Circus Circus

A Svart Mondo release. Black vinyl, 500 copies. Gatefold jacket.
Circus were a shining example of the creative explosion at the heart of the early days of Progressive Rock. A tight knit jazz-rock band that crafted high quality musical workouts, Circus mixed the heavier aspects of late 60s rock with the nuances of jazz modulations, folk, pop and even forays into psychedelia. Circus decided to focus less on the sound of the pop psych scene and joined the ranks of the more experimental progressive bands emerging during the 60s such as The Nice, Soft Machine, Caravan, Colosseum and King Crimson, although the pop connections were still a major part of the band’s sound. That pop-art sensibility shines through on tracks like their inspired cover of The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood”, nailing the melodic aspects of the song but augmenting it with a stealthy jazz improv performance, making it their own creative freak-out, and their beautiful cover of The Mamas & Papas’ “Monday Monday”, which is arguably more exquisitely executed than the original.