Ache - 1970 - De Humino Urbano

Ache 
1970
De Humino Urbano

01. De Homine Urbano (19:01)
1) Overture
2) Soldier theme
3) Ballerina theme
4) Pas de deux
5) Ogre theme
6) Awakening
7) The dance of the demons
8) Pas de trois
9) The last attempt
10) Finale
02. Little Things (18:37)


- Torsten Olafsson / bass, vocals, harpsichord
- Finn Olafsson / guitars, vocals
- Peter Mellin / Hammond organ, piano, vibraphone, vocals
- Glenn Fischer / drums, percussion


The seeds for ACHE were sown in the early 60's via the Danish beat group THE HARLOWS. When HARLOWS Torsten Olafsson (bass), Peter Mellin (organ) and Glenn Fischer (drums) were joined by former MCKENZIE SET guitarist Finn Olafsson in 1968, ACHE was born.

They spent the next two years working on an extended piece called "De Homine Urbano", which was released as programme music to an experimental "rock ballet" in 1970. Released on the Philips label the same year with an accompanying single of non-album tracks, it netted positive reviews in the Danish press. ACHE's "rock theater" created something of a sensation in the rock underground, and "Green Man" followed in 1971. The next major ACHE project, by a revised six-piece version of the band, was a conceptual work called "Pictures From Cyclus 7", written in collaboration with lyricist Bo Lillesöe in 1975 and released one year later.

Ache have remained active on and off, albeit sporadically, ever since. Their only other major work (i.e.: not counting singles and compilations) has been "Blå som altid", a folk-oriented album released in 1978.

The first Ache album is a weird one as the music was written for a BALLET if you can believe it. There was rock-opera and now rock ballet. Actually only the first side epic was written for the ballet , borrowing lots from the Classics masters (much like The Nice did) with heavy instrumentation (sometimes a bit exagerated but never in the terms of ELP either). When I speak of The Nice's interpretation of classic music , I want to make clear I speak of Bernstein's America and Gerschwin's Blue Rondo Ala Turc superb (and Nice) arrangements and not at all like the pointless Brandenburger Concerto or Five Bridges Suite.
Outside of that comparison , the guitar is also very present (as it was in the Nice's Thoughts albums) and very full of energy but the album is not flawless. Some riffs can even approach Zeppelin's power.The second track (also approaching 20 min) is less classically orientated but full of the typical (and great) instrumental excesses of that era.
One of the best album to come out of Denmark, at the time. The follow-up is also fine but more restrained and both albums have been released together as Eric pointed out out on that page , this is a master buy.