The John 'Bobo' Bollenberg album we were all waiting for has finally
arrived. 'If only stones could speak'
has travelled a long way and had many obstacles to overcome, but finally
Bobo's first has made it.
This joyous event for all at Prog-Nose is an excellent opportunity to
delegate a triumvirate of reviewers. They
enjoyed listening several times to "If only stones could speak".
Here are Jany Claeskens’, Walter Haentjens’ and Piet Michem's
findings: Preview: Jany
: This is a unique document ! Not one Belgian was ever able to realise
what John did just now : to make a CD with the 'crème de la crème' of the
progscene. Just a few names: Rick Wakeman (Yes), Jordan
Rudess (Dream Theater, David Bowie), Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings,
Transatlantic, Kaipa), Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay (Mostly
Autumn)… their presence is reason enough to buy the CD. But there is more….. Walter
: : ‘Whoso pulleth out this sword from this stone and anvil, is the
true-born king of all Britain’ : a legendary sentence from the even more
legendary album "The Myths and Legends of King Arthur…’ (1975) from
John’s friend Rick Wakeman.
The first "Bollenberg Experience" makes the parallel
instantly ‘Welcome on a journey through time…’…inviting, mysterious… Piet
: An impressive list of guests ! The fact that a Flemish guy managed to
accomplish this, makes me feel very proud ! It took a lot of time, effort and patience to hew this rock, but
persistence always pays off, whatever the result will be in the end… OPINIONS (track by track) If only stones could speak Jany: The guitar work refers clearly to Yes.
There's a beautiful interaction between harpsichord and grand piano.
John's voice sounds surprising and is prominent.
The contributions from Wakeman and Rudess give the track an extra
shine. Walter:
the title track opens as enthusiastic as it is grand, takes a breath in
between the story line, but the tempo- and
theme-changes keep you alert. The arrangements are very strong, however the mixing could have been
better. Wakeman is unmistakably present. Piet : strong opener, essential for each and every album.
Nice keyboard-work from Wakeman, Rudess and Pär Lindh.
Particularly successful is the introduction of a wind instrument
section, which lifts the track to a higher level.
Holy Blood Jany:
Strong melody line, which nestles quickly in the brain. Roine Stolt
excels with his Steve Howe guitar play. The end of the track reminds me a little of
'Aqualung' from Jethro Tull. Walter:
The intro sounds, maybe unwanted, Arabian but that changes quickly.
A tight tempo, a voice we got used to since the opening track (a voice
that starts to sound better and better, especially in the softer passages) and
impressive keyboards from Rudess this time.
Recognisable theme. Piet: a weak (feeble) intro and a song that misses some 'body' initially,
but finds the right track gradually.
Especially because of the delightful keyboard play of Lindh (Hammond)
and Rudess.
During the soft passage (close to the end of the song) John's beautiful
vocal "timbre" attracts the attention. Minna Jany : The guest vocalists (Bryan Josh and Heather Findlay) finally set
in.
A medieval track, calm but especially very beautiful. Walter : At this moment, we're in the King’s room where the minstrels
on classical guitar and harpsichord accord the voices of young lady Heather,
the rougher Bryan and the polished John. Piet : Fine medieval track, beautiful vocals from three totally different
voices… This track is,
in the meantime, the opener of a magnificent triptych.
Ursus Brugghia Jany : An ode to Brugge, with beautiful classic guitar and violin.
Very nice Walter : a beautiful ballad, brilliantly accompanied by mellotron,
acoustic guitar, piano and violin. Piet : Nothing to add, undoubtably a climax.
Part two of the triptych. Café Vlissinghe Jany : Slightly jazzy, even a little bit frivolous because of the use of
bodhran and flute.
The track makes you want to grab a beer in Bruges oldest pub. Walter : The track starts in a magnificent way with old wind instruments
and the inevitable bodhran. After the intro, all the stops are pulled out for
an up-tempo track.
The timing however isn't allways right and the mixing is not 100 %. Piet : The end of the triptych.
Lovely link to the up-tempo ending of the song. No Words Jany : The best track of the cd in my opinion.
Read the matching story first and be immersed in the creepy musical
theme.
Especially the choir part at the end of the song is superb. Walter : The track starts surprisingly with the text 'Speak'.
The song loses a great deal of its power because of the abominable drum
play and the glued synth play of Wakeman (however : quality for sale)
Halfway through the choir grabs your attention for a moment, but the
drums, the guitar and the voice makes the bubble burst again. Piet : In my opinion, this is the weakest track on ‘If stones…’.
The music can't always follow the storyline and the track misses
cohesion.
Poor drum play, the Achilles tendon of this album. Anna from the well Jany : Beautiful harmony between John and Heather. Very serene spheres
with magnificent guitar play from Björn Johansson. Walter
: Absolutly top class ! A very peaceful, quiet song. John knows how to
maintain modesty in a magnificent way and the mellotron knows how to fill in the necessary
drama.
The arrangement has a very high standard and the melody line witnesses great
craftsmanship. This HAS to get airplay! Piet : The combination of John’s warm voice, Heather as a back-up and
the unequalled mellotron mould this song to an improbable beautiful whole.
It sounds so "natural" it seems almost hard to believe.
A very special beauty, one of the most superb ballads ever written. The story of three Jany : The beautiful opera voice of Vanessa Defauw, the Spanish part with
an outstanding Björn Johansson in a flamenco guitar solo and John's vocals
attract the attention the most. Again a superb song. Walter : A Spanish tinted and varied track.
The band tries to bridge and unite classical- rock and Spanish
classical music.
The light-footed synth play seems to glue a track that's filled with
good ideas, but fails to get off the ground in its result. However, the
guitarplay and vocals are very strong. Piet : From sympho to gothic, from flamenco to oriental : this track
contains a lot of influences. The transitions aren't always successful, but what Johansson brings is
phenomenal. Some passages sound slightly banal, but there's a lot to experience. The Goodnight Knight Jany : Not just another bonus track !
A song in the extension of the rest of the album Walter : A mixture of magnificent prog-tempi and often jazzy vocals,
accompanied by classical, acoustic guitars.
The only song where the voice of John seems to go 'over the top'. Piet : A lovely song, with Kate Bush-like vocals from Heather. Especially
the calm first part sounds very good, the second part, up-tempo, is less
convincing.
Commentary Jany : As I said before, this is a very strong album with very beautiful
songs, also thanks to the guest musicians.
The production could have been better, but after you've listened a few
times, the music starts to lead you and the technical shortcomings start to
fade away.
John has every right to be very proud.
Despite all possible commentaries, the first one to beat that has yet to rise.
I hope there will be a follow-up. Walter
: What an accomplishment !!! It cannot be underlined enough. Even though
the CD itself isn’t world class in this respect, it’s admirable what the perseverance of
one man with a certain goal can achieve,
despite all obstacles and, probably, even opposition. ‘If only stones
could speak’ is a rough diamond (to remain in ‘stone’ terms). Every Prog fan should buy this CD, if only to give The Bollenberg
Experience some elbow room for making a second CD. Give John a fair chance to work more independently to manifest his
unmistakable talent; Then the diamond can really glitter. Piet : 11 celebrities don’t necessarily make a team and on John’s
first CD, the bunch of stars can’t hide the fact that there is still a lot
of work to be done, especially on the production itself and in the choice of a
good drummer.
But most of all the compositional talent of John is indisputable and
his extraordinary beautiful voice are bound to lead us to a genuine
masterpiece.
‘If Stones could speak’ is hopefully
the fist stone to a successful career, which we will follow with great
interest. This begs for more…
AND NOW …. THE VOTES Jany, Walter and Piet (in unison) : 8/10 Reviewed by: Piet, Walter en Jany |
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