Search - Brainticket :: Celestial Ocean

Returning from the cosmic space

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great recording of European avant garde music that was recorded in Italy on the RCA Victor label in 1972 and was released in 1973. Apparently, the album was inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the eight pieces are integrated seamlessly into a 37 minute long suite, with the opening synthesizer theme on Egyptian Kings restated at the end of the album. This recording is typically lumped together with German, "Krautrock" bands, in spite of the fact that the band was not German - however, Brainticket exhibits enough stylistic commonalities to justify it. The music on Celestial Ocean is generally very contemplative and quiet (apart from a slightly heavy introduction to Era of Technology) and is comprised of sections dominated by acoustic instruments (piano, guitar, flute, zither, and excellent drumming/percussion work by Barney Palm) and passages dominated by organ, in addition to smooth and clean sounding synthesizers (mostly moog and ARP synthesizers, in addition to tone generators). In fact, synthesizers are used quite a lot on this recording, although the acoustic piano is featured prominently on the closing piece Visions. Vocal sections are very non-traditional and include sections of (sometimes electronically altered) spoken words in both English and French, and semi-singing. One interesting example of the spoken word technique is featured on Era of Technology, where Carole Muriel utters quasi "technical" lines in a dry, emotionless tone such as "secure maximum reading on the output or VU meter" and "700 cycles per second at an operating level" etc. Found sounds are also employed albeit to a minimal degree - an extremely short recording of crickets can be heard at the introduction of the piece Cosmic Wind. The remastering of the CD is very good and the sound quality is excellent. This is a superb and very unique recording that is highly recommended for folks that like experimental music."

Delightful, distinctive European psychedelia

Daniel P. Joy | Falls Church, VA USA | 02/15/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This "Deluxe" CD issue of Celestial Ocean by the Cleopatra label came with a "Brainticket" button, a fold-out booklet with liners by one of the bandmembers and interesting art, an unusual jewel case with rounded corners and other distinctive features, and a "mini-lp" - style disc. VERY nice package. This edition definitely does *not* suffer from any of the pressing errors and problems ascribed to some CD issues of this album in reviews elsewhere on Amazon.



A lovely, delightful, surprising album. I suppose "spacerock" would be as appropriate a genre as one could come up with for it. A fairly singular instrumental blend used to express an expansive visionary-psychedelic vibe reflecting (mostly) the more serene, uplifting zones of psychochemical exploration. Well-commanded keyboards throughout including throbbing, propulsive bass synth and a very pretty final track dominated by shimmering-crystalline layered acoustic piano. A bit uneven with some excesses but I'm really glad to have run across CELESTIAL OCEAN."