For someone who's been a fan of both Genesis and Yes for more years than I care to remember (but probably at least 35) the prospect of a musical collaboration between former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett & perennial Yes bassist Chris Squire brought a certain anticipation. Their new recording, as 'Squackett', was released this week: how did it turn out?
Clocking in at just over 46 minutes, the album may be considered a little short by modern standards, though others might see it more as 'classic length'. It certainly doesn't feel as if we're being given short shrift, certainly. The virtuosity of Squire and Hackett are evident throughout the recording, backed up by drums & keyboards.
One of the main features of this album for me is the vocal harmonies that are evident throughout. Hackett & Squire's voices blend very well, and lend a great quality to the songs. Chris's voice comes to the fore on three of the tracks: 'Aliens', a song that he brought to the project and which he has, apparently, performed live with Yes in the past (which, to be honest, I think sounds a bit naff); 'The Summer Backwards', a gentle song that Hackett describes a "a nod to all things psychedelic and the 1960s"; and 'Can't Stop The Rain', which reminded me of Squire's 'The Man You Always Wanted Me To Be' on 'Fly From Here' and of all the tracks on this album evokes the feel of his first solo outing, 'Fish Out Of Water'. There's even a bit of a Steely Dan vibe for me here too.
There are echoes for me of some of Steve's solo work in this collection too: shades of 'Defector' on the title track; a quiet acoustic intro to 'Tall Ships'; hints of 'Please Don't Touch' towards the end of the Byrds-like 'Divided Self'. But throughout the record neither of the two men overshadows the other. There is a strong, driving bass in 'Tall Ships' and 'Storm Chaser' (the heaviest track here), and strong guitar licks in 'A Life Within A Day', 'Sea Of Smiles' (which had hints of 'Awaken' in it for me, particularly in the marimba parts), 'Storm Chaser' and the album closer 'Perfect Love Song'.
An album that grows on me with every listen, I would warmly recommend you give it a listen.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
Storm Corrosion
So, what do you make of a collaboration between two of the foremost personalities in modern progressive music? Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt, the minds and talents behind Porcupine Tree and Opeth, have come together to create what has been described as 'a modern masterpiece' in the eponymously titled 'Storm Corrosion'.
I have only a passing acquaintance with Opeth's work, and what I have heard doesn't particularly scratch where I'm itching, musically. I am aware that last year's widely acclaimed offering 'Heritage' was quite a departure for the band, in that it wasn't as harsh as previous albums and was deemed to be more 'progressive' than their other work, but I'm not able to compare Storm Corrosion with anything that Åkerfeldt has hitherto produced. I am, in contrast, very familiar with Wilson's work, both on his own, with Blackfield, and with Porcupine Tree, so I know what he's capable of, and the contrasting styles of music that he can, and has, produced.
Storm Corrosion is quite unlike anything that I've heard before. The songs come across more as soundscapes in places, and the album has a meditative, ethereal quality which becomes increasingly appealing the more one listens to it. One reviewer I've read (on Amazon, I think) has likened the vocal harmonies to Simon & Garfunkel, and I can see what they mean. There are also in places hints of Radiohead, but on the whole the music defied comparison for me with anything that's gone before it.
But then isn't that the point of progressive music? Much that comes under that genre these days is derivative, in that it harks back to a previous 'golden' era of Progressive music, and while I have no problems with that - that being my favoured musical period - progressive music needs to be just that - progressive, rather than regressive.
I'm so grateful to Wilson & Åkerfeldt for this collection of tunes, which continues to grow on me with every listen, and for their attitude which continues to push the scope of rock further afield. Maybe I need to get hold of a copy of 'Heritage' some time.
I have only a passing acquaintance with Opeth's work, and what I have heard doesn't particularly scratch where I'm itching, musically. I am aware that last year's widely acclaimed offering 'Heritage' was quite a departure for the band, in that it wasn't as harsh as previous albums and was deemed to be more 'progressive' than their other work, but I'm not able to compare Storm Corrosion with anything that Åkerfeldt has hitherto produced. I am, in contrast, very familiar with Wilson's work, both on his own, with Blackfield, and with Porcupine Tree, so I know what he's capable of, and the contrasting styles of music that he can, and has, produced.
Storm Corrosion is quite unlike anything that I've heard before. The songs come across more as soundscapes in places, and the album has a meditative, ethereal quality which becomes increasingly appealing the more one listens to it. One reviewer I've read (on Amazon, I think) has likened the vocal harmonies to Simon & Garfunkel, and I can see what they mean. There are also in places hints of Radiohead, but on the whole the music defied comparison for me with anything that's gone before it.
But then isn't that the point of progressive music? Much that comes under that genre these days is derivative, in that it harks back to a previous 'golden' era of Progressive music, and while I have no problems with that - that being my favoured musical period - progressive music needs to be just that - progressive, rather than regressive.
I'm so grateful to Wilson & Åkerfeldt for this collection of tunes, which continues to grow on me with every listen, and for their attitude which continues to push the scope of rock further afield. Maybe I need to get hold of a copy of 'Heritage' some time.
Friday, 20 April 2012
TAAB2 @ Sheffield City Hall
I spent last night in the company of a number of (mainly) gentlemen of a certain age to enjoy one of the few public performances in its entirety (certainly since its release in 1972) of the classic Jethro Tull album 'Thick as a Brick', followed after a short interval by a full rendition of Ian Anderson's sequel, the inventively-titled 'Thick as a Brick 2'.
The show began with the stage slowly filling with men in light brown overalls and flat caps, sweeping the stage and bringing the last of the equipment and instruments on, accompanied by video footage of some kind of warehouse. This faded to a scene in a psychiatrist's surgery waiting room, where an unseen Gerald Bostock was ushered in to a consultation with his 'shrink' (Ian Anderson). After a brief conversation, cue Anderson on stage with solo acoustic guitar, and the opening bars of TAAB.
The band accompanying Anderson - Scott Hammond on drums, Dave Goodier on bass, John O'Hara on keyboards & Florian Opahle on guitars - performed the music with great skill and panache, and Anderson himself switched from guitar to flute with flair and dexterity. My only disappointment with the performance, certainly during the first half of the show, was with Ian's vocals, where he really struggled at times to reach some of the higher notes - a problem I don't remember him having when I saw him during Tull's 40th anniversary tour in 2008. He was helped, though, by the inclusion of young actor/ singer Ryan O'Donnell, who took many of the vocal parts during the first half of the show, and did a more than passable impersonation of a younger Anderson in places.
Mid-way through TAAB, Anderson made a joke about the fact that some in the audience couldn't make it through to the interval without having to 'leave the room', and invited one such gentleman onto the stage for a cursory (off-screen) prostate check - making the point that 'men of a certain age' need to look after themselves in this area.
After the interval came the rendition of TAAB2, a story that charts the life of disgraced poetry prodigy Gerald Bostock over the last 40 years. The story was illustrated again with images on the screen: the more poignant being images of repatriated British soldiers during 'Wooton Basset Town'; the more bizzare being a recurring image of a frogman walking the streets in search of water (complete with Aqualung). The inclusion of the images and of O'Donnell's performance made this more of a show than a performance, and it proved to be a very entertaining evening. Although I was left maybe wanting a little more, there was no encore, and perhaps that was right. We were left having enjoyed the story of Gerald Bostock, 40 years in the telling.
The show began with the stage slowly filling with men in light brown overalls and flat caps, sweeping the stage and bringing the last of the equipment and instruments on, accompanied by video footage of some kind of warehouse. This faded to a scene in a psychiatrist's surgery waiting room, where an unseen Gerald Bostock was ushered in to a consultation with his 'shrink' (Ian Anderson). After a brief conversation, cue Anderson on stage with solo acoustic guitar, and the opening bars of TAAB.
The band accompanying Anderson - Scott Hammond on drums, Dave Goodier on bass, John O'Hara on keyboards & Florian Opahle on guitars - performed the music with great skill and panache, and Anderson himself switched from guitar to flute with flair and dexterity. My only disappointment with the performance, certainly during the first half of the show, was with Ian's vocals, where he really struggled at times to reach some of the higher notes - a problem I don't remember him having when I saw him during Tull's 40th anniversary tour in 2008. He was helped, though, by the inclusion of young actor/ singer Ryan O'Donnell, who took many of the vocal parts during the first half of the show, and did a more than passable impersonation of a younger Anderson in places.
Mid-way through TAAB, Anderson made a joke about the fact that some in the audience couldn't make it through to the interval without having to 'leave the room', and invited one such gentleman onto the stage for a cursory (off-screen) prostate check - making the point that 'men of a certain age' need to look after themselves in this area.
After the interval came the rendition of TAAB2, a story that charts the life of disgraced poetry prodigy Gerald Bostock over the last 40 years. The story was illustrated again with images on the screen: the more poignant being images of repatriated British soldiers during 'Wooton Basset Town'; the more bizzare being a recurring image of a frogman walking the streets in search of water (complete with Aqualung). The inclusion of the images and of O'Donnell's performance made this more of a show than a performance, and it proved to be a very entertaining evening. Although I was left maybe wanting a little more, there was no encore, and perhaps that was right. We were left having enjoyed the story of Gerald Bostock, 40 years in the telling.
Monday, 9 April 2012
Breaking my Fast - New Music
I took the decision as Lent was beginning to fast from buying any new music. This proved difficult, as there was a whole raft of new releases that were clamouring for my attention over the period, and I finally broke my fast last Monday (2nd April). What a treat was waiting for me!
First there was the recent collaboration between Steve Hogarth (Marillion) and Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree), entitled 'Not the Weapon but the Hand': an ethereal collection of tunes with a deep passion and a meditative heart. Alongside that was the latest offering by Norwegian band Gazpacho, a source of great chill out music for me (no pun intended), entitled 'March of Ghosts'. They continue to produce moody pulsating tunes that enchant and enthral.
In a more up-beat mood is the sophomore offering from DeeExpus, who have called on the talents of Mark Kelly of Marillion to assist them in this follow-up to their highly rated 'Half Way Home' - 'The King of Number 33'. The style of this latest collection is more developed, and contains the almost 27-minute epic title track, which is divided into 6 parts (movements?).
Mike Portnoy has not been idle since he left Dream Theater in 2010, and one of his current projects, Flying Colors, have recently released their eponymous debut album. Consisting of Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Casey McPherson & Dave LaRue this is quite frankly a stunning collection of virtuoso contemporary progressive rock ranging from mellow, almost pop-y tunes to hard-hitting rock. Without doubt one of the albums of the year for me.
Close behind it is the new album from It Bites, 'Map of the Past': a rarity these days even in Progressive circles in that it is a concept album. "Inspired by the discovery of an old family photograph, Map of the Past is a highly personal journey that explores love, passion, jealousy, anger, remorse and loss through the eyes of a previous generation against the backdrop of Britain as it enters a new century and one of the most defining periods of its history." Again the music ranges across the musical spectrum, and beyond, and grows with every listen.
Finally is an album that has, in one sense, been 40 years in the making. Ian Anderson's 'Thick as a Brick 2 - whatever happened to Gerald Bostock' is a sequel to Jethro Tull's 1972 anti-concept album 'Thick as a Brick'. It is billed as an Ian Anderson album, rather than Jethro Tull, but has much of the feel of a classic Tull offering, and references some of their work in its phrasing (as well as echoes of the original TAAB there are also hints of 'Heavy Horses' for me in there too). It retains that tongue-in-cheek element of much of Tull's 70s material, and has a delightful reprise of the original album at the close of the final section. A true delight, and I can't wait to see and hear it performed live later this month.
First there was the recent collaboration between Steve Hogarth (Marillion) and Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree), entitled 'Not the Weapon but the Hand': an ethereal collection of tunes with a deep passion and a meditative heart. Alongside that was the latest offering by Norwegian band Gazpacho, a source of great chill out music for me (no pun intended), entitled 'March of Ghosts'. They continue to produce moody pulsating tunes that enchant and enthral.
In a more up-beat mood is the sophomore offering from DeeExpus, who have called on the talents of Mark Kelly of Marillion to assist them in this follow-up to their highly rated 'Half Way Home' - 'The King of Number 33'. The style of this latest collection is more developed, and contains the almost 27-minute epic title track, which is divided into 6 parts (movements?).
Mike Portnoy has not been idle since he left Dream Theater in 2010, and one of his current projects, Flying Colors, have recently released their eponymous debut album. Consisting of Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Casey McPherson & Dave LaRue this is quite frankly a stunning collection of virtuoso contemporary progressive rock ranging from mellow, almost pop-y tunes to hard-hitting rock. Without doubt one of the albums of the year for me.
Close behind it is the new album from It Bites, 'Map of the Past': a rarity these days even in Progressive circles in that it is a concept album. "Inspired by the discovery of an old family photograph, Map of the Past is a highly personal journey that explores love, passion, jealousy, anger, remorse and loss through the eyes of a previous generation against the backdrop of Britain as it enters a new century and one of the most defining periods of its history." Again the music ranges across the musical spectrum, and beyond, and grows with every listen.
Finally is an album that has, in one sense, been 40 years in the making. Ian Anderson's 'Thick as a Brick 2 - whatever happened to Gerald Bostock' is a sequel to Jethro Tull's 1972 anti-concept album 'Thick as a Brick'. It is billed as an Ian Anderson album, rather than Jethro Tull, but has much of the feel of a classic Tull offering, and references some of their work in its phrasing (as well as echoes of the original TAAB there are also hints of 'Heavy Horses' for me in there too). It retains that tongue-in-cheek element of much of Tull's 70s material, and has a delightful reprise of the original album at the close of the final section. A true delight, and I can't wait to see and hear it performed live later this month.
Thursday, 5 April 2012
O Bread of Life - a Communion Hymn for Easter
Preparing for worship on Easter Day I was looking for a hymn to lead us into Communion and couldn't find the right one. So I decided to try and put into words what I was looking for, and this is what I wrote.
Do please let me know what you think, and do feel free to use it if you wish. I simply ask that you acknowledge the source.
O Bread of Life, our hands are lying open
To share these tokens of your boundless love;
Your life-blood spilled; your body torn and broken:
The gift of life for us from heaven above.
O Word of Life, our ears are waiting, open
To hear your message spoken to our heart:
The great Good News of death’s dominion broken;
Of lives set free; of joy in every part.
Spirit of Life, our hearts are yearning, open
To feel the flame of love burning within.
Come, fill us now, renewing lives once broken:
The risen life of Christ in us begin.
© 2012 John L Simms
Tune: Intercessor [11.10.11.10]
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