01	Register Magister						09:21
	02	Paradoxical Moods						10:42
	03	Pisces						09:29
	04	A Bridge to Alice						13:12
	05	Unspoken is the Word						07:54
	06	Remembering the Future						04:24
	07	As One						04:46
	08	With Love as the Motive						09:18
	09	Reconciling						08:29

Finch - "Glory of the Inner Force" (1975)

A Dutch instrumental-progressive group who partly sounded like a more fusion-influenced version of Focus. "Glory of the Inner Force" was their first album and consisted of four long and complex tracks. The musicianship and playing of the band is really tight, impressive and energetic. There are lots of Jan Akkerman-like melody lines in the guitar playing of Joop Van Nimwegen and the keyboards of Clem Determeijer included lots of frenetic Hammond, moog and some Mellotron. The opening track "Register Magister" is a really good one and the best on the whole album. Very complex with lots of inspired and good themes. However, the remaining tracks are unfortunately rather uneven in my opinion, especially on the second side of the album. There are tendencies to good parts and themes all the way through, but the tracks too often just floats out in tedious and aimless noodling. And fusion-tendencies bore the shit out of me, no matter what band who plays it. But it all comes down to personal taste, and I guess Finch would be just your thing if you're looking for a more fusion-orientated version of the Focus-sound.

Finch - The Glory of Inner Force (1975)

Finch was a Dutch band that played a style of symphonic, fusion-y prog that is quite similar to that of fellow countrymen Focus, an extremely competent brand of frenetic, yet melodic, instrumental progressive. Their music is based on the intense guitar/keyboard interplay, which basically renders the album a fairly bombastic platter of wall-to-wall solos and otherwise complex instrumental themes. All four tracks follow the same basic format, extremely technical and full of proficient playing, but a style that unfortunately wears a little thin by the end of the album.

"Register Magister" is the track everyone loves, probably by virtue of being placed first, and it definitely rules, grabbing the listener with an aggressive guitar hook and leading one through a complex maze of powerful themes, melodies and solos. The second track, "Paradoxical Moods", is actually my favorite, as it is the most varied piece here, not to mention its intense, extended Hammond organ solo near the end. Unfortunately, "Pisces" and "A Bridge to Alice" tend to lose me, as the solos just keep on coming in a generally consistent, aggressive tone. Both have their moments, especially "Bridge to Alice", which actually changes things up with some (relatively) moody playing. The two bonus tracks are good, but again unremarkable. Being placed last on an already sort of tedious album certainly doesn't help. More of the same basically. Anyway, this a nice album of instrumental prog that provides a good middle ground between fusion and symphonic tendencies. In the end, Glory... is a little too bombastic and wanky throughout for my taste, lacking some desirable dynamic effects and being emotionally dry, though it is enjoyable from time to time. It is, however, recommended to fans of such groups as Focus, Atlas and Crucis. - Greg Northrup [March 2001]


1. Register Magister - 9:22
2. Paradoxical Moods - 10:43
3. Pisces - 9:29
4. A Bridge To Alice - 13:13

CD Bonus Tracks:
5. Colossus (part 1) - 3:28
6. Colossus (part 2) - 3:36

Cleem Determeijer - Organ, Mellotron, Grand Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer and Honky Tonk Piano
Beer Klaasse - Drums
Joop van Nimwegen - Electric Guitar and Acoustic Guitar
Peter Vink - Bass and Pedal Bass.



Finch [Netherlands]
Glory Of The Inner Force (75), Beyond Expression (76), Galleons Of Passion (77)

One of the top twenty progressive bands ever. Imagine Focus at their most kick ass, add a symphonic edge and a tendency to change beats every four to eight measures and you have the instrumental rock band Finch. All of theirs are good, but I'd look for Glory Of The Inner Force or Beyond Expression first.
This was an excellent Dutch progressive rock band that made three albums instrumental prog rock. Galleons Of Passion is probably the "best known" of the bunch. Their music has the melodic sensibility of Camel, with a harder edge.

Absolutely phenomenal fusion band. Very tight. Experiment with various tempo and mood changes. Glory of the Inner Force is highly recommended.

Finch was an outstanding Dutch instrumental band who released four(?) albums between 1973 and 1977. The sound was replete with soaring melodics throughout, tight rhythm changes, flashy pyrotechnics, and enough excellent musicianship to blow away most other bands of the time. If this sounds like a description of some very hot fusion, well...that's not too far off the mark, but blend it with the color and subtle passion of Camel or Focus and you're halfway there. Beyond tends to be a little more spacy and fluid, while Glory, arguably their most powerful, has a lot more flair and a higher energy level. Galleons was their last, and most accessible, but not as challenging as the early stuff. I've not heard the first album, in fact I don't know anyone who has!

They're loud, they're fast, they're Caribbean lounge music with synths. :-) Well, that was my first impression anyway. "Paradoxical Moods" has organ, bass, drums, and guitar, playing furiously with callipso undertones. The overall sound is similar to an extended Djam Karet instrumental -- this is both good and bad -- with hints of Led Zeppelin in a mellow mood. The guitarist is quite decent. The keyboardist is quick but his solos don't have much harmonic content. The beat is strong. However, the first 2 minutes of the piece contain a total of TWO chords. You've got to be pretty damn great to keep people's interest with two chords, and Finch isn't it. As the music continues, there is a HEAVY emphasis on the tonic. If you pick a random spot on the CD and press "play," there is a good chance that the band will be playing a tonic chord. In summary: decent performers playing harmonically dead music.

Glory of the Inner Force will appeal to both fans of Steve Howe and Focus. The guitar player, Joop Van Nimwegen will remind you of a cross between Steve Howe and Jan Akkerman of Focus. The music itself is derivative of neither, though certainly closer in style to Focus than Yes. Four long songs that are sure to please fans of guitar. There's also some nice organ soloing. Highly recommended to Focus fans.

The best thing to come out of Holland since Dutch chocolate! Finch was primarily the vehicle for Akkerman/Howe influenced guitarist extraordinaire Joop Van Nimwegen, who composed nearly all of Finch's material. The other three members are awesome players as well. Cleem Determeijer is a chamaeleonic keyboardist who is able to change styles with the greatest of ease. Peter Vink is a stunningly nimble bass player, his lightning arpeggiations often give Chris Squire a run for his money. And Beer Klaasse keeps up the tempo in always interesting ways with his superb drumming. Glory Of The Inner Force is easily a classic of the Dutch scene. "Register Magister" is an incredible, relentless dynamo of progressive energy, while "A Bridge To Alice" builds beautifully to a climactic ending. The rare second album, Beyond Expression, includes just three songs, the side-long "A Passion Condensed" is another classic with non-stop energy. Considering Galleons Of Passion was recorded with a different keyboardist and drummer, it probably outlived the expectations of many, as Finch managed another excellent album. "Unspoken Is The Word", the three-part "With Love As The Motive" and the classic "Reconciling" make this well worth your time and money. Hampered only by a couple of short, undeveloped songs at the end of the A-side. Finch are one of those bands who managed to enter and exit the prog world without making one bad album over the course of their brief career. Not many bands can say that. -- Mike Ohman

============================

Finch - Stage '76 / The Making Of … Galleons Of Passion

Released: 1999
Label: Pseudonym
Cat. No.:
Total Time: 116:05


Review courtesy John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg, January 2000
A few years ago, when the long out of print albums from Dutch seventies progressive instrumental maestros Finch were finally released on the digital format, I was able to interview the band. Mind you I had to do this in two separate sessions. Leader/composer/ guitarist Joop Van Nimwegen still thinks Finch is a sin from his childhood days whilst the rest of the band still regard the band as one of their absolute highlights. A very weird situation and certainly not a good sign for a reunion. Of course we hadn't taken into consideration the existence of the "dusty attic" where not only a splendid live concert from '76 was found but also some authentic demo tapes from the Galleons Of Passion sessions. In all, about three unreleased studio recordings have now been added to the band's output, plus a live rendition of the equally unreleased Necronomicon. Especially, the latter is a true "find" what with its 17:48 playing time. So from now on you can cherish the double album The Making Of … Galleons Of Passion / Stage '76 Live.

A professional band such as Finch made sure they rehearsed every detail before they entered the studio to record. Studio time was expensive and no one had a home studio like today. That's why the songs from the Galleons Of Passion album we all know only slightly differ from the demo tapes on offer here. Of course there has been more attention for the recording of the drums, and here and there we hear different keyboard sounds, yet, to be honest, there's not too much difference. So all of our attention is focused on the "new" songs. 'Dreamer' is exactly like its title implies: a dreamy song, that gets very close to the material on the early Solution albums. "Night Walker" is based on a playful military rhythm, whilst "As One" is composed following the "traditional" recipe which is "constructive," layer on top of layer, instrument by instrument, in resulting in the true homogenous Finch sound. By means of the Fender Rhodes piano the song gets a 'funky' atmosphere yet it's once again the unique sound of Joop Van Nimwegen's guitar which sets the tone.

The "tame" demo CD is alternated with the "rough"' live CD, which brings us two (long) songs from the Beyond Expression album, two songs off of Glory Of The Inner Force and the already mentioned unreleased Necronomicon. The latter is composed in the same style as the "other" well known material, so for me it's difficult to understand why it was never recorded in the first place. There's a constant battle between Van Nimwegen's guitar and the many keyboards, courtesy of Ad Wammes, whilst Beer Klaasse drums like never before! This song that has been composed in collaboration with bass player Peter Vink also houses a lot of Rickenbacker sounds so it's as if the great Chris Squire is lending Finch a hand or two. Yet as a final view I don't have it at all easy with this kind of posthumous release. I'm convinced there will be a couple of hundred fans out there who will be very pleased with this release, especially what the unreleased material is concerned. Those of you who ever had the pleasure of attending a Finch concert all those years ago now get the opportunity to close your eyes so as to go back in time a mere 24 years. But I'm not sure about those demos. I mean, the entire Anthology hype around the Beatles has only been bought by the diehard fan that probably gave it a spin only once before they put it away in the cupboard in "mint condition." The only thing Finch could do to really amaze us all is consider a reunion, yet the stubborn Joop Van Nimwegen will soon take away all of our dreams. Too bad!

More about Stage '76 / The Making Of … Galleons Of Passion:

Track Listing: Disc One: the demos Recorded at Sonmans Studio, Rotterdam, Holland in 1977 and featuring: Reconcilling (8:33) / Dreamer (4:44) / Remember The Future (4:59) / With Love As The Motive (9:00) / Night Walker (2:59) / Unspoken The Word (7:48) / Phases (5:31) / As One (4:06)

Disc Two: recorded live at De Rotonde, Berkel En Rodenrijs, Holland on 3 December 1976 and featuring: Scars On The Ego (9:32) / Paradoxical Moods (11:39) / Necronomicon (17:48) / A Passion Condensed (20:06) / Pisces (12:00)

Musicians:
Joop Van Nimwegen - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, guitar synthesizer
Peter Vink - bass, Moog Tarurus pedal bass
Ad Wammes - keyboards
Hans Bosboom - drums (disc one)
Beer Klaasse : drums (disc two)

Discography

Glory Of The Inner Force (1975)
Beyond Expression (1975)
Galleons Of Passion (1977)
Stage '76 / The Making Of … Galleons Of Passion (1999)

========================

FINCH


In the beginning of 1974 this 100% instrumental group was started in The Hague. Members: Beer Klaasse (drums, ex-Q'65), Joop van Nimwegen (guitar, ex-Cobra), Peter Vink (bass, ex-Q '65), Paul Vink (organ, piano, ex-Twelve O'Clock). Beer got replaced at the end of 1976 by Hans Bosboom (ex-Alveo, Chafing Blues and Blues Session), who in turn got replaced by Fred van Vloten (ex-Range). Paul Vink went to Livin' Blues in 1975 and was replaced by Cleem Determeyer (ex-Crusade) who made way for Ad Wammes in 1976.

1975 Colossus/Part 2 Negram NG 2024
LP The glory of the inner force Negram NR 107
1976 LP Beyond expression Negram NK 203
1977 LP Galleons of passion Ariola XOT 25597
1978 (re) LP The glory of the inner force Bovema-Negram 5C 038-25967

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Submitted by: Adri Verhoef (a3@a3.xs4all.nl)
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