with acoustic background and another deep solo. Hey You People has a psychedelic prog vibe, with a little Beatles touch. A short song. Teaparty For An Orchard background organ and acoustic rhythm guitar chords are beautiful. Listening to this album you will find the guitar solos very Clapton'esque, bluezy and deep, and the lead guitar is always doing something! Ode To Resistance start as a simple folk song and surprises with a heavy heavy metal breakdown. The track goes on ranging between hard rock heavy riffs and folk parts. The guitar riffs and solos just rules (as the whole album riffs and solos)! The hard rock finalization part kick asses and the song continues in a quick folk ending, with strings and flutes in a very Jethro Tull way. Your Song & Mine is one of my favorites, the acoustic guitar picking rhythm has a great beat, and fits perfect with the electric guitar and bass. It's a hard rock track.The short chorus including piano is kinda boring imo, but it's very short, it does not change anything. Gideon's Trap is boring, but the guitar solo saves the track. Blue Day's Morning is an acoustic track. Pretty fingering guitar melody. So we have another Mountain Music, the Part 2. This second part is great as the previous one. The beggining sounds like a moody rock, but after a few minutes the track gets happier turning into a blues, with an interesting high bassline. The song back to the angry rock, but you will find a cool harpsichord at the guitar solo background this time. The ending of the track is just like Banjocul, the first track. My CD version features three additional tracks, including the live track Classified Ads (almost 10 minutes). All good tracks.

If you like prog folk like Jethro Tull and are looking for oldschool guitar heroes from the psychedelia era like Hendrix, Page and Clapton, you must try this one!

This is arguably one of the top 10 70s European (non-British) albums in any sub-genre of rock music. I am personally amazed by al its virtues (solid songwriting, energy and power without ever being too heavy or pompous, excellent vocals in English) and it gives me a very euphoric feel whenever I listen to it (especially flowing, fresh tracks like the excellent "Teaparty for an Orchard"), despite the fact that it also contains a few great somber tracks like "Gideon's Trap". It culminates with the high-energy, amazingly climaxing "Mountain Music Part 2". The album is vaguely "prog", more reminiscent of 1969-71 Vertigo British albums. Elements of Procol Harum, Jethro Tull or even CSNY are present, but the sound is original and very very pleasant.

On Culpeper's Orchard self-titled debut album they play a style of heavy psych-prog influenced by a mixture of the proto-prog sounds of the late 1960s and the West Coast folk-rock of the same time period. Gideon's Trap, for instance, sounds uncannily like a slightly harder-rockin' Procol Harum, whilst the brief piece Hey You People features vocal harmonies which put me in mind of a blend between the Moody Blues and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Bookended by the extended jams of Mountain Music, the album visits a range of styles over its running time, with occasional visits to folk and good old-fashioned rock and roll rooted in a psych-prog foundation. The group didn't make a whole lot of note after this, but in terms of artistic accomplishment they didn't really need to - this is a rare example of a "forgotten gem" which really is a gem.

I feel 4.5 stars is the right rating for me but I'm bumping it up this time because this is one special album folks. They are from Denmark and this their debut was released in 1970. They were actually led by an Englishman named Cy Nicklin who was the vocalist and rhythm guitar player. His vocals are really good and one of the highlights for me. The music is a bit all over the place but hey it's 1970 so we get sixties sounding stuff, some hard rock, some folky bits and more. The thing is each song is so well composed and appealing to me. If there's one complaint it's too commercial sounding at times and although it doesn't sound like WISHBONE ASH's "Argus" at all it's very melodic like that with a bunch of really good tunes.

"Banjocul" is the less than one minute opener that is basically banjo and folky vocals. Kind of gives the wrong impression as to what will follow but Cy was really into Folk music as the following albums would show. "Mountain Music(Part 1)" is my favourite. Man what a hard rocking tune this is at times. Just love that lead guitar and mood. Lots of depth to the sound too with those upfront bass and drums. The guitar is lighting it up after a minute then a heavy rhythm section kicks in as the guitar lays the soundscape waste. Heavy stuff 2 1/2 minutes in. Love those vocals too. A guitar solo follows that goes on and on. Nice. It ends before 4 1/2 minutes as a calm takes over that is so beautiful with the softer vocals, organ, picked guitar and a beat. Almost CAMEL-like here. The guitar is back before 5 1/2 minutes as the vocals step aside. Great song!

"Hey You People" is an uptempo 60's sounding tune with multi-vocals or double tracked. Love it! Such a feel-good song. It turns surprisingly heavy after a minute to the end. "Teaparty For An Orchard" is a top three for me. It opens with some heaviness as the vocals join in. Such a pleasant voice. I love when it settles down, so beautiful. I'm moved. The heaviness returns and I do like that melancholic chorus. Suddenly it turns experimental after 2 1/2 minutes, avant is the word. It kicks back in before 3 1/2 minutes with the guitar out front. Soon the focus is on the vocals around 4 minutes in before it kicks back in again. Organ too then it turns heavy again with vocals around 5 minutes.

"Ode To Resistance" has some gorgeous acoustic guitar to start as reserved vocals and flute join in. Suddenly heavy outbursts arrive before 1 1/2 minutes then it kicks in heavily before settling back like before but with drums this time. It's heavy again and more passionate vocals follow after 3 minutes. The guitar is lighting it up before 5 minutes. Flute follows as it settles some to the end.

"Your Song And Mine" is the other top three song for me. It opens with a heavy guitar line with drums and bass. Vocals join in too. I like this one a lot. It changes after 1 1/2 minutes as the vocals have a higher pitch then he goes back to those more serious vocals. Themes are repeated. Nice guitar solo starting before 3 minutes. "Gideon's Trap" opens with some rare piano before a beat with vocals and more joins in. This reminds me of THE BEATLES. We get a guitar solo after 4 minutes as the vocals step aside for the rest of the track.

"Blue Day's Morning" is a short track with acoustic guitar melodies and vocals throughout. I like it. "Mountain Music(Part 2)" ends the album and we get that same depth of sound as in Part 1 that I liked. Vocals come in singing "One grain of sand, one grain of sand in all this world". The guitar and vocals lead the way here. Check out the bluesy guitar solo that starts before 4 minutes. Another guitar solo starts before 5 1/2 minutes and goes on for a minute. The album ends just like it began with banjo!

I liked this from the first spin and while it's far from perfect this is solid from top to bottom and a lot of fun.