Czar "Czar" 1970***

Czar are one of those bands that had been (ostensibly) unfairly overlooked in their time, only to be revered decades later. Like so many others, their albums were consigned to cut-out bins, recycled or plainly destroyed. After a decade or two, collectors would start to talk about them in reverential tones, dedicate internet pages to them, and presto! yesterday's losers are today's cult heroes. I just checked discogs to see if any of the original LP's are available on the market, and what do you know? They have two: One (condition VG+) goes for €900, the other (condition Near Mint or Mint) sells for €2430 (+ shipping, which should be a substantial amount given that you'll need an armored truck to transport this treasure). It makes me lol to think of all the copies that were melted down or destroyed as useless. So why did the record-buying public ignore Czar so blatantly? I'm sure the cover didn't help, with its picture of a boggle-eyed hippie superimposed on that of someone in an unconvincing Halloween bear suit wearing a crown. We get it. Bear=Russia --> crowned bear=czar. Only this bear looks slightly less realistic than Paddington Bear, the TV show from my childhood. But mainly one has to remember the sheer number of brilliant albums released during 1969/1970, and the number of bands standing in the same niche between psychedelia and heavy prog. I'm not saying their music was derivative, but neither did it stand out in any way. So given all the other albums released in 1970 if you bought only, say, 20 LP's that year would you make "Czar" one of them? I know I wouldn't - which is not to say that it's merritless. It has a nice sound, combining the mellowness of the Moody Blues and King Crimson and heavy rock of Uriah Heep. Organ and Mellotron are way to the fore, with some nice guitar solos and heavy drumming. One ingredient that distinguishes Czar (formerly known as "Thursday's Childen") from its contemporaries is the harmony vocals which give it a pop/folk air. "Tread Softly on My Dreams" is a strong opener, with its gothic mellotron and impressive guitar solos. "Cecelia" is another long piece with an oriental melody featuring heavy organ, harpsichord and more electric guitar. "Follow Me" is a straight rock song with a catchy chorus. At 3'25'' it's the record's shortest track, probably recorded with a single release in mind. "Dawning of a New Day" is a melodic Moody Blues-like piece, while "Beyond The Moon" and ballad "Today" are simpler and reminiscent of West Coast psychedelia. "A Day in September" was the original album closer, a long prog piece dominated by organ a la Procol Harum or The Nice. Later CD editions would include a multitude of outtakes and demos, but mine only adds their sole single, 1970's "Oh Lord I'm Getting Heavy/Why Don't We Be A Rock'n Roll Band". The former song is soul reminiscent of Jullie Driscoll/Brian Auger records of the time and latter a pleasant but undistinguished rocker. In my opininion "Czar" is a good album, certainly worth saving from oblivion, but it's not in any way an essential purchase, even for fans of psychedelia and progressive rock.

**** for Tread Softly On My Dreams, Cecelia, Follow Me, Dawning Of A New Day, A Day In September

*** for Beyond The Moon, Today, Oh Lord I'm Getting Heavy, Why Don't We Be A Rock'n Roll Band?