Babylon – Babylon 1978 (USA, Symphonic Progressive Rock)
  • last year
By the time the group was formed, all of its future members studied at the university and were fully formed creative personalities, so the team turned out to be very eclectic. Officially, "Babylon" never had a leader, but the central figures in the group were undoubtedly Chambers and Dorokkas. Having made their debut on the alma mater stage, the band began to actively work on new material, regularly performing at concert venues in Florida. For their shows, the musicians chose only those halls that would allow them to fully implement large-scale stage ideas. At the end of 1977, "Babylon" recorded an album of the same name, which turned out to be the group's only studio release. The musicians only had enough money to pay for two nights of studio time: one for recording, the other for mixing. The disc, which is only 35 minutes long, was released early next year on the Mehum Music label. Stylistically, the album is designed in the best traditions of classic symphonic rock. Critics in their assessments, without saying a word, drew parallels with the work of Genesis in the early 70s. “Then it was a compliment for us,” recalls Dorokkas, “and remains so to this day.” On the advice of a friend, the musicians decided to try to sell the novelty through the record store "Jet Records", which was located in New Jersey. Its assortment at that time was represented mainly by discs of foreign performers, so the owner willingly bought a thousand copies of the disc at once. Soon, letters from fans appeared at the address of the group from all over the world, and interviews with the musicians were organized on local radio. However, all these "pluses" that appeared were not able to compensate for the large and stable "minus" in the financial situation of the musicians. As Dorokkas later admitted, the income from the sale of the album amounted to only a few hundred dollars for everyone. Tickets for the group's performances cost two and a half dollars, and if the concert took place in some college, then students were generally allowed there for free. The enthusiasm of the participants was melting before our eyes, the supply of creative energy was quickly depleted, and, having existed for only two years, "Babylon" broke up.

Tracks:
01. The Mote In God’s Eye — 7:00
02. Before The Fall — 10:54
03. Dreamfish — 9:12
04. Cathedral Of The Mary Ruin — 7:38

Personnel:
Rick Leonard — bass, voice, bass pedals
Doroccus (Rod Succo) — lead voice, synthesizers, electric piano, Orchestron, Omni
J. David Boyko — guitars, muted variations thereof
G.W. Chambers — synthesizers, acoustic & electric piano, Orchestron, Omni, voice
Rodney Best — drums, percussion
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