Ache's debut is amongst the earliest of
full bore complex progressive rock, predating similar efforts by one to
two years. Coming from the fertile late 60s Danish scene, perhaps only
Alrune Rod share a similar sound, though said band were certainly more
geared towards the psychedelic. Featuring Hammond organ and guitar as
the lead instruments, De Homine Urbano goes through a myriad of
progressions for both of the side long excursions presented here. The second side works a bit better, as it incorporates more of
the band's psychedelic past. One of the few albums from 1970 that hold
up well, compositionally speaking, against the more sophisticated works
that were to come around by 1973 or so. Another way of saying that Ache
is far beyond the usual "proto-prog" group. And while it's been said
that the opener was composed with a ballet in mind, it's very difficult
for the listener to conjure up images of frail girls in tutu's prancing
about. Which draws the conclusion, for me anyway, that it's a terrible
piece of work for ballet, but excellent progressive rock listening
music.
CD: 2000 Philips (w/ Green Man)
LP: 1970 Philips
CD: 2012 Esoteric (UK)
The original comes in a fine gatefold. That was my introduction to the album in the early 90s. I did sell it when the CD came out - though I'd probably pick it up again if the right opportunity comes along. As for the CDs, I went immediately for the 2-on-1 complete with the sophomore album Green Man, and I maintain that copy to date. It's a fine reissue with perfect sound. The liner notes appear to come from an interview conducted in 1971 or so. That version went out of print rather quickly, and as such pirates started to emerge on both LP and CD, so watch out for those. Esoteric has recently put the CD back into supply, though they reissued the albums separately. I did eventually pick up their version and it comes with excellent liner notes, and this one does feature good sound. However considering the lack of bonus tracks, I decided to hang on to the 2 for 1 instead and moved the Esoteric version back out.
