Draft:Flame Dream (Band)

Flame Dream is a progressive rock band from Switzerland and was one of the most important European bands of this genre in the early 1980s.

History of Flame Dream Flame Dream developed their trademark with their second album "Elements" (1980): long compositions with recurring themes, classical melodic arcs, polyphonic vocals and hard bass lines. The missing guitar was replaced by woodwinds and keyboards[ []] The arrangements and the powerful sound (engineer Jean Ristori at Patrick Moraz's Aquarius Studio) characterized this album with influences from Canterbury Sound. Their third album, "Out in the Dark" (1981), is considered the pinnacle of the group's musical output to date. [www.progarchives.com/Flame Dream/Out in the Dark]] Los Angeles-born guitarist Dale Hauskins was involved in Out in the Dark as a guest musician. The album was recorded and co-produced by John Acock (produced several solo albums by Steve Hackett, Claire Hamill, Showaddywaddy, Renaissance, Eddie Hardin, Rick Wakeman etc.), again at Aquarius Studios in Geneva.

After that, the albums "Supervision" (1982) and Travaganza (1983) (both recorded with co-producer John Acock in Eddie Hardin's studio in London) show an attempt to modernize the sound and make it accessible to a wider audience. On "Supervision", the band took a path clearly inspired by “Drama ” (Yes) and the better tracks on “Abacab” (Genesis). This is a more darker route, but also more rooted in the New Wave of the 1980s.

Between 1978 and 1983, the band had several tours in Switzerland, as well as in Germany and Italy. The elaborate and self-developed stage productions were among the most exciting in live entertainment at the time. The strong stage presence resulted in considerable LP sales.

With their sixth album "8 on 6" (1986), the group was no longer able to build on their old successes. The song-oriented, shorter tracks were less popular with progressive rock fans.

Hiatus Due to the difficult conditions for music with a long format and as independent producers, it was not possible for the band to pursue  their project for a long time. Nevertheless, Flame Dream's progressive rock albums have found a considerable audience among progressive rock fans worldwide over the past decades, in particular through US imports from Hamburg, illegal pirated copies and many online entries on prog portals.

2024: Album Silent Transition 2024 sees the release of the band’s seventh album "Silent Transition". Alex Hutchings from Bristol was brought on as guitarist for the recordings. 63 minutes of new music were recorded in their own production facility. The mixing was done in collaboration with sound engineer Marco Jencarelli at Soundfarm Studios. Mastering: Anna Murphy@echochamber. Style

Comparable in sound to Genesis (in Peter Gabriel's time), with influences from Van der Graaf Generator (saxophone instead of guitar), Yes, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull and the UK, the band created a sound dominated by keyboards and rhythm, with the guitar only appearing as a bass. Peter Wolf's singing voice (with Irish roots) is distinctive and characteristic for the melancholic sound, despite the concise and complex rhythm of the music. Comparisons with Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Peter Hammill, Richard Sinclair or Roger Hodgson (Supertramp) suggest the direction.

== Referencewww.progarchives.com/Flame Dream/Elements ==

Heinz Horat: Flame Dream. In: Heinz Horat (ed.): Außer Rand und Band. The Lucerne Scene 1950-1980. Velvet, Lucerne 2006, ISBN 3-9522411-4-8, pp. 152-155.

“Rock had to knock twice” - an article on Swiss rock music history in Switzerland 1969-1987.

Weblinks Flame Dream on the Babyblue Pages

Short description at Progarchives

https://www.flamedreammusic.com Supporting documents FLAME DREAM Elements reviews. Retrieved on March 30, 2024 (English). Tom Karr: Out in the Dark. progressiveworld.net, April 2005, retrieved March 8, 2024.