Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

×

Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

Close

Quintessence (1970). Lead by Australian-born violinist and flutist Rothfield (aka Raja Ram), keyboardist Phil Jones (Shiva Shankar) and Shambu Babaji on bass, this North-London group had very strong spiritual Indian classical music influences. Their first two albums, In Blissfull Company and their eponymous second album (they had much success riding on the popular sudden passion provoked by the Beatles) are filled with Indian Sacred Chants and Psalms, but also much more accessible jazz-filled rock tracks full of delightful moments. The 2004 CD reissue on Repertoire adds a live version of "Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga" (originally released on the first pressing of the 1970 Island compilation Bumpers) as a bonus track.

Dive Deep (1971). Dive Deep, Quintessence's third album, was effectively more of what had come before, with long instrumental passages, sometimes with definable themes and sometimes sounding as if the band had instructions to jam and see what happened. Not afraid to stretch their songs to around the ten-minute mark, there were only six tracks - of which "Epitaph for Tomorrow" had a guitar solo running through it and which could be described as the forerunner of Tubular Bells – and the final track, "Sri Ram Chant," made liberal use of the sitar, Raja Ram's flute, Indian rhythms throughout, and a mantra mentioning Krishna at every opportunity. Much simpler was the title track, "Dive Deep," which opened the album and owed more to '60s folk than prog or religious rock. This led into the 11-minute track "Dance for the One" with a six-minute intro of meandering flute, never once managing a recognizable tune. Quintessence never made it into the big league, and this was not totally surprising based on the evidence of Dive Deep, which was their final album for Island before trying their luck on the newly founded Neon label (part of the RCA group and home to what RCA hoped what be their progressive equivalent of Harvest, Vertigo or Deram). Apart from one further week at number 50 in the charts with the album Self, Quintessence never really happened and the internal arguments that led the group to split increased.

Self (1972). By 1972, the magical aura that once surrounded Quintessence had long since dissipated, just as the band itself had shed much of the evocative panache that characterized their greatest moments. One more album on the unfamiliar pastures of RCA was not going to correct their decline, but Self emerged a delight regardless, chiefly courtesy of the live second side that caught the band in full flight at Exeter University. Despite being just two songs long, the performance rolls back the years so effectively that the faintly workaday weight of side one is barely even relevant to the album's glory. There, of course, the band's customary blending of Indian mantra and jazzy heartbeats is as eclectic as ever, and the only downside is that the group has not really moved on from its original vision. This Esoteric Recordings reissue has been remastered from the original master tapes and also adds two bonus tracks drawn from the band's only single for RCA Neon label.

Indweller (1972). Hailing from the heart of London's 'alternative underground' society in Notting Hill, Quintessence were inspired by Eastern philosophy and spiritual teachings creating a unique fusion of Psychedelia, Jazz and Ethnic Rock. 'Indweller' saw them continue their musical explorations in this vein, creating a classic of the Progressive / Acid Rock genre. The Esoteric re-mastered edition was produced from the original analogue master tapes and features a booklet with liner notes and new essay.

×

Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

Close

×

Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

Close

×

Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

Close

×

Quintessence - 4 Studio Albums (1970-1972) [Reissue 2004-2008]

Close