YWIS

Dutch Prog Nostalgia Part One. I bought this album when it was just released in1983 and remember very well that I noticed on the back cover that the adress of Ywis was in The Hague, my hometown. In those days (just before the Marillion-era) the Dutch progrock scene was not very prolific so every proggish effort was embraced warmly. And I did because I was also a bit proud to be from The Hague too. Ywis their neo-prog sounds pleasant but I have to admit that the level of the compositions is mediocre, the English lyrics are even a bit amateurish (often about war and the human being). The only highlight on Ywis their eponymous album is the instrumental titletrack in which guitarplayer Rinus Hollenberg (later a member of one of the last new Q65 line-ups) delivers excellent, very moving guitarwork. It's a pity that his skills are hardly used because I am sure that he would have been able to add a bit more excitement to Ywis their music on this album. After Ywis their demise, keyboard player Julian Driessen joined other prog bands like The Last Detail, Timelock and For Absent Friends. To everybody's surprise Ywis released a second studio-album entitled Leonardo's Dream in 1995. Unfortunately I cannot tell you about it because I have never heard it. End of the story ...