Anders Helmerson - End of Illusion. 1982 Sweden

Classically trained pianist Helmerson put his talents to good use on his sole output End of Illusion. Apparently he felt this might be his only chance to record an album, so what the heck, let's go fer-it! The album goes full throttle - all the time. Helmerson handles the keyboard toy store, while assembling various guests on guitars, bass, drums, violin, and even tamboura. The album has an electronic rock flow about it, similar maybe to You's Electric Day. However the great shadow of Wakeman's classic The Six Wives of Henry VIII looms everywhere.  Helmerson's keyboards dominate the proceedings, and the lightning fast rhythm section exhausts itself trying to keep up. There's not much in the way of composition development, but rather sketches of songs are brought forth along with accompanying jams to fill the time. Despite this flaw, End of Illusion is a very satisfying release especially for fans of 70's era keyboard tones. No doubt Helmerson could be seen as an influence on some of the early 1990s projects like fellow countryman Par Lindh, Spain's Altair, and the Fort Worth,Texas based Covenant (of Nature's Divine Reflection fame).

CD: 1992 Musea (France)

I was first introduced to Helmerson via this CD back in 1993, and purchased on the spot. Original LPs on Skivbolaget have always been scarce.

Last listen: November 29, 2018