Search - Quintessence :: Quintessence

Let a thousand Lotus Bloom

Junglies | Morrisville, NC United States | 05/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After such a lousy day yeaterday I was so please that this re-release arrived in the mail today. From 1970 this is the band's second album and like the spiritual flower the lotus, this album is a blossoming out of the themes that were first heard on In Blissful Company.Along with the devotional songs and chants there is the musical awesome sound of Quintessence. With this band you never got to feel that any of the solo players were more important than the band themselves. Even though the vocals, flute and lead guitar were highlighted the band played as one. Much is made of the blistering psychedelic guitar and the haunting flute but this often misunderstands the centrality of their devotion and influences from India in the actual music itself. While the listener is often captivated by the wah-wah this can distract from the similarities with the Indian musical organisation. Listen to an early raga of Ravi Shankar and you can appreciate the direction that the group were going in.Having said that, it is very clear that the music is an aid to transcend the physical and to help take the listener to a higher plane. It is no surprise that the live performances led some of the attendees into near trance like or ecstatic states.All in all this is a superlative album and a must for any collection. I am happy that their is a live version of Jesus, Buddha etc as the additional track but I fear that it does not do justice to the power of their live performances.I always loved St. Pancras for all sorts of reasons which I cannot go into hear but it is a poignant point that that station in London has just been closed for refurbishment as it is transformed into a Eurostar terminal. The future travellers will be unaware of the significance to a Jewel in the Crown of the British music scene at the end of the '60s and the start of the 70's.An afterthought: this music is just as wonderous whether you are a Hindu or not"