ETCETERA

Denmark is such a unique country when it comes to our music. My favourites from here tend to be Jazz related and Psychedelic. Symphonic music is rare in Denmark with ACHE contributing to that sub-genre in the early 70's then ZARAGON with that one record in the 80's then this band ETCETERA giving us three studio albums in the late 90's and one in the early 00's. They began as a duo(high school friends) who were inspired by a JETHRO TULL concert and this was in the mid 80's but it wasn't until 1998 that we got their self titled debut along with their second aptly called "The Difficult Second" (haha). The following year in 1999 we got their best album up to this point "Fin De Siecle".

There are three or four musicians who played on the first three albums sometimes listed as guests sometimes as members but the one constant is Frank Carvahlo the guitarist, keyboardist and composer. I gave their debut 3.5 stars but for me "Fin De Siecle" is a step up in many ways with some surprises as well. The negative is the programmed drums although we get Johnny McCoy an original member(along with Frank) adding drums on two tracks and he's listed here as a guest. So I have a top four while the title track which is the closer, that second track "Infinite Chords" and the fourth song "Vuggevise" just landing outside of my favourites.

"Charles Unhealthy Pictures" brings GENESIS to mind right away but that changes and vocals arrive at 1 1/2 minutes. Nice upfront bass and backing vocals too. I really like this. Synths then organ and how about that distorted organ around 4 1/2 minutes and later at 6 minutes sounds amazing, so Canterbury. "Gongtric" is a mid paced track with some depth although it mellows out before 3 minutes as melancholic synths arrive. Nice. There's a MOVING GELATINE PLATES moment after 5 minutes. You know the "Three blind mice... see how they run" part? Of course you do. Some heavier guitar before 6 minutes.

"Anagrams" is the long one at over 12 minutes and the surprise here is hearing what sounds like a Steven Wilson ballad from his solo work. What!? You should hear the vocals and sound here you'd be pretty shocked and this is 1998. Listen 3 minutes in and around 6 minutes in. Great track the way themes are repeated and I like the spacey bits. Final top four is "Absolute Dance Party III" with the electronics making this one different from the rest. It's also more experimental and there's some sampled words, a unique song.

A solid 4 stars from where I sit and my favourite Symphonic record from Denmark.

3.5 stars. ETCETERA were a band from Denmark who got their start in the 80's as High School friends. This particular recording was made in the second half of the 80's but not released until the late 90's. They are a duo of guitar and drums here but the drummer adds vibes and the guitarist a lot of things including a variety of keyboards, bass and lead vocals. Now there really isn't a lot of vocals on here and we get a guest female vocalist on that second track which reminds me this record consists of two side long suites of over 21 and 15 minutes respectively.

Speaking of guests we get sax on both suites while the first track we get piano, organ and flute while synths and those female vocals help out on track two. This is obviously an ambitious recording and adventerous too for their first release. I just find both suites hit and miss even though I did consider 4 stars at one point early on.

"Dance Of The Demons" doesn't have vocals until after 14 minutes and before that we get flute, piano and organ standing out then a drum solo out of the blue before 3 minutes before the organ and jazzy guitar leads take over. I'm not into that sax at all makes me think of Saturday Night Live. A calm with flute and piano around 8 minutes before a change at 11 minutes with fast pulsating organ before it settles with guitar, bass and drums which I like. Nice guitar solo to follow then those male vocals arrive. More organ and guitar as this plays out then vocals and a lighter sound before 19 minutes.

"Experience" has male and female vocals to start before she takes over and I'm just not into her singing but this changes 2 minutes in with cycling synths with bass and light beats. Guitar will replace the synths but not for long. Nice guitar after 4 minutes. Vibes only after 7 minutes then another change as we get jazzy sax along with bass and piano to follow. Female vocals are back to be replaced by the guitar then it's heavier after 13 minutes.

A pretty good album showing a young duo with that adventerous spirit on display in spades. Worth a listen.

Unknown band from Denmark, set up in Aaarhus by a bunch of school friends during the summer of 1986, led by multi-instrumentalist Frank Carvalho and drummer Johnnie McCoy.They originally started as a quintet to be reduced in the duo of Carvalho and McCoy only a year later.However during a very short period the two musicians recorded a pair of demo tapes, between late-87' and the dawn of 88'.Three tracks were collected by Carvalho along with a pair of other recordings and were released 10 years later as the band's self-titled debut.

The album opens with Etcetera's most ambitious composing effort ''Dance of the Demons'', a three-part 21-min. suite, performed in a Classic 70's Prog vein with strong hints of CAMEL, GENESIS or GREENSLADE, twisting from impressive and intricate interplays to more atmospheric and even folky textures with flutes and keyboards in evidence.While far from original, this piece is a great instrumental composition with light jazzy touches here and there, however its majority is executed in a Symphonic Rock way with plenty of soaring synths and quirky organ runs as well as some interesting guitar work.The following ''Experience'' is yet another fine Classic Prog cut, loaded with fine instrumental themes based on emphatic keyboards and a pair of excellent CAMEL-esque guitar solos with a nostalgic aura, but the tribal middle-part followed by a needless jazzy section with sax is rather questionable.''Camel'' comes from the first ever demo of Etcetera, having a mediocre bootleg sound with annoying drums and a sound closer to Heavy Prog, characterized by some interesting jamming organs and the furious guitars of Carvalho, but the bad recording quality leaves much to be desired.''Enigma of Erses Tree'' is fully CAMEL-oriented, featuring excellent guitar work, dreamy synths and interesting melodic vocal lines along with some nice instrumental grooves.Again the below average sound does not help the track reveal its full potential.The closing 11-min. ''Endelave'' lies somewhere between early GENESIS (the gentle acoustic opening part), RICK WAKEMAN (in the more Classical-inspired keyboard themes with the excellent harsichord part) and STARCASTLE or YES (lots of STEVE HOWE-like complex guitar moves).A great closer with a fantastic sound and style.

If it is hard for you to imagine that a band around 86'-88' played Classic Prog, Etcetera is the answer.Very good yet unoriginal album, with a couple of monster instrumental ideas next to the mass of interesting and decent ones.Recommended.

First, self-released album of rather little known Danish band Etcetera seems to be their least popular recording. It's very obscure and almost impossible to find disk, so I'm not surprised that nobody reviewed it yet. So you can imagine my surprise when I found out that in fact it contains the best music Etcetera ever recorded! While their later albums were recorded in more experimental vain with prominent King Crimson, Gentle Giant and more avantgarde part of Canterbury Scene influences, their eponymous disk is recorded under clear symphonic (Camel, Yes, Genesis, ELP) meets melodic Canterbury Scene (Caravan, Egg) influences. To be honest their second album still incorporates all of those classic prog elements, but it's already more experimental and includes a bit too many modern elements for my liking (like overuse of digital synthesizers), so I highly recommend to start your adventure with this group's music by obtaining this self-titled recording. You won't regret!

Let's review those songs one by one:

1. "Dance of the Demons" - album begins with 3 part, 21 minutes long suite which is no doubt the best piece of music these guys ever pulled out from their instruments and throats. For me it's a real classic which sounds just like hidden gem taken from some forgotten 70's prog-rock dinosaur's discography. Most of instruments are the real thing here so everything sounds very authentic only only once we're "attacked" by high-tech synthesizer solo which is thankfully not so bad and not so long. Anyway it's a fantastic piece of art full of mid/slow tempo guitar, piano, flute & occasional saxophone passages and very fast, vital fragments with joyful Hammond organ solos and whaling electric guitar "exercises". Everything is very melodic and brings to my mind such bands as Caravan, Genesis, Camel and even ELP during aforementioned organ parts. "Dance of the Demons" is a mainly instrumental suite however about 15th minute we can listen to few singing verses which are really charming and melancholic. Truly recommended for 70s prog fans, it really doesn't sound like 90s music at all!

2. "Experience" - second suite in this album is 6 minutes shorter and also slightly weaker. It contains more vocal sections (with supportive female vocalist) and bigger amount of softer fragments with acoustic guitar, jazzy piano & saxophone. I'm also not so happy that Carvalho sometimes uses digital synthesizers here. But overall it's not a bad epic at all, we can witness some great pipe organ passages, energetic Hammond runs (even some funky-like, energetic solos!) and interesting jazz-rockish guitar parts too. In general it's decent composition but not as engaging as "Dance of the Demons".

3. "Camel" - after "Experience" suite, there are placed 2 live tracks. First one is called "Camel", but surprisingly it has nothing to do with classic prog rock band of this name. "Camel" is in fact very energetic instrumental composition with clear Eastern music melody. It's mainly guitar-driven heavy prog jam based upon this Arab-like melody line but we can also hear some booming Hammond in the background (as far as I'm concerned Frank Carvalho usually played both of these instruments in studio so I suppose during concerts he was supported by some additional musician...or he's 4 hands monster ;-). Not bad track but it's a pity that lots of fun is spoiled by rather poor recording quality with too loud and noisy guitar output.

4. "Enigma of Erses Tree" - 2nd concert track is mid-tempo prog-rocker a la Camel (I mean the band) called "Enigma of Erses Tree". It's not bad at all, lots of tricky, almost Fripp-like guitar passages, background keyboards & steady but a bit too loud drum work. Unfortunately vocal sounds terrible here, very unprofessional and out of key. I suppose that it can be also a problem of rather low recording quality. Anyway really good, melodic bass guitar solo included!

+ Bonus:

5. "Endelave" - as a bonus Etcetera included very nice 11+ minutes mini-epic full of gorgeous acoustic guitar melodies & background synthesizer/pipe organs. Together with Frank's warm vocals (or maybe it's Michael?) first 4 minutes sound almost like country music. However after this section music speed-up the tempo and becomes more aggressive. We can listen to some great Hammond organ, hard edged electric guitar and high-pitched Minimoog solos. After that tempo slows down again and we can hear charming flute melodies. Wonderful staff full of tempo & signatures changes which will sure please all prog-rock fanatics out there! Just like it pleased me :-).

To close this review I can only say few things: don't be discourage by almost complete lack of internet reviews of this debut album. It's hard to find, obscure disk which is more a semi-professional demo than a full-blown official release but I can assure you that you really need it if you're serious symphonic prog aficionado. While 2 live recordings here don't have perfect quality, 3 studio epics will surely please your ears. Whole Etcetera's discography is interesting, so if you like more experimental (KC meets Gentle Giant with a spoon of VDGG) approach you can immediately go and check their "Fin de Siecle" & "Tales of Ardour & Deceit" albums, but if you like good-old melodic symphonic/art rock with melodic guitar & wild organ/piano battles - "The Difficult Second" and especially just reviewed "Etcetera" disk should be your pick.

4 sold stars from ozzy_tom

Tales Of ARdour & Decit was danich group Etcetera´s fourth and final album before they disbanded. And it came as a bit of a disappointment to me. Please, don´t get me wrong, the CD is good, you can see the guys in the band are superb musicians and they have all the right influences you may want for a symphonic prog band (Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd). The problem seems to be that they were unable to come up with a personality of their own. Their music seems to be just the sum of the styles they like, not a mix.

Just like I said on my review of their second album, this CD is like a bunch of tracks put together with different styles and no common threat. Every song seems to be recorded by a different group. Even if no one is weak, it hardly sounds like a cohesive whole in the end. which is a pity because they are all good). It all starts very well with the 16 minute The Song Of Marsh Stig (strong KC beginning, but it lacks some focus in the end), then comes the very Gentle Giant-ish Songs (which sounds too much like that group´s Nothing At All). And so it goes. The band simply never reached the songwriting skills needed to match their terrific musicanship. With time and more persistence they very well may have reached another level completely, but since they have broeken up, we´ll probably never know. the production, the playing and the arrangments are all top notch.

In the end I found this Cd quite pleasant and tasteful. While they falied to have their very own distinctive sound, they still could deliver some fine tunes. If you like 70´s symphonic prog and don´t mind for the lack of originality, then this album is recommended. At least they did have the chops and the guts to do it all right. My rating: somwhere between 3 and 3,6 stars. Good (sometimes very good!), but non-essential.

In 1989 another line-up wind breezed for Etcetera, but this time it was for good.Carvalho was joined by drummer Jens Nyholm, who replaced Johnnie McCoy, and bassist Anders Kjaerulff, an original member of the group, with whom he spent a respectable number of years.With Michael Munch-Hansen (also part of the first line-up) guesting on vocals, the trio recorded a new demo in February 1990, which was reworked and re-released by Carvalho in 1998 upon request under the name ''The difficult second''.

It opens with the nice 17-min. epic ''Trespasser'',which starts as a KING CRIMSON-like track with smooth vocals,while a grandiose and large middle section follows,dominated by nice Hammond organ and moog synth leads supported by almost sounther-rock guitars (!) and the end contains some ROBERT FRIPP-like guitar work.''The hunter'' and ''Frosty days'' follow,two decent ballads with a mellow atmosphere and lots of acoustic stuff.You'll be reminded of GENESIS on ''Suite no.1 for four piece rock band'' and its fantastic melodicism,characterized by the baroque influences of the electric piano and the organ,which bring TONY BANKS to mind, and the STEVE HACKETT-like sensitive guitar lines,both electric and acoustic.The closer ''Erratic behavior'' is another KING CRIMSON-influenced track with complicated guitar work,awesome bass on the front, distinctive keys and relatively complex drumming with jazzy influences.A nice one to close the demo.

Regarding that in 1998 ETCETERA were already a band with ten years of history and experience,it is reasonable this effort to contain lots of great moments.Much recommended,especially to vintage-prog fans!

With a very telling title, here comes Etcetera sophomore release. This Danish foursome is not very well known but should be: they play some great 70´s influenced music that does not sound dated. In fact, the album starts very well, with the 17 minute suite Trespasser: terrific keyboards runs all over it (Hammond, electric piano, moog..) and some fantastic bass and guitar parts. It reminded me of the early Flower Kings, even if the Genesis influence is more prominent here.

Then they complete change the style with the totally folk The Hunter. Good, but maybe a little too folky and derivative for my taste. The same thing happens with the Jethro Tull-like Frosty Days (it´s ok, but almost to the point of being a rip off JT around the time of Stormwatcher). The symphonic prog returns with the instrumental Suite no. 1 for 4 piece rock band (another title that tells it all!). Very good one by the way, with again some fine 70´s influenced electric piano, nice electric guitar lines and great bass solo at the last part. The CD finishes with another major change of style, this time with the jazz-rock fusion of Erractic Behaviour (another instrumental piece).

In the end The Difficult Second proves only that the band is still trying to find their personal sound. Even if the band has more than capable musicians and the right influences, they could not deliver a CD that has a coherent whole. Each track gives the impression of being recorded by a different group of musicians. The potential is there and the very fine two tracks are proof of that. I´m looking forward to hear their latter releases and see if they developed into something of their own. Final rating: something between 3 and 3,5 stars.

Tales Of Ardour & Deceit is the last album so far from Danish symphonic prog rock act Etcetera ( or ETC as it says on the cover of the album). Drummer and co-founder Johnnie McCoy left the band in 2004. Leaving only composer and multiinstrumentalist Frank Carvalho left. The band is in fact a two man band. They use guest musicians when vocals or saxes are needed, but besides the drumming Frank Carvalho plays everything from guitars and bass to organ and synths.

The music is very influenced by the early seventies prog scene and bands like Genesis, King Crimson, Yes and Gentle Giant. Just listen to the song melody and the voice from guest vocalist Michael Munch on the opening 16:23 minute long epic The Song Of Marsh Stig. It could have been Gordon Haskell ( King Crimson) in disguise. This is mostly an instrumental album though and there are only vocals on The Song Of Marsh Stig and the second track called Songs. The music is very pleasant with some great melodic guitar playing and lots of vintage synth and organ.

The musicianship is excellent and it´s hard not to be impressed with especially Frank Carvalho. His guitar and bass playing abilities are just as good as his keyboard playing and his compositional skills are excellent IMO.

The production has the right seventies sound and it fits the music perfectly.

Fans of early seventies symphonic prog rock should definitely check out Tales Of Ardour & Deceit. If you´re anything like me and love symphonic prog rock because it´s great music and don´t give a rats a.. if it´s original as long as it´s quality music, you´ll probably enjoy this very much ( Etcetera is not a clone band by any means though). This is actually the only Danish Symphonic prog rock band that I know of. Most progressive Danish bands from the seventies have either grown out of the sixties beat or blues rock tradition or the jazz/ fusion genre and not much has happened since ( this album is from 2003). As a Dane it´s kind of sad that our country haven´t spawned more progressive music but Tales Of Ardour & Deceit is definitely something that I found was worth my time. I´ll rate the album 4 stars. These are not 4 big stars though and I could have given the album 3 big stars instead but I´m allowed to be a bit patriotic now and again as long as I tell you that I am. There´s only one problem with Tales Of Ardour & Deceit. It will probably be very hard to find anywhere. I´ve never seen it in any store and the copy I have used for this review is actually a loan from the public Library in Denmark. It´s too bad as this music could surely give a lot of people a good experience.

In '98 the Danish progrock band Etcetera released their debut-CD entitled "Fin du siecle". Not until five years later their next, long awaited album came out. The first, very long track "The song of marsh" (15 minutes) is very alternating: a sumptuous climate featuring moving Mellotron (like mid-Led Zeppelin), dreamy twanging acoustic guitars and volume- pedal guitar play (in the vein of early Genesis/Hackett) and fiery, more complex parts with saxophone like King Crimson and bombastic church organ with echoes from Keith Emerson. So you can conclude that this band sounds like a progrock stew of the Seventies dinosaurs! Then the short "Songs" with tender Fender Rhodes piano, beautiful acoustic guitar and halfway wonderful violin-Mellotron and vocal harmonies. In "Kentisch suite" you will be delighted about the fiery wah-wah drenched guitarwork and runs on the Moog synthesizer and Hammond organ, VINTAGE TIME!! The track "The lady of Castela" is indeed Spanish influenced delivering an intro with Spanish guitar like Julian Bream, followed by twanging acoustic guitars, mellow flute (evoking early Hackett solo) and soaring keyboards and a bagpipe sound. The climates are very alternating featuring choir- Mellotron, up-tempo with Gilmour-inspired guitar and great Moog and Hammond work. The final tracks are "The exit" (excellent brainwork!), this short song contains fiery electric guitar and an exciting guitar/synthesizer duel and "The ghost of Yang Part II" with lots of nature sounds. Although this CD delivers lots of captivating progrock moments, to me it often sounds a bit too fragmentic, the compositions need more maturity. But Etcetera deserves credit on their second album, I'm looking forward to their next one!

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This album shows two faces of ETC: The first, a strong symphonic band with some GENESIS influences doing an agressive, changing and magnificent piece, the long suite "The Song of Marsh Stig". Altough at few moments this composition is close to metal rythms, it's the pearl of the album.

After the suite, the second face of ETC appears: most of the music is now atmospheric and even very relaxing, with long guitar driven soundscapes reminding me CAMEL, specially at the seventh track, the short and beautiful "The Exit". Some moments could be a little bit boring, but -generally- the music remains interesting.

"Tales of Ardour & Deceit", maybe, isn't the most creative progressive work, but it's nice and pleasant to the listener. A good album to check out.