PHOENIX – CANTAFABULE – 1975 (Romania) progressive rock

Still not sure whether this album is called Cantofabule (fabulous song) or Cant Of A Bule (as the
disc label being called so) or as my Romanian stepsister said Cantafabule, but the track listing is
correct. The artwork being similar but monochromic red and carrying the cat # Fanny 100, it is most
likely a bootleg, but this was the only way to get to listen (outside the PA’s samples) to a full
album. This sextet’s third album is maybe the best appreciated by progheads, but apparently the last
one before the fled the Ceaucescu regime.
The original double album was a concept based on some traditional Romanian themes based on
adaptation of poets Seban Foarta and Andrei Ujica and inspired on a Dimitri Bolintineanu book
called Istoria Ieroglifa (speaking of a “bestiaire” of fantastic mythical creatures), this almost 70
min-long piece is indeed one of the best thing to come from the old Dacian province. If I speak of
Dacia (relating it to the Roman Empire times instead of Valachia or Moldavia-Bessarabia), it is
because the general feel relates a bit to Italian prog (this is greatly due to the similarity of both
languages), but the Timisoara (in Transylvania where the revolt started) group developed a very
ambitious project that mixed some medieval folk with hard rock fronted by a fuzzed-out guitar.
The two-parts lengthy opening track Invocatie gives out right away the main dimension of their
music, a fairly hard prog dominated by a fuzz-guitar, where all musicians hold their own. Surprising
how modern for the day they sounded apparently having a moog synth. During this track, the group
moves to different moods and passages including a “folk” one and there is a harpsichord thrown in
there too and the track is a very captivating intro. Moving from the Harpsichord/flute piece Unicorn
(sung in Old French) to the mediocre beat-rock of the sacred beetle (Scarabeului), the albums
moves quickly to another highlight about dolphins (Delfinul), where the group shows the extent of
their considerable talent in this folky ballad. Going through the dragon (semi-hard rocking), the
snake (with a terrible sounding violin), a special kind of bird (Calandrinon) that’s supposed to
accompany you into the underworld (another highlight in my book with superb bass work), the
moose and the mongoose, the siren and a few other mythical creatures, the group continues
tirelessly (even if you do, partly due to the length and the repetition of tracks that hammer on the
same nail and the Romanian singing) until another pure psych-beat-RnR (track 11, a bit of a filler
really) breaks the cycle of prog/folk tracks alternating.
The album gets back on track with the splendid Cintic-Lu (hawk) track which definitely seals the
fate of the concept as excellent (just short of brilliant), followed by another fabulous Zoomahia
(starting with the same electronic sounds that you found on the start of the album, but much longer
and sounding like Gong) and the album closing on their fetish Phoenix, rising from the ashes.
Overall this album holds very few flaws (given its communist era background), few fillers and a
bunch of superb if inhabitual prog folk tracks, which makes this album a masterpiece of its own.
Clearly this album should get the honours from a full remastering and mini-Lp treatment, as it
stands in the top 10 of the ex-soviet block.

- Nicolae Covaci / lead guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar, double six, blockflote
- Iosif Kappl / bass, vocals, violin, blockflote
- Mircea Baniciu / vocals, guitar
- Ovidiu Lipan / drums, bongos, tympani, gong, chimes, tambourine
- Gunter Reininger / piano, electric piano, synthesizer, celesta, electronic organ
 1. Invocatie (10:13)
2. Norocul Inorogului (3:19)
3. Scara Scarabeului (2:20)
4. Definul, Dulce Dulful Nostru (5:49)
5. Uciderea Balaurului (4:35)
6. Stima Casei (2:21)
7. Pasarea Calandrinon (5:50)
8. Filip Si Cerbul (4:30)
9. Vasiliscul Si Aspida (3:55)
10. Sirena (3:45)
11. Pasarea Roc..k And Roll (5:32)
12. Canticlu A Cucuveaualiei (7:07)
13. Zoomahia (6:04)
14. Phoenix (3:44)