Atmosphera - Lady of Shalott (1977) (2002) 2CD

Artist Atmosphera
Title Of Album Lady of Shalott
Year Of Release: 1977/2002
Label (Catalog#) MIO [MIO 020-021]
Country: Israel
Genre Symphonic Prog Rock
Quality: Ape (*tracks+cue,log,scans)
Bitrate: Lossless
Time: 02:01:24
Full Size: 706mb(+3%)

Atmosphera biography
ATMOSPHERA, not to be confused with a Brazilian art-rock band with the same name, is an Israeli progressive rock band from the late 70's. They recorded two long, epic pieces for an album with English lyrics (Shakespeare & Lord Tennyson), but the album was too far-out for the small Israeli music industry, so the master tapes were archived and the album was never issued on vinyl. 25 years later, a small collectors' label, MIO records, gathered all the tapes, videos and information on the lost band, and issued the album on CD, with bonus tracks and a videoclip.

ATMOSPHERA's style is "mainstream prog" - heavily influenced by YES's symphonic style. The music is melodic, classical and well-arranged. The band lineup consists of Efrayim Barak on vocals, Moti Fonseka on guitar, Alon Nadel on bass, Yuval Rivlin on keyboards, and Ami Lipner (later re-named himself to Mi El-Ma) on drums. Mi El-Ma, the drummer, is influenced by Bruford's style, Nadel, the bassist, emulates Squire's sound, the keyboardist, Rivlin, uses some of Wakeman's tricks, and even soloist, Barak, sounds very much like Jon Anderson. YES fans will find delight in this highly-capable group of musicians, who offer virtuoso abilities and solid compositional skills.

The double album boasts three major highlights: "Lady of Shalott", "Cuckoo - Alternate Version" (new remix with added Mellotron and digital effects), and the avant-garde "Catharsis" by a different, later line-up called ISTOPY. In 2002 a double CD was released with the debut tracks and some bonus tracks, live renditions, video clips and VCD material with new packaging.

Tracks:
-------
CD1:
1. Lady of Shalott (16:24)
2. Cuckoo (Love's Labour's Lost) (16:47)
3. Tomorrow (10:47)
4. Love Is waiting for a Lover (7:58)
5. Cuckoo (Alternate Version) (16:25)
CD2:
1. Announcement (Shaul Grossberg, Bet Lessin) (0:36)
2. Tomorrow - Live at Beit Lessin (11:00)
3. Lady of Shalott - Live at Galei-Tzahal (12:41)
4. Catharsis (Istopy) (7:46)
5. Nightmare (Me El-Ma) (6:31)
6. Toridtagitar (Me El-Ma) (5:22)
7. The Children Dance (Me El-Ma) (8:59)

Personnel:
---------
Efraim Barak - vocals
Moti Fonseka - guitars
Alon Nadel - bass
Yuval Rivlin - keyboards
Ami Lipner (later re-named himself to Mi El-Ma) - drums
Tsoof Philosof - bass (tracks 3 & 4)
Efraim Barak - vocals (tracks 1 & 2)
Ovadiya Aharony - vocals (tracks 3 & 4)