Splitting Ions in the Ether — Acid Dragon, Issue #23 (France)

Imagine... Imagine an unknown American band of the 80s with such a talent it will obscure all the new releases. Imagine un-released tracks by the Crimson King circa “Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” but without John Wetton (almost no vocals here and not so beautiful) and violin parts. Also forget Mr. Fripp’s plaintive guitar solos. But still with the main ingredients: inventive percussives, great mellotron parts, desperate/saturated guitars, tight musicianship. Imagine how those guys could have been in a studio: for the whole album comes from several concerts. Yes, this American band is truly the heir of the “red majesty”, a brilliant one (remember side two of “Starless and Bible Black” was recorded live too). So forget the clumsy cover and buy this real masterpiece...or imagine what you are missing!

– RR

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Aural Innovations, Issue #5 (USA)

St. Elmo’s Fire were a Cleveland, Ohio based band that existed for barely a year and a half from 1979-1981. If ever there was a limbo period for progressive rock it was then. The classic period had wound down and the so called neo-prog era was barely underway.

The band was a five piece made up of Erich Feldman on guitar synth and effects, Mark Helm on drums, Paul Kollar on bass, guitar, keyboards and tapes, Stephen John Stavnicky on keyboards, percussion, flute and vox, and Elliot Weintraub on guitar, percussion, effects and vox. They released one album, “Live At The Cleveland Agora”, which is presented here for the first time on CD with five tracks added to the original four from the album.

The music is mostly instrumental and reminded me of King Crimson meets Gentle Giant with a dash of Genesis. Only two of the nine tracks have vocals. Complex arrangements, orchestral backgrounds, lots of mellotron, and good heavy rockin’ are the order of the day.

The disc opens with a six minute dreamy keyboard build up to “Gone To Ground In The Khyber Pass”, a tune that reminded me of the earliest King Crimson only more keyboard heavy. There is an edge of your seat intensity that proved to be a trademark as I got deeper into subsequent tracks. Other standout tracks were the mid-70s Crimson influenced “The Abduction” and “The Nuremberg Waltz”. “Aspen Flambe” and “Fantasy Come Reality” are the two tracks with vocals. “Aspen Flambe” has a bit of a metal influence, though I didn’t care much for the vocals. “Fantasy Come Reality” starts off as a Crimson sounding tune complete with Wetton vocals. It then launches into a potent keyboard heavy rocker whose ending sounds remarkably like “It” from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

Listening to St. Elmo’s Fire I kept in mind the time period and while stylisticly there are elements that seem to foreshadow the neo era, the music is more in the classic progressive period, though again...not firmly. Who knows what might have happened had they continued. My only complaint with this CD is that the liner notes tell the story of Elmo to the exclusion of any band history. If your going to release/re-release music from a band few people ever knew then tell us the story. Musically though, it deserves to be heard.

– Jerry Kranitz

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Eclectic Earwig Reviews, 19 November 2000 (USA)

St. Elmo’s Fire were one of those unfortunate late 70s / early 80s prog bands in America that just never got the recognition they deserved. It’s a real pity, too, because this album is quite a prog masterpiece. Elmo are easily comparable to Larks’ Tongues or Red-era Crimson, but this is really more in terms of darkness and intensity than compositional style.

“Splitting Ions In The Ether” consists of 7 songs arranged approximately in order of intensity. All tracks were recorded live, but surprisingly good sound quality and a phenomenally tight ensemble rarely betray this fact. From the first song, the almost ambient “Searching For Food” to the brooding intensity of “Gone To Ground In The Khyber Pass” and the “Balrog” to the “Fracture”-like sonic explosions of “Parasites And Bureaucrats”, the disc maintains an almost constant crescendo. Constant are the regal synth and mellotron themes of Stephen John Stavnicky, the ferocious interlocking guitar parts of Elliot Weintraub and Erich Feldman, and (after the first piece) the explosive rhythm section of bassist Paul Kollar and drummer Mark Helm.

Unfortunately, the flow of the album is disrupted somewhat by the first vocal number, the heavy metal-ish “Aspen Flambe”. Despite a good riff and a fine performance from the band (although the sound quality seems to degenerate a bit), it’s dragged down by the uncertain vocals of (presumably) Stavnicky, which seem to hover between regular singing and death metal growling, but never actually doing either.

After this identity crises, the band returns to form with the sublime 11 minute “The Reluctant Bride”, which features all the hallmarks of their established style, with a hint of ethnic influence and some achingly beautiful flute and keyboard. If that wasn’t enough, the band closes with the ultimate finale in the form of the 9 minute piece “Fantasy Come Reality”. Although this is another vocal song, it fits perfectly with the other pieces on the album, beginning with a soft vocal and keyboard section reminiscent of Happy The Man’s vocal songs and then transforming into a positively earth-shaking rock riff developed in a wonderful symphonic style. Even the vocals are quite tolerable in this one, and close the album quite perfectly.

The 1998 Sprawling Production Ltd. CD reissue adds two bonus tracks, also recorded live but at an earlier gig, which are quite worthy of the Elmo banner.

In case you couldn’t tell, Splitting Ions In The Ether has been one of the best prog albums I’ve heard in a while.

– Jon Dharma Murphree

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Exposé, Issue # 17 (USA)

It’s hard to say if this is a reissue or an archival release. In fact it is both at once. St. Elmo’s Fire was a five-piece from Cleveland in the late seventies through the end of 1980, that worked together long enough to release what was originally intended to be a 10-inch four song live EP, but ended up (though no fault of the band) as a shoddily produced LP with only about 25 minutes of material on it, pressed onto poor quality vinyl. The genesis of the material on this disc is mostly from the same live show that the original four songs for the LP came from, and in fact those songs are all here (though not in their original running order) with another 20 minutes of material taken from the same show, and an additional 6 minutes from an earlier show at the same venue (The Cleveland Agora). Two additional live bonus tracks pre-date the others by six months. So what we end up with is close to seventy minutes of live recordings by one of Cleveland’s best all-but-forgotten bands (except to collectors).

The band is firmly in the progressive camp: heavy on keyboards (including Mellotron and Mini-Moog), multi part extended compositions, elaborate and busy arrangements, and (best of all) they have an original sound that doesn’t borrow stylings from better known British or American artists. The only other band this writer can offer as a reference is the US band Cathedral (of “Stained Glass Stories” fame) and even then the comparison is a stretch. Compositions are driven by bassist Paul Kollar and guitar-synth player Erich Feldman. Keyboardist Steve Stavnicky doubles on vocals on original album opener “Aspen Flambe”. Frankly vocals are not this bands forte, being pretty harsh, and shouted for the most part: wisely they eschew vocals on all other tracks but one. While the sound quality on this CD reflects the meticulous post-production work that made it infinitely better than the original album, it was still recorded live to a two-track, and the limitations of that method are evident here. I’m certain that had these tracks been recorded live in a studio to a twelve or sixteen track we would have a finished product that rose more to the level of a Happy The Man. Despite the issues with the sound, this disc still deserves a wholehearted recommendation.

– Peter Thelen

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Ground & Sky, December 2000 (USA)

St. Elmo’s Fire were a 5-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio, who released a live album in 1980 before calling it quits. That live album, along with about 30 minutes worth of un-released material, is included in Splitting Ions In The Ether. Their music, to my ears, sounds like a combination of Starless And Bible Black-era King Crimson mixed with Klaus Schulze. The King Crimson influence is rather obvious in the guitar playing, and during the jam sessions. But many tracks feature atmospheric sections with Moog synths and mellotron.

The quality of the music is high, but I must admit not liking the vocal-based tracks (fortunately, there are only two tracks with vocals). The sound quality is okay, but considering that these tracks were recorded live, it’s not a problem. Overall, I recommend this CD to fans of King Crimson, Robert Fripp, and synth-based space rock. If these guys had a chance to record their music in a studio, they could have had a classic on their hands.

– Steve Hegede

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Harmonie Magazine, Issue #35 (France)

Available for the first time on CD (embellished with 16 minutes of bonus tracks not included on the vinyl version) this rare recording presents two concerts from June and July 1980 respectively. This unknown group from Ohio founded in Oct. 1979 and disbanded one and a half years later due to the general media disdain of progressive music of that time (“same old story” comme disait l’ami Phil!). However, this quintette performed a fresh, original, powerful music without concession that was a thousand miles away from what we were hearing at that time. Clearly influenced by the best of King Crimson, with the intertwining guitar figures, irreproachable technique and an often arid sound (“Larks’ Tongues In Aspic” do you understand?). The group was created by Erich Feldman (guitar synthesizer, effects), Paul M. Kollar (bass, 6 & 12 string guitars, bass pedals, keyboards, tape loops) who composed the repertoire of the group separately and as a duo. Joined by Stephen John Stavnicky (percussion, keyboards, gongs, flute and vox), Elliot Weintraub (guitar, percussion, effects and vox), and the drummer/percussionist Mark Helm. Fundamentally desperate, this is not easy music to get a handle on. The pieces are rather long (4:15 to 11:18). As we know that this was recorded at the time, live to two track (we seem to dream!). The restoration and remastering effected by Sprawling Productions Ltd. is almost miraculous! Only the two bonus tracks (recorded on cassette!) suffer from slightly poorer sound quality. Principally instrumental, certain parts of the songs are done up in the manner of Eno on his solo albums from the seventies. A story in the booklet (apparently on the birth of the group) lets us know that this group had a sense of humor, enough to reissue this work (song titles like “Parasites And Bureaucrats”, for example). Too bad that the words of the two pieces that have lyrics did not get printed in the booklet. Finally available, this missing link in the annals of American prog of the eighties, an absolute must have as is Mirthrandir or Atlantis Philharmonic (although they sound like neither of these two...).

– Renaud Oualid

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Margen Magazine, Issue # 15, October 1998 (Spain)

St. Elmo’s Fire – Splitting Ions In The Ether – Sprawling Productions Ltd. SPL-9801

This Cleveland quintet, mainly instrumental and totally unknown to us, released this work in 1980. It is made up of Erich Feldman (guitar synthesizer, effects), Mark Helm (Drums), Paul M. Kollar (bass, guitars, keyboards, pedals & tape loops), Stephen John Stavnicky (keyboards, percussion, flute & vox), and Elliot Weintraub (guitar, percussion, effects & vox). The style they present is a dense progressive rock loaded with analog keyboards, unbound crunching guitars and a rhythm section that that really tears it up. At times they resemble the more intense moments of the original King Crimson (or almost better, you’d think of Arachnoid), but in general their style is their own. St. Elmo’s Fire conceived their music from a collective point of veiw, all of the pieces work from and for a preset musical nucleus. The solos, therefore, are practically nonexistent and as a departure they offer us a perfectly supported sonorous framework. There are no great differences between the pieces—their theme seems to be like classic Alejandro Dumas for all you mosqueteros (all for one and one for all). But if you conclude from the previous statements that we are saying that this album is ineffective or boring, forget it. The musical intensity that hides here, which has no necessity of resorting to wild gesticulations, and which will awaken passions among fans of good progressive, this which is all simplicity on first listening, and which ends up a part of you forever. The Balrog, Parasites & Bureaucrats, and The Reluctant Bride are the pieces I listened to the most together with nearly thirty minutes of previously unreleased material included here for the satisfaction of their followers. Another wonderful essay unearthed thanks to the digital format. A jewel.

– Rafa Dorado

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — ProgNet, May 2000 (USA)

Rating: ***

I had a hard time figuring out how many stars to give this one, as my impression of it is quickly changing. Three stars for now, but in the near future it will probably rate four as it is fast growing on me. St. Elmo’s Fire were a prog band from Ohio who recorded these tracks live at two clubs in Cleveland in 1980. The sound quality is pretty decent, and most time you would be hard pressed to tell that these are live recordings. The tone throughout is very menacing and dark, similar to Red era King Crimson. Lots of heavy, jagged guitar, evil sounding mellotron, and a vast array of additional keyboards add to the final product. One of the few vocal songs, “Aspen Flambe” is a heavy rocker with some harsh vocals that will turn you off at first, but then you will realize that it fits the nature of the song. Most of the songs are long, over seven minutes, and the longest track is “The Reluctant Bride” clocking in at just over eleven minutes. Most of the music is dissonant, harsh and complex, which makes for an initial uneasy listen, but very satisfying upon repeated listening, much the same as mid-period Crimson, Henry Cow, Gentle Giant or Island. Anyone who likes the recently released Morte Macabre CD should get into this, as the mellotron is featured, along with the heavy guitar work.

– Peter Pardo

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Progression, Issue #28 (Summer/Fall 1998)

St. Elmo’s Fire: Splitting Ions In The Ether (CD, 67:04 ) Sprawling Productions Ltd. SPL-9801

St. Elmo’s Fire is yet another fascinating find in the continuing resurrection of works from obscure American prog-rock bands of the 1970s and 80s. This time it’s another Ohio group, which left behind an impressive clutch of live recordings from 1980—committed to posterity during shows at the Cleveland Agora and The Entertainer, in Elyria. The disc starts out with an awesome track, “Searching for Food,” that conjures stark atmospherics. You can hear a wolf’s howl in the frozen northern wilderness with Aurora Borealis gleaming over-head, as deliriously haunting space-symphonics kick things off. From there, this mostly instrumental work habitates King Crimson-like realms, though with a heavier symphonic emphasis. This is powerful prog-rock with loads of dissonant menace and thick washes of orchestral keyboards, augmented by guitar synths, tape loops, various electronic effects and flute. Only when vocals are added on “Aspen Flambe” and “Fantasy Come Reality” does the mood shift to more straight-ahead, heavy rock. The disc’s longest track at 11 minutes plus, “The Reluctant Bride,” is almost avant-garde-ish with it’s neo-classical chamber symphonics framed by generous mellotron. Interestingly, the prevalent mix of Crimson, heavy space and symph-rock gives way at the very end, during “The Nuremberg Waltz,” to an elegant closing madrigal. So there’s plenty to consider and absorb in the inspired work of this five-man outfit. A mere memory no longer, St. Elmo’s Fire via Splitting Ions In The Ether urges the inevitable question: how did we manage to miss these guys the first time around?

– John Collinge

Return to Reviews page

Splitting Ions in the Ether — Wondrous Stories, Issue # 82, October 1998 (UK)

St. Elmo’s Fire – Splitting Ions In The Ether – Sprawling Productions Ltd. SPL-9801

St. Elmo’s Fire were a prog rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in the late 70s and who had a cult following in the US for a few years due to the extremely high renown over there of bands such as King Crimson, Gentle Giant and Peter Hammill, who without doubt were all great influences on this band. This is a re-release of their material that has until now not been available on CD. On seeing the title, I was immediately reminded of the Brian Eno track of the same name and indeed the album title is a line from the lyrics of this track. So when I heard the CD opener “Searching For Food” and found it to be a Fripp & Eno style tonal dirge, I was somewhat puzzeled as to the references in the accompanying promotional material to fast paced and powerful. I don’t know whether it was intentional but the album grows in complexity and frenzy as it goes on. Starting out on a more or less single tone as mentioned, the second track “Gone To Ground in the Khyber Pass” continues with Fripp style guitar work but with touches of Tangerine Dream style synths in the background. The next two tracks start to increase the pace and by the time we get to “Aspen Flambe” we’ve got Black Sabbath’s Paranoid riff with Hawkwind’s “Hassan I Sagha” vocals. Following this the pace really does start to get frantic and the latter tracks “Fantasy Come Reality” and “The Abduction” at times really develop into crescendos of complexity that King Crimson would be proud of. Not an album that I would recommend to neo-prog fans, but King Crimson devotees may like it.

– Paul Allwood

Return to Reviews page