The Dutch jazz rock band Solution recorded this eponymous debut album in 1971 and now Esoteric Recordings re-released this so-called classic album. Solution's music was a mixture of progressive rock and jazz fusion and it was obviously influenced by the British Canterbury band Soft Machine and the Dutch group Super Sister. However, Solution definitely had a style and sound of their own as you can hear in songs like Trane Steps or Circus Circumstances. On Phases, the longest track of the album, you can hear vocals but the rest of the material is strictly instrumental. Koan, Trane Steps and Circus Circumstances all contain saxophone, flute, organ and jazzy and funky rhythms. In my opinion Trane Steps is the musical highlight of the album as it really is a piece with lots of melodies and much diversity. This is Solution at their best! However, I sadly miss the electric guitar throughout the album and therefore I prefer their third album called Cordon Bleu (1975) which features a guitar player. All in all it's always nice to listen to the music of this great Dutch jazz rock band. Play at maximum volume, please! Solution's second album Divergence was originally released in 1972. The band had evolved with the following line-up: Tom Barlage (saxophone, flute), Willem Ennes (keyboards), Guus Willemse (bass guitar) and Hans Waterman (drums). Divergence contains a couple of rather good songs like for instance Second Line and Concentration, which are typical Solution tracks, meaning funky, jazzy and with lots of saxophone solos. A rather 'weird' song is Fever, which is also sung by Elvis 'The King' Presley. Solution made it an up-tempo piece with awkward sounds. The title track is a good song that was later recorded by Dutch band Focus and then called Tommy. I really prefer that version as Jan Akkerman's guitar appeals more to me than Tom Barlage's saxophone. All in all, again a worthwhile re-release by Esoteric Recordings and don't forget to take a look at the beautiful and informative booklet. *** / *** Martien Koolen (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
