Phoenix cantofabule

De altfel Nicu Covaci chiar specifica in cartea amintita faptul ca inginerul Negrescu care se dovedise cel mai bun om de sunet de la Electrecord Phoenix, insa eu … — Nicolae Covaci, Editura Nemira , pag. Incepea cu o invocatie prin care chemam toate duhurile de bine si de rau, prin formule magice si vrajitorii. Tot restul era in surdina, cu spatii care distrugeau cuvantul. Fiarele incantate incepeau sa apara una cate una.

In final, ajungem la imnul triumfal inchinat pasarii Phoenix, simbol al renasterii, al reintoarcerii eterne, purificate prin foc. Prima piesa a albumului este Invocatie , o piesa lunga, de peste 10 minute, care are darul de a introduce ascultatorul in atmosfera fantastica, speciala a albumului.

Din primul minut devine evident faptul ca trupa vine cu un nou sound, un nou suflu si chiar o noua abordare. In privinta stilului abordat, piesa te poate duce cu gandul la canadienii de la Rush , la britanicii de la Yes sau poti spune ca poate avea influente de la italienii Premiata Forneria Marconi sau Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. Ce i-a lipsit pentru a intra in sferele inalte ale compozitiilor de progressive, este greu de spus.

Indiscutabil productiile est-europene din acele vremuri aveau o vizibilitate foarte mica sau chiar inexistenta. O alta bariera importanta a fost si limba in care s-a cantat. In tot cazul, piesa este plina de substrat si originalitate; si pentru a completa comentariul la superlativ in privinta compozitiei, trebuie amintita si contributia lui Florian Pittis, care a adaugat in maniera caracteristica un plus de suspans si de savoare.

Starile transmise alterneaza odata cu ritmurile, vocile atat cele principale cat si corul ambiental amplificand cadrul plin de misticism, care se instaleaza in mod accentuat cu fiecare minut.

Odata cadrul realizat si duhurile chemate, invocate, se intra efectiv in poveste, prezentandu-se pe rand creaturile, de la inorog si scarabeu pana la renumita pasare Phoenix. Norocul inorogului duce ascultatorul inapoi in timp, in epoca medievala, in primul rand prin instrumentatia caracteristica perioadei dar si prin versurile scrise in limba franceza veche aproximativ sec.

Mai trebuie spus ca muzica conduce ascultatorul de data aceasta spre cultura castelana central-europeana, compozitia parasind in mod evident filonul etno romanesc.

Interpretarea piesei si textul bilingv sunt dupa parerea noastra de o calitate exceptionala. Trecerea la piesa urmatoare si, implicit, la creatura urmatoare scarabeul , vine ca un moment de respiro care induce o alta stare, in contextul unei cu totul alte abordari muzicale. Scara scarabeului iese in mod evident din linia principal a albumului, amintind mai degraba de perioada beat a trupei. Dupa doua compozitii Covaci, urmeaza tot o piesa compusa de liderul trupei, Delfinul, dulce dulful nostru , o piesa substantial diferita, atat ca si conceptie cat si ca sound.

Din nou componenta conceptuala, progresiva se repozitioneaza si confera greutate intregului material. Compozitia reprezinta unul din punctele tari ale albumului si una dintre cele mai bune realizari prog-rock de la noi iar orchestratia imbraca in mod exceptional scheletul conceptual.

Aceasta se desfasoara pe mai multe planuri, trecand prin mai multe stari si alternand partile vocale cu cele instrumentale, concentrand astfel toate ingredientele unui progresiv autentic. De piesa descrisa mai sus de aproximativ 6 minute se leaga Uciderea balaurului prima compozitie Kappl de pe album , o alta piesa care schimba registrul si care se incadreaza mai degraba in hard-rock.

Remarcam totusi energia degajata, solo-urile de chitara si pian si scurtele ruperi de ritm care leaga piesa de cea precedenta si care au rolul de a mentine liniaritatea si viziunea unitara a materialului. The unexpected finale is too complex and surprising to be described. Vasiliscul Si Aspida is another Medieval track with that folk flavor of Romania, even though it gets much more complex and elaborate after a couple minutes, the mysterious mood created by the interplay between guitar, keyboards and vocals makes them stay in unknown territory.

Radical changes and distorted vocals plus frantic guitar and Psychedelic organ sections complete the track. Sirena is probably the hardest and less Prog oriented track, but still they manage to keep the interest of the listener with the excellent keyboards and works as a preparation for Pasarea Roc.. Canticlu A Cucuveaualiei is one of the best songs of the album, this track has about everything, a strange keyboard intro with oriental flavor, good vocal work as usual and a hard Rock sound full of radical changes,.

The album ends with Phoenix, a soft and melodic track that fulfills it's duty of relaxing the listener after the incredibly bizarre Zoomahia and even when calmed and melodic, so well elaborate that places the cherry on the top of this cake named Cantofabule. It's interesting how you can listen Progressive Rock for decades and still be surprised by bands of the early mid 70's you never imagined were doing such an outstanding work. Just a warning, even when the band is considered in Prog Folk, don't expect to stay inside the boundaries of one genre, because this guys explore a lot of different sounds and influences, which makes the album richer.

No less than 4 stars for a very solid album. It doesn't really kick in until before 2 minutes with vocals. This is dark and fairly heavy. Yes i'm impressed. It changes briefly after 4 minutes as it picks up with celeste.

It then settles with spoken words. It kicks back in at 7 minutes. I like how it ends. Good tune! Strummed guitar,bass and vocals stand out. Guitar, drums then vocals join in. It's heavier 5 minutes in. Great sound here as it blends into "Ucideria Balaurului".

It picks up speed with some great guitar and bass as drums pound. Organ before 3 minutes. Intricate sounds here. It kicks in before a minute, vocals follow. Piano and violin end it. Excellent song.

I like it! The flute is replaced by some ripping guitar and drums. Vocal melodies join in then vocals as the drums pound. Great sound. Contrasts continue. Drums join in the vocals. Amazing sound! Love this track. It's melancholic yet uplifting. Vocals are distant a minute later.

The guitar starts to light it up. It's spacey again late. Vocals join in. It kicks in before 3 minutes to end it. This is a double album which i'm usually hard on, but this is a solid 4 stars in my opinion. When it gets going, it has a commanding presence with deep vocals and bass-dominated music.

It is followed by a spoken-word acoustic section that ushers in an eerie chorus of vocals and a whiny synthesizer lead. The piano and violin affair at the end is a bit of an avant-garde non sequitur.

The middle bit is for all intents and purposes a "mini-song" rather than a bridge. I particularly like the soaring vocals and bass work. The rock music on this one is pretty standard business, and the periodic shouting of "Hey! At its conclusion, the piece hearkens back to the end of the first one. Romanian folklore is less dominated, but presents in many places. Melodic and often a bit melancholic. Plenty of real rocky guitar, and really balanced mix of all components. My first impression of that album was a bit mixed - I was afraid of too much of symphonic influences in that music and I prefer it more raw and bluesy.

But with every next listening this album grew up in me. More overdubbed spacey synths join in. Switches to a rockin' groove with vocals now. That song segues into "Uciderea Balaurului" which is more of a typical s hard rock song.

Sounds like some clavinet here. Good mandolin? Goes into some great hard rock then folk-rock. The two sections alternate. Nice intricate playing before a great guitar solo. Switches to a new groove near the end. The music stops and then some jazzy piano and folky violin. I like the sadistic laugh at the end. I like the almost surf style drumming and '50s rock'n'roll guitar playing at the end. Then it turns hard rock with great drumming and harmony vocals.

Some acoustic guitar later. At one point the vocals sound like they were recorded through a megaphone. The music stops and then some foot stomping and folk singing to end it. Good synth. Hard rocking chorus. Then gets almost Hawkwind sounding with punk-like shouts of "hey!

Begins with some music box before the band comes in on an almost Zeppelin vibe. The band grooves when the vocals enter. Some backwards guitar. Great bass playing at one point. Opens with spacey synth sounds and echoed whispering. The bass guitar starts to play the sequencer rhythm and then the whole band comes in.

Almost sounds Canterbury. Some Gong like chanting in the middle. I love the part starting pure awesomeness. Another sequencer pattern leads the band. Instruments kind of float around in a Gong like way at the end. Electric harpsichord, bass fills and wah-wah guitar arpeggios are joined by drums and vocals. Nice synth.

Ends with a faster version of the funky blues-rock riff at the end of "Invocatie" fading the song out. This double-album has some great artwork. The sound and production is pretty good. What stands out for me the most is the amazing synthesizer work here. None of it I would consider cheesy or dated.

Instead a lot of it is spacey and experimental for the time. I'm going to give their two previous albums more attention, but this one gets 4 stars. In this case, the album's concept, which revolves around fantastical fables about various animals, gave them a means to create allegorical stories hinting at their distaste for the regime which went over the censor's heads.

The album is hampered - at least in the edition I own - by rather uninspired production, and the double album length is probably excessive considering the material on offer. Not personally to my taste, though those interested in a fusion of prog folk and the occasional bit of hypnotic, pulsing Krautrock might find something to enjoy here.

Report this review Posted Saturday, October 1, Review Permalink SpecialKindOfHell Today as Tomorrow, Forever and Now In graduate school at the turn of the millennium, a fellow student from Romania and I were chatting about music and it's influence and importance to student populations; for inspiration, for entertainment, maybe for protest. He turned me on to Phoenix with some rare in the US CDs he brought back from his trip home and let me discover what the underground Romanian student population was inspired by in the 70s, 80s and on.

Banned from performing in Romania in and finally relocated to Amsterdam to avoid further persecution in the iron curtain-clad country, Phoenix was the voice for the youth, those seeking freedom from the existing regime, at the risk of imprisonment or worse.

They've sold millions in Romania, but remain tragically obscure elsewhere. Their songs combine equal parts hard rock and fuzzed-out guitar lines with Transylvania gypsy folk music influence that often have these guys labeled as 'Folk-Prog'.

However, it's really much more than that. Not to mention the dark melancholic mood that is put forth throughout. There is often a pounding drum rhythm that is intricate and tribal; and I don't mean in an American indian way, but rather in it's force and feel. A soundtrack to Romanian cavalry riding hard across the country perhaps, or more likely the tribal Dacia empire that existed before the Romans conquered the area and made it forever Romania. Cantafabule Cantofabule is Phoenix's third LP, released in on the Electrecord label in Romania, and is their pinnacle achievement.

In the background of 'Definul' a zapped-out synthesizer sound bubbles along under chanting deep guttural vocals. And this is a true double LP, unlike the contemporary tradition of spreading out one LP worth of material over two. There's almost 70 minutes of music in this grand suite, and this allows them to really stretch out and weave a surreal image of this fantasy world with many different layers.

The idea for Cantafabule came from a fourteenth-century Bestiary, an illustrated anthology of beasts popular from the middle ages on. Thus the songs are vignettes from the animal world, such as "Scarab Scale", "Slaying of The Dragon", and appropriately, "Phoenix", whose last line provides the title to this review. A kind of invocation. These animal spirits are called symbolic and they start to appear, at first the smallest and most innocent, such as scarab and unicorn, then rest, dolphin and dangerous.

At one time, all recorded within a sort of conflict, Zoomahia, and everything ends suggesting the beginning of a new cycle of existence to a higher level through a hymn dedicated to Phoenix, the symbol of rebirth and eternal existence. The only official reissue on LP was in and the 2 LPs were packaged in separate covers that featured the cover art in yellow and blue tones rather than the grey and red original.

Original LP labels were white with red, and the reissues black with silver. When it works, it rivals the best folk, psychedelic, and heavy prog acts of the s, but when it doesn't, it's simply another display of testosterone fueled beat rock, which happens to be sung in Romanian.

On "Invocatie" and "Canticlu", the platter tilts dramatically and emphatically rather than pelvically. Unfortunately, several weaker standard hard rock tracks hinder the flow, particularly "Pasarea Rock n Roll", while "Zoomahia" vies for the spacey Krautrock mantle and winds up 6 feet under.

Just too much heavy riffing here, some of it infesting even the better tracks like a mantra abandoned. While "Cantofabule" possesses qualities that would appeal to an expansive spectrum of prog listeners, I'm not sure how many will be wholly enamoured with it.

Still, it's a disk of historic value that is worth your attention, and you might well find some favourites arising from its scorched grooves. Report this review Posted Monday, October 28, Review Permalink stefro PROG REVIEWER Legends of communist-era Romania, Phoenix were the country's premier rock group during the 's, shifting millions of records, regularly performing to packed-out stadiums of screaming teenagers, and constantly finding themselves under surveillance from the government's shifty cultural bureau.

Formed in Timisoara during the late-sixties, the group would produce three studio albums of varying quality after signing a contract with the state record label Electrecord, before issuing this extraordinary double-sided slice of fantasy-laden prog-rock during the summer of Heavily-influenced by Romanain history and folklore after the then-government of Ceacescu decreed that all Romanian artists must look 'inward' for their inspiration, ignoring the vagaries of the corrupt West and taking their ideas direct from the history and mythology of the motherland, 'Cantafabule' meshes elements of prog-rock, folk, fantasy, hard-rock and symphonic grandeur to create a dense storybook of an album filled with contrasting styles and textures.

Of course, not everyone was happy with the 'looking inward' deal, but the reality was that group's like Phoenix had little choice. Admirably, they took it all in their stride, and subsequently produced the defining album of their career, a remarkable feat considering that the stipulations introduced by the government were designed to restrict the creative ability and appeal of groups like Phoenix, whom the state eyed with both suspicion and contempt.

Even in the cold grey days of communism rock and roll was still sticking it to the man! But be warned: 'Cantafabule' comes with a legendary reputation, but you must remember that it was recorded in Romania. In