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Rating: How can one describe such a complex artist as Czeslaw Niemen? First, a precise historical context is necessary, taking us back 50 years to Poland, which was then under the "control" of the Soviet Union. Poland was marked by a climate of political tension that prevented artists from showcasing their talent and musical freedom... as evidenced by the fact that the beat spread in Poland much later than in England or the U.S.A. (in fact, the beat only spread widely in Poland from the second half of the '60s onwards)... but who was one of the proponents of the development of Polish rock? I am obviously talking about Czeslaw Niemen (as I practically only know about him in Polish rock; the rest is unknown to me, alas). Niemen, inspired by British groups (especially the Beatles!), debuted with a sort of "trilogy" of beat albums that I highly recommend you listen to. In particular, I highlight his debut "Dziwny jest ten świat", a beat debut that immediately conveys the climate of tension that existed in Poland, as demonstrated by the protest song that became a huge success in Poland, namely the title track, a protest song against war (in general) that sparked quite a bit of criticism from the regime. Moreover, Niemen's look, with long hair and a thick beard, drew considerable denunciations about his "liberal" attitude.
The turning point in Niemen's career came with "Enigmatic," the album I intend to review right now. Following this album, Niemen had the opportunity to showcase his great vocal and compositional skills, proving to be highly versatile in musical genres....in fact, he would continually move from one genre to another, eventually doing jazz-rock from 1972, with Niemen - part 1. Enigmatic is not only one of the greatest albums in the singer-songwriter genre but also one of the greatest beauties that progressive music has ever given us in the '70s.
The album begins with a DIVINE suite, "Bema pamięci żałobny - rapsod": in the first 7 minutes, Niemen's organ, with a hiccupping pace and almost "religious" tones (alternated with the Latin choir), opens up the entire piece... after 6 minutes of solemn organ, the atmosphere becomes more rarefied, the drums and bass, along with the keyboard, burst into a vortex until the organ once again dominates... until silence... breaking the silence is Niemen's powerful voice, one of the most passionate and intense voices in the history of rock (and I'm not exaggerating)... the atmosphere calms as Niemen continues his incredible vocal performance. The vocal peaks become more and more intense, while you can perceive the guitar with an almost jazz rhythm, which takes the listener by surprise... Niemen has crafted only 16 minutes of the suite (out of 36 on the record), but he has already made his presence felt. Unfortunately, I don't know the lyrics, as Google Translate is incapable of translating well from Polish... sorry...
We move on to the next track, where Niemen reprises that progressive rock, mixed with a subtle jazz touch, in which the sax truly fits perfectly for the track in question, namely "Jednego serca", sprinkled with a choir that strongly evokes gospel and soul tones already present in the previous suite... even by the second track, you might be inclined to pause and admire Niemen's genius in perfectly fusing different genres... The keyboard play is worth an entire career... not to mention the electric guitar that accompanies Niemen's graceful and powerful voice from the beginning (although I don’t know who plays it, you can look it up on the internet yourself XD) and the keyboards. Unlike the previous suite, this track presents a more "playful" atmosphere.
We move on to the third track "Kwiaty ojczyste", yet another demonstration of Niemen's immense talent, it seems banal to say it again, but with this gentleman, I can't help it... This time, we return to a more traditional rock, at least initially...in reality, the atmospheres are more rarefied, partly tending towards the psychedelia of the late '60s. The choir, once again, proves decisive in enhancing the already high musical quality of Niemen... that electric guitar continues to be too refined to be described in this review... and here we return after about three minutes to that mythical sax... my goodness... seven minutes of spectacle for my eardrums... after this emotionally strong jazz part, Niemen returns, and the choir concludes this third musical monument...
And we have reached the conclusion... the organ (this time with gospel tones) accompanied by an immense bass leads into the concluding track, "Mów do mnie jeszcze"... the spontaneity with which Niemen's voice and the guitar pass close, without ever intersecting is incredible... A slow blues solo (I hope I got it right) leads into the album's finale
So, in conclusion, who is Niemen? What is "Enigmatic"? I'll leave you with the passion for discovery because you absolutely must know him; it has nothing to envy of other albums from the same year....
Oh yes, since I was almost forgetting... Czeslaw Niemen also collaborated with a certain Klaus Schulze, so he has a reputation abroad, why shouldn’t he have it here in Italy? Why am I the only idiot on debaser to have defined it?
Tracklist
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