SONET ARENE 69-72

This "compilation" of AR's full works under the Sonet label is their first three albums on two discs with their very first single (non- albums tracks) as an added bonus. Please see the separate album reviews I wrote to get an idea as to the album's respective contents. While it is easily understandable that the debut's artwork gets the booklet cover, I find it a little sad that the two other album's artwork where reduced to small insets on the front cover, forgetting part of them as well. Otherwise, the also features a bunch of b&w pictures of the band in concert.

I'll concentrate mainly on the two non-album single tracks featured as bonus in this release, as this 45 RPM was issued prior to their debut album. Pigen Pa Stranden is a strange track written by an outsider, but borrowing heavily on Procol's Whiter Shade Of Pale, but faziling to capture its magic. The flipside is not much more in line with the group's works, Tael Aldrig I Morgen Med is sounding like an early Vdgg track (Aerosol Grey Machine-type) with an electric fuzzed-out guitar, but somehow, it sounds more like it's their own track.

Nowadays, your best chance to hear early Alrune Rod albums is through this good compilation, and its 3 on 2 deal should make it affordable. While AR's career is only a footnote in Continental Europe's prog history, the group was an important part of its country's rock scene. Recommended, even if the essential aspects will depend on the proghead's priorities and his musical inclinations.