JAN AKKERMAN & KAZ LUX: TRANSPARENTAL

In 1980 Jan Akkerman made another album with his old Brainbox buddy and singer Kaz Lux. Three years earlier, in 1977, they made a duo album for the first time. This album (Eli) contained some good, warm sounding tracks. On it Akkerman didn't showcase his pyrotechnics but played his tasteful chords. It was recorded with the help of interesting musicians like Pierre van der Linden (ex-Brainbox, ex-Focus, ex-Trace) and Rick van der Linden (ex-Ekseption, ex-Trace).

The new collaboration is also done with the help of the van der Linden's (no relatives) but it sounds rather cold, when compared to Eli. There is still the bluesy voice of Lux and there are even some solos by Akkerman. But all in all it is less appealing. Overall it sounds funky. The first two tracks are all right and Marcha is a nice ballad, but the last two tracks are just fillers (the last one a bad reggae tune).

If you enjoyed Eli, you better listen to this one before you purchase it, because it sounds completely different.

Avant-garde elevator crap

Insert sound of toilet flushing here. Well, that's not fair Jan Akkerman is arguably one of the greatest guitarists this planet has produced but he certainly is not that on this pile of garbage. You would think that he might have learned something after losing his contract with Atlantic Records after 1979s catastrophic Jan Akkerman 3. Kaz Lux's soulful vocals are just wasted here and can't save anything that is about to go wrong on Transparental. And don't be decieved by the fact that Jan's old Focus buddy Pierre van der Linden is on drums and that keyboard wizard Rick van der Linden is also part of this conspiracy.

The absolute worst piece of rot that Akkerman has ever produced can be found on this record ( it never made it onto CD for good reason ) in the form of The Party Is Over a bad attempt at reggae that would have Bob Marley doing backflips in his grave. Maybe he should have called it My Career Is Over just like he should have called I Don't Take It Much Longer I Can't Take It Any Longer. Both don't even deserve to be called music. The title track features a riff that would later surface on Funkology from 1982s It Could Happen To You. At least some good emerged from this scrap heep. A ballad appears in the form of Marsha. Who was Marsha? Some cheap callgirl? Inspiration is a funked up atrocity that reminds me of some of the trash that appeared on Jan Akkerman 3, but what was it inspired by? The seagulls fighting over the carcass of a rotting fish at the local garbage dump.

I honestly would rather listen to a Céline Dion record that the dog got a hold of. It's so sad that such great talent can get sucked down by a maestrom of sludge and swept into the gutter. Tranparental is great to listen to if you're having drunken bimbo sex at 3:30 AM. I can't go more than one star on this piece of work and that's only for the cover. If you want to hear what the Jan Akkerman/Kaz Lux duo can do I suggest 1977s Eli or the 1969 self titled Brainbox album. Staaaaaay away from this one at all costs. Sorry Jan.