Record Reviews

QUIDAM ~ …BEZ PÓLPRADU (…HALFPLUGGED) ROCK SERWIS 066 (Barcode: 5907729906628) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2006 Released: 2006 6th album by this great group, which survived the departure of their phenomenal female lead singer and lyricist Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist (replaced by male vocalist Bartek KossowiczFind albums by this artist), an event that would have destroyed most other groups. This album is quite unusual in many respects, as it wasn’t really planned to happen at all. QuidamFind albums by this artist were invited to perform an acoustic (i.e. unplugged – see the album’s title) concert and although hesitant at first they sized this opportunity to rearrange some of their material and some Prog classic to create a new sound for the group. The result is truly outstanding. The acoustic Quidam sounds every bit as fantastic as their electric alter ego. The new singer does a superb job even when singing older material, which Derkowska performed (compare the version of “Sanctuary” with the original performances on their Angels` DreamsFind albums with this title and Baja ProgFind albums with this title albums). As usual, they include in their music tributes to the Classic Rock and Prog icons, this time performing (or incorporating passages into their own work) songs by BeatlesFind albums by this artist, Pink FloydFind albums by this artist, Moody BluesFind albums by this artist and Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist. It certainly looks like Quidam can do nothing wrong. With 6 first-rate albums and a consistent level of excellence they are one of the leading contemporary Prog groups and their future looks brighter than ever. Brilliant music!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ ANGELS` DREAMS MUSEA 4256 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1998 2nd album by the superb Polish Prog band QuidamFind albums by this artist. The angelic voice of Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist in the lead and some great instrumental performances by all the players in the band create together one of the freshest and most uplifting performances in recent years. On this album the vocals are in English. A parallel album with Polish vocals was also released.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ BAJA PROG - LIVE IN MEXICO `99 MUSEA 4321 ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1999 3rd album. Polish band QuidamFind albums by this artist are the best Prog group in their country since several years. They play Neo-Prog at its best: vibrant, complex, improvised and deeply melodic. Fronted by the amazing female vocalist Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist, who sings both in Polish and English. This great performance was recorded during the Mexican Prog festival Baja Prog in 1999 and the vocals are in Polish, which is for the best.

Updated: 21/09/2021Posted:

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ BAJA PROG – LIVE IN MEXICO `99 (LIMITED EDITION) ROCK SERWIS 103 (Barcode: 5907729910328) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1999 Released: 2006 3rd album by Polish Prog band QuidamFind albums by this artist recorded live during the annual Baja Prog festival in Mexicali, Mexico. Quidam are not only the best Prog group in their country since the mid-1990s, but also one of the best bands worldwide. They play modern Prog at its best: vibrant, complex, improvised and deeply melodic. Fronted by the amazing female vocalist Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist, who sings both in Polish and English, and including some amazing instrumentalists, they have little competition when it comes to creating memorable and moving melodies and stellar performances. Obviously the opportunity to perform live removes many of the constraints and limitations of the “serious” studio situation and the bands expands their material here to pay tribute to their many influences. Note the legendary guitar solo from the GenesisFind albums by this artist’ “Firth Of Fifth”, quotes from CamelFind albums by this artist’s “Snow Goose” or their incredible version of Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist’s “Child In Time” – each and every one of these performances being truly breathtaking. Derkowska sticks to Polish vocals during the concert, which is for the best. The companion DVD presents most of the material from the audio CD and a few additional songs heard (and seen) here for the first time, as well as a short documentary about the band’s stay in Mexico. This beautiful new edition includes both the CD and DVD in an exquisite mini-sleeve packaging.

CD+DVD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ QUIDAM ROCK SYMPHONY 070 (Barcode: 7898217280703) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1995 - 1996 Released: 1996 1st album by the Polish Prog group QuidamFind albums by this artist, which took the Prog world by surprise when it hit the Western world. In retrospect this is definitely one of the best Prog albums released in the 1990s and surely one of the strongest Prog debuts ever. Quidam has all the elements of a great group: superb writers, excellent instrumentalists and a divine female vocalist with an angelic voice of the caliber of Annie HaslamFind albums by this artist – Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist. The band is deeply rooted in the Prog tradition, especially in the GenesisFind albums by this artist dramatics, but they take the best of the tradition only as a backbone of their music, developing it far beyond the cliches and building exceptionally well developed and masterly executed songs. The delicate balance between acoustic (flute, viola) and electric (keyboards and guitar) instruments is enchanting and extremely effective. The choice to stick to Polish lyrics is a wise one, as the vocalist certainly can express herself better in her native tongue, rather than use English (as they tried later on). This is a masterpiece in every respect and every single second of this album is absolutely perfect. No serious Prog collection can be complete without this album.

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ QUIDAM / RZEKA WSPOMNIEN (LIMITED EDITION) ROCK SERWIS 101 (Barcode: 5907729910120) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1996 Released: 2006 1st album by the Polish Prog group QuidamFind albums by this artist, which took the Prog world by surprise when it hit the Western world. In retrospect this is definitely one of the best Prog albums released in the 1990s and surely one of the strongest Prog debuts ever. Quidam has all the elements of a great group: superb writers, excellent instrumentalists and a divine female vocalist with an angelic voice of the caliber of Annie HaslamFind albums by this artist – Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist. The band is deeply rooted in the Prog tradition, especially in the GenesisFind albums by this artist dramatics, but they take the best of the tradition only as a backbone of their music, developing it far beyond the cliches and building exceptionally well developed and masterly executed songs. The delicate balance between acoustic (flute, viola) and electric (keyboards and guitar) instruments is enchanting and extremely effective. The choice to stick to Polish lyrics is a wise one, as the vocalist certainly can express herself better in her native tongue, rather than use English (as they tried later on). The new 10th Anniversary edition adds a second CD called “River Of Memories”, which is a collection of previously unreleased material by the group and offshoot projects, all very interesting and worth having. Several video clips are added as well. This is a masterpiece in every respect and every single second of this album is absolutely perfect. No serious Prog collection can be complete without this album.

CD 2 Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ SAIKO ROCK SERVICE 070 (Barcode: 5907729907021) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2011 Released: 2012 This is the tenth album by the legendary Polish Prog ensemble QuidamFind albums by this artist, recorded four years after their last studio album "Alone TogetherFind albums with this title". It marks a dramatic transformation in the group´s stylistic approach as far as its music, lyrics, production and aesthetic aura is concerned, an alteration more profound than that, which occurred when Quidam´s original vocalist Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist left the group to be replaced by Bartek KossowiczFind albums by this artist. The album consists of twelve original compositions, as usual credited to the group members, eight of which are songs and four are instrumental interludes. Only one of the songs has lyrics in English and the other seven have Polish lyrics. The group´s decision to go back and use lyrics in the Polish language (as they did in their early days) is a profound resolution, which is completely misunderstood by most of their fans, especially those outside of Poland. My regular readers are aware of my passionate opinion on this subject, which always advocates the usage of mother tongue in lyrics. Every vocalist not performing in his / hers native langue losses an enormous amount of depth, expression and precision simply due to the fact that the meaning of words is deeply embedded in our brains in the natural language and so much is lost in the "translation" when we articulate our thoughts in a foreign language. And of course there is the problem with the unnatural accent, pronunciation and articulation, which are never really correct (and that is especially true for Polish vocalists singing in English), regardless of how hard they try or how good they are. I salute Quidam for taking this bold decision, which proved their maturity as artists. Only mature artists are able to understand, that their true Art transcends language barriers and singing in English is not really necessary to achieve international success. But apart from the language, Quidam also make a giant stylistic leap in their music, crossing over from the 1970s to the 21st Century. They update their sound, arrangements, production and the overall aura to contemporary Rock idiom, using electronics, loops, layers and other paraphernalia simply in order to update their vocabulary. As much as I love the sound of early Prog, which Quidam so beautifully sustained and even expanded in their music made prior to this album, one must admit that keeping that style artificially alive has its limits and keeping doing it forever borders on necrophilia. Many fans, shocked by this new musical approach, failed to see through these external manifestations deeply into the soul of this music, which is very much a continuation of the good old Quidam. There is the same beautiful lyricism, intrinsic melancholy, depth of expression and above all superb musicianship and Artistic profundity of expression. As always, this music is perfectly executed, dramatically sung and contains a message. Quidam prove yet again, that a masque makes an impact, but does not change the person behind it. In the months since this album was released I´ve read a plethora of highly critical reviews, some of which were truly abusive and cruel. It is sad, that people who have very little understanding of music have the audacity to express their opinions in public. I guess that the middle finger is the only proper response to such "opinions". Quidam emerge on this album victorious, overcoming against all odds the objective difficulties that contemporary music faces, with the world loosing interest in music and stupidity and shallowness ruling our lives. Being able to progress is after all the essence of Prog, and Quidam yet again prove that they have very little competition anywhere on this planet. This is an absolute gem, which every Prog fan should be honored to have in their collection.

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ SNY ANIOLÓW / ANGELS` DREAMS (LIMITED EDITION) ROCK SERWIS 102 (Barcode: 5907729910229) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1998 Released: 2006 2nd album by the superb Polish Prog band QuidamFind albums by this artist. The angelic voice of Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist in the lead and the great instrumental work by all the players in the band create together one of the freshest and most uplifting performances in modern Prog. This album follows splendidly in the tracks set by the stunning debut, released two years earlier, and fills all the expectations. The album was released in two versions – one with Polish lyrics and the other with English lyrics. Although Derkowska feels comfortably with the English vocals, the Polish version is preferable in my opinion, as the singer is free to concentrate on her vocal performances rather than (at least subconsciously) on the foreign language. The music is a unique mixture of classic Prog elements with classical and folk influences. The flute is the second leading voice in the band and it provides a splendid companion to the singer’s delicate voice. The album is full of gorgeous melodies, magic moments and atmospheric tension, which set the standard of Progressive Rock music another notch higher. This beautiful new edition includes both versions of the album in an exquisite mini-sleeve packaging.

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ SURREVIVAL ROCK SERWIS 063 (Barcode: 5907729906321) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2005 Released: 2005 5th album by the phenomenal Polish Prog group QuidamFind albums by this artist. It took them 3 years to recover from the sudden blow inflicted on them when their lead singer / lyricist Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist unexpectedly left them. Since Quidam were essentially built around Emila’s central role, this entire concept was now gone and the remaining core band members had to redesign and rethink their new direction. Slowly they developed new material and after enlisting a new (male this time) lead singer and lyricist Bartek KossowiczFind albums by this artist they were finally ready to record a new album. As the album’s title reveals, they eventually managed both to survive and to revive their group. But the new Quidam, which emerges here, is very different from the previous incarnation. The sound is much harder, similar at times to Steve HogarthFind albums by this artist’s era MarillionFind albums by this artist and ArenaFind albums by this artist. The early soft GenesisFind albums by this artist influences and folksy instrumentation is gone, replaced by strong guitar and keyboards lines. The only resemblance remains in the beautiful flute parts. The new singer is truly excellent, singing only in English with no foreign accent whatsoever. This switch from Polish to English is one more difference in the band’s approach, surely influenced by their worldwide success. One thing is quite obvious: with all the changes and transformations they remain to be one of the best and strongest contemporary Prog bands, with very limited competition. The album includes excellent music from start to finish, brilliantly played and sung – one can ask nothing more than that. Definitely a worthy addition to the band’s excellent musical legacy and a must for every serious Symphonic Prog fan.

CD 1 Slipcase Recommend To A Friend

QUIDAM ~ THE TIME BENEATH THE SKY MUSEA 4441 (Barcode: 3426300044419) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 2002 Released: 2002 4th album by the Polish Prog band QuidamFind albums by this artist. This album includes the over 30 minutes long suite, from which the title is taken. Brilliant compositions and fabulous playing, not to mention the dreamy vocals by Emila DerkowskaFind albums by this artist, all make this a truly enjoyable and highly sophisticated musical experience. Poland is definitely taking a serious position on the conteporary Prog scene!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend