Formed in Dordrecht in 1968, Cosmic Dealer were one of the most gifted Dutch bands to emerge from Holland's rich psychedelic scene.
On Crystallization, Cosmic Dealer are at their best when they are rocking out. Tracks like Daybreak, The Scene and the ELO-ish Head In The Clouds are amazingly fun to listen to. The Dutch accent comes on quite strong, but fortunately doesn't impede the singing. Daybreak in particular has a good opening riff that could possibly be described as progressive. At other times, the band show a more acoustic side, such as the sentimental I Had a Friend or Flying in the Winter. The vocals on the latter track remind me of Roger Chapman's bleating vocals in Family.
Cosmic Dealer were clearly heavily influenced by The Beatles. While you may not be able to make him out in the tiny picture above, the man sitting in front of the band bears an uncanny resemblance to John Lennon. Musically, If There is Nothing Behind The Hills sounds like a lost Beatles track, except in a Dutch accent, rather than a Liverpudlian. However, the biggest giveaway is the band's recreation of the 'Hold that line!' sample that concluded Lennon's frightening piece of musique concrète, Revolution 9. This time, the band shout it themselves to bookend their rather bizarre title track. This piece comes in two parts, a plodding opening section, followed by a frenetic climax, both halves featuring the incessant repetition of the album's name. It wouldn't be so bad if they could pronounce crystallization correctly.
Once again, this reissue comes loaded with another LP of bonus tracks, including demos and live tracks. Also, both singles from the album are on this disc. Inside the gatefold, Mike Stax of Ugly Things Magazine tells the story of the band, helped by pictures. It would have been helpful to point out who was whom in the pictures, as it otherwise impossible to put names to the faces.
This is an obscure, but fun record. While the tracks aren't groundbreaking, the band provide a very amicable listening experience, without pretension. If you already own this album, then the bonus LP might be worth your while for upgrading. If you don't mind a bit of psychedelic music in your life, then check this album out soon.
by Basil Francis
Tracks
Chapter 1 The Album
1. Daybreak (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:06
2. If There Is Nothing Behind The Thrills (Bas Van Der Pol) - 1:17
3. Child Of The Golden Sun (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:45
4. Swingin' Joe Brown (Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:40
5. I Had A Friend (Frans Poots, Jan Reijnders) - 3:57
6. Crystallization (Cosmic Dealer) - 5:52
7. The Scene (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:43
8. The Fly (Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:00
9. One Night (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King) - :46
10.Find Your Way (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:22
11.Flying In The Winter (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:33
12.Head In The Clouds (Paul Curtis) - 3:34
13.Illusions (Jan Reijnders) - 1:58
14.The Scene (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:46
15.Child Of The Golden Sun (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:48
16.Head In The Clouds (Paul Curtis) - 2:44
17.Find Your Way (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:24
18.Winterwind (We'll Be Walking) (Angelo Noce Santoro, Frans Poots) - 4:07
19.Child Of Tomorrow (Ed Boender) - 3:39
20.You're So Good (Ed Boender) - 3:00
21.Sinner's Confession (Kees de Blois, Jan Reynders) - 4:50
Tracks 1-13 Original Album
Tracks 14-17 Single Mixes
Tracks 18-21 Demos
Chapter 2 The Sessions
1.Daybreak (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:10
2.If There Is Nothing Behind The Hills (Bas Van Der Pol) - 1:20
3.If There Is Nothing Behind The Hills (Bas Van Der Pol) - 1:28
4.Swingin' Joe Brown (Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:46
5.I Had A Friend (Frans Poots, Jan Reijnders) - 4:05
6.Crystallization (Cosmic Dealer) - 5:27
7.Crystallization (Cosmic Dealer) - 5:32
8.The Fly (Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:50
9.One Night (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King) - 0:44
10.One Night (Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King) - 0:41
11.Find Your Way (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:28
12.Flying In The Winter (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:33
13.Head In The Clouds (Paul Curtis) - 3:40
14.Illusions (Jan Reijnders) - 1:12
15.Illusions (Jan Reijnders) - 2:04
16.Illusions (Jan Reijnders) - 2:06
17.Fast (Hoyer, P. Kingma, Leen Leendertse, Spiljard) - 6:41
18.Child Of The Golden Sun (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:31
19.Fast (Hoyer, P. Kingma, Leen Leendertse, Spiljard) - 4:57
20.Swingin' Joe Brown (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 2:43
21.Child Of The Golden Sun (Frans Poots, Bas Van Der Pol) - 3:49
Tracks 1-2, 4-6, 8-9, 11-16 Demos
Tracks 3, 7, 10 different Mixes
Tracks 17-21 Live Recordings
Cosmic Dealer
*Frans Poots - Flute, Percussion, Saxophone, Vocals
*Bas Van Der Pol - Guitar, Vocals
*Jan Reijnders - Guitar, Vocals
*Angelo Noce Santoro - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Ad Vos - Drums, Percussion
*Leen Leendertse - Guitar, Vocals
*Ed Boender - Guitar, Vocals
*Kees De Blois - Vocals