Het Pandora Ensemble
Iii
Originally released privately in 1978 and long sought after by collectors, "III" is the one and only album by dual guitar-driven Dutch progressive rock quartet Het Pandorra Ensemble, on which they injected a touch of anarchy into their mix of improv and King Crimson influenced prog. In 1973, the flower power era was long gone, progressive music had turned into bombastic symphonic rock, and even Pink Floyd had transmogrified into a middle-of-the-road band. In that year Gert-Jan Blom and Dolf Planteijdt decided it was the right time to form an instrumental guitar band which would build the bridge between the sixties creativity and the punk outburst of the late seventies: Het Pandorra Ensemble. This new band called itself an ensemble because they wanted to fit in with every small venue - art galleries, bars, coffeeshops, etc. Inspired by the music of George Crumb, the impressionist compositions of Ravel, the European folklore pieces of Bartok and the universe of King Crimson and Mahavishnu Orchestra, Het Pandora Ensemble built up a repertoire of written pieces and free improvisation. This 2xLP vinyl reissue expands upon the original release with a full album of extensive unreleased bonus material - all sourced from the original analogue master tapes. Detailed liner notes and unpublished photos complete the package. The bonus tracks come from a concert taped on September 30, 1978 in Aloha, Beverwiik, NL. The recording session for "III" had just been completed, and it is very clear that the studio tension of getting all the right notes on tape completely disappeared that night when playing live. The sound of the live tracks is a bit rough, but presents the Ensemble's immense energy on stage. Also included as bonus are sketches of new pieces that give an idea of the second album Het Pandorra Ensemble would never record.