Will - O - The Wisp: All Albums (4 LPs)

 

In folklore, a will-o'-the-wisp, will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus (Latin for 'giddy flame'), plural ignes fatui, is an atmospheric ghost light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes. The

phenomenon is known in English folk belief, English folklore and much of European folklore by a variety of names, including jack-o'-lantern, friar's lantern and hinkypunk, and is said to mislead travellers by resembling a flickering lamp or lantern. In literature, will-o'-the-wisp metaphorically refers to a hope or goal that leads one on, but is impossible to reach, or something one finds strange or sinister.

                               

In urban legends, folklore and superstition, wills-o'-the-wisp are typically attributed to ghosts,

fairies or elemental spirits. Modern science explains the light aspect as natural phenomena such as bioluminescence or chemiluminescence, caused by the oxidation of phosphine (PH3), diphosphane (P2H4) and methane (CH4) produced by organic decay.

TAKIS BARBAGALAS

              

I suspect that, even for the most sophisticated Greek rock players, the name TAKIS BARBAGALAS

ΛΕΥΚΗ  ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ

may not initially remind them of anything. A mention of any of the bands on his resume is capable of touching almost the entire range of domestic rock fans. From the legendary White Symphony (ΛΕΥΚΗ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΙΑ) to the high art of Will-O-The Wisp, the path he has covered is amazing and his first solo record fills yet another void.

WILL-O-THE WISP

                        

This band is another miracle of the Greek Rock Underground. It's simply music made for the fairies and the creatures who live in magic mysterious forests. Will-O-the-Wisp is a band that                  

comes from Athens, Greece. They were formed in 1997 as a sextet (guitar, bass, drums, flute, keyboards and vocals) and play Progressive Rock featuring a signifcant psychedelic orientation. Their music very much resembles the sound of the bands of the '70's, especially those of Camel and Caravan. Their lyrics are in English and balancing between fantasy and reality.
                      

On 1st of January 1999 they released their first self titled album on CD digipack and 180gr vinyl with a

beautiful double cover. This first record is an excellent example of how a band can play nice melodic Progressive Rock in our days. On the cover of this record writes 'this record is dedicated to the new born child and J.R.R Tolkien'. With the beautiful 'Elbereth' there's also featured a song inspired from the world of Tolkien. The album gained positive reviews from the Greek music press, and it was characterised as 'Album of the Month' twice.
                           

On January 2001 they released their second album with the title 'Second Sight'. Again in a very

beautiful digipack (book size) CD, and a limited edition of 230gr vinyl record with a double cover (800 copies). Although they maintained the same style in their music, this records compositions are a bit weaker in comparison with their first record. But the production is better, and it succeeded a few sales in Europe. In March 2002 they released a single including Billie Holiday's cover version of 'God Bless The Child', again in limited edition.
                        

While the band was working on their 3rd album, they set up their own music company Wow Records,

and under its label they released their new record 'Ceremony Of Innocence'. This album had the best production of all three, and it was released as digipack CD with a triple cover, and on limited edition vinyl (800 copies) with a triple cover as well. 2005 saw a line-up change and they continued as a quartet.
                         

                           
February 2007 they released their 4th album 'A Gift In Your Dreams'. Again a very expensive

production. The CD is at a book size pack with hard cover and a 20 pages booklet. The vinyl record is again limited edition (800 copies) with a double cover. Here their sound has changed, as the band seemed to find a new approach to their music style.

 

 

LINE - UP

                   

1997 - 2005: Takis Barbagalas - guitars, Kostas Pagonas - bass, Dina Nassi - keyboards,
Dinos Manousopoulos - drums, Nikos Chalikias - flute, Aggelos Gerakitis - vocals.

2005 and on: Takis Barbagalas, Kostas Pagonas, Aggelos Gerakitis and
Kostas Kostopoulos

WILL-O-THE WISP - WILL-O-THE WISP 1999

                   

Here’s a virtually unknown band who managed to put together a sound that is sometimes neo-

progressive (particularly the guitars), sometimes retro (mostly the keyboards), and with a thread of psychedelic energy, especially in the form of the male vocals. Most of their albums are out-of-print,
available sporadically from resellers and pretty much nowhere else including the band’s own website (although their last two can still be had there). I suspect someone is going to pick up the masters someday and reissue this and their sophomore record though, because this is well-formed and authentic progressive music that deserves to be widely available.
This debut album was recorded in the late nineties

but the sound is older than that, drawing on any number of seventies British proggers like Curved Air and some of the more ethereal and folksy minor acts of the early seventies like Fuchsia and Flibbertigibbet. There’s more than a little Canterbury here as well, considering how melodic all the arrangements tend to be.
Lead vocalist Aggelos Gerakitis has a rich sound, and the hint of an accent in his all-English vocals lends itself quite well to the understated tempo of all the songs here. This is somewhat spaced-out music, but closer to Roxy Music than Pink Floyd for sure. Jazz singer Sofia Rapti is a guest artist on the album, and she tends to complement Gerakitis by harmonizing or by otherwise offering contrast in several duets.

Keyboardist Dina Nassi plays all manner of keys, including a Fender, fat and spacey Hammond and even electric and acoustic piano. While the band features a prominent guitarist in Takis Barbagalas, the overriding musical footprint comes in the form of keyboards on virtually every track.
The whole album seems to flow together as a single, lengthy and cohesive work rather than simply a collection of tunes. The breaks between tracks are brief or nonexistent for the most part, and except for a brief fadeout ending to “Vision” the last half of the album is a contiguous piece of music. My one complaint is that the opening and closing two-part song “Silent Thoughts” with its gorgeous piano solo is all too brief and would have resulted in a much more robust work had one or both parts of this tune been extended into a lengthy classical piano composition.

But that’s a minor quibble, and for the most part this is a great body of work that forms an impressive introduction for a band that would go on to record three other progressively more complex and richer albums before they faded back into obscurity. Like I said, this is a lost gem that needs to be rediscovered and reissued by someone; this is the kind of gentle and melodic music that most prog lovers would be happy to have in their collection. Here’s hoping that happens soon.

Will-O-The Wisp - Will-O-The Wisp 1999
Label: Action Records - ACT 001
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Greece
Released: 1999
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

SIDE A.

                      

A1. Silent Thoughts (Part One)   01:18
A2. Elbereth (Lonely Queen)   05:34
A3. A Sign Or A Smile   04:54
A4. Hang On To A Dream (Written-By - Tim Hardin)  03:21
     

SIDE B.

                     

A5. Summer Of Life   05:04
B1. It's Time...   05:35
B2. Flying Over The Dawn   04:18
B3. Vision   06:07
B4. Silent Thoughts (Part Two)   01:16

Total Time (37:27)

Line-up / Musicians

Takis Barbagalas / Electric & Accoustic Guitar
Aggelos Gerakitis / Vocals
Dina Nassi / Organ [Hammond], Piano, Electric Piano [Rhodes]
Kostas Pagonas / Bass
Nikos Manousopoulos / Drums, Percussion
Nikos Chalikias / Flute

Guests :

Sofia Rapti / Vocals
Giouli Laska / Cello

NOTES

                      

Recorded At - Action Studio, Athens during Autumn 1998.
Mixed At - Action Studio, Athens
Artwork , Design - Th. Paraskevopoulos
Cover - Tim White
Engineer - Aris Christou
Photography By [Inside Photo] - Melanie Merges
Words By - Aggelos Gerakitis
Written-By - Will-O-The Wisp (tracks: A1 to A3, A5 to B4)

Dedicated to the new born child & J. R. R. Tolkien.
The album released on vinyl with double cover (Limited Edition 800 copies)

Flac (Vinyl Rip in 24/96) Size: 838 MB

WILL-O-THE WISP - SECOND SIGHT 2000

                    

Another excelent album from the underappreciated Greek group Will-o-the Wisp. Musically it is quite similar to their first, It’s not really a concept album though, as the lyrics and plotline

doesn’t connect together from song to song quite well enough to form a complete story.  But for the most part the whole thing works well, and the themes of mystic worlds and mythical characters are pretty consistent with most of the rest of the band’s repertoire.
Lead singer Aggelos Gerakitis is solid throughout once again, his clear and slightly accented voice carrying the mostly keyboard and synthesizer-rich instrumentation. 

Guitarist Takis Barbagalas tends toward arpeggios and long,

drawn-out riffs more associated with neo- or progressive metal music than psych, but for the most part the resulting sound comes together pretty well. On subsequent albums this leads to the band taking on a bit more of a derivative sound than occurs here, but for now the band’s sound is still fairly distinctive.
Keyboardist Dina Nassi plays a Fender Rhodes, piano and Hammond organ once again, although he seems to favor the Hammond most of all, and there is very little piano as opposed their self-titled album where he both opens and closes the record with piano-dominated tracks.

Jazz chanteuse Sofia Rapti is back as a guest vocalist, although I don’t know why they call her a guest since she appears on their first  album. This time her role is much subdued though, and we don’t even hear from her until the third song “Queen of Darkness” and not really much after that except some almost wordless backing vocals on “The Message”.
Back to the lyrics for a moment- while the band works very hard to give the impression of being a fantasy-driven, Celtic mystical sort of group. In that respect they remind me a bit of some of Green Carnation’s lyrics; sort of poetic and mildly spiritual but in the end not saying much except maybe to the band themselves and insiders who know what (if anything) they are actually talking about (such as here from “Queen of Darkness”):

“I love the day because I can see the colours;

Now I stand on the edge and I love the night because I can see dreams”
                     

These guys are ultimately quite likeable, and their music fits the mood as comfortably as your favorite

shirt. I wouldn’t recommend them to people who like Zeuhl or avant-garde or guttural metal or the like, as you probably won’t find much to appeal to your taste for sounds that challenge accessibility. But for fans of indie music, modern folk, mellow psych and contemporary world music, as well as those who enjoy highly keyboard-infused tunes, I would recommend this band and this album. 
                        

Will-O-The Wisp - Second Sight
Label: Action Records - ACT 003
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition
Country: Greece
Released: 2000
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

SIDE A.

                 

A1.  The Passage    3:47
A2.  Internal Journey    4:35
A3.  Queen Of Dreams    4:36
A4.  Ropedancer        5:39

SIDE B.

                  

B1.  Rings Of Time    8:03
B2.  Water-Lily's Land    5:12
B3.  The Message    4:13
B4.  S.T.3        1:37

LINE - UP

Takis Barbagalas (Electric & Accoustic Guitar)
Aggelos Gerakitis (Vocals)
Dina Nassi (Hammond, Piano, Rhodes)
Kostas Pagonas (Bass)
Nikos Manousopoulos (Drums, Percussion)
Nikos Chalikias (Flute)

Guest : Sofia Rapti (Vocals)

NOTES

                 

All titles written : by Will-o-the Wisp
Words : by Aggelos Gerakitis
Produced : by Action Records
Recorded and mixed at Action Studios
Mix : Will-o-the Wisp and Aris Christou
Engineer : by Aris Christou
Mastered : by Christos Hatzistamou at Athens Mastering
Illustrations : Alan Lee and Brian Froud
Photo : by George Panourgias
Artwork : by Tod Paraskevopoulos

Limited to 800 copies of 230 grams vinyl, issued in gatefold paper sleeve with 2 inner sleeves.

Flac (Vinyl Rip in 24/96) Size: 998 MB

WILL-O-THE WISP - CEREMONY OF INNOCENCE 2004

               

This is still an outstanding psych/folk/neo-prog album, with none of those labels being any less or

more appropriate in than the others in describing the music. As with their other albums lead guitarist Takis Barbagalas delivers long, whiny arpeggios and sustained chords that smack of the finest neo-prog of the eighties and nineties. Dina Nassi's whirling organ passages give the music a retro, slightly psych-tinged flavor, while Aggelos Gerakitis' easy-going and comfortable vocals, along with just the right touch of flute from Nikos Chalikias, give the music a bit of a folk feel at times. It all works together seamlessly.

                    

The strong guitar and flute passages on tracks like "Fairies Waltz" and "The Rabbit Under the Teardrop's Shade (of Alice)" more than make up for any shortcomings elsewhere. And the acoustic guitar lead-in on "Hew A Dream In The Twilight" gives a wonderful, airy balance to the more weighty organ and electric guitar work on most of the other tracks. This is one of those records that can either be listened to intently, or can just as easily offer a rich backdrop to an evening spent on other pursuits. Either way, the experience is worth the cost of admission.

Easily four stars, as are most of the band's other albums.

Forget trying to get your hands on the limited-edition vinyl version of this record, but the CD version is much more easily had and I would assume just as good. Very highly recommended to just about any sort of progressive rock fan, and particularly to those who favor psych and neo-prog. Worth seeking out.

Will-O-The Wisp - Ceremony Of Innocence
Label: W O W Records - WOW 001
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Greece
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

SIDE A.

                  

A1.  Smoke Suspended In The Still Air…    5:10
A2.  The Rabbit Under The Teardrop's Shade(of Alice)    3:37
A3.  Shadows Of Daylight    4:35
A4.  The Reaper's Paper Boat    4:33

SIDE B.

                       

B1.  Hew A Dream In The Twilight    5:38
B2.  Haze Secrets    5:05
B3.  A William Blake's Song    4:33
B4.  Fairies Waltz    4:01

NOTES

               

Bass - Kostas Pagonas
Design [Cover], Artwork - Melanie Merges-Dimitriou
Drums, Percussion - Nikos Manousopoulos
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar - Takis Barbagalas
Flute - Nikos Chalikias
Mastered By - Christos Chatzistamou
Mixed By [Re-mix] - Aris Christou, Will-O-The Wisp
Organ, Piano - Dina Nassi
Vocals - Agelos Gerakitis, Sofia Rapti
Words By - Agelos Gerakitis (tracks: A1 to B1, B4), William Blake (tracks: B3), Takis Barbagalas (tracks: B2)
Written-by [All Titles], Producer - Will-O-The Wisp
Recorded At - SCA Studio
Mixed At - SCA Studio
Mastered At - Athens Mastering

Recorded & mixed at S.C.A. Studios between February-May 2004.

Heavyweight vinyl.

Flac (Vinyl Rip in 24/96) Size: 821 MB

WILL-O-THE WISP - A GIFT FOR YOUR DREAMS + SINGLE "7"  2007

                        

These guys just continue to amaze me. For such a relatively unknown group (at least as far as my

side of the pond is concerned), they have a remarkably mature and rich sound. The band seems to add another layer with every new release; in this case that means the addition of strings for the first time since their 1999 debut. But while that album featured a guest cellist, this time the range is expanded a bit with the richly expressive bow of violinist Tasos Papastamou. This simple addition pays great dividends on several tracks, most notably the chillingly beautiful instrumental “Flying with Witches”.
But before that the album delivers a quartet of solid tracks. The opening “Nature Boy” eases the listener into this fantasy-filled record with slow and eerie chords delivered by the band’s longtime guitarist Takis Barbagalas. While the music is principally delivered via guitar, piano and vocalist Angelos Gerakitis, the overall mood reminds me an awful lot of Porcupine Tree’s more somber works. That said, the uniform melancholy of this album is what one typically expects of Nordic progressive metal bands, which is all the more surprising since these guys are Greek. That’s not to say the music is morbid, it’s just that it calls to the imagination dark, still wintry nights on the plains in the same way that so many Norwegian and Finnish bands’ music does.

There seems to be an attempt throughout the album to highlight various instruments on each track. For “Serpent's Kiss” the instrument of choice is the bass, accompanied by both acoustic and wonderful electric guitar rhythm. For “The Night Twined the Hours” the mood slows to nearly a crawl with softly- crooned vocals that build up along with the piano until both the flautist and violinist embellish the ending with melodic woodwind and strident chord sounds. This is one of my favorite tracks on any of the band’s albums that I’ve heard to-date.
Jazznovation keyboardist adds a series of soft organ notes that segue into a repetitive progression to accompany (once again) the flute on another instrumental, “Fairer-Than-A-Fairy”. This song would make a great soundtrack tune for a fantasy film, or just to enjoy while watching the clouds drift by on a cool autumn afternoon.
                    

The longest and most languid tune is the nearly nine-minute “Inward Reflections”, starting off with

more piano and acoustic guitar but eventually accelerating to an extended soft-fuzz guitar and violin sequence that recalls the band’s more psychedelic debut album of 1999. Once again the organ provides a late blast of sound to bring the whole thing to a safe landing. The introspective mood here makes the title of the song seem all too appropriate.
Once again the band dips into their early sound with the mellow psych “Sliding Down at the Shades of Mind”, a tune not unlike some of the tracks on Green Carnation’s ‘Acoustic Verses’. If you’ve heard that album you’ll have a sense of the mood on this one.
Finally the band offers an interesting an unusual twist with another rendition of “Nature Boy”, but this time the vocalist is a female (guest Markela Dounezaki), who I can’t find any information about anywhere but whose youthful and mildly accented singing lends a lighter and more playful nuance to this song.

Overall this is easily my favorite Will-o-the Wisp album. I’ve been playing it constantly for several weeks now, with no sign of becoming bored with it. Each listen brings new appreciation for the subtle shifts between instruments and for the seamless way the production manages to blend all the songs together into a solidly cohesive body of work. I’m really surprised these guys aren’t more well-known, although they certainly could be in their part of the world for all I know. No matter, this is an outstanding and creative group of musicians who have once again scored a hit in my book with this, their latest offering. I’m actually tempted to give this five stars, and may come back in time and do so. But for now I’ll settle with a very high four stars and the hope that continued listening doesn’t dim its luster. Highly recommended to just about any progressive music fan of any genre.

Will-O-The Wisp + "7" Single - A gift For Your Dreams 2007
Label: Sound Effect Records - SER 011
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
        Vinyl, 7", Single Sided, Single
Country: Greece
Released: 2007
Genre: Rock
Style: Art Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

SIDE A.

             

A1. Nature Boy  (Arranged By - Will-O-The Wisp)
A2. Serpent's Kiss  (Written-By - T. Barbagalas)
A3. The Night Twined The Hours  (Lyrics By - A. Gerakitis / Music By - T. Barbagalas)
A4. Fairer Than A Fairy  (Written-By - T. Barbagalas)

SIDE B.

            

B1. Flying With Witches  (Written-By - C. Pagonas, T. Barbagalas)
B2. Inward Reflections  (Lyrics By - A. Gerakitis / Music By - C. Pagonas, T. Barbagalas)
B3. Sliding Down At The Shades Of Mind  (Lyrics By - A. Gerakitis / Music By - T. Barbagalas)

SINGLE "7"

              

C1. Nature Boy (7")  (Vocals [Female] - Markela Douzenaki)

Total Time: 43:31

LINE - UP

              

Takis Barbagalas / electric & accoustic guitar
Angelos Gerakitis / vocals
Kostas Pagonas / bass
Kostas Kostopoulos / drums

Guests:

Amalia Kountouri / flute
Vagelis Stefanopoulos / piano, organ
Tasos Papastamou / violin
Markela Dounezaki / vocals

NOTES

                   

Design [Album], Illustration - Melanie Merges-Dimitriou
Engineer - Aris Christou
Mastered By - Christos Chatzistamou
Photography By - George Panourgias
Producer - Will-O-The Wisp
Recorded & mixed at S.C.A. Studios.

The album is released in cd book size with a hard cover and a 20-page-booklet as well as in vinyl with a double cover 180gr + single & poster "Limited Edition" 800 copies

In memory of Nikos Chalikias († 2005).

Flac (Vinyl Rip in 24/96) Size: 886 MB