“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there”. This (in)famous quote is from the 1963 novel by L P Hartley, The Go-Between.

E.D.O. is Edo Spanninga, keyboardist with the exceptional band, Flamborough Head, and he brings us, via Aurelia Records, an intelligent, classy meditation on the post-war (for most western societies) prosperous period in which older prog rock fans were born and grew up in. I’m not quite fully retired yet, but I am getting there. As we have observed in many discussions about modern rock albums, there is a sense of decay, depression, anxiety, and fear for the future of liberal democracy across much of our world, sentiments which, incidentally, can only be welcomed by the likes of Putin, Xi, and other totalitarian genocidal maniacs.

Edo has provided a very interesting commentary on this with the CD liner notes, too long to reproduce here, but I will say this before discussing the music and themes. In my opinion, the past is there to learn from. We keep making the same mistakes. We keep falling for the hubris and magnetic narcissism of people who seek our vote and care not for anything or anybody other than themselves, and I say this as a former political activist for several years.

So, we have seven main tracks and two bonus. Edo did everything on this, so a very talented and clever chap. Let’s see what he has provided us with.

We open with Wannsee (1933-1945), the Wannsee Conference of 1942 being held for senior Nazi officials to discuss the appalling implementation of The Final Solution. Let us never forget what was inflicted upon Jews in our continent still in some people’s lifetime, the threat of a repeat very much a reality in the modern world. The song opens with birdsong with the music a gorgeous, bittersweet mellotron, the bells chiming (never tell for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee), a playful flute and organ telling us of the happy lives led by German Jews before the disgusting speeches of hate and vitriol take over. Instantly, the notes take on a darker hue, the rhythm section especially urgent, insistent guitar notes, wailing the pain, but with a hopeful note of Churchill insisting that we would fight to the bitter end, swirling keyboards, mellotron presaging the German surrender, and the staggering explosion of the nuclear bombs marking the end of conflict, but the beginning of a new, fearful, world order.

Stettin (Polish Szczecin) (1945-1963) is a town which was transferred between Germany & Poland for many years, but post-war became part of Poland and was referenced by Churchill in his famous “Iron Curtain” descending over Europe speech, presaging the Cold War. The piano which segues from the first track is gorgeous, a cello mourning the descent of darkness, the notes dramatic as it becomes clear that the sacrifices made by Poles were really all for naught in terms of political freedom, with a literal wall being erected to separate east and west in Berlin, where the music takes on a racier pace, the organ and guitar solo praising Kennedy and his fortitude. It is embedded below.

Houston (1962-1974) opens with some hard riffs, Kennedy announcing the plan to take humans to the moon from the city, before there is a juicy jazz fusion section celebrating King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most remarkable in recent history, the guitar solo introducing a church organ describing the Southern Baptist roots of that freedom movement, swirling keys of hope of a new era dawning, scotched then by the mellotron and acoustic guitar post-assassination, hopes rising again with The Apollo 11 mission landing on the moon. It ends with Ford being sworn in as President following Nixon’s humiliation, accompanied by a thoughtful organ. It could all have been so different, Dicky.

Port Stanley (1974-1982) refers, of course, to the Falklands capital where Thatcher took our forces to recapture potentially mineral-rich islands otherwise in the middle of nowhere from an invading Argentinian force headed by a somewhat nasty dictator. I joined the Air Force in 1983 and would have gone there had my career not been cut short. The start is militaristic in the sense of patriotic parades, but the speech is that of Edward Heath mournfully telling us all just how deep in the economic shit we were (plus ca change), the keyboards, though, capturing the joy of the progressive rock classic heyday, Emerson wrought large, a glorious noise. This track is a clear contender for my “instrumental of 2025” award at year-end, the music turning darker with Thatcher announcing war, the drums beating out the pulse of war, the Hammond leading the triumphal procession through the island capital. There is a pretty mellotron and acoustic guitar signifying the peace as we close, the Atlantic crashing against the island.

Chernobyl (1983-1989) of course references the closest this continent has come to a complete nuclear meltdown, ironically from a civilian accident as opposed to the expected military calamity. The opening is beautiful, a combination of guitar, mellotron, flute, rhythm section which comes across in such a wall of classic progressive rock sound. Naturally, given the subject matter, the announcement of the disaster and the Geiger counter going off kilter signifies a darker mood, the Hammond perfectly mourning the death of an entire local ecosystem, but then interestingly thoughtful as Reagan exhorts Gorbachov to “tear down the wall”, a Floydian tint to this passage before the cello cries out its notes against the mellotron, so delicately played, the music brightening as we look forward to an era of peace, soaring even as the crowds celebrate the fall of the wall and unification, the piano solo too short for me, because it had such potential.

The penultimate main track is Schengen (1989-2022), that period of initial optimism, free movement of people, Europe as a potential economic and humanitarian powerhouse. The start, then, is suitably strong, with the coalition intervening in the horrors of The Balkan genocides, a bassline particularly strong, the riffs then powerfully describing the sheer shock of the 9/11 bombings, the keys signifying the dawn of an interventionist era where the west sought to take out a new enemy, religious and fanatical at its core, war beating out from the drums, the piano and mellotron mournful, the woodwind crying at our continued folly, Cameron then calling a referendum on Britain’s future in Europe. The fool gambled. The fool lost. We fools have all lost something.

Mariupol (2022-?) closes, of course referencing Donetsk Oblast, occupied by Putin’s army since the disgraceful invasion three years ago. It is an epic, over twelve minutes long. A voice exhorts President Trump, who then proclaims the “golden dawn of America”. The continuing sin of mankind trusting those of great hubris, narcissism, preferring to be led by such men as opposed to leading ourselves. Will we ever learn? The music accompanying this is dystopian, aside from a quite pretty flute perhaps seeking out hope in the future. Near the three-minute mark, there is a beautiful pastoral section and then a triumphal guitar solo reflecting the fact that, genuinely, many people, certainly in America, had hope that we might turn the corner and usher in a new era of prosperity. As we get more of Trump, we get more depression, screaming at Zelensky, the inconsistency of the man played out in a classical suite where the conductor doesn’t know whether to be hopeful or despair, perhaps plumping for prayer in the church organ parping its glory, a passage of music those who love fusion of symphony and rock will find much to enjoy, the movement to the closing passage playful sometimes as Trumpalot exhorts us to “drill, baby, drill”. There is a supreme guitar solo as we then flash back to “I have a dream”, and we must live in hope that it, and we, will. A staggeringly intelligent close to a very intelligent album.

The two bonus tracks are Cathedral Green & Pa Gata, which I played courtesy of my very good friend, The Prog Rogue’s, new music contribution on the radio show recently.

This album is a favourite of 2025, for sure. You can get a copy by visiting https://edoprog.bandcamp.com/album/the-past-is-a-foreign-country  and it is highly recommended that you do so.