"Marks" (1972), their first release, is mostly instrumental with a highly jazzy feel. Quite versatile, it features snippets of calypso, circus music, Dixieland and (of all things!) country music. Their best progressive effort, however, is their second album "Mountain Queen" (1973) which features long instrumental passages with prominent lead guitar, whirling Hammond organ, dual saxophones, electric violin and catchy choruses in a slightly Canterbury style. With the release of "Nobody Can Wait Forever" (1975) and "Best Kept Secret" (1976), however, the band went for a more hard rock sound with shorter, more accessible tunes. Two live albums as well as six compilation cd's of their material were subsequently released by Polydor and various other record labels.With the band's cameback in 2003 they released "Blue Planet" (2005) and "Sailors & Sinners" (2009).
The symphonic style of "Mountain Queen" should appeal to progsters; "Nobody Can Wait Forever" is recommended if you like a more bluesy/funky approach.
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www.progarchives.com
Darling Superstar
Alquin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you stroke your hand through your hair
And you go to look in the mirror
But there’s nothing really there
Darling darling superstar
Darling darling superstar
The expensive part of town
In a flat on the twenty seventh floor
Since your way up
It’s been a long way down
And everything seems such a bore
You used to drive around in fancy cars
Hang around all the cafe’s and bars
You never got to bed before eight
Was it so hard to stand up straight
Darling darling superstar
Darling darling superstar
I remember you from a long time back
And the way you used to be
You filled some up, you sucked some out
Your vampire mentality
Your last role when you played the burglar cat
Just creeping inside the magicians flat
Just to take a peek inside his hat
It was said that curiosity killed the cat
Darling darling superstar, Darling darling superstar
Darling darling superstar, Darling darling superstar
You are
an artist in your own right, constantly creating, shaping and shaping your identity. The song "Darling Superstar" by Alquin speaks about the disillusionment that comes with the glitz and glamour of being a superstar. The opening lines describe the feeling of waking up and looking in the mirror, but finding that there is "nothing really there." This might suggest that the person has lost their identity, and perhaps their sense of self-worth, due to their fame or past actions.
The chorus of the song, which repeats throughout, emphasizes the term "superstar," effectively highlighting the fact that the song is about a person who is famous, but has lost their way. The lyrics suggest that the person is going through a difficult time, having moved to a luxury apartment in the city, but still finding that everything seems "such a bore." The person used to enjoy fancy cars, cafes, and bars, but now these things hold no appeal.
The song also touches on themes of identity and transformation, as the person is described as having a "vampire mentality" and being "just creeping inside the magician's flat." These images might suggest a sense of sneaking around, perhaps trying to live up to the expectations of others. In this way, the song seems to be a commentary on the pressure to conform and fit in, and the ways that fame can change a person.
Line by Line Meaning
When you wake up in the morning
As soon as you wake up in the morning
And you stroke your hand through your hair
When you run your hand over your hair
And you go to look in the mirror
And you check your reflection in the mirror
But there’s nothing really there
But you realize that there's nothing special to see
Darling darling superstar
Oh, my dear, famous superstar
So you went to live in
So you decided to move to
The expensive part of town
The area where rich people reside
In a flat on the twenty seventh floor
You reside in a flat located on the 27th floor
Since your way up
Ever since you became successful
It’s been a long way down
You've had a huge downfall
And everything seems such a bore
And everything has become boring for you
You used to drive around in fancy cars
You used to drive luxurious cars
Hang around all the cafe’s and bars
You used to spend your time hanging out in cafes and bars
You never got to bed before eight
You never went to bed before 8 o'clock
Was it so hard to stand up straight
Was it difficult for you to maintain your integrity and stay true to yourself?
I remember you from a long time back
I remember you from a long time ago
And the way you used to be
And the way you used to act
You filled some up, you sucked some out
You took advantage of some people and drained some of their resources
Your vampire mentality
Your parasitic and selfish way of thinking
Your last role when you played the burglar cat
Your most recent acting role where you played the character of a thief
Just creeping inside the magicians flat
Sneaking into the house of a magician
Just to take a peek inside his hat
Just to have a look at what was inside his hat
It was said that curiosity killed the cat
This expression implies that being curious can sometimes be dangerous
Darling darling superstar, Darling darling superstar
Oh, my dear, famous superstar
Darling darling superstar, Darling darling superstar
Oh, my dear, famous superstar
You are
You exist in this world
Contributed by Michael N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Craig Cogen
One of my all time favorite bands till this day. Wish I could have seen them live. From the states, I was lucky to have been able to listen to an underground station at the time where I first heard them. I LOVE this band
lrh1966
I wish FM rock stations were still doing underground music like this now. All FM seems to be now is generic automated top 40 whatever, played over and over again. This was a great group that is underrated today. Thanks for listening to this vintage LP recording...Friends, Lloyd.
Roel Lassche
This is my favorite band in Holland ever,saw them live in Nijmegen ( Holland) the famous 4=days marches and the Summer Festival: Ferdinand Bakker,the guitarist looked at me: i knew all the chords and Michel is not looking good
santy snowdog.
i never saw this band, and never ear from...but when now i saw RCA Victor I think was a great... and of course from the best era, the 70's years..
lrh1966
Thanks Santy for listening to this Alquin track and they need to play this band more on classic rock radio.
geert van Raaij
COMPLETE album available here on YOUTUBE its worth listening from A to Z -
lrh1966
Thanks for listening and have an awesome week from Lloyd :)
geert van Raaij
U2 :-)
Roger Tebbetts
Use to by records because I liked the picture on the album cover This is one of my better finds
lrh1966
I agree, the rock album art covers are worthy of wall display as long as not exposed to direct sunlight if windows are nearby. Thanks Roger for listening and have a great day from Lloyd.