Week of August 22, 2004

Sandrose

Rose Podwojny - vocals
Jean Pierre Alarcen - electric guitar
Christian Clairefond - bass
Henri Garella - organ, mellotron
Michel Jullien - drums, percussion

Album:
Sandrose - 1972 Polydor 2393 030
CD: Musea FGBG 4003.AR

Alarcen, Garella and Jullien had previously played together in Eden Rose, whose album was a showcase for magnificent interplay between organ and electric guitar. This style was the backbone for Sandrose too, but with dramatic female vocals added in the style of Julian's Treatment, Earth & Fire and Circus 2000. Alarcen had now become a prolific composer, with a range from symphonic rock overtures ("Underground Session") to gripping songs ("Vision"). His guitar work (ranging from the incredibly fast to subtle strumming) was augmented by Garella's orchestral textures on organ and mellotron (sometimes recalling the British group Spring). "Old Dom Is Dead" was first released as "Mea Culpa - vocal/instrumental" on a single by Claude Puterflam in 1970 (under the pseudonym Lenis Chorea).

This is a great album for all but those who find Podwojny's vocals a bit too melodramatic, recalling horrible memories of Shirley Bassey. Some people even consider it a milestone of French rock.

Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik Asbjørnsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-12-2


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