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presdoug View Drop Down
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    Posted: July 26 2021 at 14:31
Thought I would start a thread on the rather obscure German progressive folk duo from the 1970s-"Midnight Circus", who only put out one single in 1971 called "Coloured Gay/Get It" and a single, self-titled album on Bellaphon Records in 1972.
         I discovered the band quite by accident, really, in my home of Canada where the band is unknown; a single stray used lp copy of their debut record in the late 1980s. Now, Progressive Folk is not a sub genre that I delve into in a big way, but Midnight Circus's sound is so infectious, well,  I was sold on it the day I heard it. Very melodic but with progressive textures; the drumming on the debut album was taken up by none other than Dieter Dirks and Tommy Engel! There is a special atmosphere created by this group that I don''t find elsewhere, and they deserved a lot more attention than they garnered, but the band was pretty short-lived, so were obscured by time.
             I would love to hear from those of you that find Midnight Circus interesting.
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Shadowyzard View Drop Down
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Points: 4506 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shadowyzard Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2021 at 14:39
I love their only album! So atmospheric. An obscure gem, for sure.
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kenethlevine View Drop Down
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Points: 8953 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote kenethlevine Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2021 at 14:53
I gave it 4 stars and this review

Apart from Krautrock, electronic/space rock and symphonic prog, Germany in the 1970s was home to a surprising number of folk acts. Some, like HOELDERLIN, eventually evolved to sound more like GENESIS, while others, like OUGENWEIDE, retained a distinct connection to their roots. MIDNIGHT CIRCUS was a duo that bridged the psychedelia, pastoral folk rock, and symphonic prog that closed out the 1960s. They sadly released only one album and haven't reunited like so many others, at least not yet.

The overall mood is ponderously pastoral, driven by strummed acoustic guitar, recorder, and at times soaring vocal harmonies. The opening track "The Light" encapsulates all of these qualities, with a mystical melody that successfully sidesteps cliches. "I Had a Dream" starts as a vivacious HOLLIES/KINKS mix before the tempo moderates dramatically and mellotron strings assert themselves. Ultimately, it's on the pulpit of "November Church" that MIDNIGHT CIRCUS stakes its claim to any notoriety beyond mere obscurity. Almost 9 minutes of Gothic bliss, it's a deranged Teutonic "California Dreamin", complete with morose choral parts, shrill trumpet, martial guitars and drums, and even a segment dedicated to the sermon of the month. Not quite a suite and not quite an epic, it's an exemplary piece of prog folk that is both adventurous and accessible.

Other highlights include the ballad "Disappointed Love" that turns more aggressive in the breaks, and the Latin American inflected instrumental "Indian Impression". "Meditation" is another showcase for Christian Bollman's pulmonary prowess, presaging the work of artists like R CARLOS NAKAI by some years. Only "Mr Clown" and the two bonus tracks find the artists adopting hippy pop conventions, if you will.

It's still gratifying to discover worthwhile artists from so long ago and to illuminate their names in neon if only for a proverbial quarter hour. While most everything on the original release hovers between 3 and 4 stars, I am going to round up for the preeminent "November Church", and also because this act manages to be both "out there" and balanced without really trying.
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presdoug View Drop Down
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Points: 8619 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote presdoug Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2021 at 15:04
Originally posted by kenethlevine kenethlevine wrote:

I gave it 4 stars and this review

Apart from Krautrock, electronic/space rock and symphonic prog, Germany in the 1970s was home to a surprising number of folk acts. Some, like HOELDERLIN, eventually evolved to sound more like GENESIS, while others, like OUGENWEIDE, retained a distinct connection to their roots. MIDNIGHT CIRCUS was a duo that bridged the psychedelia, pastoral folk rock, and symphonic prog that closed out the 1960s. They sadly released only one album and haven't reunited like so many others, at least not yet.

The overall mood is ponderously pastoral, driven by strummed acoustic guitar, recorder, and at times soaring vocal harmonies. The opening track "The Light" encapsulates all of these qualities, with a mystical melody that successfully sidesteps cliches. "I Had a Dream" starts as a vivacious HOLLIES/KINKS mix before the tempo moderates dramatically and mellotron strings assert themselves. Ultimately, it's on the pulpit of "November Church" that MIDNIGHT CIRCUS stakes its claim to any notoriety beyond mere obscurity. Almost 9 minutes of Gothic bliss, it's a deranged Teutonic "California Dreamin", complete with morose choral parts, shrill trumpet, martial guitars and drums, and even a segment dedicated to the sermon of the month. Not quite a suite and not quite an epic, it's an exemplary piece of prog folk that is both adventurous and accessible.

Other highlights include the ballad "Disappointed Love" that turns more aggressive in the breaks, and the Latin American inflected instrumental "Indian Impression". "Meditation" is another showcase for Christian Bollman's pulmonary prowess, presaging the work of artists like R CARLOS NAKAI by some years. Only "Mr Clown" and the two bonus tracks find the artists adopting hippy pop conventions, if you will.

It's still gratifying to discover worthwhile artists from so long ago and to illuminate their names in neon if only for a proverbial quarter hour. While most everything on the original release hovers between 3 and 4 stars, I am going to round up for the preeminent "November Church", and also because this act manages to be both "out there" and balanced without really trying.

Thanks very much for sharing that! I like every track on their album, and the single, and the archival track unearthed on the vinyl reissue of their record called "Seagull". 
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dr wu23 View Drop Down
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Points: 20624 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote dr wu23 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 27 2021 at 08:29
Decent prog folk with symph elements.....another obscure one. It's amazing that these lp's turn up that one has never heard of.
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