FEATURED CD: Anyone's Daughter - Adonis

[Poisoned Youth]

Review from Unencumbered Music Reviews (Tom Hayes)

Anyone's Daughter - Adonis. 1979 Brain.

CD reissues: 1993 WMMS; 2010 Tempus Fugit/SPV

Packaging details: My first exposure to Anyone's Daughter's music was the original Brain LP (released as a single sleeve). I eventually picked up the WMMS CD release, which became quite rare over time. This availability problem was solved by the Tempus Fugit CD released a couple of years back. The second cover pasted above is from the WMMS CD, though I felt it was unnecessary to alter the original. The WMMS version, like all on the label, is pretty basic with no extras. The Tempus Fugit CD, however, is splendid. This CD, which restores the original cover art, features not only two lengthy extended progressive rock cuts that total close to 20 minutes ('The Taker', 'The Warship'), but also a cool video of the album opener. It also features a full-sized poster (from a cover they would later use for an album called "Last Tracks"), and a booklet with a full band history and unique photos.

Review: The post-Genesis movement had gained some traction in Germany and Anyone's Daughter (named after a Deep Purple song from "Fireball") was one of the more marquee groups to climb out of the scene (other more obscure references include Neuschwanstein, M.L. Bongers Project, Sirius, Ivory). AD's music was one that had the good sense to watch the pop charts while infusing quite a bit of complication to the mix so as to maintain a certain musician integrity. Anyone's Daughter had anticipated the neo progressive movement by about 3 years, and actually did benefit financially (a little anyway) from the exposure, though they came at it from a right angle. 1980s era progressive catalogs would always include Anyone's Daughter as they were, along with Eloy, easily Germany's number #1 export in this category. Hoelderlin's "Clowns and Clouds" is another good benchmark. "Adonis" is a very good album and if you like the more melodic side of progressive rock, then Anyone's Daughter's debut should be considered a must for the collection.

[Rarebird]

Any reason why they changed te cover? My Tempus Fugit edition looks completely different.

[Brian Griffin]

Their name is a really bad idea IMO but a great band, and a great disc

As good as the Adoins suite is, the version on "Requested Document Live Vol 1" is even better - these guys had chops live

Recently got the expanded / remastered "Live" which is also great

Adonis is a good place to start if you haven't heard them

BG

[ChrisXymphonia]

Any reason why they changed te cover? My Tempus Fugit edition looks completely different.

This is an alternate cover which was used for the early nineties cd issue on WMMS and most certainly not the original. The artwork for the most recent reissue on Tempus Fugit / SPV is the original album artwork.

[bobert]

Nice to see this gem being featured at PE. I have Adonis and the followup self titled album by this band and love them both.

Adonis is symphonic prog at its best, a great album that went almost completely overlooked in the USA at the time of its release, and judging by the very few responses to it here it is still not well known, a shame really because it is right up there with the top symph prog albums.

Time to give it a fresh listen, it has been a while since I pulled it out.

[Rarebird]

This is an alternate cover which was used for the early nineties cd issue on WMMS and most certainly not the original. The artwork for the most recent reissue on Tempus Fugit / SPV is the original album artwork.

I know it's an alternate cover, but I wonder why WMMS changed the cover.

b.t.w. I don't see the cover on the front page.

[JeffCarney]

Great album. Excellent production, too. The Brain LP sounds incredible and the WMMS CD is also solid if not quite as great.

[Progbear]

Excellent album, one of the strongest late-period German symphonic albums and highly underrated by many. I personally find it far better than a lot of highly-rated German prog albums from around this time (the Epidaurus and Neuschwanstein albums, for example).

Any reason why they changed te cover? My Tempus Fugit edition looks completely different.

As said before, the above cover is wrong, the CD reissue cover. Here’s what the original Brain LP looked like:



-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

‘“What blow, Goblin?” said Corinius.’ --E. R. Eddison

N.P.:“Oceans and Continents”-Jan Hammer/The First Seven Days

[ChrisXymphonia]

This is quite a gorgeous album from a band that I rank as one of the best from Germany. Musically there is a strong connection with Camel (especially Moonmadness) although the English lyrics are a bit overworked. On the 2nd album that would improve a lot. But this album was a great start and the subsequent albums, epecially Piktor and In Blau, would emerge as albums that have a very distinct character of their own, very much Anyone's Daughter.

[mellotron storm]

I have their first four studio albums and i'd have to say this one is my favourite. That Adonis suite of over 24 minutes and the closing 9 minute track are my favourites from it.

[JKL2000]

The cover of this album always reminds me of a coffee cup from a Greek diner. Great album. Nice choice, Cozy! I'm going to have to give this a listen again - probably from the version Brian recommends.

[zeprogmeister]

Great band and album, though I like "In Blau" the best.

[Trane]

I have their first four studio albums and i'd have to say this one is my favourite. That Adonis suite of over 24 minutes and the closing 9 minute track are my favourites from it.

I only ever heard their first (which is generally their best-rated)

Never really cared for it... the déjà-vu is all-over the album... average songwriting, average vocals, average album, really

[Poisoned Youth]

Ahh, didn't know that the '93 version was not the original art. This is the only version I knew about. I figured the recent reissue was the "new art".

[Brian Griffin]

average songwriting, average vocals, average album,

If only this were true, and this was just a typical / or average release for it's time - a lot more people would be saying the "80's were ok"

Its perhaps the last great Symphonic album from the era, released in 1979

BG

[Trane]

If only this were true, and this was just a typical / or average release for it's time - a lot more people would be saying the "80's were ok"Its perhaps the last great Symphonic album from the era, released in 1979

BG

Good point....

But I always thought of AD as a forerunnner (or announcer) of neo-prog to come... Not that this is a bad thing per se, though!

[paulus]

Good album.

Like Zeprogmeister, I still like "In Blau" best.

I don't think Anyone's Daughter is a precursor of neo. They were good and innovative in their own right, not simplified and machine-made at all.

[mellotron storm]

Good point....

But I always thought of AD as a forerunnner (or announcer) of neo-prog to come... Not that this is a bad thing per se, though!

Hey i'm not the only one who hears this.

[Progbear]

I don't think Anyone's Daughter is a precursor of neo. They were good and innovative in their own right, not simplified and machine-made at all.

Indeed, I don’t know where people are getting this “neo” stuff from. Neuschwanstein, Ivory and Anabis sound a lot more “proto-neo” to these ears. Anyone’s Daughter were a lot more sophisticated than they’re generally given credit for, with even a bit of Canterbury influence wedged in there (this is more apparent on the pre-album demo material, heard on the LP Last Tracks, like “Ma cherie Marquise de Sade”).

-------------
MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")

"'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria

N.P.:“Noia”-Garden Wall/The Seduction of Madness

[Progmatic]

well I am embarassed to say that this one is still on my radar screen...for whatever reason it fell through the cracks and I never heard it...

[Kai]

This is quite a gorgeous album from a band that I rank as one of the best from Germany. Musically there is a strong connection with Camel (especially Moonmadness) although the English lyrics are a bit overworked.

What, are you implying that ”Amidst the faint flock of my youth / the dew all changed to tears to sighing truth” doesn't just roll off your tongue? Yes, I count the lyrics and Harald Bareth's mediocre vocals as this album's only weaknesses. Anyone's Daughter really could write excellent melodies and work out some of the greatest guitar/keyboards duels and harmonies. Adonis is, IMO, their crowning achievement, with the more song-based and in some ways refined In Blau not far behind. They were an excellent band ("were" because I haven't heard anything particularly interesting from the 21st century line-up). In their song-based accessibility they might be seen as mirroring the development of the neo-progressive movement, though more from the second album onwards. Me, I love even their most pop-song-oriented album Neue Sterne.

I bought the Adonis remaster for the bonus tracks. However, I don't find "The Taker" or "The Warship" up to the standards of the album. Perhaps some studio polish might have improved them, but to me they sound immature and tentative compared to the material that made the cut. While the remaster doesn't kill every living thing within 200 paces if you turn the volume past three, it offers no advantage over the VMMS CD, apart from the original artwork.

[bobert]

Cool, "neo" has now made it all the way back to the late 70s, from its traditional birth in the early to late 80s. I am sure that somebody can cite some mid 70s "neo" can't they?

I always have gotten a kick out of the what is and isn't "neo" discussions. I mean if prog in the early to late 80s (and now late 70s) is "neo" , then what about bands from the 90s? What are they? Or how about the 2000s prog bands? Any name for them yet?

[Trane]

Originally Posted by paulus
I don't think Anyone's Daughter is a precursor of neo. They were good and innovative in their own right, not simplified and machine-made at all.

Indeed, I don’t know where people are getting this “neo” stuff from. Neuschwanstein, Ivory and Anabis sound a lot more “proto-neo” to these ears. Anyone’s Daughter were a lot more sophisticated than they’re generally given credit for, with even a bit of Canterbury influence wedged in there (this is more apparent on the pre-album demo material, heard on the LP Last Tracks, like “Ma cherie Marquise de Sade”).

Yopu just namzed two more proto-neo culprits (matter of speach, here ) I was thinking of (I don't know of Ivory, though)

OK, I've only heard part of their albums.... and that was roughly 20 years ago....







.....but Canterbury???

[Trane]

Cool, "neo" has now made it all the way back to the late 70s, from its traditional birth in the early to late 80s. I am sure that somebody can cite some mid 70s "neo" can't they?

I always have gotten a kick out of the what is and isn't "neo" discussions. I mean if prog in the early to late 80s (and now late 70s) is "neo" , then what about bands from the 90s? What are they? Or how about the 2000s prog bands? Any name for them yet?

OK, I understand your wondering here... I didn't say it was neo, per se... but there is no doubt in my mind that this type of ultra-symphonic late-70's albums (thinking also of Novalis as well) were certainly part of the canvas on which K neo-prog bands built upôn... I mean Fish and Co. didn't suddendly pop-up with neo-prog... it had to come from somewhere... and to moi, it seems to flow naturally from albums like this one, Sommeabend or Neuschwanstein's sole effort

[mellotron storm]

OK, I understand your wondering here... I didn't say it was neo, per se... but there is no doubt in my mind that this type of ultra-symphonic late-70's albums (thinking also of Novalis as well) were certainly part of the canvas on which K neo-prog bands built upôn... I mean Fish and Co. didn't suddendly pop-up with neo-prog... it had to come from somewhere... and to moi, it seems to flow naturally from albums like this one, Sommeabend or Neuschwanstein's sole effort

For me it's just that they "sound" like a Neo band. They have that flavour to my ears. I wouldn't call them a Neo-Prog band though.