Record Reviews

NIEMEN ~ ODE TO VENUS GREEN TREE 118 (Barcode: 4015689001183) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1973 Released: 2003 This is the 2nd album recorded by Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist as part of his 4 albums deal with CBSFind albums on this label. It was recorded in Germany (same as the debut CBS release “Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title”) and with the same musicians: Józef SkrzekFind albums by this artist on keyboards and electric bass, Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist on guitar and Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist on drums, but without Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist, who returned to Poland. Skrzek, Apostolis and Piotrowski were about to form SBBFind albums by this artist soon after, and the album’s sound bears a strong resemblance to the early SBB albums as these sessions crystallized their sound and their unique approach to Jazz-Rock. Skrzek composed and co-composed several of the tracks present here, which of course emphasizes even more the process of the build-up of the trio as a future independent unit. Their parting with Niemen was unfortunately not a happy one, as he felt they were using his name and popularity as a vehicle for their success, but such incidents are of course quite common in the music world. Dominated by the Jazz-Rock attitude, the album presents some superb melodies and excellent musicianship, but is slightly less adventurous than its predecessor. Nevertheless it is as good if not better that most of the music created at the time by other Western European or American musicians. Niemen’s powerful music, his completely unique vocals and the virtuosity of his band create together a musical experience that stands the tides of time wonderfully and remains a superb achievement of Polish musical heritage. It goes without saying that the album is an absolute must for any Niemen fan, but most Prog and Jazz-Rock lovers anywhere in the world should be able to enjoy this great music.

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ STRANGE IS THIS WORLD GREEN TREE 119 (Barcode: 4015689001190) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2003 Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist was one of the greatest musical geniuses to come out of Eastern Europe. His extraordinary life and personality has been already a subject of several books, but much more will be written about him in the future, especially since he’s sadly no longer with us. Niemen and his music served as a lighthouse to generations of East European musicians, who had limited access to music recorded and released in the Western world. His prophetic vision and out-of-this-world talent enabled him to create a whole universe of music, which was so powerful, pioneering and light-years ahead of its time, that it single-handedly educated whole generations of musicians, who studied, copied and learned from the Master. With the release of his debut album in 1967 (entitled “Dziwny Jest Ten SwiatFind albums with this title”, or “Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title” in Polish), Niemen was instantly crowned as the absolute monarch of Eastern European Rock, and his subsequent releases, which documented his faster-then-light development, were all absolute musical marvels, cherished and adored by fans and musical peers alike. Following his stellar career in Poland, Niemen tried to build up a career in the West. He moved to Italy, where he performed and released several singles, but his music was obviously way too advanced for the popular market. He did manage however to get signed by CBSFind albums on this label Europe, with a contract to record 4 albums. The first 3 of these albums were recorded in Germany and the last in the US. This is the first of these albums and presents Niemen at his absolute best in every respect. With enough material written over the years for his Polish releases, Niemen selected just four of his most notable compositions, rearranging them musically and spiritually for the (then) present, including the translation of the lyrics into English and expanding the framework of the songs dramatically. The phenomenal quintet that recorded this music includes Niemen on vocals and organ, Józef SkrzekFind albums by this artist on keyboards and electric bass, Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist (a visionary Polish Avant-Garde musician) on acoustic bass, Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist (as the name suggests a Greek born Polish resident) on guitar and the extremely talented young drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist. People, who are somewhat familiar with the Polish scene, might know that Skrzek, Apostolis and Piotrowski were about to form SBBFind albums by this artist, the greatest Polish Prog / Jazz-Rock group of the 1970s, soon after leaving Niemen’s group. The music on this album is majestic and sublime in every sense – dramatic vocals, superb instrumental work, beautiful melodies and complex arrangements, all coming together just perfectly. Nadolski inserts some incredible Avant-Garde bow work and Apostolis supplies some of the hottest guitar licks ever recorded. It is extremely difficult to categorize this music as far as genres are concerned, as it constantly shifts between Prog, Jazz-Rock and even Free Jazz. Niemen was simply beyond any one single musical category, producing total music, which is eternal and always stimulating. In retrospect this music remains 100 % valid and relevant today, with very few examples of anything done then and since to rival its brilliance. Of course only very few people beyond Poland ever heard about Niemen, but that is definitely their problem. Beyond essential!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ MOURNER`S RHAPSODY GREEN TREE 120 (Barcode: 4015689001206) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1974 Released: 2003 This is the 4th and last album recorded by Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist as part of his 4 albums deal with CBSFind albums on this label. Following the recording and release of the first three albums in Germany, CBS decided to pass the torch to the parent company in US, ColumbiaFind albums on this label Records, and this album was recorded in New York. Produced by one of Columbia’s resident producers Sol RabinowitzFind albums by this artist, who had a lot of experience with Jazz-Rock, and surrounded by some of the best US players at the time, the album had all the potential to become a monster hit, but alas things turned out differently. The music world was obviously not ready to accept a non-English speaking artist to the hall of fame, regardless of how good he really was. The players on the album include (among others) Jan HammerFind albums by this artist (drums), Rick LairdFind albums by this artist (bass), Steve KhanFind albums by this artist (guitar), John AbercrombieFind albums by this artist (guitar), Don GrolnickFind albums by this artist (keyboards) and another great Polish musician, violinist Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist. Niemen wrote all the music for this album, some of it new and some taken from his Polish releases. The sound quality and production are the best he ever had up to that point and the album is perfect in every respect, except perhaps for the producer’s effort to “Americanize” the final result in order to make it more accessible. This affected the slick sound the album (similar to many other Columbia albums at the time), but overall the album is an absolute knockout. Niemen’s complex, but beautiful melodies and his unique vocal delivery are completely unrivalled. The album’s title track (taken from the Polish album “EnigmaticFind albums with this title”) gets here an absolutely stunning new arrangement, using a choir to deepen the already profoundly dramatic atmosphere of the suite. In short, this is a monster album, sadly overlooked at the time by Western music community, but a momentous achievement for one of the most unique Artists on this planet. One can not even imagine what one is missing not ever listening to this album. Essential listening!

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ RUSSISCHE LIEDER GREEN TREE 121 (Barcode: 4015689001213) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1973 Released: 2004 This is the 3rd album recorded by Polish singer / keyboardist / composer / lyricist / poet Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist as part of his 4 albums deal with CBSFind albums on this label. It was the last of the albums to be recorded in Germany and is the must unusual of all of his albums ever recorded. “Russische LiederFind albums with this title” (or “Russian Songs” in English) take Niemen back to his childhood and give him an opportunity to re-examine his musical roots. He was born is a small village in Bielorussia, near the Niemen river (his artistic pseudonym “Niemen” comes from that river’s name, his real name being Czeslaw Wydrzycki). His family was Polish (before WW II large parts of Bielorussia and Ukraine were part of the Polish State) and they immigrated to Poland in the late 1950s. As a highly sensitive and musical child, Niemen was exposed to a wide range of Russian music, both classical and folklore, which undoubtedly became deeply embedded into his musical personality and a well trained ear can often hear echoes of these influences in his later work. On this album Niemen performs 10 Russian folk songs, all arranged and performed by his own. He plays several instruments and overlays vocal tracks to achieve an effect of transcribing the original material into contemporary setting. Although almost completely detached from his usual Prog and Jazz-Rock output, this is a fascinating album, especially in view of the fact that the song’s musical treatment is highly original and unusual. Although some of Niemen’s fans found this album difficult to swallow, any sensitive music lover will recognize the artistic value of this recording. This reissue includes also 2 bonus tracks taken from the CBS single, which includes a single version of the “Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title” title track and a non-album track – both extremely rare. Definitely worth investigating.

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ LIVE IN HELSINKI 1973 GREEN TREE 169 (Barcode: 4015689001695) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1972 Released: 2018 This is an archival album, which presents live recordings by the greatest Polish Rock / Fusion musician of all times, vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist. The first three tracks on the album were recorded during a concert at the Helsingin Juhlaviikot (Helsinki Festival), Finland captured on August 28, 1972 (not on the 26th as the CD info states) and recorded by Finnish National Broadcasting Company (YLE) and later broadcasted on Finnish Radio and TV. Polish TV years later broadcasted the concert giving the wrong recording year, which is why the wrong date is associated with these tracks here and on YouTube, where the TV recording can be found. Another Polish Rock group, KlanFind albums by this artist, was also invited to that festival and their performance captured on the same day by the YLE can be found on the "Live Finland 1972Find albums with this title" album released by the great archival record label GADFind albums on this label Records – this time completely legally and with restored sound quality. The two other tracks were recorded at the "Jazz Now!" 1972 Olympic Games concert in Munich, Germany, captured on August 17, 1972 and recorded by the German TV, which can also be found on YouTube. German Jazz critic / author / activist and my Friend and Mentor Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist was the Artistic Director of the entire "Jazz Now" series (August 17 to 20, 1972) and his love and knowledge of the Polish scene was the reason why Niemen was the only Artist from behind the Iron Curtain invited to take part in this highly prestigious event.. All the tracks feature the core of what was to become the most famous Polish Fusion band SBBFind albums by this artist: bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarists Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist, accompanying Niemen´s vocals. The music is absolutely stunning, as expected, and even the dubious sound quality of these recordings is not able to spoil the unadulterated pleasure this music is still able to generate almost fifty years after it was initially performed. Niemen was always light years ahead of his contemporaries on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and the fact that he remains still relatively anonymous beyond Eastern Europe, despite his revolutionary contributions and pioneering spirit, is a crying shame. It is a great pity that the entire legacy of Niemen´s recordings made outside of Poland and many of his live recordings remain unreleased and are available only unofficially, like all the Green TreeFind albums on this label titles. His third Box Set, which was to include all these treasures, remains sadly an unfulfilled dream. For all Polish Rock / Fusion enthusiasts as well as for the numerous Niemen fans this is an essential piece of his discography, which is definitely worth having, despite its technical flaws.

Updated: 29/12/2023Posted: 15/12/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ ON STAGE 1970 / 1972 GREEN TREE 170 (Barcode: 4015689001701) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1970 - 1972 Released: 2018 This is an archival album, which presents live recordings by the greatest Polish Rock / Fusion musician of all times, vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist. Two of the tracks were recorded during the 1970 Jazz Jamboree Festival in Warsaw and three other at the 1972 National Festival of Polish Song in Opole. Niemen was at the time at the absolute peak of his artistic creativity as well as at the top of his immense popularity. Four of the tracks time at about ten minutes and one at almost twenty minutes, and all offer extended instrumental improvisations by some of the best Polish Rock and Jazz musicians active at the time. The 1970 tracks feature organist Jacek MikulaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Tomasz JaskiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Czeslaw BartkowskiFind albums by this artist as well as a vocal trio and an ensemble comprising of top Polish Jazz musicians: saxophonists Zbigniew NamyslowskiFind albums by this artist, Janusz MuniakFind albums by this artist and Tomasz SzukalskiFind albums by this artist, violinists Michal UrbaniakFind albums by this artist and Zbigniew SeifertFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Tomasz StankoFind albums by this artist, bassist Bronislaw SuchanekFind albums by this artist and drummer Janusz StefanskiFind albums by this artist. The 1972 tracks feature the core of what was to become the most famous Polish Fusion band SBBFind albums by this artist: bassist / keyboardist Jozef SkrzekFind albums by this artist, guitarists Apostolis AnthimosFind albums by this artist and drummer Jerzy PiotrowskiFind albums by this artist and two great Polish Avant-Garde Jazz musicians: bassist Helmut NadolskiFind albums by this artist and trumpeter Andrzej PrzybielskiFind albums by this artist. The music is absolutely stunning, as expected, and even the dubious sound quality of these recordings is not able to spoil the unadulterated pleasure this music is still able to generate almost fifty years after it was initially performed. Niemen was always light years ahead of his contemporaries on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and the fact that he remains still relatively anonymous beyond Eastern Europe, despite his revolutionary contributions and pioneering spirit, is a crying shame. It is a great pity that the entire legacy of Niemen´s recordings made outside of Poland and many of his live recordings remain unreleased and are available only unofficially, like all the Green TreeFind albums on this label titles. His third Box Set, which was to include all these treasures, remains sadly an unfulfilled dream. For all Polish Rock / Fusion enthusiasts as well as for the numerous Niemen fans this is an essential piece of his discography, which is definitely worth having, despite its technical flaws.

Updated: 07/09/2019Posted: 07/09/2019

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

NIEMEN ~ LIVE IN OPOLE 1971 PROG ART 001 (Barcode: 4018564220013) ~ POLAND ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2018 This is an archival album, which presents a live recording of a concert by the greatest ever Polish Rock / Prog musician of all times, vocalist / keyboardist songwriter and bandleader Czeslaw NiemenFind albums by this artist. The material performed at the concert includes two songs from Niemen´s fourth album "EnigmaticFind albums with this title" with music by Niemen and lyrics (poems) by the great Polish poet Cyprian Kamil NorwidFind albums by this artist and two songs from his fifth album "NiemenFind albums with this title" (a.k.a. "The Red AlbumFind albums with this title") with music and lyrics by Niemen. The fifth song is Niemen´s version of an Otis ReddingFind albums by this artist song ("I´ve Been Loving You Too Long"), which was unrecorded at the time and was about to appear on Niemen´s first English-language album "Strange Is This WorldFind albums with this title" in 1972. For the Niemen aficionados the album includes the crowd cheering during a ceremony of Niemen receiving the Gold Album award for "Enigmatic" celebrated by the traditional Polish "100 Years" blessing, which tragically was not even close to Niemen´s destiny. Niemen is supported by a great band, which includes organist Jacek MikulaFind albums by this artist, guitarist Tomasz JaskiewiczFind albums by this artist, bassist Janusz ZielinskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Andrzej TylecFind albums by this artist and a trio of female background singers, which includes Krystyna PronkoFind albums by this artist, Zofia BorcaFind albums by this artist and Elzbieta LinkowskaFind albums by this artist, all three ex-members of the group RespectFind albums by this artist. This band is much more Rock oriented than the studio lineups, which recorded the two albums, and which include some of the best Polish Jazz musicians and therefore are way more Fusion oriented. Sadly the guitar is mostly lost in the live mix, which is a great pity. The sound is dominated by the organ and overall is quite satisfactory. Two of the songs last for almost twenty minutes, one for ten minutes and the remaining two for eight and five minutes – together almost an hour of Niemen Magic. The music and the performances are of course stellar and there is no point in going any further into the musical qualities and the historic importance of this recording. For Niemen fans and Polish / East European Classic Rock connoisseurs this is an absolute must of course! This edition of this album is identical to the Green TreeFind albums on this label edition. This is obviously a bootleg, since none of Niemen´s live recordings are approved by his family, which is a pity. The artwork is riddled by countless spelling mistakes, which is unbecoming for such important document and Niemen´s memory. But all things considered, this is definitely better than this music being unreleased – the proverbial lesser evil.

Updated: 13/02/2020Posted: 13/02/2020

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend