Present From Nancy

Formed in 1968 in the The Hague, Supersister was comprised of Robert Jan Stips (vocals and keyboard), Sacha van Geest (flute), Marco Vrolijk (drums) and the non-bespectacled Ron van Eck (bass). Extensive play from pirate ship Radio Veronica brought the band's first single, "She Was Naked" b/w "Spiral Staircase" to No. 11 on the Dutch charts in May 1970, and helped land a contract with Polydor Records. Their debut album Present From Nancy appeared in the fall. Between the Mike Ratledge-inspired tones of Stips's keyboards, the musical quirkiness-quick shifting meters and jazz-inspired rhythms-Supersister draws a parallel to the music of Soft Machine. After the introductory "Introductions," a quick blast of fuzz bass opens "Present from Nancy;" Stips's piano teems with life, bouncing effortlessly across the tune. He switches to organ on "Memories Are New" before the track descends into chaos, while the following "11/8" turns again to fuzz. "Dreaming Wheelwhile" slows the pace, a welcome respite to the album's first side. After the brief "Corporation Combo Boys," side two's "Mexico" builds slowly before erupting into "Metamorphosis." The closing "Dona Nobis Pacem" ("Grant us Peace") does just that; but, true to Supersister's form, gets silly at the end. Again, much like Soft Machine's early work, the album pinch's that stream-of-consciousness that would help define the so-called Canterbury style. To the Highest Bidder arrived in the summer of 1971, offering four tracks that display the band's jazzier side. Nominated for a prestigious Edison music award in the Netherlands, the album also saw release in England on John Peel's Dandelion label.