Scope. 1974 Netherlands

Scope were a band from the Netherlands that released two highly respected instrumental albums in the mid 70s, and pretty much wallowed in obscurity after that. They were a mainstay of my CD Reissue Wish List until this summer. My scratch off notes from then suggest: "Exactly the type of instrumental progressive rock I like. Has a slight jazz edge, and rocks hard with plenty of great guitar, Rhodes, and flute solos. Like a cross between Finch, Secret Oyster, Bill Connors era Return to Forever, and the Swedish band Energy. Both albums are smoking hot!"

And if I were to review both albums together, as I did then, I think the above holds true. The debut is an instrumental progressive rock album with fusion tendencies. And Scope II is an instrumental fusion album with progressive rock tendencies. The differences are small, but is noticeable in the overall instrumentation and sound. What separates Scope from the pack is the songwriting, and the focus on melody, something the Dutch are historically great at. It's not enough to impress with chops, there needs to be meaning behind these notes. And they also know how use color, timbre, and dynamics to make each song distinct from each other. Music like this was dime a dozen in the 70s and yet Scope transcended that typical style to the next level. Both albums are essential, especially for fans of the aforementioned bands in my original notes.

Ownership: LP: 1974 Atlantic. Single sleeve. Online acquisition (2005).

CD: 2020 Sireena. Rough paper digipak CD with liner notes and two excellent bonus tracks from pre-Scope group Strange Power (both from an obscure 45).

2005; 8/6/09 (CDRWL); 7/30/20 (new entry)