Atmosphera – Lady of Shalott (1977, 2xCD, Israel)

Tracklist:
1. Lady of Shalott (16:24)
2. Cuckoo (Love's Labour's Lost) (16:47)
3. Tomorrow (10:47)
4. Love Is waiting for a Lover (7:58)
5. Cuckoo (2002 alternate version*) (16:25)

Bonus VCD
1. Video-Track (20:47):
- a) Lady of Shalott (Videoclip) (1977)
- b) Me El-ma
- c) MIO Catalog
2. Announcement (0:36)
3. Tomorrow (live in Beit Lessin) (11:00)
4. Lady of Shalott (live at Galei-Tzahal radio) (12:41)
5. Catharsis (Istopy) (7:46)
6. Nightmare (Me El-Ma) (6:31)
7. Toridtagitar (Me El-Ma) (5:22)
8. The Children Dance (Me El-Ma) (8:59)

* New remix with added Mellotron and digital effects

Musicians:
Efrayim Barak / vocals
Moti Fonseka / electric & acoustic guitars
Yuval Rivlin / keyboards
Alon Nadel / bass
Ami Lipner (later Me El-Ma) / drums, percussion, keyboards (6-8), guitar & violin & celllo (6), vocals (7,8)
With:
Ovadiya Aharony / vocals (3,4)
Tsoof Philosof / bass (3,4)
Yaron Bioch / vocals (5,6)
Zeev Winstok / bass (5)

Releases information
Recorded between 1975-1977, restored and remastered by Asaf Carmeli & Erez Siag

ATMOSPHERA, not to be confused with a Brazilian art-rock band with the same name, is an Israeli progressive rock band from the late 70's. They recorded two long, epic pieces for an album with English lyrics (Shakespeare & Lord Tennyson), but the album was too far-out for the small Israeli music industry, so the master tapes were archived and the album was never issued on vinyl. 25 years later, a small collectors' label, MIO records, gathered all the tapes, videos and information on the lost band, and issued the album on CD, with bonus tracks and a videoclip.

ATMOSPHERA's style is "mainstream prog" - heavily influenced by YES's symphonic style. The music is melodic, classical and well-arranged. The band lineup consists of Efrayim Barak on vocals, Moti Fonseka on guitar, Alon Nadel on bass, Yuval Rivlin on keyboards, and Ami Lipner (later re-named himself to Mi El-Ma) on drums. Mi El-Ma, the drummer, is influenced by Bruford's style, Nadel, the bassist, emulates Squire's sound, the keyboardist, Rivlin, uses some of Wakeman's tricks, and even soloist, Barak, sounds very much like Jon Anderson. YES fans will find delight in this highly-capable group of musicians, who offer virtuoso abilities and solid compositional skills.

The double album boasts three major highlights: "Lady of Shalott", "Cuckoo - Alternate Version" (new remix with added Mellotron and digital effects), and the avant-garde "Catharsis" by a different, later line-up called ISTOPY. In 2002 a double CD was released with the debut tracks and some bonus tracks, live renditions, video clips and VCD material. (progarchives)