Culpeper's Orchard: Second Sight(1972)

Culpeper's Orchard: Second Sight(1972)
Karma Music (KMCD 21025)[2005]
Country Denmark
Progressive Rock & country

Culpeper's Orchard biography
A Danish rock band fronted by Englishman Cy Nicklin, this foursome produced three albums in the early 70's, before disbanding but recorded another one under the shorter name CULPEPER in 77, but it does not sound much like their former albums. The debut was particularly successful both commercially and artistically, a very entertaining and
professional effort, somewhere stuck between ZEPPELIN, TULL and BEATLES. The second album was more folky but saw two members leave after its release, leaving Nicklin alone at the helm and recording the third album, sometimes bordering country music.

: : : Hugues Chantraine, BELGIUM : : :
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Progarchives:
Review by Eetu Pellonpää
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars! The second album of this Danish group has very similar sound textures as found from their first album, emphasizing acoustic, carefully constructed harmonies, analogue organs and beautiful singing melodies for painting lush feelings to being paired with upright rock'n'roll passages. In addition of the more delicate and dynamic parts, there are also some quite straightforward and more unimaginative moments here, like the track "Classified Adds", a symptom of filler-track syndrome, which was diagnosed already on their first album. The beginning of the fourth tune "Late Night Woman Blues" returns back to more ethereal feelings, morphing as a traditional blues number with acoustic slide guitars and amplified rhythm guitars. The fifth song "Mind Pollution / Weather Report" starts then as a more traditional sounding folk number, with still some bluesy elements echoing underneath the dreamy sequences, later opening up as a more straightforward rocker. Though there are quite basic rock movements in this music, the tracks evolve in pleasant way from one feeling to another, creating nice contrasts and increasing the musical content to the conventional rock'n'roll passages, making the music pulse with emotions. Again on the next song "Autumn of It All" track the music returns to the folky moods, and the last song "Satisfied Mind" continues the folk style, but maybe moving towards more American country folk music, a style where I understood that part of the band members moved after this release. Though there's some skillful rock jamming on the presented themes in the end of the song, maybe this track wasn't my cup of tea still. This probably won't make their stuff more poorer, but it surely makes this more mainstream music in my opinion. If you like bands like Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Nazareth, The Who etc. and want to check out something more exotic but little similar, I would recommend this record along with the first album of Culpeper's Orchard as exceptionally good targets for listening. As an anecdote, the album cover picture is done by the Swedish artist John Bauer, work illustrating "Tuvstarr is still sitting there wistfully looking into the water") from the year 1913
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Tracks Listing

1. Julia (3:17)
2. Keyboard Waltz (4:24)
3. Classified Adds (4:14)
4. Late Night Woman Blues (6:38)
5. Mind Pollusion / Weather Report (9:34)
6. Autumn Of It All (4:06)
7. Satisfied Mind (6:07)

Total Time: 38:20

Raving (Single, Bonus Track)
Sailor (Live Bonus Track)
New Day, New Day (Live Bonus Track)
Hey Mister Housekeeper (Live Bonus Track)
Good Days (Live Bonus Track)
Sailor (Live Bonus Track)

Musicians

- Cy Nicklin / vocals, guitars, mandolin
- Neils Henriksen / guitars
- Michael Friis / bass, organ, piano, sitar, vocals, acoustic guitar
- Roger Barker / drums, percussion

==>Culpeper's Orchard: Second Sight(1972) Karma Music (KMCD 21025)[2005]<==