Import reissue of 1980 cult album of brilliant symphonic rock by all instrumental Japanese progressive rock act inspired by the jazz-rock fusion of Canterbury bands of the late '60s & early '70s such as Camel & Sof... more »t Machine. Digipak. 2001.« less
Import reissue of 1980 cult album of brilliant symphonic rock by all instrumental Japanese progressive rock act inspired by the jazz-rock fusion of Canterbury bands of the late '60s & early '70s such as Camel & Soft Machine. Digipak. 2001.
CD Reviews
One of the best canterburian japanese works of the 80's
Lethe | Milan, Italy | 02/11/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Well apart from the clear reference to Mahavishnu orchestra and Arti&Mestieri in the track "Crossfire",there are also a lot of interesting symphonic interjections, which make this album more remarkable than for example the Outer Limits debut (even though this latter is quite stunning and rated as a 4 stars work)...the right rate of "Story of mysterious Forest" is probably 4 and 1/2.
I make this comparison with the best from Outer Limits, cause many critics, by reviewing some 80's jap. prog, have put these bands on the same level (I prefer Teru's Symphonia "Fable of the Seven Pillows", a bit better than both...and consider Ain Soph as well superior than Outer Limits, but nevermind). Anyway for me the present work by Ain Soph is already a classic...I find a lot of music styles similar to the best Camel;besides a lot of interesting jamming guitar solos and some post canterburian excursions as well - according the best tradition of bands such as Mational Health and Soft Machine - let appreciate their versatility!! Well I stop reviewing here, because I don't want to affect your opinion.
Try to listen to them and make your choice ..."
It's a mysterious masterpiece
B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 05/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A band that sounds like they were influenced by Genesis and Pink Floyd (and probably most resemble the Alan Parsons Project in musical approach and atmosphere) this is a great album, and worth owning.
"
Jazz-rock made in Japan
Fabio Romagnoli | Rome, Italy | 10/27/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Quello degli Ain Soph è davvero un bell'esempio di jazz-rock con venature prog di stampo canterburyano, suonato da un gruppo di musicisti fantasiosi e tecnicamente ben preparati. Consigliato agli amanti del genere."
One of the worthier ones from the 1980's Japanese catalog...
Squire Jaco | Buffalo, NY USA | 11/23/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Ain Soph was an instrumental band known for their jazz rock/fusion leanings, but "A Story of Mysterious Forest" also included some traditional progressive rock passages that didn't recur on their subsequent albums.
References to other bands spring to mind frequently while listening to this album. It charges out of the gate with a short scorcher in the Mahavishnu Orchestra style, then settles into more of a Happy The Man-meets-Al DiMeola groove for a few songs, before mixing Camel, Pink Floyd (circa "Wish You Were Here") and Brand X together in the 18-minute suite that bears the name of the album.
That suite is an unusual one - it starts with 3 minutes of space prog that borders on "Christmas interlude" music before settling into a neat Camel-like main theme with some excellent Andy Latimer/David Gilmour guitar lines. The mood is mostly dark on this suite, and you will get your fill of mellotron. With about 4 minutes left, though, the tempo suddenly changes to a Caribbean dance party (!) for a minute, before revisiting a few of the prior themes of the suite and closing out. The transitions between themes in this part of the suite seemed clumsy and forced to me, but I liked the idea of tying in all the previous sections.
Forget about all the band similitudes and just enjoy this album. It's kind of short (41:50) by today's standards, but it sure filled a nice void in the 1980-era prog/fusion arena. Worthy addition to your Japanese prog collection.
I value interesting music that is played and recorded well. This cd's rating was based on:
Music quality = 8.2/10; Performance = 9/10; Production = 9/10; CD length = 7/10.
Overall score weighted on my proprietary scale = 8.4 ("4 stars")
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1