Refugee/Switzerland 1974 Complete

The performance in Bern, Switzerland on June 3, 1974 was recorded completely in a high-quality audience recording for about 78 minutes. The recorder was Taper, who released ELP’s 1971 Zofingen, 1972 Wezikon, 1973 and 1974 Zurich (recorded as “DEVELOPING STORY”, “YOU NEVER HEARD A WORD” and “REAL BLADE OF GRASS” respectively). This album also has a stable and excellent sound, and records a valuable show. After Nice broke up in 1970, bassist Lee Jackson formed a band called Jackson Heights, and drummer Brian Davison formed Every Witch Way, but they did not achieve commercial success and each band broke up. After that, as if to say “nice dream once more,” the two formed the keyboard trio “Refugee” with Swiss keyboard player Patrick Moraz in October 1973, and released their only album on the Charisma label the following April 1974. (Moraz, who worked on film music in his native Switzerland, moved to the UK in 1971 and formed a four-piece band called “Mainhorse,” which released their only album on Polydor. At the time, they also came to Japan as a backing band for a ballet company.) It is said that the reason for Moraz’s joining Lee was that Lee felt that Moraz had “greater talent than Keith Emerson” after he participated in a session while Lee was working with Jackson Heights, and as you can hear on this live album, Moraz’s playing is superb, as he skillfully manipulates multi-keyboards such as synths and Mellotrons to construct a symphonic and magnificent universe of sound, and you can enjoy a variety of original playing that is difficult to grasp from just the studio albums. Throughout the album, the sound is more colorful than nice, as synths are used extensively, and the high-quality live performance with its intense color is truly exquisite. At that time, there were only a limited number of rock keyboardists who could play with such high quality, and it is no wonder that the management, who were at a loss after Rick Wakeman’s departure, chose Moraz and tried to persuade him half-heartedly. You can hear his amazing performance. In the highly technical group Yes, Moraz was buried in a wall of sound and was a little difficult to grasp (perhaps he was not able to fully demonstrate his abilities?), but in Refugee, you can feel the sense of “a genius doing what he wants,” and you can listen to his playing with great pleasure. The arrangements of the major songs are quite sophisticated, and the music and instrumental performances are perfect. The original sound, full of a unique feel that sometimes reminds you of ELP, Yes, and the Moody Blues, is worth a listen even if you are not a Moraz fan. In addition to the songs from the album, the set also includes “The Diamond Hard Blues Apples Of The Moon” and “She Belongs To Me” from the Nice era, and you can hear an interesting comparison with Keith Emerson. In particular, the intense and sharp organ playing in “She Belongs To Me” is impressive, which shows respect for Keith, and the “Tarkus”-like playing in the second half, including the intense synth, is a great listen! For Moraz, the triumphant return live in his native Switzerland was a spirited concert. Although the band “Refugee” was short-lived, it is a very important and attractive album that shows that they created a very original sound world full of positive moods in live performances, different from Nice and Yes. This is a valuable and high-quality title that should be listened to by all British rock fans as well as progressive rock fans. Live at Festhalle, Bern, Switzerland 3rd June 1974 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND 1. Credo a. Prelude b. I Believe, Pt. 1 c. Credo Theme d. Credo Toccata & Song e. Agitato f. I Believe, Pt. 2 g. Variation h. Main Theme & Finale 2. The Diamond Hard Blues Apples Of The Moon 3. Papillon 4. Someday 5. She Belongs To Me 6. Grand Canyon Suite a. The Source b. Theme For The Canyon c. The Journey d. Rapids e. The Mighty Colorado Lee Jackson – Bass, Vocals Brian Davison – Drums Patrick Moraz – Keyboards