Customer Reviews

Land of the Midnight Sun

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Born in July '54, DiMeola was little more than 21 when he recorded this, his debut. There are a few rock cliches scattered across this album, but the standard of musicianship is dauntingly high. This is precisely what Carlos Santana ought to have progressed to after 'Caravanserai'. But could he have done it, because DiMeola was unquestionably the most proficient young guitarist ot come out of the States for a long time. He had the lot: sharp staccato passages that crackle like machine-gun fire, high searing solos with notes that twist and turn as he bends them, and a sensitive but all-pervading acoustic guitar style.

This album has a strong latin flavour running through most of it, caused by the presence of Al's chum Mingo Lewis on congas, who makes the album flow almost as much as Al does. And there's almost an embarrassment of riches among the supporting musicians present -- Pastorius, Clarke, Corea ...

The only negative about this album is the strength of the compositions -- there are just too many standard rock licks here -- but Al would become more consistent with the following year's 'Elegant Gypsy'. But for me, Al had already written his best tune: 'Flight of the Newborn' on Return to Forever's 'No Mystery' is one of those tracks I can never tire of, and I've known it for a quarter of a century. Personally I feel Al is better when he doesn't have the pressure of being forced to lead a band -- that's why his three albums with RtF are so magnificent.

There's a well-worn cliche about artists who try to match their first effort, but to no avail. That's the case with Al. I have heard most all of his 1970s and 80s work, and frankly it doesn't match this, his first solo effort, recorded when he was his early 20s. As his career wore on, Al got bogged down in a lot of embarrassing bombast and overproduced messes. Not so here. The guitar playing is fierce, funky and tasteful; he makes nice use of his patented "percolater" effect, damping the strings with his wrist and using the guitar almost as a percussion instrument, which goes along well with the latin/rock/funk compositions and the presence of Mingo Lewis, the percussionist. Unlike later work the compositions are tight and show some restraint. There is a nice "macho" air throughout. All in all it is a perfect guitar record, right up there with the best of them.

I remember what happened to me when i first listened to it.I was blown away.Everything changed that day.I thought i knew so much about guitar playing..and then Al came.This album together with the next one 'Elegant Gypsy' reflect alone the glorious and creative time of the 70's.It is so hard to find something similar nowadays,and to be honest we don't want to.Those days were unique,noone can turn back time.Musically this is beyond every imagination.Al was the most charismatic electric-guitar player of the 70's.Not only he played fast but he was a great composer also.That is what seperates true musicians from the fast-fake ones.Along with his marvelous-gifted companions they do whatever they like with their instruments.They give us a hard-electric-latin-tango-blues-classical-fusion spectacle and they welcome us to join their world.A good lesson for youngers..respect for the old ones..

This Cd captures the essence of the glory 70s Fusion area. It's a teriffic solo debut album by guitar phenomen Al Di Meola who not just shows his jaw dropping technique, but also great compositions and musicianship. The album dated very well and is an important landmark masterpiece of the wonderful 70s Fusion area - the album also features many other Fusion Gods at their prime time: Chick Corea, Jaco Pastorious, Alphonse Mouzon, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White, Anthony Jackson, Mingo Lewis and Steve Gadd.

"Wizard", "Land Of the Midnight Sun" and especially "Golden Dawn Suite" ( outstanding performance by Al Di Meola, Jaco Pastorious and Alphonse Mouzon) are Fusion classics.

A must have for fusion fans and guitarists!

This is a good (1976) debut by electric/acoustic guitar virtuoso Al DiMeola, who originally came to my attention through his work with jazz rock outfit Return to Forever. Al is truly a musician's musician, which is why my orchestra/jazz band cronies and I would pore over every note of this album in high school.

The lineup on Land of the Midnight Sun (1976) brought together some of the finest musicians in the jazz rock realm and Al (6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, electric guitar, synthesizer, and percussion) is joined by several electric bass guitarists: Anthony Jackson (1, 2), Jaco Pastorius (5), Stanley Clarke (4); and drummers: Steve Gadd (1), Lenny White (2), and Alphonse Mouzon (5). Rounding out the core lineup are keyboardists Chick Corea (6) and Barry Miles (2, 5); percussionist Mingo Lewis (1, 2, 4, and 5); and female vocalist Patty Buyukas (4). I think it goes without saying that these folks are all first chair performers and the playing is simply jaw-dropping. Al in particular dazzles throughout with his rapid fire scalar runs on both the acoustic and electric guitars. He also demonstrates that he is reasonably adept at composition/arrangement too, including some of the longer jazz rock/prog pieces such as Land of the Midnight Sun, Suite-Golden Dawn, and the delicate, shorter piece Love Theme from "Pictures of the Sea".

At the heart of this album are three riff-heavy tracks that boast warp-speed ensemble playing and impossibly difficult time signatures - The Wizard, Land of the Midnight Sun, and Suite - Golden Dawn. Fortunately however, the album is also fairly diverse and ranges from the three, highly electric jazz rock/progressive rock rave-ups to a pleasantly subdued adaptation of a Bach piece played on acoustic guitar. Other quiet pieces include the duet between Chick Corea (acoustic piano) and Al (acoustic 6 and 12 string guitar) on Short Tales of the Black Forest. Additional splashes of variety in timbre/texture include the Latin-flavored percussion playing of Mingo Lewis; the combination of the female vocalist and Stanley Clarke's vocals on "Pictures of the Sea"; and the breathtaking interplay between the mind-blowing and intricate (yet funky) bass lines of Jaco Pastorius and Al's precise, staccato bursts of notes on the electric guitar (Suite - Golden Dawn). Unfortunately (for this keyboard lover), the use of keyboards on the album is somewhat subdued - Al may have wanted to focus on more a guitar-based sound, although the few instances of electric piano and synthesizer use are impressive, as is the acoustic piano playing of Chick Corea.

Although this album has not been remastered, the sound quality is actually fairly good. The liner notes are very skimpy however.

All in all, this is a good album of proggy jazz rock with enough spice and variety that it kept my interest throughout. Land of the Midnight Sun is recommended along with the excellent follow-up album Elegant Gypsy (1977) to those fans of both progressive rock and jazz rock.

Not quite as polished as Elegant Gypsy or Splendido Hotel, this is nonetheless and impressive debut album.

One of the benefits of this album is that it features Jaco Pastorius on bass (his only album with Jaco)... it is true that Al played with Stanley Clarke with RTF but in my opinion Clarke is a distant 2nd to Jaco as far as fusion bassists go.

"Suite Golden Dawn", the multiple-part song featuring bass genius Jaco Pastorius, highlights DiMeola's speed and technical skill, while allowing Pastorius a few patented groove statements. Stanley Clarke is also on the album, but his playing cannot compare to Jaco's. This album makes you wish DiMeola were in Weather Report -- or that Jaco were in Return to Forever.

The first time I heard Al Dimeola was in Junior High (1975). Ever since I have been blown away by the talent and virtuosity of this excellent composer and guitarist.

Apart from his sheer speed and smooth clean playing, Al Dimeola creates music which has feeling and leaves one with a moving catharsis. Al is a diverse player and one of the greatest talents in Music. I highly recommend Al's music to all.

However, it's also amazingly difficult to resist calling an album perfect because of a fear you're going to be labelled as a "fanboy" (as the kids today would say).

Land of the Midnight Sun does a *magnificent* job combining rock with an assortment of different genres. I hear blues, soul, funk, classical, jazz, and of course, rock & roll.

The powerful images this kind of music puts inside of my head are that of different countries and continents around the world such as many locations in southeast Asia, the frozen deserted land of Antarctica, and the jungle environments scattered all around Africa. This music takes me *everywhere* and never loses its impact. I really mean it when I say "never" too. Never once was I bored while listening to Land of the Midnight Sun.

Simply put, Land of the Midnight Sun comes very very close to being one of the best albums of 1976. If it wasn't for Elton John's Blue Moves, I might just knight THIS album "king of the 70's".

This is what you call sophisticated jamming done with passion, energy, emotion and complexity. There's so much feeling and melody in each of these jams that it's simply *frightening* that only 20-some people have bothered writing a review for it here on amazon. A catastrophe it hasn't been rediscovered decades later and connected to a loyal fan following among the younger crowd.

"The Wizard" is unlike anything I've ever heard. A REALLY dark rhythm sets the pace for some really neat jazzy guitar work. Unlike anything out there, perhaps (unless I'm missing something obvious). The title song SOARS to emotionally sad and devastating heights in the way the guitar jam slightly resembles Santana's style but takes it to a whole new meaning of beauty and unexplainable emotional power.

The "Golden Dawn" suite is a brilliant 10-minute adventure through any part of the planet you'd like. I'll leave it at that. Words are impossible to come up with when describing the many shifts and emotions a track like "Golden Dawn" takes anyway, so I won't even bother. Let's just say, jazz rock fans beware- this is quite possibly as good as it gets, and I mean that in the highest compliment imaginable.

Just astonishing. Land of the Midnight Sun is anything you want it to be. Everyone will get something different out of a masterpiece like this, I guarantee it. Give the complexity time to settle in and you'll be a fan of Al Di Meola for life.

However you prefer to categorize this album, it is fantastic from all points of view - there is no need to talk about Al's guitar technique - everyone knows it is great - but what surprised me after hearing this CD a few times is the epic quality and complexity of the compositions, the imagination, the willingness to go wherever the muse leads... That is the real strength of this album. It is easily overlooked by progressive and classic rock fans, because Al comes from a "jazz" background. Yet his sound unmistakably embraces progressive rock, and even takes it into realms where not many rock artists dare to venture - improvization. This album is a nice blend of tightly and expertly composed music and improvizational wizardry. Call it fusion, call it rock, who cares? It has a special place in a fusion fan's as well as a progressive rock fan's collections.