01	Vision						05:22
	02	Never Good At SayinGood-Bye						03:07
	03	Underground Session (Chorea)						11:06
	04	Old Dom Is Dead						04:40
	05	To Take Him Away						07:04
	06	Summer Is Yonder						04:47
	07	Metakara						03:22
	08	Fraulein Kommen Sie Schlaffen Mit Mir						00:33

Sandrose [France]
Sandrose (72)

Sandrose's debut and last is one of the best French prog albums. Similar to Earth and Fire, they play a great prog variant with lots of mellotron, a superb guitar player in Jean-Pierre Alarcen and an overall very beautiful sound. A must.

Early French progressive band featuring guitarist Jean Pierre Alarcen and powerful female vocalist Rose Podwojny. lots of mellotron and lengthy instrumental passages, this is one of the better of the classic early French progressives, one not to be missed.

Outstanding French one-shot whose self-titled release was an excellent album for 1972. The guitar work and atmospheric development is top-notch. There are also plenty of organ solos and washes of mellotron. The female singer sings in English but the long instrumental sections are the norm. Comparable to later, symphonic Earth and Fire, both in singing and style. Singer Rose Podwojny's voice is very similar to Jerny Kaagman of the Netherlands band. Musically, the strong presence of guitar, organ and mellotron in both bands gives them a similar feel. Definitely worth having!


Sandrose


Rose Podwojny - vocals
Jean Pierre Alarcen - electric guitar
Christian Clairefond - bass
Henri Garella - organ, mellotron
Michel Jullien - drums, percussion

Album:
Sandrose - 1972 Polydor 2393 030
CD: Musea FGBG 4003.AR



Alarcen, Garella and Jullien had previously played together in Eden Rose, whose album was a showcase for magnificent interplay between organ and electric guitar. This style was the backbone for Sandrose too, but with dramatic female vocals added in the style of Julian's Treatment, Earth & Fire and Circus 2000. Alarcen had now become a prolific composer, with a range from symphonic rock overtures ("Underground Session") to gripping songs ("Vision"). His guitar work (ranging from the incredibly fast to subtle strumming) was augmented by Garella's orchestral textures on organ and mellotron (sometimes recalling the British group Spring). "Old Dom Is Dead" was first released as "Mea Culpa - vocal/instrumental" on a single by Claude Puterflam in 1970 (under the pseudonym Lenis Chorea).

This is a great album for all but those who find Podwojny's vocals a bit too melodramatic, recalling horrible memories of Shirley Bassey. Some people even consider it a milestone of French rock.

Taken from Scented Gardens of the Mind - A guide to the Golden Era of Progressive Rock (1968-1980) in more than 20 European Countries, by Dag Erik Asbjornsen, Borderline Productions, ISBN 1-899855-12-2