Named after the Deep Purple song featured on the 1971 Fireball album, Germany's Anyone's Daughter actually had more in common with progressive bands like Genesis, Eloy, Novalis, and Nektar than the hard rocking Brits, though they actually played plenty of Purple covers prior to writing their own original music. Their self-titled sophomore release originally came out in 1980 and followed their acclaimed debut Adonis from the previous year, and it's now being remastered with bonus tracks from the folks at Tempus Fugit.
At the time when Anyone's Daughter came out, the band consisted of guitarist Uwe Karpa, vocalist/bassist Harald Bareth, drummer Kono Konopik, and keyboard player Matthias Ulmer. While certainly a progressive rock band, Anyone's Daughter also incorporated some pop influences into their music which gave parts of this album a commercial edge. "Moria" is a soaring, hook laden anthem with prog elements, not unlike early '80s Saga, Pallas, or Marillion, and the melancholy ballads "Sundance of the Haute Provence" & "Enlightment" both feature poignant vocals from Bareth and memorable melodies. Elsewhere though the band dig deep into their prog leanings, like on the symphonic opener "Swedish Nights", the vibrant "Thursday", and the epic 1-2 punch of "Superman" and "Another Day Like Superman". Each one of those features gorgeous keyboard tapestries from Ulmer and Karpa's multi-textured guitar work. There's also the quick, fusion oriented instrumental "Azimuth", and the Genesis inspired "Between the Rooms", featuring some of Ulmer's best keyboard work on the album. Look for a few live tracks recorded from the tour of the album, showing Anyone's Daughter were very much a solid live act and could recreate these songs on the stage quite well.
This reissue sounds marvelous thanks to the remaster job of Ulmer, and the booklet preserves the original cover artwork plus includes plenty of photos, lyrics, and an essay on the band & album. Tempus Fugit is reissuing a good amount of Anyone's Daughter's back catalog, so keep your eye out for them and scoop 'em up if you are a loyal fan or just now discovering the band.
Track Listing
1) Swedish Nights
2) Thursday
3) Sundance of the Haute Provence
4) Moria
5) Enlightment
6) Superman
7) Another Day Like Superman
8) Azimuth
9) Between the Rooms
Bonus Tracks
10) Superman (live in Frankenbach 1980)
11) Between the Rooms (live in Baden-Baden 1980)
12) Sundance of the Haute Provence (live in Baden-Baden 1980)
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