PIKTORS VERWANDLUNGEN

Here comes the most interesing part in Anyone's Daughter's history.Since the mid-70's the band developed and performed live a long piece based on Hermann Hesse's short novel ''Piktors Metamorphosis''.Always followed by a great praise by the audience, the band decided to record its final form and release it, but the management of Spiegelei refused to do so, believing that financing such a huge epic track in the 80's would be a total waste of time and economic failure.As a result the band decided to self-finance this work and, even better, they decided to perform it live, so the recations of the audience could be taped.The best place for such a recording to take place was considered the Konzerhaus in the town of Heidenheim, according to Anyone's Daughter its acoustics were simply fantastic.The recording took place eventually on January 18th 1981 and the album was released the same year.

As aforementioned, this was a single concept track, divided in 13 short pieces, where the story is narrated and followed by constant instrumental workouts.From all Anyone's Daughter influences the CAMEL reference is over the top in this album, resembling to works such as ''Moonmadness'' and ''Snowgoose''.The narrations are very nice, linked with the concept and close to the style met in NEUSCHWANSTEIN's ''Alice im Wunderland'', while the instrumental textures are closer than ever to compatriots ROUSSEAU.The music ranges from nice to simply great with mature guitar work by Uwe Karpa and featuring the beautiful and dreamy keyboard parts of Matthias Ulmer.Always in a melodic text, the album shows a slight turn by Anyone's Daughter towards their more traditional symphonic tendencies, highlighted by the spacey synthesizers, the romantic piano lines and the ANDY LATIMER-like impressive guitar work, although a certain Teutonic vibe is evident in the most dramatic parts of the album.Present are also some great Fusion vibes and jazzy touches in both the keyboard and guitar lines, but the band always hides them behind its very grandiose Symphonic Rock.

The track presented here is the final form of ''Piktors verwandlungen'', it is already noted that this piece was a work in progress since Anyone's Daughter early years.An early form of it, clocking at 25 minutes and captured in Harald Bareth's basement in 1977, is presented in the CD reissue of the album by SPV with a sound extremely close to the style of ''Adonis''.Worth investigating.

Definitely one of the longest and finest epic Prog tracks of the 80's.Lacking originality, but this is passionate and mature music, which can be listened with comfort even after so many years.Strongly recommended...3.5 stars.