Here we have an album as the original was supposed to sound when it was first released. Thirty years after the release of Here And Now by German act ICU, we can finally hear what the original mix sounded like, which was never used for the release of their second album. Coincidentally, it was found last year after it was initially thought to have been lost. Due to internal disputes in 1995, the band temporarily agreed to replace the original mix with a new one, which was unfortunately created under stress and in haste. After its release, the opinion prevailed that the original mix was far superior. Thanks to original guitarist Thomas Glönkler and producer Volker Hinkel it is available for everybody to listen to. And a great album it is! Now And Here - 30th Anniversary Edition is highly recommended to everybody! ICU (probably means I See You) were a progressive rock act from the greater Stuttgart area, founded by guitarist Thomas Glönkler and singer Ralf Großmann. They were among those groups that didn't aspire to the big stages, but rather to the moment when music truly meant something. The band debuted in 1993 with Moonlight Flit. Their follow up Now And Here was released two years later. In 1997 their self-titled third CD was released. Unfortunately, no more albums were released and the band disbanded and Glönkler went solo. Releasing several albums including the excellent Tiefenland (2023, see review). I must honestly admit that I never listened to this album back in 1995. In those days I listened to new albums such as Songs from the Lion's Cage from Arena or The Light released by Spock's Beard. Or albums such as Generation 13 by Saga and Back In The World Of Adventures by The Flower Kings. Somehow, it slipped under the radar. This is, of course, incomprehensible and one of the biggest mistakes made when it comes to discovering new bands in the genre. This album is undoubtedly one of the musical highlights ever created by a progressive rock band from Germany. This album can easily be placed alongside other excellent German progressive rock albums such as Spartacus (1975, Triumvirat), Symphonic Pictures (1976, Schicke, Führs & Fröhling), Rockpommel's Land (1977, Grobschnitt), Planets (1981, Eloy), In Blau (1982, Anyone's Daughter), Vision (2009, Martigan) and Das Geheimnis (2013, Traumhaus). This excellent album was recorded with the following musicians; Steffen Herrmann (keyboards), Eva-Maria Baumann (flute, backing vocals), Hartwig Dieterich (bass), Joachim Lauber (drums) and the earlier mentioned Ralf Großmann (lead vocals, rhythm & acoustic guitars) and Thomas Glönkler (electric & acoustic guitars). Now And Here is about a kind of healing process, structured as a dialogue between man and nature. The alienated person confronts himself with his fears and finds his true self through confrontation and pain. The title Now And Here symbolizes the end of this learning process and stands for the regained unity between man and nature - and also for a rediscovery of the present. On Now And Here the band shows that they are influenced by the old and second generation of progressive rock bands. This means that the soft side of the seventies Genesis comes to the surface as well as the influences of bands such as Marillion and IQ from the eighties. Just listen to the album opener One Life and you know what I mean. Opening and ending with beautiful mellow parts on which the acoustic guitars and flute have a leading role. Just like Genesis did on their earlier albums. As for the guitar parts you hear most of all the influences of Steve Rothery (Marillion). Strong soloing and above all very melodic playing. The keyboards are also important. But don't expect flashy synthesizer solos. You get strong piano parts like you can hear on The Same Old Way. Sometimes ambient sounding like on Challenge Of The Unknown (i) In The Dark. But most of all strong string synthesizer parts are used to give the music a real progressive rock sound. Sometimes very bombastic as well. The only female in the band has an important role. Playing some excellent flute parts and doing some wonderful backing vocals on the entire album. Finally, I'll have to mention the strong male lead vocals as well. Sometimes an album stands or falls if the vocal parts are not good enough. Well in this case they are almost perfect. They are warm, clear, and very expressive. I will not go through all the songs separately. But it is easy to say that the two epics One Life and Challenge Of The Unknown are the absolute highlights. By saying this it doesn't mean the rest is less enjoyable. No way. All of the compositions are of an unbelievable high level and a must to listen to. The band is really on top of their game on this excellent album! But this new version of the album is not all you get. The new edition comes in a beautifully designed digipak and includes a jam-packed booklet - complete with liner notes, lyrics, and a wealth of digital extras. If you go to their Bandcamp page and use the code given inside the album a world opens of many extras. It features two complete live recordings from Stuttgart and Sindelfingen in 1995, the original album mix, rare demos, rehearsal room takes, a photo gallery and even video footage from the studio in Merklingen. The concert recordings, in particular, are worth discovering. They demonstrate how masterfully ICU, at the height of their powers, performed their complex material live. The only remark I can make is that the album comes as a single CD but maybe it should have included two extra CDs with both live recordings mentioned earlier. A small CD box set for the 30th anniversary would have been an even better anniversary gift. But it probably might have cost too much to release it that way. So, I'll forgive them! Finally! What's particularly striking about this 30th Anniversary Edition, is that the music sounds so much clearer and more transparent compared to the audio on the original release. There's much more detail to be heard. That's why, in my opinion, a reissue of this album is more than justified. Even more because it was out of print for many years. Now And Here is an album which should be owned by every proghead. Because it is a true lost gem which should be heard by everybody. Most of all recommended to fans of early Genesis and Marillion. But also, If you like bands such as Martigan and Grobschnitt. ****+ Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) Where to buy? |
