Idée Fixe is an album by Czesław Niemen with his accompanying band Aerolit. It was released in 1978 on two long play and one extended play discs, then digitally remastered and reissued in 2003 on two CDs, and again in 2023 as a double-Hybrid SACD album.
The music of the main two LP discs is highly conceptual and deal with Cyprian Kamil Norwid's poems, philosophy, and worldview. The EP disc contains fragments of the score for Juliusz Słowacki's Sen srebrny Salomei. The inner part of the sleeve contains a reproduction of a painting Ode to Venus by Czesław Niemen. The four-page booklet has the songs' titles and the lyrics printed in Polish and English, as well as a quote by T. S. Elliot serving as a motto.
Track listing All music by Czesław Niemen. Tracks 1, 4 (Side A), 6 (Side B), 9-10 (Side C) and 11-12 (Side D) are all instrumental. Tracks 2, 3 (Side A), 5 and 7 (Side B), 8 (Side C) and 13 (Side D) feature lyrics by Cyprian Kamil Norwid.
Side 1 "QSS (Sygnały)" - 3:07 "Larwa" - 7:20 "Moja piosenka" - 6:44 "W poszukiwaniu źródła" - 2:35
Side 2 "Chłodna ironia przemijających pejzaży" - 12:51 "Straceńcy" - 1:24 "Laur dojrzały" - 5:19
Side 3 "Idącej kupić talerz pani M." - 5:09 "Białe góry" - 11:30 "Legenda scytyjska" - 3:23
Side 4 "QSS II" - 2:40 "Twarzą do Słońca" - 7:04 "Credo" - 8:16
EP Selection from musical score for Juliusz Słowacki's play "Sen srebrny Salomei" ("Salomea's Silver Dream") directed by Bernard Ford-Hanaoka:
"Proroctwo Wernyhory", "Spotkanie Leona i Salomei", "W obozie ukraińskim", "Zazdrość Semenki", "Przybycie regimentu", "Defilada", "Mazurek weselny" (instrumentals) "Pieśń Wernyhory" (lyrics Juliusz Słowacki)
Personnel Czesław Niemen - vocal, Minimoog, EMS Synthi AKS, Rhodes piano, piano, Mellotron 400, Clavinet C Sławomir Piwowar - guitars Maciej Radziejewski - guitars Jerzy Dziemski - bass, violin, percussion Stanisław Kasprzyk - drums, percussion Zbigniew Namysłowski - sax
2003 CD Reissue
Idée Fixe I "Sieroctwo" - 8:48 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "QSS I (Pytanie o naszą skromność)" - 3:04 (instrumental) "Larwa (Wszechcywilizacji społeczny blues)" - 7:27 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "Moja piosenka" - 6:49 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "W poszukiwaniu źródła" - 2:38 (instrumental) "Chłodna ironia przemijających pejzaży" - 13:03 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "Straceńcy (Z wypraw nie tylko krzyżowych)" - 1:26 (instrumental) "Laur dojrzały" - 5:25 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid)
Idée Fixe II
"Larwa (2)" - 7:22 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "Idącej kupić talerz pani M." - 5:15 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "Białe góry" - 9:35 (instrumental) "Legenda scytyjska" - 3:27 (instrumental) "QSS II" - 2:45 (instrumental) "Twarzą do Słońca" - 7:09 (instrumental) "Credo" - 8:21 (lyrics Cyprian Kamil Norwid) "Proroctwo Wernyhory" - 0:32 (instrumental) "Spotkanie Leona i Salomei" - 0:46 (instrumental) "W obozie ukraińskim" - 1:31 (instrumental) "Zazdrość Semenki" - 0:34 (instrumental) "Przybycie regimentu" - 0:55 (instrumental) "Defilada" - 0:52 (instrumental) "Mazurek weselny" - 1:09 (instrumental) "Pieśń Wernyhory" - 5:43 (lyrics Juliusz Słowacki) Tracks from 8 to 15 are a selection from musical score for Juliusz Słowacki's play Sen srebrny Salomei directed by Bernard Ford-Hanaoka.
References
External links Album information