Although this album was first published only in 1978, it contains a collection of singles and EPs recorded during the sixties, before his first major release. Therefore, it would be natural to begin the story with this album and go on from here. Besides, this, as well as the next 11 discs, belong to a double-box series titled "Niemen od poczatku" ("Niemen From The Beginning"), and this disc is a number one in that series....
Couple of general notes before we go any further.
First, this disc belongs to a 12-disc set, grouped into two boxes. Each disc has been remastered (by the artist himself) and packaged as an individual digipack. Scans of that digipack cover are included. However, each of the two boxes contain a 36-page booklet with additional information, stories, pictures etc. The booklets are not directly connected to any of the albums included in the collection, they just present the story and backgroung information (all in Polish :) ). So, being a lazy kind of guy, I didn't scan those booklets. However, if there is lots of a demand for that, I could scan them and post as a separate torrent. Please let me know how many of you are interested in this, if this is really worth spending half a day at the scanner :).
Second, I couldn't find much information on the net, especially not any individual album reviews. I'm including below two entries from GEPR, which are a bit oversimplifying and dealing mostly with his progressive-rock albums. The album presented here is by no means "prog", and his next three might be included rather in "psych" category. but after that he is "prog" most of the time. Still, if you want the "Niemen story", you should start at the beginning (here) and go on forward. And, in the process, you might discover that even some of his early songs are really worth hearing :D. So, let's treat these two reviews as sort of a general information and a preview of things to come in next parts of this cycle. I will not repeat those reviews in future torrents.
Two entries from GEPR:
[quote] A Polish singer who got very popular in Poland with Beatles-type of songs, but who evolved into a true searcher in experimental lands. Niemen Vol 1 for instance is avant-garde jazz. Katharsis is almost only synthesizers. Best of Niemen is 60s pop, Niemen Engimatic is one single and one double album of good jazz-soul-rock, Niemen Vol. 1 and Nimen Vol. 2 are both experimental and feature SBB, Niemen Aerolit is typical jazz-rock.[/quote]
[quote] Czeslaw Niemen started in the '60s as a singing organist, very much in the beat-pop mould. His early '70s output (from Vol. 1 through to Ode to Venus) is of paramount interest to prog collectors as they were recorded with the band that later became SBB. In 1974, Niemen formed his own prog rock band called Aerolit. He began playing synths extensively. The 1974 album, whatever you call it, is an interesting blend of fusion, electronics, and bluesy vocal wailing. Though credited to N.AE. (i.e.: Niemen and Aerolit), N.AE. and the very electronic Katharsis is virtually a solo album, a mainly instrumental tour-de-force in which Niemen plays all the instruments himself. Many, many layers of synth form the basic backdrop of sound, plus some Mellotron for added texture, bits of "musique concrete" and a touch of 12-string. Oh, and some impassioned vocals, which make this truly a sort of catharsis, as it's dedicated to a drummer friend of his who recently had died. Working with a band again, Idee Fixe is a real all-out production: a double LP which originally came with a 7-inch EP (which was missing from my copy). It's a kind of bridge between the fusiony style of N.AE. and the very electronic Katharsis. On it, Niemen works with a poet; the poetry is translated into English for all to enjoy. -- Mike Ohman [/quote]
Track list:
1. Felicidade
2. El soldado
3. Teach Me How Do Twist
4. Locomotion
5. Tylko nie mow mi o tym
6. Wiem, ze nie wrocisz
7. Czy mnie jeszcze pamietasz
8 Czas jak rzeka
9. Jak mozna wierzyc tylko slowom
10. Ach, jakie oczy
11. Ptaki spiewaja - kocham
12. Nie badz taki Bitels
13. Zabawa w ciuciubabke
14. Hippy, Hippy Shake
15. Stoje w oknie
16. Jeszcze sen
17. Czy wiesz o tym, ze
18. Sen o Warszawie
19. Byc moze i ty
20. Hej, dziewczyno, hej
Lineup:
Tracks 1 to 16 were recorded with group Niebiesko-Czarni, which over the years comprised various musicians:
Jerzy Kossela - guitar;
Henryk Zomerski - bass guitar;
Jerzy Kowalski - drums;
Daniel Danielowski - piano;
Wlodzimierz Wander - tenor sax;
Krzysztof Klenczon - guitar;
Bernard Dornowski - backing vocals;
Marek Szczepkowski - backing vocals;
Janusz Poplawski - guitar;
Zbigniew Podgajny - piano;
Zbigniew Bernolak - bass guitar;
Adriana Rusowicz - backing vocals;
Maria Wit - backing vocals;
Urszula Dziecielska - backing vocals.
Tracks 17 to 20 were recorded with orchestra led by Michel Colombier.
All tracks: lead vocals by Czeslaw Niemen.
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