Among progheads Dutch keyboard player Edo Spanninga is known for his long term work with the appreciated Dutch prog formation Flamborough Head, and for the other prog project Trion. And now he has released his first solo album (under the moniker of E.D.O.) entitled The Past Is A Foreign Country, about the western post war history, from the Wannsee conference with the Nazi rise in 1933 until the start of the war in the Ukraine with the destructive Russian invasion in Mariupol in 2022. Edo has studied history and feels very involved in what happens with our society, so many changes and so much happening. This inspired him to write The Past Is A Foreign Country, derived from a known book that he considers as beautiful for the title of his concept album about post war history in Europe. As a huge fan of the Mellotron Edo decided to give this unique and unsurpassed keyboard an omnipresent role on his first solo album and used the Virtual Studio Technology from the IKMultimedia Sampletron2. Edo has played all instruments, including the arranged and re-edited WAV's (audio storage of music on a pc) of a drummer. Only on the bonus track Pa Gata drummer Davide Guidoni joins Edo. A personal note about the subject of this concept album, how sad to notice that almost a century after 1933 the world's biggest countries are ruled by sociopathic and narcistic megalomaniacs. These leaders can cause another world war with their huge ego, greed, lack of empathy and conscience and imperialistic goals, very concerning. But back to the music. During the album the 7 compositions (rooted in the 70s symphonic rock tradition, with obvious echoes from Camel, Focus and Genesis, and of course from Eddie Mulder (Trion, Leap Day) are perfectly blended with the voices of Hitler and a hysterical cheering crowd, the sound of the atomic bomb explosion on Hiroshima, John F. Kennedy with "Ich bin ein Berliner", "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King, the Cape Kennedy rocket countdown, a voice about Watergate, the end of the Berlin wall, Bosnia, 9/11 and the UK with the Brexit, Ronald Reagan with "Please mister Gorbatsjov, open the door" and Thatcher about the Falklands war. The music is very pleasantly coloured by Edo Spanninga and his wonderful and varied keyboard work, and featuring an omnipresent Mellotron sound, as a Tron-maniac I love it! The one moment dreamy with tender classical piano, acoustic guitar and flute. Or slow rhythms with lush Mellotron violins, acoustic rhythm guitar and moving electric guitar. The other moment catchy beats with flashy synthesizer flights, powerful Hammond organ runs and heavy guitar leads. Or bombastic parts with majestic Mellotron choirs and fat Moog Taurus bass pedals. In between also sound effects from nature. The two bonus tracks: Cathedral Green: "No fillers, all killers", what a dynamic and varied track (between dreamy and bombastic), embellished with piano arpeggio's, sensational work on the Minimoog synthesizer flights, swirling Hammond and moving guitar, wow! Pa Gata: The track means "Bey, ready". After the intro featuring soaring Mellotron violins, to me it sounds like Edo has composed an inspired tribute to Starship Trooper (Wurm section) by Yes, with a strong own touch and lots of interesting musical ideas, I love this. Edo has succeeded to present a very melodic, harmonic and accessible concept album with a good balance between the pleasantly arranged symphonic rock compositions, and voices and sound effects that epitomize the historical facts and atmosphere. He has delivered strong arrangements on his first solo effort, it never sounds too dramatic or too fragmentic. This is Dutch prog on an international level, highly recommended, wow! Any profits of this album will be donated to the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR. **** Erik Neuteboom (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
