EKSEPTION - Ekseption [1968]

Young keyboardist Rick van der Linden, leader of Ekseption, was inspired to arrange rock treatments of classical music after hearing the Nice in concert, which led to the group's debut LP for Phillips in Europe. Although their somewhat jazzy treatment of the theme from the first movement of Beethoven's well-known Fifth Symphony was a hit in Europe, this song has not aged well. His treatments of works by Bach and Khatchaturian have their moments, but are equally dated. The group also delves into then-current rock and jazz. Jethro Tull's "Dharma for One" comes off heavy-handed, with an overly long drum solo and mediocre flute. What is truly bizarre is his arrangement of Bobby Timmons' soul-jazz composition "This Here," which is bland beyond belief, with the leader alternating between harpsichord, piano, and organ via overdubbing. Little better is the furious original "Feelings," which has a lot of energy but nothing to offer the listener. Ekseption may have won some fans initially with this release, but most of this music has disappeared without a trace since the end of the LP era, with good reason.  by Ken Dryden
Tracklist 
1 The 5th 3:22
Arranged By – Ekseption
Written-By – L. v. Beethoven
2 Dharma (For One) 3:25
Written-By – J. Tull
3 Little X Plus 2:20
Written-By – Ekseption
4 Sabre Dance 3:48
Written-By – A. Khatchaturian
5 Air 2:50
Arranged By – Ekseption
Written-By – J.S. Bach
6 Ritual Fire Dance 3:55
Written-By – M. De Falla
7 Rhapsody In Blue 4:00
Written-By – G. Gershwin
8 This Here 4:17
Written-By – B. Timmons, J. Hendricks
9 Dance Macabre Opus 40 5:05
Written-By – Saint-Saëns
10 Canvas 2:27
Written-By – B. Bennet
Credits
Drums, Vocals – Peter de Leeuwe
Guitar – Cor Dekker
Guitar, Saxophone – Huib Van Kampen
Piano, Organ – Rick Van Der Linden
Saxophone, Flute, Guitar, Vocals – Rob Kruisman
Trumpet – Rein van den Broek
Notes
"Ekseption's idea to record well-known classical themes started in 1968, when the group visited a concert of a British group called The Nice. The six boys were impressed by the way The Nice mixed pop and classical music.
A few weeks after the concert Ekseption was invited to play with one of the finest symphony orchestras in Holland - the North Holland Philharmonic - at a big festival in Haarlem.
The obvious man with Ekseption to handle this project was 22 year old pianist Rick van der Linden, who is also one the promising young classical pianists in Holland. Rick, who finished Conservatory and has played piano recitals with well-known orchestras, started to arrange several classical themes for the festival.
Some weeks before the event, however, Ekseption was told that the orchestra refused to perform with a pop group. That part of the festival was cancelled, but Ekseption stuck to the idea and decided to use the arrangement of Beethoven's "The 5th" for their new record.
"The 5th" was an instant smash hit and stayed for seven weeks in the national Top Ten. This album was the result of requests for more 'classical pop' from Ekseption's many fans." discogs

EKSEPTION - Ekseption 'Classics In Pop'

 [1968] Philips / CBR320 / scans

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