25.05.2008.
Atmosphera - Lady of Shalott (1977) (@256)
(Review from progarchives.com, seaoftranquility.org)
Atmosphera is an Israeli progressive rock band from the late 70s. They recorded two long, epic pieces for an album with English lyrics (Shakespeare & Lord Tennyson) but the album was too far-out for the small Israeli music industry, so the master tapes were archived and the album was never issued. 25 years later, a small collectors' label gathered all the tapes and information on the lost band, and issued the album with bonus tracks.
Atmosphera's style is heavily influenced by Yes' symphonic style. The music is melodic, classical and well-arranged. Their drummer is influenced by Bruford's style, the bassist emulates Squire's sound, the keyboardist uses some of Wakeman's tricks, and even their soloist sounds very much like Jon Anderson. Yes fans will find delight in this highly-capable group of musicians, who offer virtuousic abilites and solid compositional skills.
The opening title track is a real monster, clocking in at a whopping 16-minutes, and features the stunning guitar playing of Moti Fonseca and the symphonic keyboards of Yuval Rivlin. Along with the vocals of Efraim Barak, who sounds a bit like Jon Anderson, and the fat bass lines from Alon Nadel, this is one of the most Yes-sounding pieces. Rivlin and Fonseca are the stars on "Cukoo", another lengthy 16 -minute song, this one a complex rocker, as the two trade lots of fiery solos, as well as create lush, majestic soundscapes that will bring to mind Relayer era Yes, and even Animals from Pink Floyd. "Tomorrow" is a great, moody piece, with Mellotron and dissonant guitar phrases, but features a different singer, who has nowhere near the voice of Barak. This tune, as well as "Love is Waiting for a Lover" are apparently early rehearsal demos recorded during the early days of the bands existence, and are extremely raw, and perhaps lacking the focus they would show later on.
Disc Two features live versions of "Tomorrow" and "Lady of Shalott". There is also a song by Istopy, the band that Atmosphera eventually became, called "Catharsis", recorded in 1981, and more in a Gentle Giant style, as well as three tunes by drummer Me El-Ma, which are pretty bizarre drums/synth/odd vocal oriented pieces that really don't fit too well here.
Line-up :
- Efrayim Barak / vocals
- Moti Fonseka /guitar
- Alon Nadel / bass
- Yuval Rivlin / keyboards
- Ami Lipner (aka Mi El-Ma) / drums
Track List :
CD1
01. Lady of Shalott - 16:24
02. Cuckoo (Love's Labour's Lost) - 16:47
03. Tomorrow - 10:47
04. Love is Waiting for a Lover - 7:58
05. Cuckoo (Alternate Version) - 16:24
CD2
01. Announcement - 0:36
02. Tomorrow - Live At Beit Lessin - 11:00
03. Lady Of Shalott - Live At Galei-Tzahal - 12:41
04. Catharsis (Istopy) - 7:46
05. Nightmare (Me El-Ma) - 6:31
06. Toridtagitar (Me El-Ma) - 5:22
07. The Children Dance (Me El-Ma) - 8:59
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