IVAN, THAT WAS TOO COOL... TRUE HISTORY!!!

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Ivan, may I add my congratulations to you, Mark, Catherine and Doug for this milestone event. I have so many fond memories of Space Cossack shows at the Twist & Shout and at Iota. My thanks go to all of you for those.

Since almost all of the Space Cossack recordings and videos have been mentioned I thought it only fitting to mention the cassette "Orbital Planetary Strategic Command" y'all recorded and also the video from the "Interstellar Stomp" release party at the Twist and Shout, shared by The Fathoms no less.

Woody D
S3 #148
Henrico Va

Brian wrote:

I have retrieved all the "extras" off the Tsar Wars Enhanced CD including the novella and photos. If Ivan and Art think it is okay I'll be glad to upload a .zip file of all the goodies here. Another good place might be archive.org.

Yes, please!

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

Yes! Awesome!

Beginning with apologies for not jumping in on this earlier, I have to admit that I haven't followed this thread because I didn't want others' memories to influence my own.
If I had waited any longer, I could have posted in the 16th anniversary celebration of the Tsar Wars album. It's a curious topic, I suspect this has more to do with a liberating moment in Jake's youth that happened to coincide with the release of a great album, which became his soundtrack. And, 15 years is a weird number, even in a marriage, it's only recognized with a gift of crystal.
Why should us non-Jakes celebrate Tsar Wars, how did it fit into our lives, my life? Is it that groundbreaking? Truly groundbreaking by definition would be Interstellar Stomp, the first Space Cossack album, that simply blew up all expectations about the creative possibilities for what a 4 piece, two guitar surf band could do. But, if you look at Ivan Pongracic's carrier ascent (I don't want to say arc, as that suggests he has or will return to earth at some point), Tsar Wars is the second step of a continuous exploration, one that progresses with each Madeira album.
I don't think it's possible to just jump into a discussion about Tsar Wars. Ivan Pongracic had announced himself to the world with "Solaris Stomp" on the Reef Madness compilation. That track stands at the fore in a mix of mostly mediocre cuts by bands that didn't hang around too long. Though Reef Madness was well received at the time, I don't want to overstate its importance— Reef Madness, was, after all, a comp that bands paid to be on, therefore the quality control was minimal. "Solaris Stomp" impresses immediately, using staccato syncopations in an unimaginable way to most traditional eighth-note downstrokers. Despite its overall tradish tone, "Solaris Stomp" stood out as something new, not prog-surf but a logical extension of the surf sound; imagine if the Beatles hadn't come along and surf bands stayed together, developing their chops and letting the genre grow without filter.
Ivan's next bomb dropped with the release of Interstellar Stomp, an album that repeatedly annulled any notion that "Solaris Stomp" was a one hit wonder. Interstellar Stomp is filled with brilliant songwriting, yet there is a near singularity to its sound. Why I don't know, it may be that the album was recorded quickly or that Ivan wrote all the songs; there are few flourishes by way of overdubs. The beat is relentless and the explorations of the middle eastern exotic scale infuse almost every song.
Which takes us, finally, to Tsar Wars. I remember getting the album and was immediately intrigued by the colorful, dynamic cover, so different from the static, gunmetal grey tones of Interstellar Stomp. Ivan's majestic lead guitar, bathed in tank reverb and multi-tap delay is abundantly in your face, from the first pick attack to the last echo reflecting through the springs. Likewise, the rhythm section and second guitar all have their well defined space in the mix, everything clearly realized.
Drop the needle and a bell pings quietly, a technique I love for first songs, it makes the listener reach over and crank up the volume knob, 'cause maybe this one was mastered a few dBs down. But no, blammo, smacked in the face with Strat blasts and the unison rhythm section hits of Apes of Wrath, 2 minutes and 10 seconds of organized mayhem. And it's then you realize, just as the saturated intensity of the cover's colors increased, so to did the fidelity of the recording. An all around better recorded album than Interstellar Stomp, with subtle and not so subtle overdubs, and sound effects used in a tasteful, musical way.
Cossack Space Patrol, aka Meadowlands or Polyushka Pole, a song covered many times by instrumental bands, is rendered here in its definitive arrangement. Listen to how the jet wash flows through the track, almost sounding like a flanged guitar. The Defector bubbles through the diminished scale, but always remains tuneful, it's three guitar parts tightly interleaved, the muted thump on the right side relentlessly driving the beat. Departure, true to its name, changing the pace and tone. The dark, mysterious melody winding its way around curious modulations.
Escape from Gulag 17 works though a cycle of modulations as well, each harmonic shift bringing out a different variation on the melody. The 16th note triple stops that make up the bridges allude to Laika and the Cosmonauts and confirm a strong Euro connection, all held together by the insane galloping right hand of Mark English.
Exolumina is another barn burner, but a pattern emerges showing that even in its most intense, double picked songs, there's always a return to a sweet bridge to keep the song grounded. After the bridge, a third guitar enters on top, and just like that guy balancing dishes on sticks, all spinning perfectly in sync, if one should falter in its orbit, they all would crash.
Sea of Tranquility, like Departure, follows a contemplative, forlorn melody through a modulating chord cycle. And where does Fiesta del Cossacapulco come from? Displaying a sense of humor not yet heard, this song is the real departure, with a nod to Taco Wagon and the Surf Coasters "Vamos Por Ahi" but I'm not sure Ivan had heard that song yet.
And finally, the epic Tsar Wars, with a snakelike melody that twists inside the chord but always comes out where you wanted. Were the sound effects and vibe copped from The Atlantics "War of the Worlds"?
My conclusion is that our genre is a better place thanks to The Space Cossacks. Of course, they left behind two great albums of material. But it's the way they have inspired... The tightness, the quality, the presentation. I've had so many conversations over the years with artists who listened to these albums and thought, yeah, I wanna go there, too. I remember thinking, wow, I need to practice, I need to push my songwriting up a few notches, my band needs to hear this.
I guess its appropriate to end an appreciation with an appreciation: Thank you!

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Last edited: Apr 19, 2015 16:44:41

Ferenc, I'm surprised and touched by your comments. I did not know that album meant so much to you. Such kind words coming from you mean the world to me, since I really can't think of another surf music artist who has continued to challenge himself and grow nearly as much as you. Every new release you've done has shown greater ambition and set the bar higher and higher. I admire very deeply what you've done in particular with F&TPB, you've created some remarkable music, the scope of which is completely out of reach for 99.99% of the rest of us. So, to read the above coming from someone I admire so deeply is a big deal. Thank you, my old friend, I am very grateful.

Ivan
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Thanks to Jake for championing this great album and being the main reason I hunted down my own copy a few years ago. It is indeed a great achievement and landmark in surf music.

Exolumina
Ivan's sound has evolved and become more aggressive...a good thing. The melodic approach that is his hallmark is there from the start, as is the technical virtuosity.

Space Race
Who's Josie? Should I know this from somewhere? It has a Theme from a Summer Place or some such feel about the chorus. Very evocative of an early '60s romantic movie theme soundtrack.

The Apes Of Wrath
This is a glimpse of thing to come with the Madeira. An epic and an instant classic in the heavy Middle Eastern surf style. Great dynamics--a guitar and drum tour de force.

Tsunami Tsurprise
(I like some of the corny tongue in cheek titles) The most "space-age" sounding track so far, in keeping with the promise of the theme. That Sputnik drip and loung-y sounding melody. You guys were really good at writing separate verse/chorus/bridge parts to keep thing fresh an unpredictable.

Escape From Gulag 7
Nice having that smooth rapid fire right hand for the tremolo parts at the ready, and Ivan often uses it to good effect, as here in the chorus. Love how you change things up through octave variation and modulation.

Sea Of Tranquility
A waltz!...Beautiful interlude. Shows the thoughtful sequencing here. Classical like arpeggios. Jake...I can see the influence here on The Verb! I like the reprise part.

The Defector
...then, wham...someone get the license of that truck that hit me. Ivan's Strat sound must be the smoothest, lushest and most legato on the planet. I'm not kidding...I doubt anyone else can quite wring out the sound you get. Never quacky, always majestic.

The Crusher
You have so assimilated your influence on the Crusher as to be virtually indistinguishable from what you might write yourself.

Cossack Rocket Patrol
Great melody and rendition that fits seamlessly with the theme.

The Jewel Of Duende
Hard to say more about the Jewel of Duende. Wistful, romantic, and achingly beautiful. A truly inspired melody that came from a heartfelt place, I know. If only more people would know about this.

Departure
In many ways this is a continuation of the Jewel...just uptempo. Similar melodic beauty and sensitive touch with a forward looking optimism. Love the tremolo rhythm. Again, great sequencing.

Beyond The Third Star
Another kick ass track that anticipates the later work with The Madeira. Love the tribal toms in conjunction with the slamming tremolo picking. The sax is of the honking garage variety...nice aggressive noise.

Tsar Wars
The title track...this could go on forever, round and round and I never tire of it. The way it builds to the soaring signature riff is perhaps my favorite moment of the album.

Fiesta Del Cossacapulco
This adds unexpected south of the border flavor, but is in keeping fully in the tradition of things like Taco Wagon and Las Olas. Fun!

Tradewinds
Post war paradise where we live happily ever after on a South Sea island somewhere. Thanks for landing us in such a great place!

It's been a pleasure sharing some impressions. It's really impressive that Ivan continues to produce such a body of work. It's a real tribute to his passion and stubbornness (er, I mean tenacity)! Seriously, it is awesome that you have another album coming out, are still in the game and doing your best work.

Ahhh...ok. Thanks for the info, Brian. I'll check that out!

websurfer, thank you VERY much for that wonderful CD review! I really loved it. Some insightful comments, too, though I must correct one small thing:

The Defector
...then, wham...someone get the license of that truck that hit me. Ivan's Strat sound must be the smoothest, lushest and most legato on the planet. I'm not kidding...I doubt anyone else can quite wring out the sound you get. Never quacky, always majestic.

Funny you should bring this up for this track, since I actually used a Jazzmaster on this song.

But really, I greatly appreciate your very nice review, and especially the comments at the very end. Thank you!

Also, I should clarify one thing that Ferenc wrote:

Interstellar Stomp is filled with brilliant songwriting, yet there is a near singularity to its sound. Why I don't know, it may be that the album was recorded quickly or that Ivan wrote all the songs;

Just to give credit where credit is due, in fact it was far from the case that I wrote all the songs on that album - Catherine's and Mark's contributions were absolutely key: Red Sunrise, Gunmetal Express and The Spy Satellite (Catherine); Mir Rescue and Black Sand (Mark). Just thought I'd clear that up, I hope you don't mind, Ferenc.

Ivan
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The Madeira on Facebook
The Blair-Pongracic Band on Facebook
The Space Cossacks on Facebook
The Madeira Channel on YouTube

websurfer wrote:

IvanP wrote:

Funny you should bring this up for this track, since I actually used a Jazzmaster on this song.

I need to start keeping up! I did have a good laugh over the irony, though. Great Jazzmaster tone!

That was awesome! I had a chuckle... Please allow me to join your facepalm though, because (even more ironically) if Ivan had decided not to correct or just plain LIE about it (well, from the beginning, just to f*** with our brainz), I for one, would have totally swollen it!
Classic. From now on, I'm gonna use "great Strat tone, Ivan", even if you play a Bouzouki!

Last edited: Apr 20, 2015 16:48:09