Exposé Online banner

Tetragon — Nature
(Musea FGBG 4138.AR, 1971/1995, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 1995-11-01

Nature Cover artHere is one of those albums revered by collectors, with a pricetag on the original vinyl to match — only 400 copies of this baby were pressed in '71. Yet it's only a fraction of what an earlier album by a three-piece version of this band — Trikolon — goes for, pressed in a quantity of 150. This album may be of special interest because it features a young Hendrik Schaper, who would eventually do five albums with the later edition of Klaus Doldinger's fusion band Passport. Although the recording quality of Nature isn't all that great (your basic two-track), the music on this album is quite good. The album opens with a sixteen minute version of Bach's "Fugue," moves on through three more tracks, including "A Short Story" — a fourteen minute adaptation from West Side Story, then closes with an absolute smoker of a bonus track "Doors in Between." Their sound is nimble, affected by rock, jazz, blues and classical elements, quite heavy on the organ — one could think of Tetragon as a keyboard trio supplemented with a superb guitarist, perhaps influenced by Brian Auger's Trinity or The Nice. Only the seven minute title track features vocals, respectably done, with English lyrics; otherwise the album is entirely instrumental. In all, I wouldn't call Tetragon a classic, yet it's a fine album in the early progressive vein, and definitely worth checking out.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 8, 1995 releases, 1971 recordings

Related artist(s): Tetragon

Latest news

2020-07-22
Tim Smith RIP – Tim Smith, leader of the eccentric band Cardiacs, has died at the age of 59 after many years of health problems. Cardiacs was known for intense and complicated music that combined punk energy with the rhythmic and harmonic sophistication of progressive rock. » Read more

2020-07-12
Judy Dyble RIP – Singer-songwriter Judy Dyble, who was a founding member of Fairport Convention and one of the distinctive voices of the 60s folk revival in Britain, has died at the age of 71. Her passing came at the end of a long illness, though which she continued to work. » Read more

2020-07-06
Ennio Morricone RIP – Famed composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91. The creator of scores for more than 500 movies, some of his works have become the most recognizable sounds in the history of cinema. His soundtracks for Sergio Leone's Westerns made from 1964 to 1971, are iconic landmarks in film music, but he also composed for dramas, comedies, and other genres. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2016 for The Hateful Eight. » Read more

2020-06-14
Keith Tippett RIP – One of the giants of British jazz has left us. Keith Graham Tippetts, known professionally as Keith Tippett, died today at the age of 72. His work from the late 60s into the 70s and beyond includes some of the greatest jazz produced in the UK, and stands as an impressive oevre to this day. » Read more

2020-05-15
Phil May of The Pretty Things RIP – We were saddened to learn that Phil May, lead singer and founding member of The Pretty Things, has died at the age of 75. The band's 1968 album S.F. Sorrow is one of the enduring classics of the psychedelic era, and the group existed in various forms until finally retiring in 2018. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Patrick Gauthier - Sur les Flots Verticaux – It's been a while since we've heard from Patrick Gauthier (ex-Heldon, Weidorje, Magma) in a solo capacity, maybe ten years or more since he cut his now-legendary Bébé Godzilla. What we find here has...  (1994) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Ava Mendoza, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, and Khary Abdul Shaheed improvise

More recommendations
The Eighteenth Dream of Dr. Sardonicus Festival 2019

Print issues