Ekseption - Beggar Julia's Time Trip - 1970 (24/96 Vinyl Rip)

Ekseption was a Dutch progressive rock ensemble with changing membership, active from 1967 to 1989, growing out of the bands The Jokers and Incrowd. The group started out playing jazz, pop and R&B covers. Impressed by a gig of The Nice, the members, of which the most famous is Rick van der Linden, decided to concentrate on producing classical rock, modern re-interpretations of classical works. Most of their albums contain both original songs and re-interpreted classical pieces.

"Beggar Julia's Time Trip" is one of Ekseption's best albums and worth to be heard! Enjoy this excellent recorded (41 years old!) album..
Note: All tracks of this concept album walk-over in each other; gapless burning is essential to seamless play the whole LP..





Review:

Ekseption's successful debut-album had made them a big name even outside of Holland but Kruisman, Kampen and Leeuwe decided to leave the band in 1970. Dick Remelinck and Dennis Whitebread soon replaced them. The band also included singer Michael van Djik in the new line-up, introducing vocals to their sound. Their second album "Beggar Julia's Time Trip" was an ambitious and continuous concept-album that stands as one of the band's finest moments.

The concept told the story of a female beggar who lived in year 900. One day she encounters some kind of a time-machine/space-ship that takes her on a journey through the centuries and up to our time. Musically, the album mixes classical themes with original material written by van der Linden. This includes a very beautiful, medieval-influenced overture, the rocking/jazzy "Pop Giant", the baroque "Feelings" and the vocal-number "Julia". The classical adaptations included Albinoni's "Adagio", Bach's "Italian Concerto" and Tchaikovsky's "Concerto".

The latter also includes an uncredited theme from Beethoven's "Patetique". All these pieces are tasty and beautifully arranged in the typical Ekseption-way, dominated by van der Linden's organ, piano, harpsichord, mellotron and the various horns and wind-instruments of Broek and Remelinck. Overall I think that this was maybe Ekseption's most typical progressive album, and that would probably also make it the best starting point for many of you.

Tommy Schönenberg @ Vintageprog.com


Track List:

01 Ouverture
02 Prologue
03 Julia
04 Flying power
05 Adagio
06 Space I
07 Italian concerto

08 Concerto
09 Space II
10 Pop giant
11 Space III
12 Feelings
13 Epilogue
14 Finale: Music for Mind & Theme Julia

Musicians:

Michel van Dijk - Vocals, Percussion
Dennis Whitbread - Drums, Kettledrums
Rick van der Linden - Piano, Spinet, Xylophone, (Pipe)-Organ, Mellotron
Rein van den Broek - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Pocket Trumpet
Cor Dekker - Bass Guitar
Dick Remelink - Saxes, Flute

Guests:

Tony Vos - Saxes, Tonytone, Electronic effects
Linda van Dijck - Voice on "Prologue" & "Epilogue"
Eric van Lier - Trombone, Tuba