Smile A While

Smile A While
Label: Musea
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1


UPC: 742630042158
EAN: 0742630042158
ASIN: B0000D8D09


Release Date: 2003-09-10

Smile A While


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
General General
Categories | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Das Schwein Tr
  2. Zwick Zwick
  3. Watch Time Flow By
  4. Bosco Biati Weiss Alles (I. Bosco Biati/II. Weiss/III. Alles)
  5. Snakeskin Tango
  6. Smile A While (I. Intro/II. Brainstorm/III. These/IV. Antithese/V. Morning Tune/ VI. Smile A While)
  7. You Are What's Gonna Make It Last
  8. Don't Forget
  9. Thesen Und Antithesen
  10. Einzug Der Elefanten
  11. You Knock Me Out

Similar Items:

  1. Second Smile

Album Description

BRAINSTORM was one of the most talented bands of the Seventies German Progressive rock scene. Released in 1972 and often regarded as a long-lost gem, the eponymous album showcased complex music with unusual harmonies and compositions based upon many different themes, enhanced by flute and distorted organ. This is dynamic and inventive Progressive rock, somewhere between SOFT MACHINE, CARAVAN and MOVING GELATINE PLATES. Three bonus tracks recorded during radio programmes in 1971 complete this excellent Musea reissue. To be rediscovered !

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Good Soft Machine-like jazz rock from Germany.......2007-02-09

I was first exposed to the music of Brainstorm through a sampler of extremely obscure European prog bands (e.g. Osage Tribe (from Italy) that I received along with the Wallenstein CD I purchased. Although I did not care too much for most of the music on the sampler, the German band Brainstorm really stood out as a sophisticated group of musicians that fused Supersister/Soft Machine - like jazz rock inclinations with some progressive rock (I also hear some Brian Auger influences in there as well). My curiosity piqued, I snapped this 1972 album up and was generally extremely impressed.

The musicians on Smile a While include Eddy van Overheidt (organ; electric piano; clavinet; and lead vocals); Rainer Bodensohn (electric bass guitar; flutes); Roland Schaeffer (soprano and tenor saxophones; clarinet; bass guitar; acoustic/electric guitars; and vocals); and Joe Koinzer (drums and percussion). The guys are all great musicians (most of them were formally trained to varying degrees) and there is some excellent ensemble work and individual soloing on the album. Eddy is a fantastic player and was heavily influenced by Canterbury musicians Dave Stewart (Egg) and Mike Ratledge (Soft Machine) (I love Eddy's jazzy "comping" on the clavinet).

The six tracks on the album range in length from 1'26" to the 15'31" Smile a While suite. In large part, the pieces revolve and a few "head" themes over which there are woodwind solos (there is also a very jazzy drum solo on Bosco Biati Weib Alles that emphasizes cymbal work). Stylistically, these guys were exploring similar musical territory as 1970-1972 Soft Machine, and as such, there is a lot of jazzy chord structures on this album. The band also likes to use odd meters in a similar manner to Egg. Although most of the music is instrumental, Watch Time Flow By is a short vocal track that is somewhat light-hearted and not as serious as the other compositions. Snake Tango is another short, fun track that would not have been out of place on a Frank Zappa album.

This Musea release is pretty good and contains loads of informative liner notes and photos of the group. The five bonus tracks are pretty good too and for the most part represent earlier incarnations of the band.

All in all, this is a great album by a band that was heavily influenced by the Canterbury scene in England. Smile a While is highly recommended along with albums by Supersister (Present from Nancy (1970); To the Highest Bidder (1971)); Soft Machine (Third (1970); Fourth (1971); and Five (1972)); and Egg (Egg, 1970; The Polite Force, 1971). Before I forget, the first album by the French band Moving Gelatine Plates might also be of interest.

4 out of 5 stars

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