Customer Reviews

Splendor Solis

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

WOW!!! This one is off the scale,folks! This is easily one of the top 5 greatest rock albums of all time! It may even be #1! At times dark and somber, at other times, bright and hopeful, the Jim-Morrison-like lyrics and spellbinding music combine to weave a psychedelic, hypnotic web comprised of intricate melodic passages interwoven with some of the most powerful, majestic hard rock ever recorded. Even the Halloweenish artwork helps draw you in. From the first song to the last, the listener enters an enchanting world of mystical beauty, sun-drenched hazy summer days, flowery gardens, and whatever other images enter your mind as you listen. And the quality of the musicianship is stunning - far superior to all the mediocre, dull, nondescipt sludge being passed off as "music" these days. Even the hard rock passages have a distinctive, intricate, melodic style and sound that is rare in hard rock. Poetic, mystical, and moody, the album combines Eastern and Doors/Led Zeppelin influences, but goes far beyond anything Led Zeppelin or the Doors have done. It takes the influences of the past and transforms them into new stratospheric realms which are hard to describe in words. If you are a fan of the psychedelic sound emanating from the late 60s and early 70s and appreciate quality musicianship, great lyrics, and music which brings images and visions of other times and places to mind, you can't miss with this album.

As a true fan of The Tea Party, I must say that perhaps my overall comments of this true masterpiece will be somewhat bias, however The Tea Party deserve all the recognition in the world. Just a brief history, I started listening to the Tea Party 5 years ago, and to this day their CD's rest, dust free on top of my pile of paled albums. Splendor Solis is truly their best album to date (including Triptych). Splendor touches the core of what true music is supoosed to be like, Martin weilding his haunting powers of using exotic instruments as well as his exotic voice to hypnotize the listener and never let go. When listening to Splendor Solis one finds oneself in another realm in another time; a time maintained by beauty and truth, unattainable by any other artists to this day.

Although this was their very first album, it was the last album of their series that I have purchased. This is a fairly accessible album from the Tea Party, and it has a predominantly mellow and brooding vibe with some flashy moments reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Like Led Zeppelin, the Tea Party are a true rock-fusion band that melds elements of blues, bluegrass, Celtic, Middle Eastern, and rock-n-roll, and this fusion is evident throughout this album. Later on in their career together, they brought in more electronic and techno type flavorings yet still retained that fusion vibe they had well established earlier on. This album doesn't have a 'hit' but has more of an artistry for art's sake type of music. It is obvious the music on here was meant for their self-expression as artists. If you appreciate music that is well-played and unique, this album is solid throughout. If you are into cheesy pap, you should still purchase this CD but give it to your nearest musician friend.

If you're looking for a album that you can play all the way through while you are relaxing at the end of your day, or with that special someone with some quiet time, this may prove to serve well. They aren't for everyone, but they are immensely talented and write well. Enjoy!

This album is amazing. "Winter Solstice" is a musical masterpiece and "In this time" has beautiful lyrics. The Tea Party's lyrical content based on mythology is very interesting. This album is definately one of my favorites.

It's scary to think this band had never had a commercial album before this one. It's so amazingly well put together with none of the teething problems you'd usually expect in this sort of album. It's also very different to where they later went with their music - Splendor Solis is above all a blues and 70s rock album, fitting in quite seamlessly with Led Zeppelin, The Doors and many such bands of that era, while not coming off as a derivative work. My personal belief is that music has gone in a consistent direction since the 70s, and the innovative rock bands of today (Tool, Tea Party, John Butler Trio, Radiohead, Muse etc) have mostly gone back to the change point and taken it a different route.

My favourite tracks are Midsummer Day, Winter Solstice and Haze On The Hills/Majestic Song (which are really one song split across two tracks). Winter Solstice and Save Me are different takes on the same musical theme, but they tend to bundle Winter Solstice with Sister Awake from Edges live.

jeffburrows jeff martin stuart chatwood, the tea party collective.i had heard some of their songs on the radio thought it sounded ok,so i took a chance on this album.i am so glad that i did.pleasently and happily surprised.the musicianship,poetic versatility,and overall vibe of the music itself stands miles above the ear candy being offered way to much in todays music industry.if you like your music to take you on a journey but still keep you in touch with reality than the tea partys magic is for you.buy it,listen to it,experience it , you`ll love it.

Windsor, Ontario, Canada based band The Tea Party hit it big with their first album Splendor Solis. With songs like The River and Save Me putting them up there right away with recognition here in Canada and in Australia. For years the United States remained almost completely unknown of their existence. Not till sometime later had the United States been openly exposed to this bands great talent. This album has it all: Blues, solid rock, and accoustic love balads. The hard blues hitting song Sun Going Down was rooted from Robert Johnson intertwined with some Led Zeppelin(which isn't surprising knowing that Jimmy Page was one of lead singer Jeff Martin's inspirations). The first song The River should get you hooked if you like hard rock. The second song Midsummer Day is a softer tripped out song with a mix of rock and roll. This album has a wonderful mix. If you've never heard of The Tea Party then you are missing out. Listen to this album many times if you want to get a feel for this band at all. They're big worldwide and still a bit underground when it comes to American popularity. Success in the States for them hasn't been necessary for The Tea Party to make them as big as they are today. Get this album it's quite unique and amazing!

Using a variety of additional instruments to compliment the typical vocalist/guitarist/bassist/drummer attack, Tea Party put out a brilliant first effort. It's not particularly heavy compared to their later work, but it's meticulously arranged and always compelling. Pick it up if you want to hear industrial music that challenges you.

This product was exactly as advertised. i recommend wholly. A++++. It is all good for me. (more words to appease Amazon.com, though nothing more to say).

I probably would never have discovered The Tea Party if I had not moved to NW Washington state in 1996. I was in the car listening to Vancouver, BC radio and this amazing sound was coming out of my stereo. What is this?!!! Turned out to be "Sister Awake" from Edges of Twilight. We went to Vancouver (couldn't find the CD in USA) that weekend and I bought Twilight & Splendor, and been hooked ever since. Splendor is more "dreamy" than some of their others, but an amazing/unique effort for a debut album.

Didn't see them live until Transmission but it was worth the wait. I have yet to see a band as precise in their timing/transitions as they were. Hard to believe all that sound was from 3 guys. Jeff Burrows is probably the best "unknown" percussionist out there. Like Peart for Rush, he is the power behind The Tea Party. Would love to see them get back together if their differences can be sorted out.