Week of August 22, 2004
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