Description
2019 reissue on black vinyl with insert
Norwegian band Ruphus was formed back in 1972, and first appeared with the rather charming and impressive debut album New Born Day the following year. After that the band would face some serious line-up changes for the first time. Hans Petter Danielsen left the band to become a well-known producer and he was briefly replaced by ex-Junipher Greene’s guitarist Freddy Dahl.Dahl spent just a few months with the band and quit along with Gudny Aspaas and Rune Sundby (who had a short solo career in the 70’s).The three departing musicians were replaced only by new singer Rune Ostdahl. This however didnt slow the band down. They were at the time working at a fairly high speed and the shortened five-piece core Ruphus entered the Roger Arnhoff Studios in October 74 to recorded their second album Ranshart, that would appear in 1974, just one year after their debut album. With this second album the band abandoned the diverse yet excellent sound of their debut for a more focused style towards Classic Symphonic Rock, which was more or less influenced by Yes and other British Prog bands.They offered a complicated Progressive Rock with poppy sensibilities during the vocal parts but a very high level of composing and technique, delivered in long, refined and mostly interesting arrangements, full of keyboard colors and tricky guitar parts.Their music had a good sense of melody and lots of changing soundscapes, based on the very good keyboard textures as displayed on organ, synthesizers and Mellotron, while all guitar and bass lines have this unmistakable Yes flavor. Liberal amounts of keyboard layers, a more subtle guitar presence and liberal amounts of vocal harmonies combined with lead vocals, flute and Mellotron should come across as very much familiar elements indeed, and while perhaps not a stellar classic this is a good album in general and one that should please the tastes of an audience as specified very well indeed
Track list:
1. Love Is My Light
2. Easy Lovers
3. Fallen Wonders
4. Pictures Of A Day
5. Back Side