Almost every collector of progressive rock familiar with their eponymous album acknowledges it as one of the real masterworks from the Northern countries. Old Man & The Sea's music radiated youthful happiness and enthusiasm, comparable to the high-spirited double albums of Junipher Greene and Oddmen. None of them went on to move back the musical frontiers but are still widely regarded as key examples of progressive rock. Our Danish friends stuck to the formula of roaring Hammond organ and cleverly multi-tracked guitars most of the time. What always counts, however, is the ability to write good material and perform it well. "Living Dead" and "Princess" are among the most brilliant melodies from the era sung with passion by Ole Wedel, whose bright voice sounded much like Jon Anderson's. The instrumental breaks are restricted to solos prior to the last verses. The remaining four tracks weren't far behind either! Although there are evident influences from The Beatles, Traffic, CSN&Y, ELP, Atomic Rooster and Jethro Tull, Old Man & The Sea were second to none of these. A classic album from an era when rock musicians were allowed to be pretentious and some were even taken seriously. Ole Wedel - lead vocals Benny Stanley - electric guitar Tommy Hansen - organ, piano, vocals Knud Lindhard - bass, vocals John Lundvig - drums release date: 2004 label: Second Life Records catalog: SLCD-014 1. Living Dead 7:54 2. Princess 6:02 3. Jingoism 6:53 4. Prelude 1:13 5. The Monk Song (Part 1) 5:55 6. The Monk Song (Part 2) 3:38 7. Going Blind 10:29 |