Earth And Fire — Retrospective, Part 3

Earth And Fire — Atlantis

Jerry van Kooten

The band's third album shows both the progress of the band and the pressure from the record label to deliver something commercial and rather quick, following the success of the second album.

I read that it was an actual conscious decision by the band to continue and develop the band's style further and not remain in the symphonic regions. This fits in the vision I have of the Koerts brothers, who were interested in pushing the envelope and trying new things.

The brothers also acknowledged that the pressure from the record company led to not having time to let all ideas crystallise, like they had the chance to do with the previous album. (This can be read in the biography: Earth and Fire. De biografie 1969-1983 by Fred and Dick Hermsen.)

Side A

However, the title track is a 16-minute story clearly grounded in symphonic soil. As a composition it is quite different from the previous album's title track, though. Where SOTMC had a more classical approach in structure, Atlantis is composed of a few different compositions with overlapping and recurring themes, but still recognisable as separate parts.

The separate parts are listed on almost every release, but the duration is not. Some parts segue into the next and are harder to recognise, so I timed the duration of the parts from a vinyl record where there is some space between the grooves where one section ends, assuming the LPs were pressed following information from the band or engineers about where the parts ended. Here it is:

• Prelude (0:49)
• Prologue (Don't Know) (3:20)
• The Rise And Fall (Under A Cloudy Sky) (2:41)
• Theme Of Atlantis (4:02)
• The Threat (Suddenly) (1:50)
• Destruction (Rumbling From Inside The Earth) (2:08)
• Epilogue (Don't Know) (0:42)

One of the themes and most recognisable melodies of Atlantis is the guitar melody that starts the whole suite. No long and slow-building intro, but boldly go straight in, with Prelude. Unexpected and bold. The theme is repeated twice further on while not being listed separately. First at the end of Prologue (Don't Know), lasting 0:39, where it is leading up to The Rise And Fall (Under A Cloudy Sky). And finally near the end of Theme Of Atlantis, lasting 0:57, before The Threat (Suddenly) starts.

The theme is in 3/4, played in a series of 21 bars (9 and then 12). Definitely playing around with odd numbers here, while nothing feels forced.

As you will expect from the subtitles, Prologue and Epilogue have the same theme. Slow, melodic, and contemplative, to offer a great variety to what is to come and, in the reprise, what has passed. For its short running time, there are different sections, offering a good build-up. Beautiful and warm acoustic guitar with a lovely vocal melody to start with. The second verse brings in drums and a melodic bass line. The high recording quality is clear here, bringing subtle details. Slow and melancholic melodies lead to the second theme.

The Rise And Fall and Destruction also share their theme and what a theme it is. Both dramatic, bombastic, melodic, heavy. Jerney's high-pitched vocals contrast perfectly with that, as if soaring over the ill-fated land only reporting but unable to save.

During these busier arrangements you hear how carefully they must have worked on this. The organ touches throughout are subtly moving in and out but so important of the whole sound here. Guitar and organ work lovely together here, over busy but not demanding drums and bass.

Destruction has a very different sound and arrangement to align with the title, but the underlying structure is the same as The Rise And Fall, and vocal melodies are overlapping. Destructions is heavier, less subtle. Drumming is more straightforward, the bass is more rumbling.

Theme Of Atlantis starts like a tourist guide to Atlantis, painting a beautiful picture of meadows, before taking a darker road back to the story. The second part reminds me of Storm And Thunder, using a repeating pattern played slightly differently every time, building tension. This second part was taken from a long suite the band played in the early days called Stone, which was never properly recorded or released. It ends with a longer version of "the theme" with a great guitar solo over it.

Suddenly is brief but listen to the speed of the song changing. The change in speed reminds me a bit of a brief section in the middle of Song Of The Marching Children. The sound has some similarities there, as if to make a reference to their own. The contemplative song ends with Jerney's high conclusion about Atlantis' fate, where it grows brilliantly into Destruction.

Musically, the suite could be seen as more mature than its predecessor's title track. It may be less experimental, more song-based, and modern, which is experimental for the band. Since the previous album, the world had seen quite a number of albums with side-long suites, so that fact alone was not new. It had to be the music talking.

The overall structure of the suite and the story of the lyrics fit, and must have taken a lot of time arranging everything. The returning themes make it a real unit.

When listening to the album now, I never get the feeling it sounds dated, which is testament to the writing skills. I still get excited to hear all the details pop out, the lovely melodies, and the melancholy that just appeals to my taste.

Side B

Side B starts with the amazing Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight. It did well as a single, but has a lot to offer than just being (relatively) radio-friendly. It harks back the bluesy hard-rock heard before. It has a storming organ melody providing an instantly recognisable intro, and great vocal lines and delivery in the choruses.

The simpler lyrics fit the hit single, but the music is really special. The verses are very melodic with lush arrangements and layers, and then there are the two fierce guitar solos. I love how the verses build towards the choruses, as if you're carried (or dragged!) by Jerney's vocal melody. This all turns it into a great track from a blues-rock / progressive blues perspective, that turned out to be a successful single as well.

Fanfare stands out because the music was mainly written by drummer Ton van der Kleij. (Van der Kleij also played guitar.) It fits the style of the album perfectly, so you would have to look at the credits to notice. A dramatic piece, mainly in minor-key, with several changes in style, and some experimental passages. Rather unexpected lyrics about the instruments in a fanfare parade make it a bit surreal, and that fits the whole of this wonderful track.

Ton wrote several sections in other songs, like The March on the previous album's title track. Instead of co-writing credits, Ton and the others agreed to have one of Ton's songs (written on guitar) on every album, arranged in Earth And Fire style. from Interview with Ton van der Kleij by Harry Knipschild, 2010

Closer Love, Please Close The Door is a slightly weird track in the sense that it breaks the style. The title might suggest a simple love song, especially when you know where the band would change their style towards, but we're not there yet. Jerney is singing in a lower range, cello and Mellotron add dramatic effect, and the growing sound makes it a slow but still epic ending of this album. You need the second half to know it does fit the album, but it could have been nothing but the last track.

That leaves us with two shorter tracks in between. The feeling of Atlantis as a composition spills over to side B, with Interlude and Theme From Atlantis. The former is exactly what the title says, offering a break between two more demanding tracks on side B, and is actually nicely placed in the flow of the album, albeit just short. Theme From Atlantis is a repetition of the second half of Theme Of Atlantis from side A: the section where the whole-band is playing, so leaving off the flute intro. It is a different recording (a few percent slower, and the timing is not exactly the same) but still the same song. It could have been a way to make side B belong to side A, but the two sides are too unrelated, so this feels much more like a way to fill up the album.

Dutch advertisement for the album. (Thank you Cristel!)

I've read interviews where the band said they felt rushed by the record company and were not entirely happy with this album. That was perhaps reflected in the fact that they stopped playing Atlantis not long after the tour, while Song Of The Marching Children was on the setlist for many years after. The album also feels a bit short with Interlude and especially Theme From Atlantis as fillers. There were no non-album tracks on any singles either. The previous album was also 33 minutes, but felt much longer than this one. Every minute was just more effective on the second album than on this third.

They did try to give the whole album a united feel, though, with the tracks on side B placed strategically. The playing is excellent again, with starring roles for the Mellotron, guitar, and vocals. Do not underestimate the rhythm section here, adding the thunderous background adds dramatic effect to several pieces.

On the whole, this album cannot beat its predecessor because there is just less to go on. But the music that we do get here is excellent and up to par with the previous album. The slight shift in style shows the band are progressing.

Singles

There was only one single from this album: Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight, with Theme From Atlantis on the B-side. I don't have a copy of the single so cannot be sure they are the exact same versions. Compilations that claim to have album versions, like The Golden Years Of Dutch Pop Music (A&B Sides), show the same track duration. And box sets like Memories have a bonus disc with singles versions that do not include these. So it feels safe to assume there were no single edits made. There were also no non-album tracks from around this album.

Besides the Netherlands, the single was released in the UK, the USA, Germany, Belgium, and Turkey.

Artwork

The cover was drawn by Erik van der Weyden (officially spelt as Weijden), who also did the cover for the previous album.

The artwork on the inner side flows into the artwork on the outside, making it a four-panel wide painting. And the right side of the outside artwork (that is the front cover) looks as if it almost matches the left side of the inner artwork, giving the impression of a circular painting. Clever, and very good.

The inside and outside cover next to each other, plus a little bit of the inside cover repeated at the right.

The artwork depicts several elements of the lyrics. Human beings being taken / moved out of their control. The four disasters striking Atlantis in the lyrics are there. I don't know whether it was Van der Weyden's own interpretation or getting instructions from the band, but there are some religious elements as well, about finding balance in life.

However, in the biography (Earth and Fire. De biografie 1969-1983 by Fred and Dick Hermsen), Hans Ziech mentions that while the previous album artwork showed the atmosphere and conceptual elements perfectly, that link was less present here. The Indian themes, the people holding hands in a circular formation hinting at reincarnation — that was not what the story is about. The story focuses on the mystical disappearance, the forces of nature, and the power play and supposed decadence that was going on before the volcano erupted.

Of course, I have no idea whether Van der Weijden was even aware of the story. Maybe he only got the album title to work with. (I tried to contact Van der Weijden, but he did not respond.)

Advertisement for the English version of the LP.

Versions

I compared a few different versions of the album.

The original vinyl mastering is great, the same as with the second album. There is a good contrast in the mix, good flow, and a lovely warm sound. It's probably because I've known this version the longest, but I simply love the original mastering.

Atlantis appeared on CD on the compilation of Song of the Marching Children / Atlantis from 1987. This one is actually very good, and stays close to the original. No audio compression, not a lot of EQ to make it brighter than necessary, the right balance.

Atlantis is also part of the 3 Originals compilation (1998) , which uses the same mastering as the 1987 compilation but has the volume raised just a little bit. And that can be said of the 2010 release on Polydor as well.

Things are a little different with the Atlantis CDs in the Memories box (2017) and the First Five box (2019) , which are both using the same mastering. Not too much compression, although it's a little too loud in a few places, even with some clipping. However, I suspect heavy or rather lazy noise reduction has been applied here. There is not a lot of "air" between the notes, it's too clean, and some brightness of the instruments has been shaved off, making the sound dull, which is especially audible in the softer sections, like acoustic guitar. They tried to fix this by adding brightness in the mid range, but that was making it too bright. It just sounds louder.

As expected, the Polydor CD from Japan has a lot of compression. The softer sections are way too loud, meaning the louder parts are just loud. This is losing contrast. The overall sound is rather harsh. Forget this one, please. There are two other Japanese releases. I have not been able to check these, but it is safe to say I am not interested.

The 2009 Esoteric CD of this album is based on the mastering that is on the first three CDs I mentioned (two compilations and the 2010 Polydor release), only slightly louder without going too loud. Also without adding compression. A bit clearer without going too bright. To my ears, this is the best-sounding version. If you still have to choose a CD edition of Atlantis, I would go for this one.