Popol Ace - Curly Sounds (Reissue) (1978/2003)

Jahn Teigen (who soon would become a popular entertainer in Norway) decided to leave Popol Ace in 1977 and was replaced by Asbjørn Krogtoft, a technical competent but faceless singer who lacked Teigen's personality. And with Krogtoft behind the mic, Popol Ace suffered the same ugly fate as too many other progressive rock bands in the late 70's. Their label realized that progressive rock no longer did appeal to the ever changing taste of the too often braindead record-buying public, and forced the band into a commercial direction. The result "Curly Sounds" is a worthless exercise in slick, funky pop that too often borders on disco. You'll have to search really hard for any kind of redeeming values among the ten bland and forgettable songs that make up the album. The opener "Bye Bye" features at least a tasteful symphonic part in the middle with real strings and some decent falsetto from Krogtoft. Tracks like "Tango for one", "Joe's my Name" and the pure disco of "Let the Music Turn You On" (yeah, right!) has as little in common with classic, progressive Popol Ace as possible. Sure, it's very professional and well performed, but who the hell should be interested in crap being performed professionally? It just demonstrates too well what a waste of great talent this album is. I guess it also says a lot that the band chose to use a drum machine on the infantile "Wonderland" that closes the album. "Northern Winds" was the only song that to a certain degree avoided the slick disco/pop feel of the album, but lacked the grandiose arrangement necessary to fulfil its true potential. The band's three first albums are all essential to anyone interested in Scandinavian 70's symphonic progressive rock, but "Curly Sounds" is completely disposable and should be avoided. When the album also flopped commercially (this time very well deserved), the band decided to quit.