Quidam - Tenth Anniversary Edition/Rzeka Wspomnien (Limited Edition)
Poland can be considered like a second home for current neo Progressive music, along with Italy and the Netherlands. QUIDAM is certainly the main and most appreciated act to have emerged from this field, with ABRAXAS and COLLAGE. Note that female singer Emila DERKOWSKA's vocals and charm add a lot to the whole. As the sophisticated pop-rock melodies of "Sny Aniolow" ("Angels' Dream" for the English-sung version, 1998) contrasted with a first eponymous album (Revelation of the year 1996) extremely appreciated for its instrumental developments, the third opus "The Time Beneath The Sky" (2002) orchestrates a new stylistic change, that keeps the caracteristical QUIDAM sound. The pastoral flute is pleasant as usual, accompanied by a lyrical and fluid guitar: no doubt about it, the CAMEL spirit is all around ! After the splendid version of DEEP PURPLE's "Child In Time" on "Live In Mexico 1999", this masterpiece allows us to listen to an incredible rendition of LED ZEPPELIN's "No Quarter", without any doubt one of the British musicians' closest attempts to Progressive rock. The rest of the album confirms that we have found the way back to ambitious musics. And that's not without surprise that we discover some tense and intriguing sequences close to... PORCUPINE TREE ! One more trump, for an ever-shining diamond... 2006 marks the tenth anniversary of the first self-titled album of QUIDAM. For the occasion, the Musea and Rock Serwis labels got together in order to produce four discs in limited edition, presented as beautiful paper Digipacks. Every item offers a complete booklet, as well as bonus videos. The first opus logically opens the collection, now associated with a second CD called "Rzeka Wspomnien". It includes viarious live performances, demos, cover-versions (Steve HACKETT, CAMEL...), guestings along with other artists (Talath DIRNEN) or side-projects (BELGRAD). All of this makes this release a must-have, even for those who already owns the original version !