Ubiquitous Dutch prog rocker Arjen Lacassen has resurrected an early 1990s project with singer Robert Soeterboek and the pair will release The Long-Lost Songs as Lucassen & Soeterboek's Plan Nine through Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group on May 17. You can watch their new video for Before The Morning Comes below.
The project develped after Lucassen had seen Soeterboek fronting his old Dutch metal band Bodine, after he himself was simultaneously working on several projects: a solo album, a progressive-rock opera and a rock album.
"His vocals truly impressed me, a rarity!" Lucassen recalls. "He had the charisma and power of singers like David Coverdale and Robert Plant. Discovering that we really got along personally, we decided to collaborate on some songs, just for fun.
"We started writing songs together and found a natural flow, leading to a wealth of ideas," remembers Soeterboek. "Our friendship grew as we spent more time together, and I remember that there were lots of shenanigans and laughter."
Ultimately the project floundered and the pair went their separate ways, although Soeterboek worked with Lucassen on the first Ayreon album. Until now...
"I was thinking about recording a new album," Soeterboek. "I had some songs ready and was talking to labels. Recording Annie Moore had been a dream of mine for ages. Although Arjen was busy with various projects, he agreed to work on it. Collaborating on this track has rekindled our enjoyment, like a trip down memory lane."
"For Annie Moore we involved Peter Vink and Cleem Determeijer on bass and Hammond (who'd worked on the original recordings), and Peter's wife Mirjam van Doorn on backing vocals, with my current go-to drummer, Koen Herfst, adding his magic," Lucassen explains. "Everyone involved was excited by the result, and I found it so inspiring that I re-wrote and re-recorded several other songs. Soon, I couldn't stop! Robert and I spent weeks digging through our old cassettes and DAT tapes, discovering many potential gems we hadn't yet developed. Before we knew it, we had enough songs for a full album and more."
Hence Plan Nine and The Long-Lost Songs was born. An album of 70s and 80s-inspired adventurous melodic hard rock.
Lucassen: "We wanted the best and most suitable musicians for this album who could tour with Robert, Koen handled the powerful drums. Rob van der Loo (Epica) laid down a solid bass foundation. The talented Irene Jansen delivered amazing backing vocals, as always. And, one of the world's best guitarists, Marcel Singor, played the virtuoso solos with his immediately recognizable style."
Soeterboek: "I'm particularly thankful to Arjen. Amidst preparing for the Ayreon shows, he went above and beyond to record this album with me. Inspiring each other and enjoying the process again has meant a lot. We're returning to a time when life was very different, and we barely had a penny to spare."
Lucassen & Soeterboek's Plan Nine: The Long-Lost Songs
1: Doctor Robert's Medicine Show
2: The Preacher
3: Annie Moore
4: Get Down To Bizniz
5: Before The Morning Comes
6: High Speed Chase
7: Let It Ride
8: Ice On Fire
9: Long Cold Night
10: Drunker Than Whiskey
11: Die With Your Shades On
