Vidunderlige Kælling / Astarte (1975)
Vidunderlige Kælling is the 3rd album from Secret Oyster. It was released as Astarte in the Netherlands, so it's sometimes known by that title. Certainly easier to remember. And it was also the first copy I found, so it's how I knew the album for years. Still refer to it that way, honestly.
The music is composed for a ballet. Jazz fusion is not the first genre I think of when considering the ballet. Secret Oyster are also not the first prog oriented band from Denmark to do this. Ache started their career with a ballet soundtrack known as De Homine Urbano. Quite an odd occurrence.
Interesting to mention 'Astarte' because it may be the highlight track here. The sitar and sax soloing together reminds me quite a bit of Embryo. 'Outro' is another standout. As the liner notes point out, the music is varied to support a multi-themed ballet. As such, the listening dimension can be disjointed.
The "obi" strip provided by the CD label references Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Return to Forever. While those groups are certainly reasonable comparisons considering the music does circle the jazz fusion genre, deep divers will likely not agree. To be fair, what else could you compare it to? Not much leaps to mind. As the album goes, one begins to hear a strain of neighboring Sweden's Samla Mammas Manna. That wouldn't draw in a single new buyer, but it's much more of what you can expect here.
Given the premise of the setup, I've always had this album the lowest rated of their quartet of releases. It lacks the burning solos of the other three, though there is some of that.
'Sleep Music', one of the bonus tracks, is a wonderful atmospheric piece and should have been on the album proper.
Ownership: 2005 The Laser's Edge (CD). Booklet with historical liner notes, a band photo, and three bonus tracks. Acquired in 2007.
First copy: 1976 CBS Netherlands (LP). Acquired in 1986.
12//86; 1995; 5/13/07; 6/29/26 (review)
Secret Oyster were one of the more well known European fusion groups back in the day, as their albums sold quite well back home, as well as benefiting from good distribution around the world, especially in the US. In fact they were one of the first European fusion groups I’d heard, having stumbled upon Furtive Pearl (the US release on Peters International) as far back as the mid 1980's. Founded by members from Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster subsequently added psychedelic guitarist Claus Bohling from Hurdy Gurdy and jazz pianist Kenneth Knudsen from Coronarias Dans to form one very hot quintet. Their four albums, released between 1973 to 1976, are all remarkably similar, but never repetitive or lacking inspiration. The debut mixed in more avant-garde jazz styled noodling, and this is where the Coronarias Dans influence comes in. But the album also features some of their more unhinged rock moments, as Bohling really lets loose on the electric guitar (witness his literally stinging solos on 'Fire & Water' and 'Public Oyster'). The only minor gripe I have with the band, is that Karsten Vogel's primary wind of choice was the soprano saxophone, a variety of the instrument I don't personally enjoy as much as the tenor or alto. All the same, a superb debut by a band clearly on the rise.
Secret Oyster became almost legendary in "reissue circles" (does such a circle exist? you ask...) as the progressive rock act that was most neglected. In fact, when label owner Ken polled a chat board on which band he was going to reissue that had "multiple albums", I guessed immediately Secret Oyster. I win :-)
Ownership:
Ownership:
1974 Peters International (LP). Reacquired in 2023. First purchased in 1985.
2007 Laser's Edge (CD). Booklet with liner notes from band leader Karsten Vogel, and includes two great live tracks. The original cover features a rendition of an historical postcard of the fishing port of Nibe, in Jutland where the band recorded the album. Acquired in 2007.
1985; 11/2/07; 1/13/15 (review)
Also own: Sea Son; Straight to the Krankenhaus
1/13/15 (new entry)
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