Solution (band)

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The first album Solution.

Solution were a Dutch progressive rock band that existed from 1970 to 1983, during which time they released six studio albums and one live album.

Their first eponymous LP comprised mainly instrumental pieces, complex yet repetitive in structure, with bassist Peter van der Sande singing on one track. He was succeeded by Guus Willemse around the time of its release, and immediately the band began recording more vocal songs; three of the tracks on second album Divergence featured lyrics.

The third album Cordon Bleu (1975) was released on Elton John's label Rocket Records, as was its follow-up Fully Interlocking (1977). Both albums were produced by John's producer Gus Dudgeon, and featured a crisper sound and more concise songwriting, especially in the tracks "A Song For You" and "Give Some More".

Despite some criticism for this more commercial direction, the next two albums, ...It's Only Just Begun... (1980) and Runaway (1982) continued this trend, even dipping into pastiche on the latter LP ("Shame On You" mirrored the Eagles' "Life In the Fast Lane" while "Evil Love" was a straightforward blues song). On Runaway the four piece was joined by a full-time guitarist for the first time, Harry Hardholt. The two title tracks from these albums became hit singles in Europe.

Solution split in 1983, playing a final concert at the Paradiso in Holland and releasing a double live album. They have since regrouped (in March 2006) for two concerts at Panama, Amsterdam, while a triple CD compilation (The Ultimate Collection, comprising almost every track they released) was issued in 2005.