Ivy Green ‎– The Quest (LP)

The most striking feature of The Quest is the drastic expansion of the lineup. While their early punk records relied on the wall of sound created by frontman Tim Mullens, bassist Simon Francken, and drummer Arther van Dijke, the studio was flooded with a full horn section for this album. The addition of saxophonists Evert-Jan Rietbergen, Sjaak Matze, and Martijn Loos, along with trumpeters A.J. Bosz and Ernst-Jan Kamphuis, gave the music a whole new dimension.

Although the raw, fierce guitar lines of Bart de Boer, Eduard van Bockel, and Kees Bontebal remained the foundation, the horns injected the songs with a swinging, at times soulful, energy. This created a sound strongly reminiscent of the horn-driven garage rock of the Australian cult band The Saints and early Dexys Midnight Runners, yet with an unmistakable Dutch post-punk edge.

Serving as the album opener, "Resurrection" acts as the perfect bridge between the band's past and future. It begins with familiar, driving punk energy and Tim Mullens’s searing vocals, but soon explodes into a grand rock arrangement where the horns take over the melodic lines. The title was chosen deliberately; it literally marks the resurrection of a band that refused to go under with the punk wave.

The decision to cover Bill Withers’s legendary soul classic "Ain’t No Sunshine" demonstrates just how much the band had grown musically. Ivy Green strips away the original’s familiar melancholy and coats it in a raw, autumnal garage-rock sound. Thanks to Martijn Loos’s layered saxophones and keyboards, the track takes on a sultry, almost cinematic atmosphere that demonstrates that punk musicians did indeed possess a profound sense of soul.

Label: No Bluff Records ‎– No Bluff LPS 997

Country: Netherlands

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Large sticker on the back sleeve. Plays great with only a few superficial hairlines / marks. No insert.