Tale Music Group - Elysium Fields

Year of Release: 1998
Label: Baronhouse
Catalog Number: TMGCD2
Format: CD
Total Time: 54:29:00

This album has been waiting to get a well-deserved review for a long time now. South-African Rob Granville had astonished friend and foe with the debut Riverman Vol. 1; now he has now launched an alliance with fellow-musician keyboard player Michael Stodart under the banner of Tale Music Group. With Elysium Fields the twosome have delivered a very strong concept, leading to fine compositions which can certainly compete with the better of Pink Floyd's material. The way the songs are constructed, plus the inclusion of female backing vocals and saxophone ("The Holy Man") all point in that direction especially. Whilst there is a hint of Supertramp nostalgia in "Rape Of The Catacomb" and "The Card Game" (sometimes the voice of Granville leans heavily towards that of Rick Davies), via the acceleration of "Spirit Train" one soon gets in the neighborhood of the great Alan Parsons.

Purely classical music is presented in "The Lost Concerto" whilst "almost-rap" in the style of "Fish meets Meatloaf" gets the upper hand in "Beelzebub." Laid-back blues, which can be an inspiration for Michael Franks, can be heard in "Life Of Ryelly," whilst "Rose Garden" is of such a high calibre Sarah Brightman can only dream about. The closing track "Elysium Fields" contains in a nutshell all of the elements that are used throughout this CD: classical elements, superb vocal harmonies, nicely balanced instrumental passages, catchy melodies - in other words, the perfect ending. It's also an album that has been made with heart and soul, something you can clearly hear. Knowing these guys are currently working on their third album with legendary producer David Hentschel this can only lead to even better things, although judging from this album, trying to beat Elysium Fields will not be an easy task! World class!

Tracklisting:
Rape Of The Catacomb (Part 1) (2:59) / Rape Of The Catacomb (Part 2) (4:49) / The Holy Man (3:31) / Escape (3:17) / Spirit Train (4:03) / Baron House (4:28) / The Lost Concerto (1:42) / Memorial Hall (4:08) / Rustle And Run (0:44) / Beelzebub (4:11) / The Card Game (7:10) / Life Of Ryelly (4:06) / Rose Garden (3:42) / Elysium Fields (5:39)

Musicians:
Rob Granville - guitars, vocals
Michael Stodart - keyboards
Denis Lalouette - bass
Barry van Zyl - saxophone
Andrew Thomas - drums, percussion
Kevin Kruger - drums, percussion
Karine Jerg, Melody Bracy, Jenna Williams - backing vocals

Discography:
Riverman - Volume 1 (1994)
Elysium Fields (1998)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin ZA

Added: March 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Hits: 2895
Language: english