This debut featured an organist and an electric pianist, but no guitarist, resulting in a moody Hammond-heavy album from a band that would later become more progressive and varied in its sound. “Beautiful Scarlet” shifts easily from histrionic soul to offhanded slow-four interludes, and the instrumental “Iceberg” shows off the organist Graham Field and the rest of band’s chops well. The whispered vocals and weird background noises of “God of War” achieves the kind of creepy gloom appropriate to an era of carpet bombing and napalm.
Indeed, the production and instrumentation of this album makes it very much of a period piece, though certainly not in any derogatory sense. ~ Paul Collins, All Music Guide
In December 1969 their eponymous debut album was released to great critical acclaim, (also becoming a US Billboard chart hit) and was followed in January 1970 by the release of “Sympathy” b/w “Devil’s High Concern”. The single reached the UK Top 30 and was a subsequent major hit throughout Europe.
Musicians:
Steve Gould – lead vocals & bass, rhythm guitar
Dave Kaffinetti – pianos & assorted keyboards
Graham Field – organ & assorted keyboards
Mark Ashton – drums & backing vocals
Tracklist:
01. Iceberg
02. Times
03. You Went Away
04. Melanie
05. Beautiful Scarlet
06. Sympathy
07. Nature’s Fruit
08. Bird On A Wing
09. God Of War
LINKS:
Amazon .::::.: CD Universe .::.::. 3-MP3 .:.:::. Last FM (ES)
Da Capo is the second album by the Los Angeles-based rock group Love.
The bulk of Da Capo was recorded between September 27 and October 2, 1966. “7 and 7 Is” was recorded on June 20, and had been released as a single in July of 1966 backed with “No. Fourteen”, an outtake from their debut album. After the recording of “7 and 7 Is”, Love’s line-up expanded to include Michael Stuart on drums and Tjay Cantrelli on saxophone and flute, moving previous drummer Alban “Snoopy” Pfisterer, a classically-trained pianist, to harpsichord and organ. Guitarists Johnny Echols and Bryan MacLean, bassist Ken Forssi and vocalist and leader Arthur Lee retained their respective positions.
The album’s first half is a departure from the group’s debut, and in some ways anticipates the group’s third album, Forever Changes, with its detailed, delicate arrangements. Abrasive, proto-punk rockers like “7 and 7 Is” and the harpsichord-driven “Stephanie Knows Who” are balanced by lighter fare such as McLean’s florid “Orange Skies”, and playful, barely-classifiable pop tunes like “¡Que Vida!”.
The album’s second half is a single track, notable for being among the very first rock songs to take up an entire LP side (Bob Dylan’s “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” from Blonde on Blonde predated it by a few months, and Frank Zappa’s “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet” suite, on the Freak Out! album, followed Dylan’s). The 19-minute jam, entitled “Revelation” began life as a live showcase for the group. Some sources claim it evolved out of their interpretation of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightning”, yet its original title was “John Lee Hooker.” The song/jam bears a resemblance to the Rolling Stones’ “Goin’ Home,” recorded at the same studio (RCA) and released earlier in the year, on Aftermath. Arthur Lee is quoted on the back cover of Rhino’s 1980 LP compilation “Best of Love”:
The song “Revelation” was a long jam we did so the musicians could express themselves. The Rolling Stones saw us play at the Brave New World, and they recorded a long song on their next album. After our album came out, I got the blame for copying them!
The album’s critical reputation has suffered as a result of the inclusion of this track, and many blame producer Paul Rothchild for failing to capture the group’s live energy and truncating their performance. It is interesting to note, though, that in a contemporary review of the album, critic Robert Christgau praised “Revelation” faintly for its “excellent guitar and harmonica work and great screaming by a lead singer (I don’t know his name; the new style in record jackets is to reveal nothing)”. [1]
Though “7 and 7 Is” had been a minor hit for the group, the album, like its predecessor, was a comparative flop peaking at #80.
Side one:
“Stephanie Knows Who” – 2:33
“Orange Skies” (Bryan MacLean) – 2:49
“¡Que Vida!” – 3:37
“7 and 7 Is” – 2:15
“The Castle” – 3:00
“She Comes in Colors” – 2:43
Side two:
“Revelation” (Lee, Bryan MacLean, Johnny Echols, Ken Forssi) – 18:57
LINKS:
Sheik Yerbouti is a double vinyl album by Frank Zappa featuring material recorded in 1977 and 1978. It was first released on March 3 1979 as the first release on Zappa Records and re-issued on compact disc by Rykodisc on May 9 1995. The title is a play on words; Zappa appears on the cover in character in Arab headdress, and the name, meant to resemble an Arabic transcription, is pronounced like the title of KC and the Sunshine Band’s 1976 disco hit “Shake Your Booty”.
Sheik Yerbouti represented a major turning point in Zappa’s career. The first album to be released on his own eponymous label after his departure from Warner Bros. Records, it emphasized the comedic aspect of his lyrics more than ever before, beginning a period of increased record sales and mainstream media attention.
The album featured more of Zappa’s satirical and otherwise humorous or offensive material. “Bobby Brown (Goes Down)” is well-known worldwide, except for the USA, where it was banned from airplay due to its sexually explicit lyrics. “I Have Been in You” pokes fun at Peter Frampton’s 1977 hit “I’m in You” while maintaining a sexually driven structure. “Dancin’ Fool”, a Grammy nominee, became a popular disco hit despite its obvious parodical reflection of disco music. “Flakes” includes a parody of Bob Dylan. “Jewish Princess”, a humorous look at Jewish stereotyping, attracted attention from the Anti-Defamation League, to which Zappa denied an apology, arguing: “Well, I didn’t make up the idea of a Jewish Princess. They exist, so I wrote a song about them”.
Some of Zappa’s solos from the album began life as improvisations from Zappa’s earlier work. “Rat Tomago” was edited from a performance of “The Torture Never Stops”, which originally appeared on Zoot Allures; “The Sheik Yerbouti Tango” likewise from a live “Little House I Used to Live In”, originally a Burnt Weeny Sandwich track. The song “City of Tiny Lites” featured an animation video made by Bruce Bickford which was featured on the Old Grey Whistle Test.
Most of the basic tracks were recorded live, then extensively overdubbed in the studio. “Rat Tomago” is bookended by two brief pieces of musique concrète, constructed of studio dialogue, sound effects, and assorted musical fragments. In making “Rubber Shirt”, Zappa combined a track of Terry Bozzio playing drums in one musical setting with one of Patrick O’Hearn playing bass in another, and totally different, musical setting. The tracks differed in time signature and in tempo. Zappa referred to this technique as xenochrony. Nearly every song on the album features numerous overdubs.
Tracklisting:
All songs by Frank Zappa except “Rubber Shirt” by Bozzio/O’Hearn/Zappa.
1-LP – Side one:
1. “I Have Been in You” – 3:33
2. “Flakes” – 6:41
3. “Broken Hearts Are for Assholes” – 3:42
4. “I’m So Cute” – 3:09 (1995 CD) 4:20 (Vinyl and EMI CD)
Side two:
1. “Jones Crusher” – 2:49
2. “What Ever Happened to All the Fun in the World” – 0:33
3. “Rat Tomago” – 5:15
4. “Wait a Minute” – 0:33
5. “Bobby Brown (Goes Down)” – 2:49
6. “Rubber Shirt” – 2:45
7. “The Sheik Yerbouti Tango” – 3:56
2 LP – Side three:
1. “Baby Snakes” – 1:50
2. “Tryin’ to Grow a Chin” – 3:31
3. “City of Tiny Lites” – 5:32
4. “Dancin’ Fool” – 3:43
5. “Jewish Princess” – 3:16
Side four:
1. “Wild Love” – 4:09
2. “Yo’ Mama” – 12:36
Ripped from original vinyl:
Links:
This album was downloaded long time ago from a site that disappeared, after trying to look for it again. Now, it’s so hard to know exactly if it is an official release or a bootleg as there is no info around the internet with the same contents of this tracklisting, albeit finding something like it’s part of a full set concert made at Brewer Fieldhouse in Columbia (Missouri) in Febrary 28th, 1971. Otherwise other statements can be made writing a comment.
Tracklist:
01. Statesboro Blues
02. Don’t Keep Me Wondering
03. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
04. Midnight Rider
05. Dreams
06. Hot Lanta
Tras mucho tiempo queriendo localizar alguna emisión en formato de video a través de internet del legendario programa de Ángel Casas, “Musical Express”, donde Mike Oldfield tiene total protagonismo, lo he podido encontrar por fin. Aun no siendo la emisión original de 1981, tratándose en este caso de una re-emisión realizada en el año 83, tal como veremos en la propia introducción realizada por el propio Casas, coincidiendo con el décimo aniversario del Tubular Bells, es un documento audiovisual importante para los fans del músico inglés.
Ver dicha emisión en este enlace a la web de RTVE.es
Otros videos que sí existían de esa emisión, originalmente de 1981, son éstos:
Actuación de Mike Oldfield y Diego Cortés en el tema “Pastosi”, original de Diego e interpretado por él mismo acompañado de Mike Oldfield y su banda de entonces.
Fragmento de la primera parte de Ommadawn.
Yngwie J. Malmsteen – Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar And Orchestra in E flat minor, Op. 1 (1998)
After toiling with classical references in his music for most of his career, guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen finally dedicated himself to writing a concerto for electric guitar. The combination is not unique, as several rock groups, including Metallica and Deep Purple, have been backed by full orchestras, but this is the first work of its kind to feature the electric guitar as the lead instrument in a concerto.
One of Malmsteen’s biggest target’s for criticism has been his inability to move beyond his speed demon reputation that he acquired after bursting on the scene in the early ’80s. Seemingly stuck in arrested musical development this work proves that at least he’s trying. There are many intriguing moments here and plenty of pyrotechnics, however, as a collective body of work, there is a lack of cohesiveness between his sometimes monotonous riffing and the orchestra. Despite the unevenness (unfortunately a Malmsteen trademark), this ranks as one of his best recordings. Recommended more for guitar fans than the classical connoisseurs, although the later may find the combination intriguing and perhaps even refreshing. ~ Robert Taylor, All Music Guide.
Original CD Release Date: June 30, 1998
Label: Spitfire Records 5138-2 (US)
Tracklisting:
1. Icarus Dream Fanfare – 5:26
2. Cavalino Rampante – 3:57
3. Fugue – 3:40
4. Prelude to April – 2:43
5. Toccata – 3:57
6. Andante – 4:21
7. Sarabande – 3:23
8. Allegro – 1:29
9. Adagio – 3:09
10. Vivance – 4:50
11. Presto Vivace – 3:40
12. Finale – 1:49
Artwork By – Rich DiSilvio
Composed By – Yngwie J. Malmsteen*
Conductor – Yoel Levi
Engineer – Chris Tsangarides , Keith Rose , Lubomir Novacek , Miyuki Ito , Peter Rooth , Takeshi Muramatsu , Tomas Pekarek , Tomoyoshi Ezaki
Guitar – Yngwie J. Malmsteen*
Orchestra – Czech Philharmonic
Orchestrated By – Yngwie J. Malmsteen*
Photography – Mick Rock , William Hames
Producer – Yngwie J. Malmsteen*
Recording Supervisor – Tomoyoshi Ezaki
Links:
Artist Direct .::::. CD Universe .::::. Amazon .::::. 3-MP3 .::::. Last FM .::::. eMusic
I prefer Steve when he’s singing and glissing, than messing about with long jams. Okay? I admit that now. Not that I dislike Fish Rising, I still quite enjoy it – the musicianship and riffage is often blistering, fun and memorable – but Steve is simply superior when combining a little of this with songs.
The Donovan and George Harrison covers are done with such care and a hippy vibe that’s simply irresistable. The former is tempered with some classic glissy soloing and jamming, and is a definite highlight.
But then we come to two Hillage originals: Electrick Gypsies and Om Nama Shivaya. “Who wants to be an electrick Gipsy?” If you have some untenable scruples towards hippy ideals, well… you have no hope, to be honest. You certainly will laugh your arse off at this. Me, I’m a fairly cynical guy, but I love this song. More lovely glissy soloing, spacey synth washes and Steve sings like he means every word. Excellent. 
Review by chischis (DiscoGS)
________________________________________
Steve Hillage was born in London 2nd August 1951
Whilst still a pupil at the City of London School, Hillage formed his first band Uriel with schoolmates Hugo Martin Montgomery-Campbell and Dave Stewart. Already a good electric blues player in the style of early Eric Clapton, his solos were reported as “paint blistering” according to Stewart who quickly switched to keyboards in the face of this overwhelming competition. They began by playing blues standards but as time went by ‘Mont’ started writing songs and they included a rather ambitious version of Saturn from Holst’s The Planets Suite. Uriel landed a residency on the Isle of Wight, but their ‘big break’ quickly soured when the hotel management took an instant dislike to them and their contract was swiftly renegotiated in a steeply downward direction and they were told to cut out the ‘acidy’ stuff.
Steve quit to study history and philosophy at Kent University where he met and jammed with Canterbury-ites Caravan and Spyrogyra.
Mont, Clive and Dave auditioned a few guitarists but none could cut the mustard like Steve could, so they decided to carry on as a trio, dropping the blues numbers and developing a more complex neo-classical style based around Mont’s polytonal and metrically irregular compositions. They fell in with a guy called Jesus Jellett who introduced them to venues, audiences and management that did want the ‘acidy’ stuff. The only catch was that they had to change their name to Egg on the grounds that Uriel sounded too much like urinal. Egg recorded a couple of albums — ‘Egg’ (Deram SDN14) ‘70, ‘The Polite Force’ (Decca SML1074) ‘71, reconvened to cut ‘Civil Surface’ with Steve guesting (Caroline C1510) Oct ‘74.
Steve returned to London and formed Khan in April 1971. The group included Dave Stewart in the latter stages. Recorded one album, ‘Space Shanties’ (Deram) and split in October 1972. Steve and Dave Stewart together with various members of Henry Cow, Egg and others also performed in a series of concerts as the 16 piece big band The Ottawa Company. Following the dissolution of Khan, Steve contributed to Kevin Ayers’ ‘Bananamour’ LP and enlisted in Kevin’s short lived band Decadence which toured France where he met the Gong clan.
He joined Gong in January 1973 and played an important part in their rise to prominence. It was while in Gong that he also met his long-time partner and collaborator ‘Miquette Giraudy’. He appeared on the all the Gong Trilogy albums and contributed briefly to ‘Shamal’ (Virgin), released two months after his departure in December 1975. Whilst in Gong, he also made the solo LP ‘Fish Rising’ (Virgin) with assistance from group colleagues and others; played on one side of ‘Clear Light Symphony’ and performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish National Orchestra in concerts featuring Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells.
In May 1976, went to U.S. to record his second solo album ‘L’ (Virgin), produced by ‘Todd Rundgren’ and accompanied by Rundgren’s band ‘Utopia’. On return to England formed a group — Clive Bunker (drums), Colin Bass (bass), Christian Boule (guitar), Phil Hodges (keyboards), Basil Brooks (synthesiser) and Miquette Giraudy (synthesiser, vocals) — which made its live debut at the Hyde Park Free Concert in September 1976. Toured U.K. continuously between then and late December. ‘L’ became an enormous chart success, with a residence of over two months. Six-week tour of U.S. with Electric Light Orchestra in January/February 1977. ‘L’ entered the American charts. Return to U.K. with concert at London’s Rainbow in March 1977.
Original LP release:
- 1976, Virgin Records V-2066 (UK)
- 1976, Atlantic Records SD-18205 (USA)
- Virgin Records, OVED-29
CD releases:
- 1996, Disky VI 873782 (Netherlands)
- 1997, Virgin Records CDVIP-184 (UK)
- 2007, Virgin Records CDVR-2066 (UK for Europe and rest of world)
More data at DiscoGS
Side A:
1. Hurdy Gurdy Man 6:32
2. Hurdy Gurdy Glissando 8:54
3. Electrick Gypsies 6:24
Side B:
1. Om Nama Shivaya 3:33
2. Lunar Musick Suite 11:59
3. It’s All Too Much 6:26
The most recent CD reissue includes these bonus tracks:
7. Eight Miles High 4:34
8. Maui 4:41
9. Shimmer 3:50
Links:
Amazon .::::. CD Universe .::::. Yes FM .::::. Last FM .::::. 7-Digital UK .::::. 7-Digital ES .::::. iTunes
This has been one of my favourite albums ever since it was released back in 1979.
Much gentler than previous Steve Hillage releases, Rainbow Dome Musick is now regarded as a precursor of what later became known as New Age music. But don’t let that put you off if you don’t like that kind of thing. This album effortlessly sidesteps all the problems that beset the New Age music of the 80s and beyond. There are none of the vapid sugary tunes or self-conscious effects that gave New Age a bad name. Instead, this is an album of flowing textures and tone-colours that manages to be both gentle and strong.
The album is basically Steve Hillage and his long-time partner Miquette Giraudy, with some additional help on the second track from Rupert Atwill. The music was originally commissioned for the Rainbow Dome in the centre of the Festival of Mind, Body and Spirit at Olympia, London. Hillage later commented that they wanted to create an oasis of peace in what could otherwise become a frantic atmosphere of buying and selling. I didn’t experience the music in its original setting, unfortunately, but it definitely succeeds in creating an oasis of peace wherever I’ve played it over the years. It’s equally great for chilled out listening, background music, and for driving.
Garden of Paradise is Miquette’s piece, based on a flowing pattern of echoed sequencers (two sequencers passing through the same echo and making long overlapping loops of crystalline sounds), with a slowly rising electric piano line in fifths and beautiful guitar textures from Hillage.
Four Ever Rainbow is Steve’s piece, beginning with Miquette’s bells and Hillage’s Moog and moving into a slowly shifting wash of glissando guitar textures, with delicate echoed synthesiser.
Amazon’s description isn’t quite right – there aren’t any bonus tracks. But this remastered classic is definitely well worth having anyway. And if you do want a bonus in similar style, check out the track `Healing Music’ on the `Live Herald’ album (in the next batch of Hillage remasters). ** Correction added 26/2/07: Healing Music will be on the remaster of Open, not on Live Herald. The original vinyl double album Live Herald contained a side of studio recordings, which were redistributed onto Open so both albums fit comfortably on CD. The remasters retain this redistribution. **
This album shows how inspired and accomplished the musicians were who came out of the Gong family of bands in the 1970s. Along with fellow Gong member Tim Blake, Hillage and Giraudy were both pioneers of new music and accomplished masters (and mistress 
) of what they were doing. This music hasn’t dated in the slightest since it was released. It’s basically timeless.
Review by Andrew (Amazon.co.uk)
LP release:
- April 1979 – Virgin Records, VR-1, also issued on clear vinyl limited edition. (UK)
- 1979 – Orizzonte, ORL-8346 (Italy)
CD releases:
- 1987 Virgin Records, CDVR-1 (UK)
- 1991 Caroline Blue Plate, CAROL 1803-2 (USA)
- 2007 EMI (Remastered), CDVRX1 (UK and Europe)
- 2007 Toshiba-EMI (Remastered), VJCP-68795 (Japan)
Tracklist:
1. Garden Of Paradise (23:15)
2. Four Ever Rainbow (20:30)
Ripped from my clear vinyl copy to 128 kbps mp3 and offered here for very limited time. As I bought it some time ago, I want to share it with you, but as I always notice it’s worth have a listen with Spotify and then buy this album if liked:
Links:
Amazon .::::. Amazon UK .::::. CD Universe .::::. iTunes .::::. HB Direct .::::. Rhapsody .::::. 7-Digital UK .:::.: 7-Digital ES
Tales of Mystery and Imagination is the debut album by the progressive rock group The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976. The album’s avant-garde soundscapes kept it from being a blockbuster, but the interesting lyrical and musical themes — retellings of horror stories and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe — attracted a small audience. The title of the album is taken from a popular title for Poe’s macabre tales of the same name, Tales of Mystery & Imagination, first published in 1908 and many times since under this name. Critical reaction to the album was often mixed; for example, Rolling Stone’s Billy Altman concluded that it mostly failed at reproducing Poe’s tension and macabre fear, ending by claiming that “devotees of Gothic literature will have to wait for someone with more of the macabre in their blood for a truer musical reading of Poe’s often terrifying works”.
This album was released in the U.K. originally with a different name. Simply called The Alan Parsons Project, it was successful enough to achieve gold status but later that year the same album was released under the name of Tales of Mystery and Imagination.
“The Raven” features actor Leonard Whiting on lead vocals, with Alan Parsons performing vocals through an EMI Vocoder. According to the album’s liner notes, “The Raven” was the first rock song ever to feature a digital vocoder.
The Prelude of “The Fall of the House of Usher”, although uncredited, is based on the opera fragment “La chute de la maison Usher” by Claude Debussy which was composed in 1908-1917.
Tales of Mystery and Imagination peaked at #38 on Billboard’s Pop Albums chart. “(The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether” peaked at #37 on the Pop Singles chart.
The original version of the album was available for several years on vinyl and cassette, but was not immediately available on CD. This was due in part to Parsons’ desire to rework some tracks. In 1987, Parsons completely remixed the album, including additional guitar passages and narration (by Orson Welles) as well as updating the production style to include heavy reverb and the gated drum sound of the 80s. The CD notes that Welles never met Parsons or Eric Woolfson (recently passed away by a cancer), but sent a tape to them of the performance shortly after the album was manufactured in 1976. In 1994 Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) released the original 1976 version on CD (UDCD-606), making the original available digitally for the first time. In 2007, a Deluxe Edition released by Universal Music included both the 1976 and the 1987 versions remastered by Alan Parsons during 2006 with eight additional bonus tracks.
Tracklists:
Original LP:
Side A:
1. A dream within a dream – 3:43
2. The raven – 3:59
3. The tell-tale heart – 4:42
4. The cask of Amontillado – 4:27
5. (The system of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether – 4:19
Side B:
1. The Fall of the House of Usher – 15:05
I – Prelude
II – Arrival
III – Intermezzo
IV – Pavane
V – Fall
2. To one in paradise – 4:33
Originally released on LP and cassette by 20th Century Fox Records and Charisma Records. See DiscoGS and Rate Your Music entries.
1987 Remix Album Edition:
As stated before, includes remixed versions of all tracks plus this bonus tracks:
“Eric’s Guide Vocal Medley”
“Orson Welles Dialogue”
“Sea Lions in the Departure Lounge” (sound effects and experiments)[3]
“GBH Mix” (unreleased experiments)
2007 Deluxe Edition (2-CD):
CD1 1976 Original Album:
01. A Dream Within A Dream 3.41
02. The Raven 3.58
03. The Tell-Tale Heart 4.42
04. The Cask Of Amontillado 4.28
05. (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Professor Fether 4.19
06. The Fall Of The House Of Usher
06. a) Prelude 5.52
06. b) Arrival 2.41
06. c) Intermezzo 1.03
06. d) Pavane 4.34
06. e) Fall 0.52
07. To One In Paradise 4.39
08. The Raven (Original Demo) 3.27 (Bonus)
09. Edgar (Demo Of An Unreleased Track) 3.04 (Bonus)
10. Orson Welles Radio Spot 1.03 (Bonus)
11. Interview With Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson (1976) 8.33 (Bonus)
CD 2 1987-Remix:
01. A Dream Within A Dream 4.13
02. The Raven 3.57
03. The Tell-Tale Heart 4.39
04. The Cask Of Amontillado 4.33
05. (The System Of) Doctor Tarr And Pfofessor Fether 4.21
06. The Fall Of The House Of Usher
06. a) Prelude 7.01
06. b) Arrival 2.39
06. c) Intermezzo 0.59
06. d) Pavane 4.36
06. e) Fall 0.51
07. To One In Paradise 4.54
08. Eric’s Guide Vocal Medley 9.14 (Bonus)
09. Orson Welles Dialogue 3.08 (Bonus)
10. Sea Lions In The Departure Lounge – Sound Effects And Experiments 2.38 (Bonus)
11. GBH Mix – Unreleased Experiments 5.22 (Bonus)
Personnel:
Alan Parsons – Organ, Synthesizer, Guitar, Keyboards, Recorder, Vocals, *Producer, Engineer, Projection
Eric Woolfson – Synthesizer, Harpsichord, Keyboards, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr), Executive Producer
Orson Welles – Narrator (1987 version only)
Leonard Whiting – Vocals, Narrator
Arthur Brown – Vocals
John Miles – Guitar, Vocals
Jack Harris – Vocals
Francis Monkman – Organ, Keyboards
Kevin Peek – Guitar (Acoustic)
Terry Sylvester – Vocals
Laurence Juber – Guitar (Acoustic)
Andrew Powell – Keyboards, Arranger
David Paton – Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Ian Bairnson – Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
Chris Blair – Assistant Engineer
Peter Christopherson – Photography
David Katz – Violin, Leader, Orchestra Contractor
Burleigh Drummond – Drums
English Chorale – Vocals
Bob Howes – Choir, Chorus
John Leach – Percussion, Vocals, Cimbalom, Kantele
David Pack – Guitar
Smokey Parsons – Vocals
Joe Puerta – Bass
Tony Richards – Assistant Engineer
Jack Rothstein – Leader
Daryl Runswick – Bass, String Bass
David Snell – Harp
The English Chorale and Played Ti – Choir, Chorus
Stuart Tosh – Cymbals, Drums, Vocals, Tympani [Timpani]
Tom Trefethen – Assistant Engineer
Pat Stapley – Assistant Engineer
Aubrey Powell – Photography
Storm Thorgerson – Photography
Hipgnosis – Design, Cover Art
Sam Emerson – Photography
Colin Elgie – Artwork, Graphic Design, Layout Design
Billy Lyall – Piano, Drums, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, Recorder, Fender Rhodes
Gordon Parry – Engineer
Jane Powell – Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Andrew Hurdle – Bass
Christopher North – Keyboards
(2007 Deluxe Edition)
LINKS:
Amazon (1) .::::. amazon (2) .::::. Ciao.es .::::. Last FM .::::. Rhapsody .::::. iTunes Music Store .::::. Yes FM
Isao Tomita is a brilliant interpreter. He has transcribed several classical and orchestral works for the synthesizer. Kosmos is a slick album of those works that translate well to Tomita’s spacescapes and his visionary style. These pieces had acoustic atmospheric resonance in their original formats. Tomita’s synthesized versions have all of the original bravado and essence and he has added ambient atmospheres to give each piece new meaning and depth. The modernized pieces are genuine spacescapes.
The disc opens, somewhat predictably, with John Williams’ “Star Wars Theme.” Tomita’s lighthearted version adds humor to the piece. Track two, “Space Fantasy,” just might be Tomita’s best work. He combines elements from “Thus Spake Zoroaster” by Richard Strauss and “Ride of the Valkyries” and “Tannhauser Overture,” both by Richard Wagner. The depth of this performance on this is amazing. Arthur Honegger’s “Pacific 231″ is an excellent transitional piece. Experimental sounds give it an avant-garde feel. “The Unanswered Question” by Charles Ives is pure atmospheric minimalism in both its original and electronic form.
Ives was a risk-taker and one of the foremost avant-garde composers of his time; he would like this treatment. Rodrigo’s “Aranjuez” takes on new beauty and character in Tomita’s translation. Teamed with Ives’ piece and the next piece, this is the travel and exploration leg of the journey. Edvard Grieg’s “Solveig’s Song” from “The Peer Gynt Suite” has tremendous atmospheric qualities also. While the journey continues, so does the beauty. “Hora Staccato” represents an end or a milestone of the journey. This Grigoras Dinicu/Jascha Heifetz piece is brisk and energetic. “The Sea Named Solaris” is based on Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Three Part Invention, No. 2″ and”Ich Ruf zu Dir, Jesu Christ.” Tomita also wrote some of the music for this piece. It is a beautiful finish to a wondrous journey. This is one of the strongest albums in Tomita’s discography. Only the work of Wendy Carlos can compare to Tomita’s work.
Review by Jim Brenholts
Label: RCA Red Seal
Catalog#: ARL1-2616
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Electronic
Track list:
1 Star Wars (Main Title)
2 Space Fantasy
3 Pacific 231
4 The Unanswered Question
5 Aranjuez
6 Peer Gynt: Solveig’s Song
7 Hora Staccato
8 The Sea Named “Solaris”
Isao Tomita – electronics
117 Mb | RAR | MP3 | 320 kb/sec
& 
LINKS:
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“I’m Not in Love” is a song written by Eric Stewart and Graham Gouldman of the English group 10cc, from the album The Original Soundtrack.
A collaborative effort built around a title by Eric Stewart, “I’m Not in Love”, is notable for its innovative production, especially its choral backing. An ethereal sound was created by laboriously building up multiple overdubs of the voices of Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme singing a single note in unison. This multi-track was then mixed down and dubbed down onto 16-track tape. This process was repeated across all sixteen tracks to create a lush 256-voice “virtual” choir that could “sing” chromatic chords.[1] A number of these prepared multi-tracks were then cut into several endless loops, each of which contained the basic notes of the main chords used in the song. The chorus loops could then be played by using the mixing desk rather like a keyboard — each chord could be sounded by bringing up the fader for that loop. The instrumental break featured the repeated spoken phrase: “Be quiet, big boys don’t cry…”, which was spoken by Kathy Warren, the receptionist of the Strawberry Studios where the band recorded the track. These whispered lyrics would later serve as the inspiration for the name of the 1980’s band, Boys Don’t Cry.
In this pre-sampler period, the group was able to simulate a large polyphonic choir, creating a dramatic tonal effect similar to that produced by the well-known choir setting on the Mellotron, but with a far richer sound, and in full stereo. The same effect was used in Billy Joel’s ballad “Just the Way You Are”, released two years later. Released in May 1975, it became the band’s second number one single and stayed on the top spot in the UK for two weeks from June 24th. Seemingly destined to last many weeks at the top of the Hot 100, the record instead peaked at #2 for three weeks, shut out of the top spot by a different #1 each week (“The Hustle” and “One Of These Nights” and “Jive Talkin’”).
In a BBC interview, Eric Stewart told how the song began as a bossa nova version, but was ditched by the band after Kevin Godley and Lol Creme dismissed it as “crap”. Although the band moved on to record “One Night in Paris”, they noticed that studio staff were still walking around singing “I’m Not in Love”. Stewart recalled: “I looked at Graham (Gouldman), and I said that song’s a hit, you know. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think we got to try it again. And blow me down, Kevin came up with the idea. He said, ‘Let’s do something very different. Now let’s do a whole track and the whole backing track is voices’.”.
The song, once complete, became instrumental in 10cc’s launch to international fame. According to Stewart, the band was already being courted by Phonogram to leave Jonathan King’s UK Records label and sign a new deal. He said: “I rang them. I said come and have a listen to what we’ve done, come and have a listen to this track. And they came up and they freaked, and they said ‘This is a masterpiece. How much money, what do you want? What sort of a contract do you want? We’ll do anything’. On the strength of that one song, we did a five-year deal with them for five albums and they paid us a serious amount of money.”
The song has been covered by Richie Havens, Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, Amy Grant, Grandaddy, Stanley Turrentine, Chris Standring, Johnny Logan, Richard Clayderman, Will To Power (peaked at #7 on the Billboard chart in 1991), Deborah Blando, The Pretenders (1993), Brotherhood of Man, Red Red Meat, John O’Banion,Outrageous Cherry, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Päivi Kautto-Niemi, The BB Band, Olive, Geb.el, Gloritone, Tori Amos, Unfinished Thought, Donny Osmond, Rick Springfield, Deni Hines, Queen Latifah, Rozz Williams (Accept The Gift Of Sin) and Japanese singer Ryohei. Former Supreme Scherrie Payne had a club hit with her version of the song back in 1982 on Megatone Records.
Date: April 6, 1993
First release: On audio album Indecent Proposal Soundtrack
Very early work by Isao Tomita, some unusual space-age soundtrack, done in the years before his greater electronic fame!
The music here is everything you’d expect from the cover — a great retro-future sort of style, and one that uses conventional soundtrack instrumentation, but with lots of odd twists and turns, weird effects, and more… all to create a cool space-driven batch of tracks! At times, the music is almost like that of Peter Thomas in his 60s space age mode but at other points, things are moodier too: quite dark, with electronics bubbling under acoustic instrumentation in a very spooky way. The 2CD set features a whopping 90 tracks in all — all with Japanese titles — a heck of a deal at this price! © 1996-2009, Dusty Groove America, Inc.
Isao Tomita was born in Tokyo in 1932. He studied art history at Keio University in Tokyo and pursued his interest in music and electronics with private teachers. While still a student he submitted a composition called “Wind Mills” to the Japan Federation of Choral Organizations to be used by contestants in a choral competition, and it was accepted. This led to requests for other compositions. He wrote the theme music used by the Japanese gymnastics team in the 1956 Olympics and then turned to films and television, particularly the latter.
He has written the background music for such year-long NHK series as “The Life Of The Flower” (1960), “The Heaven And The Earth” (1969), “The New Tale Of Heike” (1972) and “Kaishu Katsu” (1974), and for his contribution to the industry Tomita was awarded the prestigious Television Grand Prix for 1973. He has also composed music for TV cartoon projects, including “The KIng Of The Jungle”, which was shown on NBC under the title “White Lion”; this music was later incorporated into a tone poem, which was performed by the Japan Philharmonic. For Expo ‘70 he provided the music for the Toshiba hall, and he has been commissioned to compose the music for the Japanese government hall at the 1975 Okinawa Marine Expo. In 1973 Tomita established Plasma Music, which is dedicated to the creation of music by electronic means. Other members of the group include Kinji Kitashoji, who specializes in rock music, and Mitsuo Miyamoto, who specializes in mood music. Among the projects being planned are a piano-synthesizer concerto; “The Prince Of Stars”, an original piece being composed by Tomita as a fantasy based on a synthesizer, and “Orchestral Prayer”, for the Ohara Sanzenin Temple in Kyoto, which would utilize traditional Japaniese instruments coupled with sythesizers.
Release date: 1967
Label: unknown (this issue is actually not stated on webs like DiscoGS or Rate Your Music)
Country: Japan
Format: LP
CD re-issues:
- 1996, SLC 2-CD SLCS-5100/1
- 2007, Solid 2-CD CDSOL 1162/63
- 2009, Phantom 2-CD 858466
Track listing:
01. Captain Ultra Theme (Long version)
02. Captain Ultra Theme (Short version)
03. Episode 1: Banderu-Seijin Appear
04. Uchu Ambience I
05. Uchu Station Theme
06. Battle Theme
07. Uchu Ambience II
08. Uchu Kaiju Theme
09. Banderu-Seijin Theme
10. Uchu Fanfare Medley
11. Haku & Joe
12. Captain Ultra Theme II (long version)
13. Uchu Kaiju Attack
14. Uchu Jazz
15. Uchu Fanfare Medley II
16. Speigel Theme
17. In Space No One Can Hear You
18. Uchu Sad
19. All Robots Go To Uchu Heaven
20. Captain Ultra Theme II (instrumental)
Pretty weird soundtrack, anyway! For Tomita’s fans, it’s a must or possibly something to avoid if you were so keen with his atmospheric, spatial and classical albums. The present file was ripped from vinyl (some clicks and scratches are evident).
Links:
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