Customer Reviews

Refugee (Reis)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every once in a while, an unexpected gem, a diamond in the rough will surface. The sole album by Refugee is most certainly one of those "diamonds in the rough" and a bloody spectacular one at that!

Refugee came together for a wonderful moment in time in 1974, with two ex-members of Keith Emerson's old band The Nice (Brian Davidson on drums and percussion, Lee Jackson on bass and occasional growling, raspy vocals) teaming up with a then unknown Patrick Moraz on numerous keyboards. Patrick had been previously doing film scores, music for dance companies and a whole ton of other ventures (including a prog band called Mainhorse). Super-Groupitis or ELP knockoff you might be saying? Here, thankfully the answer was NO on both counts!!

All the right ingredients were in place, strong colorful compositions, forceful powerful musicianship, a vast sonic palette and even a bit of humor not normally associated with this type of music.

"Papillon" starts things off in genuinely frantic fashion conjuring up images of a chase scene in a movie. I could be wrong, but I'm assuming this was inspired by the story of a man who escaped from the notorious Devil's Island prison. Especially cool is that creepy mellotron figure just in the background and Brian's insistent drumming pushes the piece along to a rousing conclusion, along with Patrick's wonderful outbursts on Hammond organ and mini-moog (sounding almost guitar-like).

"Someday" is a spiteful little ditty about an ended relationship with lots of colorful Moraz musings! This could've easily lapsed into a cheesy pop tune in lesser hands, but here, it turns into a masterpiece of spite. The only quibble I have here (and on a couple other cuts) is Lee Jackson's vocalizing, which for me just doesn't cut it. Thankfully, vocals are not a dominant feature of the album, otherwise it would be rough going.

"Grand Canyon Suite" (not to be confused with the Grofé orchestral piece) is the first of two epics on this disc. Here, Patrick's extensive film scoring experience really pays off, as he and the band conjure up such vivid musical images of this wonderful American landmark. Patrick's mastery and awareness of orchestral sounds and textures is jaw-dropping, pulling sounds out of his vast keyboard arsenal that are positively hypnotic! One of symphonic prog's finest moments I dare say!

"Gatecrasher/Ritt Mickley" shows off the bands funky and strangely humorous side. Beginning with studio chatter and heavily processed clavinet (this would've done Herbie Hancock's Headhunters proud) and a bizarre musique concrete' segment, Refugee charges in to a funky romp with gleeful abandon, Patrick and Brian especially sounding like they're having the time of their lives. How often is it you hear Hancock-esque funkiness drenched with mellotron and John Cage like interjections with slinkys and other unknown metallic objects?

And then, the epic to end all epics: "Credo". This piece goes all over the map, making references to Bach (the mad pipe organ section) Franz Lizst (the orchestral beginning with rippling piano) and even a Chick Corea-esque Rhodes solo towards the end, among other things. The only thing that mars this piece for me is the vocals, just so obnoxiously raspy and out of place in the music. Thankfully though, the rest is pure instrumental brilliance as the piece comes to a firey conclusion.

All throughout, Patrick Moraz really shines without being overbearing. His command and awareness of musical idioms and tonal colors is unbelievably vast. He has chops to match anyone's but unlike some of his contemporaries, chose instead to concentrate on melody and color, also making great use of open space in the music, as opposed to showing off how fast he could play. Brian and Lee provided tight support and I must say that Brian Davidson was really in top form here!

Sadly, the Refugee story came to an abrupt end when Patrick decided to join Yes when Rick Wakeman left. Brian and Lee, having been through a similar scenario with Keith Emerson dumping them for ELP, completely quit music altogether in disillusionment.

For anyone looking for a great example of how to do the keyboard trio thing right, Refugee is definitely your authoritative textbook, not to mention an exhilarating listen!!

The story of Refugee is unique. Two thirds of The Nice (Lee Jackson & Brian Davison} joined with a swiss, keyboard wizard by the name of Patrick Moraz to create a one of the finest of all progressive rock bands ever heard {at least it was heard by a few of us!}

I will not label this great band, the second coming of: The Nice, as that is not fair to these three wonderful musicans. But, I will say that along with "Trilogy" and "Close To The Edge", this record stands as one the very best records of the early seventies. Lot's of rude comments have been posted in regard to Lee Jackson's voice, and as he is not Jon Anderson or Greg Lake, he is very good here, {and miles above what he did with: The Nice}. But, I also like "Jackson Heights" as well, so cast your: "Stones of Years" if you must... BUT, I think he does well with his trademark: raspy-shouty-whisper!

The music presented here is epic, and only Keith Emerson, himself is in the same league as Patrick Moraz. "The Grand Canyon Suite" is a majestic bombast of sound with a melody that sounds like it was pinched years later for "The Simpon's Theme". "Papillion" was so named as The synth sounds at the beginning sound like butterfly wings. "Ritt Mickley" is an in-joke about Patrick's miss-use of english when trying to pronounce the word 'Rhythmically', and believe it or don't...it's funky.

"Credo", is another 'Epic' number and it roams into many moods, and for anyone who slights the drumming of Brian, needs to give this a listen, he is top-notch all throughout.

I do believe that Patrick, does at times come very close in imitating Keith's, phrasings & styles. But, Keith was by 1974 already a legend in my world and believe Patrick thought the same of his talents.

For me this is one of the great records of progressive rock, and I am glad to see it's release on CD at last. This is a brief moment from a time long ago, and it still sounds great.

FIVE STARS!!!

What can I say? I have been a Refugee fan since the fifth of forever. The saddest cut of all, is this is their only album. Patrick Moraz is definetly one of the finest (and most proficient) keyboardists on Earth. After Keith Emerson's hasty departure from The Nice, Moraz took over as his worthy replacement. With Lee Jackson (bass, cello, vocals) and Brian Davison (percussion), these three fly with precision beginning with Papillion and ending with Credo (The Lost Cause). One tune is hugely unforgettable (Someday). Lee's vocals are less than stellar, but he more than makes up for it, with his fine bass and cello playing.

I initially purchased this on vinyl when it first appeared, many years ago. When I first discovered that Time Wave had resurrected this excellent Charisma recording, I cried like a baby. Tears of grateful joy. With the assistance of Jean Ristori, Moraz and company make this one, top notch recording. "Gatecrasher" and "Ritt Mickley" are worth the price of admission alone. But don't stop there, the Grand Canyon Suite (not the same as Grofe's masterpiece) and Papillion will sweep you away in a sea of prog-ecstasy. If you are a fan of The Nice, buy this gem. It still sounds just as wonderful today as it did years ago.

(Due to Amazon's programming, this review for the older Japan mini-sleeve, non-remastered edition also appears on the 2006 remastered version. Use the link in my review below to make sure you're at the remastered edition).

This is a five-star album, but it is not remastered, hence the lower rating.

There is a new remastered 2006 version, supervised by Moraz himself, available from UK Voiceprint (also available on Amazon).

The only reason to buy this is if you are a "mini-sleeve" fan, and have to have the cardboard sleeve replica.

Link to the remastered Refugee.

4/15/08 Update:

Brian Davison 1942-2008

Sad news of the death of drummer Brian Davison. Brian died on April 15th in Horns Cross Devon of a brain tumour.

Brian's former band mate in Refugee Patrick Moraz had this to say about his friend and band mate:

"Brian Davison was not only an extraordinary "musical" drummer; he was also my friend until the end. During our time together in "Refugee" he was truly my "rock soul-mate". A gentle and kindred Spirit and a wonderful human being, full of life, with a great sense of humour and always with a good word for everyone! God Bless you Brian, I will miss you immensely"! With Love Always - Patrick Moraz

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

It's beyond parody, but one of our wretched chickens got into the house and ruined my vinyl of this. So thank God, now it's on CD. So now this Nice Part Two is available again. Wonderful.

I agree with all that the others have said - but I always thought that Lee Jackson had a pretty appalling voice, having watched him on stage from one of the Nice's very first gigs (Penelope's Disco, Salisbury, UK - really!!) onwards (Emerlist Davjack, anyone?) when Keith was introduced as the "Jimi Hendrix of the Organ". You have to be a DJ to say that with a straight face.

And on listening many times again, while respecting Lee hugely for all that he achieved in music, I think his voice is just ghastly. The second track, Someday, is almost unlistenable and the whole of Credo is marred by it. Only the main theme in Grand Canyon survives the vocals intact. This is difficult stuff and he does his honest best. Blinky Davison is, as always, stunning, especially in Ritt Mickley - those rolls at the end of the four-bar theme - wow.

Still, they all do well here and Moraz is really pretty damn good. It's a lovely disc and bears repeated listening. But the other keyboard wizards who must be added to the usual suspects are Eddie Jobson and Francis Monkman (a brilliant Baroque interpreter) - see my review of Air Cut by Curved Air. The Grand Canyon Suite is really swooping and dramatic and Lee gets about 80% of the notes, which is enough. Credo, I'm not so sure about. Lee's vocals, as I said, are really not very good at all. Ritt Mickley is a great little semi-classical instrumental, and Patrick's keys are lightning fast.

Great stuff - when being the best was considered important and even essential rather than being a sign of arrogance. Lovely bravado performance. Love to see it re-recorded with Eddie Jobson, Eric Clapton and John Farnham as well as the original crew!! Oh, and Mike Wedgwood on vocals a la Caravan's Show of our Lives - yes, that's Mike, not Pye, who gets that top A.

Moraz, of course, left to join Yes after Rick Wakeman bowed out - there weren't many around who could play this sort of stuff - and the other two were left high and dry. This is a shame, because their role in the development of thinking music was incredibly important.

My only slight reservation, apart from the vocals, is that Patrick is in danger of joining the world of new-toy noodlers on a number of occasions, and it sadly happens that new toys become old very quickly ......

This album is a forgotten gem of the prog rock era. Leaving aside Lee Jackson's mostly hideous vocals (other than on Credo) the technical and emotional ability of the musicians is on par with the best. At the time, I was buying everything with the "progressive" label. This album had elements of ELP, with some of the jazzier stylings of Gentle Giant and King Crimson. Moraz's keyboard work was the equal of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, and Jackson and Davison were equal to their own peers, notably John Wetton, Greg Lake and Bill Bruford. Davison was certainly a more complex drummer than Alan White of Yes. And back to the vcals for a moment, Jackson could sing circles around Steve Howe and even Chris Squire It's a shame that Moraz left the band so quickly and they were unable or unwilling to continue with another keyboard player. What wonderful music they might have created!

Another album that I had two copies of, in case one wore out. Two members of the Nice (Keith Emerson's first band) joined forces with Patrick Moraz (later of Yes) for this one album. If only Lee Jackson could sing better. He was holding the Nice back and his vocals here are an acquired taste. But Moraz' influence shines through, making this the perfect album for fans who liked the Nice and then followed Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Long, progressive rock pieces that set great moods. Buy one before it goes out of print.

After Keith Emerson had jettisoned both Brian Davison and Lee Jackson from the Nice billowing the dry ice camouflage of 'technical limitations' as the overriding factor, he was thereafter free to give rein to his much vaunted ambition with the hugely successful bombastic juggernaut ELP. For all their spin doctored technical chutzpah, the latter trio were considerably more admirable than they were loveable and most Nice fans pined for a glimpse into what might have been had the split been prevented. Perhaps the closest we will ever get to an answer to this question lies in this one off album that Lee and Brian recorded for Charisma with Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz in 1974 under the moniker 'Refugee'

It really is astonishingly good throughout and is all the evidence that anyone should ever require as to the capabilities of Davidson and Jackson as a brilliant rhythm section even when unharnessed from the Emerson bandwagon.

That Moraz is a virtuoso of jaw dropping proportions with an arsenal of keyboards that were state of the pyrotechnical art circa '74 certainly helps in this regard but both the drumming and bass on 'Refugee' are right up on a par with the Bruford/Squire axis in Yes. (praise indeed)

As good and innovative as the aforementioned Nice albums were, they were prone to being rather patchy and uneven in places. No such qualms here, as every single track is uniformly strong with the composition, textures, pace and dynamics all carefully considered right down to the very last detail. Two large scale 'suites' dominate proceeding in the shape of 'Grand Canyon' and 'Credo' which punch the clock with admirable proggy credentials at 16 and 18 minutes respectively (You had to measure some Prog track lengths with a sundial in the early 70's)

There is never a dip or lull in the excitement at any point on this album and Moraz displays a breathtaking command of acoustic and electric pianos, organ, various synths and what sounds to my untrained ears like a heavily modded Mellotron ?

Economy and discipline were treated with all the restraint afforded to a bouquet at a greenfly convention by most of the Prog dinosaurs so it is incredibly refreshing to report that there are no interminable solos, aimless noodling or smug hippy cosmology on display herein. The themes are all indelibly memorable and the arrangements give sufficient room for all the players to contribute their own inimitable personality and flavour to proceedings.

If there is one facet of the recording that may polarize some listeners, it could be Lee Jackson's vocals. Lee would never pretend he was ever a technically gifted singer, but he imbues all his lyrics with a cackling bonhomie, that I find utterly endearing. Some people have likened his burnished tonsilry as akin to 'sandpaper on the soul' but for me, such imperfections lend his delivery an emotional sincerity and vulnerability that even the finest trained voices cannot approach.

When Rick Wakeman left Yes after the much maligned 'Topographic Oceans' tour, Moraz was head hunted by the remaining members of Yes as his replacement and that was the coup de grace for the fledgling 'Refugee' It's a shame Patrick didn't utter 'Non' as the heights that such an accomplished trio as 'Refugee' could have reached would certainly have dwarfed those of the MTV foothills that Yes subsequently stooped to conquer.

Stands the test of time this band.. remarkable remastering by Jean Ristori.. presume this the Voiceprint/Time Wave reissue and not the inferior Korean release.. Hear a rumour that a live Refugee album is about to be released soon by Brian Davison on Voiceprint.. amazing live band, just didn't do too many gigs, or release this tape..just can't wait!

The one-off 1974 "Refugee" album was an attempt to resurrect the memory

of The Nice which sank like a stone on its release despite being as good as, if not even better than, the best Nice and ELP efforts. This was Patrick Moraz' first rock album, and he was an absolutely stellar replacement for Keith Emerson, much as he would soon be a stunning replacement for Rick Wakeman in Yes. Emerson, of course, possessed a very unique and dazzling style and Moraz is faithful to the general Nice sound while at the same time adding his own touch. The classical-rock fusion here is *very* strong, with Moraz's layering of piano, organ and synths on overdrive. "Papillon" is a fun opening track, very Nice-like, with the addition of some trippy synth effects. "Grand Canyon Suite" is a multi-sectional epic with a lot of building atmosphere that climaxes in some very dramatic keyboard work reminiscent of "Rondo". "Credo" is another epic suite, wholly original, and the bass and drums gel well here (Davidson was an underrated drummer). Pretty much the only thing which mars this work are Lee Jackson's vocals, which are even gruffer than they were in The Nice (oh, if only a Justin Hayward or Greg Lake had sung these compositions!). Nonetheless, instrumentally, "Refugee" is as strong as any symphonic prog effort from the giants and it's a shame that only one album was made, although if he had stayed in Refugee, Moraz may not have graced Yes' "Relayer" album.