Yezda Urfa - Sacred Baboon (1976)
1992, Syn-Phonic SYNCD 8
1. Give 'em Some Rawhide Chewies (3:52)
2. Cancer of the Band (6:51)
3. To-Ta in the Moya (10:16)
4. Boris and His Three Verses (2:51)
5. Flow Guides Aren't My Bag (4:45)
6. (My Doc Told Me I Had) Doggie Head (5:04)
7. 3, Almost 4, 6, Yea (8:39)
Total: 42:18
Brad Christoff - drums, tubular bells, metalaphone, glockenspiel, percussion
Phil Kimbrough - keyboards, accordion, mandolin, flute, recorder, vocals
Mark Tippins - guitar, vocals
Marc Miller - bass, cello, marimba, vibes, vocals
Rick Rodenbaugh - vocals
Review:
What would you get if you combined the sounds of Yes and Gentle Giant with a
large dose of psychedelic chemicals? You'd probably get something that sounds a
lot like Yezda Urfa. Yezda Urfa is the craziest, zaniest, most incredible
progressive rock band that you have never heard. Most of the tracks on Sacred
Baboon are two speeds: fast and really fast, although they do make room for some
lighter moments. Those of you who like guitar dominated progressive rock will
have loads to feast on here. Mark Tippins' guitar work always runs full throttle
throughout the album with incredibly fast melodic parts, and there's plenty of
other virtuosity to be found on the album as well. An ocarina and recorder
chorus fill out the beginning of "Cancer of the Band". Vibes, harpsichords,
synths, organs, and voices play in tandem with the guitar. Yezda Urfa pull out
all the stops however on "3, Almost 4, 6 Yea," a high energy track featuring
multiple time signatures, cross-cutting sections, and a heartrendingly beautiful
classical guitar solo. Sacred Baboon stands up well against similar efforts by
other contemporary American acts such as Happy the Man. If you can make it past
the juvenile titles such as "My Doctor Said I had a Doggie Head" and "Give 'Em
Some Rawhide Chewies," you'll discover a long-lost classic of prog's darker
days.
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