While the Progressive Rock scene in the Canterbury-era was growing in the Psychedelic-era of the late '60s and the Prog-era of the early '70s with The Soft Machine, Caravan, Egg, Gong, and Khan. But there was one band from the outskirts of the Netherlands that would make Captain Sensible really enjoy these dutch prog underground cult obscurity. Supersister was a combination of fuzztone organs, fast-sped time signatures, and a homage to the Bebop and Traditional Jazz sounds of the '50s and early '60s.

It's hard to describe these guys. They had a sense of humor, similar to Frank Zappa's humor with Apostrophe, We're Only In It For the Money, Freak Out!, and Lumpy Gravy, But Supersister was different than Zappa. Way different. The music was weird, bizarre, funny, and off the wall when they released their debut album in 1970 on the Polydor label, Present From Nancy.

This album was their Apples and Oranges and their cooking pot because they were really cookin'! with their first album. The tributes to Robert Wyatt, Miles Davis, Coltrane, and the first two Soft Machine albums shows Present from Nancy how fucking good that Supersister can bring the classical references to a standstill. Robert Jan Stips is mind-boggling with his dutch vocals related to Kevin Ayers and Wyatt and his keyboard playing shows the similarities of Mike Rateledge and Dave Stewart of Egg with the fuzztone sounds on the organ that gives it a good kick while Sacha van Geest does his jazz routine on the flute in an upbeat tempo on the self-titled track. Ron Van Eck is like jazz bassist Paul Chambers and Marco Vrolijk keeps the tempo going for Supersister with the marching beat tempo on the drums to give it a racing edge.

But lets get to Present From Nancy. The album is so goddamn good, you NEED to buy it! The opening of Introduction sets the mood for the album on what is about to come with a robotic sound on the guitar and a classical related jazz intro on the Grand Piano while Present from Nancy and Memories are New gives it a darker edge with a speeding time signature that is way out into the Outer Limits. 11/8 is their homage to Egg and Mike Rateledge in this arrangement that is like a ticket to hell. Dreaming Wheelwhile, an atmospheric ambient somber piece in Space and time. Corporation Combo Boys is a jazz rock intro of the group's background and their roots and influences in Tango and Progressive music as it goes straight into the sinister composition of Mexico.

Metamorphosis, reminds me a bit of the early punk rock sound of a cross between The Soft Machine meets the Damned with its counterpoint attack on their instruments as the band go for ramming speed while Eight Miles High closes it into an Atomic annihilation. The band go to their Tangerine Dream relative sound on Dona Nobis Pacem.

Sense of humor and Jazz-Fusion meets the Canterbury-era? No wonder these dutchmen were riding on the Prog mountain with weird obscurity to go into a whirlpool of madness!

Reviews Index