Supersister - A Girl Named You

Supersister - the legendary Dutch progressive band (early 70's). Keyboardplayer Robert Jan Stips later
joined bands as Golden Earring and The Nits.


Supersister's unique group sound truly flourished on their second LP. Keyboardist Robert Jan Stips had taken control of all the songwriting and managed to work out the obvious influences -- for instance, exit the organ lines too reminiscent of the Canterbury scene. At this point, the group is not borrowing ideas from others, it is developing its own ideas alongside the big progressive rock acts. To the Highest Bidder doesn't sound like this or that; it is pure Supersister, namely in "A Girl Named You," the group's first true classic. Stips' composition combines elements of rock and jazz with a circular me-and-you message that brings to mind early Gong (the way he handles the melody also evokes Daevid Allen). Everybody gets a technical workout, yet the piece unfolds gracefully, striking a balance between the melodicism of Italian progressive rock and the witty character of the Canterbury flavor of the genre. This balance is what will set apart this album and the next one. The ballad "No Tree Will Grow (On Too High a Mountain)" is a brilliant fluke -- witness the collective burst of laughter at the end if you thought the guys were serious about this progressified '60s pop pastiche. By then the group's longest composition, the 15-minute "Energy (Out of Future)" tries to do too many things at once, with very difficult passages tied together by comical vocal episodes. A bit excessive, it still has its share of fine moments that are fun and clever, but what it mostly accomplishes is to exorcise the group's interest in studio experimentation, paving the way for more focused songwriting on the next LP. Review by François Couture

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Supersister
• Dutch
• progressive
• prog
• rock

[stamatis53]

By far the best song ever made by a Dutch artist.

[sybo59]

Very Zappa; I like this

[Puch1969]

Er gaat niets boven de single/edit.

[Malkmusianful]

This song invented tobacco rock.

[alfredfripper]

@MSTFreak You must be a great song writer yourself.

Could you tell me where exactly you hear this "lot of music"? I have not yet been able to find anything like this myself.

[SwedxSimon02]

@MSTFreak

If it only had conformed to a normal western classical structure it would be a work of academic excellence, nay, the anthem of the rebirth of western civilization

[wigginsdesign]

Zappa? Nah really I see you might go there!

[BanColPan]

They're at NEARfest this year! =D

[cavemanfarts]

@MSTFreak I think the voice is fine.

[stamatis53]

Robert Jan Stips rules!

[MSTFreak]

Yet another amazing instrumental wasted because of weird song writing. I hear a lot of this music, the instruments are angelic but the voice comes in and ruins everything. Song writing is hard, hard work. One of the hardest jobs in the world to do well.

[Natnekker]

Ik wil de single-edit.