English lyrics, spoken word
International relevance: ***
International relevance: ***
A legendary album with an impressive members
list in retrospect: Björn J:son Lindh, Jan Bandel, Johnny Mowinckel, Staffan
Stenström, Sten Bergman and Greg FitzPatrick (appearing under visa
escaping pseudonym Göran Ahlin), most of them later to turn up on a
number of stellar progg albums.
”Tranquillity Bay” was the first LP
in a series of co-productions between Finnish Love Records and bands
from the not yet fully developed Swedish progg scene. The 1970
release date suggests a strong influence from late 60's pop and rock,
and it's indeed a product of its time. The album's very unfocused,
with nonsense tracks (”The Critics”, ”Able Baker Charlie Dog”,
”Relapse (incl. United Fruit)”, some with spoken parts), post-psychedelic numbers
(”Take a Look Around You”, ”Very Special Dream”), pre-progg
(the side long ”Weather”), and pop (”Can't You Hear Them Shooting”).
The short a capella snippet ”What Is the Time” reappears a few
times to give the album a conceptual sense, but the truth is that the
songs are way too disparate to work together in a cohesive fashion. But the best ones are very good. ”Tranquillity Bay” is a legendary album but admittedly largely because of future history and what became of the members.
Prior to the album, baroque pop song
”Your Sister Juliet” was released as a single backed with the
much better pop psych track ”Would You Believe It”. Atlantic
Ocean can also be heard on the original soundtrack to Roy Andersson's
”En kärlekshistoria” (international release: ”A Swedish Love Story”) from 1970, The
movie songs are better than most of what ended up on their proper
album.
7":
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