FLYTE

Symphonic Prog • Belgium

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Flyte biography
Founded in Breda, Netherlands in 1975 (Originally as "Grace") - Disbanded in 1981

I have to be honest, before I even heard FLYTE I had prejudices; the comments and reviews were simply terrible, so it was a pleasant surprise, because bad ... they are not, but neither are they excellent. The band sounds almost like a hybrid between Camel, King Crimson, ELP, Genesis, Yes, a bit of Flemish influences and a good dose of Neo Prog. The main problem is that they don't seem to find their identity, while the keyboards are lush and borderline pompous, the frey with the line that divides Symphonic and Neo Prog: the guitar has Hard Rock fugues and the weak vocals by Lu Rousseau (in the rare occasions you can listen to them) are somewhere else. To achieve success with such an eclectic blend of styles, you have to be extraordinarily good and IMO they were only very good.

They started in 1972 in Breda, a Southern-Holland town near the Belgium border (this explains the Flemish influence) when a group of students from both countries decided to create a Prog band following the example of FOCUS, in those days the band had a female vocalist named Kitty Maanders who became later FLYTE. Not much is known about the story of FLYTE between their formation and the moment in which they reach their definitive line-up including Lu Rousseau (lead vocals, percussion), Ruud Worthman (acoustic and electric guitars), Jack van Liesdonck (acoustic and electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer), Leo Cornelissens (electric organ, mellotron, string ensemble, vocals), Hans Marynissen (percussion) and Peter Dekeersmaeker (bass, vocals) with whom they released their one and only album "Dawn Dancer" on the Don Quixote micro label in 79.

The last thing I want to do is to scare you away, the music of FLYTE is very good, they had great ideas but weren't able to paste them all with absolute coherence, maybe they were too ambitious, but there's a lot of enjoyable material and mellotron. Their sole album was reissued by the French Musea label in the early 90's.

Iv�n Melgar Morey - Per�

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FLYTE discography

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FLYTE top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.04 | 53 ratings

Dawn Dancer
1979

FLYTE Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

FLYTE Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

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FLYTE Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

FLYTE Reviews

Showing last 10 reviews only

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by b_olariu
Prog Reviewer

Flyte is a belgian progressive rock band band who beggin their adventure rather to late in this bussines when prog music is almost in decline, but with all that they manage to come with a single album released in 1979 named Dawn dancer, re issue by Musea in 1994 on CD. An enjoyble album to me, something between Machiavel and traces of Genesis here and there in their most symphonic moments. The album as a whole is a good one, not something special, some parts are kind art rock with prog influences, and some of them are realy great, like instrumental Grace, smooth arrangements, great guitar who interludes perfectly with the mellotron. Another good piece is the opening track Woman, I like the guitar very much how manage to create some special hormonies. I might add that the instrumental passages are all great, only in some parts the voice drag the album to be so unjoyble in places. So, to me a good album, that is maybe at some point to low rated, as I said not something special but not a bad album for sure, I know worst albums then this Dawn dancer. 3 stars as a whole.

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by ZowieZiggy
Prog Reviewer

To release your debut album in the prog genre in 1979 was rather hazardous. It wasn't very much in the mood any longer to say the least.

This album, while holding several symph number also features several harder or more art-rock oriented music : "Aim At The Head" or "Your Breath Enjoyer" for instance which style is difficult to identify. The song goes in too many directions. It changes from style almost every thirty seconds.

Throughout this album, there are lots of keys of course, but guitar as well like like during "Dawn Dancer". Usually with an almost hard attack.

"Heavy, Like a Child" is probably the weakest song on this album. The opener being the most attractive one, while the instrumental "Grace" features nice mellotron and a powerful melody. Great guitar break as well.

Lyrics for "You're Free, I Guess" are very poor. It's a pity because the instrumental parts are quite good. The very pompous "King of Clouds" is appealing as well. Aerial vocals and very melodic guitar. Background keyboards are superb. This is the most symphonic song of this album and the one I prefer.

The closing number should have been an all instrumental. Vocals are pretty weak.

If you can make abstraction of some poor vocals, this album might please you. Nothing essential though. Three stars.

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by Vasil Jalabadze

Yes, the first 15 minute maybe is not very well composed and is mush more similar to camel's ordinary albums like "I can see your house from here", "Stationary Traveller" etc. but the rest is quite good - at least not worst.

Best tracks are "Aim at the head", "Your breath enjoyer" both with the Hammils like vocal !!! Also good number is the next one "King of clouds".

So I give this album 3,5 stars without a doubt.

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by erik neuteboom
Prog Reviewer

I noticed on this site that Americans and Canadians more than once confuse Belgium and Holland, they mentioned that Trace is from Belgium or Machiavel is from Holland. Here is the solution: Flyte, a band with members from Belgium and Holland!

The sound from this one shot band (rooted in the early Seventies and disbanded in 1981) is melodic and the compositions are alternating: the tracks "Woman", Aim at your head" and "Your breath enjoyer" contain lots of howling guitar and lush keyboards. More dreamy and rather compelling are "Heavy like a child", King of clouds" and the highlight "Brain damage" featuring beautiful duo-keyboard work and wonderful electric guitarplay. This album has echoes from Camel, it often sounds like guest appearances from Latimer and Barden! The rating for this album changes from 2 stars (from a crafty but far too venomous and sarcastic person who nailed Museo Rosenbach and England so I don't take that very seriously!) and 4 stars, I keep it on 3 stars: a decent and pleasant progrock album, no more or less.

www.progwalhalla.com

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by Progbear
Prog Reviewer

A large Dutch/Flemish septet that had an intriguing line-up (vocals, guitars, drums, percussion, bass and dual keys) but didn't really exploit it to the degree that they could have. Musically, this is fairly straight-on sympho, and while some of the tunes have surprising twists and turns, there's little here that hasn't been done before elsewhere, and better at that. Even the percussive bits, which are somewhat compelling, are basically the same basic concept as what the band Corte Dei Miracoli were doing on their much superior album. And again, this is a case of two average keyboardists not doing anything that one good one couldn't.

The vocals are hopeless, a ridiculously histrionic lunatic attempting to cover up his lack of vocal range. It doesn't help that the English lyrics are beyond silly. "Be my day's destroyer, I'm your breath enjoyer", and that's not even the worst of what's here.

Quite unsurprisingly, the high point of the whole album is "Grace", an instrumental.

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by loserboy
Prog Reviewer

FLYTE's "Dawn Dancer" has been a staple in the prog collection of many prog heads for many years and for good reason. In many ways FLYTE's style mirrors that of CAMEL and yet offers its own personality

Studio Album, 1979
3.04 | 53 ratings
BUY

Dawn Dancer
Flyte Symphonic Prog

Review by Sean Trane
Special Collaborator Prog Folk

One of the worst thing to come out of Belgium along with Plastic Bertrand and the Hollywood Bananas. And the last two were at least funny in their ridicule. This album is majorly boring , very uneventful and did not stand a second listen even though I had rented it out for the full week duration.

Best Avoided - this is coming from a Belgian.

Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates