EELA CRAIG - A SPACEMAN CAME TRAVELLING (3CD)

"More than 250 concerts in 7 countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Romania) have made the Austrian progressive rock legend EELA CRAIG an internationally acclaimed band. Their stages range from renowned opera houses such as the Frankfurt Opera and the Hamburg Opera to the Philharmonie Berlin and major venues such as the Konzerthaus Wien, the Stadthalle Wien and the Wiener Festwochen. The diversity of her musical journey is also reflected in international appearances, including Zurich, Istanbul, Bucharest and the renowned "Sagra Musicale Umbra" festival in Perugia, Italy. From 1971 to 1980, EELA CRAIG released five studio albums, and in 1978 the band ventured into a "rock mass" with "Missa Universalis": a multilingual high mass in a strict liturgical style with instrumental use of electronics and elements of rock music. The mass includes all parts of the Ordinary of the Mass and uses the prescribed standard texts in Latin, German, English and French. Old chorale and Bruckner motifs can be heard in the compositions. The performance of the "Missa Universalis" at the 1978 International Bruckner Festival met with an extraordinary response. Die Zeit wrote at the time: "Pop music conquered the Brucknerfest 1978 with "Missa Universalis"". The Münchener Merkur wrote: "The music of EELA CRAIG is a perfect mixture of old forms and new sounds. This group goes further than Pink Floyd, their imagination is bigger and more expansive."" (label info)