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The long
awaited, four CD, Limited Edition, Signed and numbered release of "Blue"
has been in rotation on the New Age Sampler and has had its jewel
case on permanent display atop the speaker cabinet for several months
now. It really has taken me this long to become familiar and
comfortable with writing a review of the vast soundscapes contained
within my personal copy, No. 231 of 2000, of the latest ADML release
by Robert Fox
and David Wright.
Okay, technically, there is also a Code
Indigo release
of a live performance at the Derby Cathedral included as well.
I must first confess to being a
relative newcomer to the music of Robert
Fox as my
initiation was through the Code
Indigo release
entitled Uforia.
David Wright, also a member of Code
Indigo, was
familiar to me from the "ThreeSixZero"
ADML release of last year.
This signed and numbered limited
edition release includes a twelve-page booklet that contains a wealth
of information about the making of "Blue"
and the surrounding events that, in a good way, conspired to make
the discs an updated retrospective. The two pages of
explanatory history, penned by David
Wright, offer a
fascinating commentary of the creation processes involved in the
final version of this definitive and historic analysis of the music
of Robert Fox
and David Wright.
I would dearly love to share the entire contents of the liner notes
with you but for now that is something that must be reserved for
those fortunate enough to obtain a copy of "Blue"
for their own listening pleasure. Hints and excerpts may
appear throughout the balance of this lengthy review and the
possibility of a future addendum to the review may be warranted when
the limited edition run is sold out. Cutting to the end of the
review, for a moment, the recommendation is to Purchase This Box Set
Release, you will not be disappointed. For those that wish to
know why... read on, please.
Disc number One is entitled
"The Stuff of Dreams" (TSOD) and contains eight
tracks. It is composed, performed, arranged and produced by
Robert Fox. Originally completed as a double album in 1998,
"TSOD" ran into stiff competition from Robert's own back
catalog, video and Theatre soundtracks, a studio upgrade, and the
initial tracking of the "Talking Heads" release, which was
delayed until 2000. "So, when "Talking Heads"
was completed, Robert re-recorded "TSOD" for his own
satisfaction, and in the process, edited it down to a single
album." This was accomplished during June and July of 2000.
Reminiscent of everything
wonderful about U.K. music and replete with superb sound this is
easily the finest work of Robert Fox's
solo
career. A tip of the hat of concurrence goes out to Lloyd Barde
(Backroads Music) as we spent a little bit of time discussing the
veritable gold mine of excellent space music contained within the "Blue"
box set.
The sequences are plentiful, the
layering of sounds masterful, the effects highly engaging and the
transitional factors between moods incredibly thoughtful and
dynamic. The calculated rhythms engage the melodies in a
celestial dance of delightful magnificence that is as introspective
as it is entertaining. After much contemplation it is my
personal opinion that "TSOD" is the disc that contains the
most "light" or optimistic vibe as the dream reflection
aspect is characterized by a positive and joyous energy. The personal
transportation and minds eye visions encountered were of an expansive
journey guiding me towards revelation and celebration. All in all the
Right Stuff for Great Dreams and a highly recommended journey through
space music of the highest caliber awaits your pleasure with new and
subtle nuance discovered upon successive listening to Robert Fox and
"The Stuff of Dreams".
As "TSOD" was a pivotal
point for Robert Fox,
disc two, "The Hypnosis Concert", was also a pivotal
transitional tool for David Wright.
Music composed, arranged, and produced by David
Wright and performed live in concert during 1998 at Nottingham,
Derby, and London. Subsequently compiled, edited and mastered
at Ambivalent Studios during April-July 2000 by David Wright.
The concerts were intended to be the basis for his next release,
however after attempting to re-arrange and re-record the live ideas
this process evolved the music until there was little resemblance to
the original concept. Eventually "ThreeSixZero"
was born and "Hypnosis" was shelved in favor of the new project.
Fortunately for us "THC"
lives to see the light of day as disc number two and begins to shed
light upon the collaborative effort to come in disc three while
offering insight regarding the sonic origins of David's input within
the context of Code Indigo. The U.K. sequencer sound palette is
present within "THC" but to a different degree than in
Robert's work, as David utilizes and flirts more with the ambient,
ethereal, space washes while his melodies contain an affinity for
jazz and eastern music influences.
The journey for the mind is a
destination of fantasy and confrontation with the unknown at the edge
of space concealed and revealed by layers upon layers of transition
and morphing textures of soundscapes. The final track, No. 14,
is a studio version of "Sygzy" that is equally at home in
an almost pop context as it is in the space realm. Richly
textured and driven by an engaging rhythm "Sygzy" is a
comforting grounding of the senses after the journey through
Hypnosis. This track has more pop hooks than any top 40 U.K.
release in recent memory but maintains a viable and credible voice
for David Wright as
a master composer of great music.
More often than not, even with
continual reminders to myself, I lost track of the fact that this was
mainly a live concert recording. I have no doubt that much of
the superb surreal ambience found in the two parts of "THC",
"Hypnosis Part One" and "Hypnosis Part Two", are
the result of combining the direct to media recording capability of
today's technology and the actual ambient space of the venue captured
by microphones. The amount of air and depth of the space
surrounding this recording is phenomenal as the instrumentation
stands in a third dimension of sound. This not only makes for a
most enjoyable listening session but makes the darker, haunting,
essence of the music that much more engaging and accessible.
Two reviews down and two to go
with a brief anecdotal recommendation inserted for those keeping
score at this juncture. Either disc, considered on its own
merit, is not only worthy of addition to your collection, but would
be wholly viable as single release. The fact that they are part
of a limited edition box set only makes them that much more desirable.
The Crown Jewel of this release is
the collaborative effort of Robert and David found on disc three
entitled, of course, "Blue".
All tracks were recorded at Trevalyn Studios with a range of session
dates from 1993, 1994, and 2000. Music composed, performed,
arranged, and produced by Robert and David. The guitars
employed on the tracks "Blue"
parts 1,2,3, & 4, were played by Andy Lobban.
Recorded entirely at Robert's
Trevalyn Studios the first track, appropriately enough, is entitled
"Meeting At Trevalyn". Not wishing to go out on a
limb and engage in the "who played what" guessing game,
although the more I hear this particular disc the better my guesses
will get, let me suffice in stating this. The light and the
dark, the yin and the yang, and the rest of the blathering cliches
including opposites attract are very much alive and evident
here. The ability to listen to and play off each other's
insight and musical ideas is totally refreshing and convincingly
enjoyable from a musician's standpoint alone. The mere fact
that their musical association and friendship has endured for nigh on
to a decade speaks further volumes about their destined fait
accompli. "Meeting At Trevalyn" portends the amalgam
of interwoven style and technique and is possibly the earliest
recorded collaboration having been originally recorded in May-June 1993.
"Overture", a
January-March of 1994 recording, begins with a fanfare that melds
into a foreboding ambient veil accentuated by the spatial signatures
of David Wright.
Stately, majestic, synthesizer chords are then underpinned by and
impending rhythm of hi-hat chirps and a pulsing bass note. A
plaintive guitar entertains the transition to a swirling chordal
pattern that gives way to a sequenced rhythm beginning the journey
through space. This then finalizes the melding of the talented
artists in an extended ride through layered worlds of wonder and enchantment.
"Finale" is the "oh
so appropriate" third track which begins with panned rhythms and
synth washes. It is also another extended journey through the
world of sequenced space music in the grandest style. The
number of transitional styles and moods is nothing short of
astounding, especially when one considers that this is another
archive retrieval number from the January-March 1994 sessions.
It also contains much of the thematic pop themes entertained in
"Sygzy" and the Code Indigo works.
The disc concludes with the epic,
four-part, "Blue"
wherein Robert and David complete the collaborative effort and
achieve total juxtaposed harmony of their individual styles.
Every element of their combined passion for electronic music is
contained within the experience of "Blue"
making the cycle turn full circle, yet leaving the listener wanting
more. I would also be remiss if I did not share the feeling of
déjà vu encountered while listening to the four
concluding tracks. Much of my earlier listening and playing was
caught up in all things English and I can't help but be reminded of
so many of my own early influences and styles that seem to wind there
way into these closing tracks. Listen close enough and you too
may hear the whispers of
Pink Floyd, Michael Oldfield, The Strawbs, Alan Parsons Project, Yes, Badger
and a host of others that will stir your memories like they did mine.
But wait...there is one more disc
to review. And what a treasure this one is. Disc four,
"The Derby Cathedral Concert", was recorded live at the
Derby Cathedral on the 19th of October 1998. The members of
this Code Indigo
performance were David
Wright, Robert
Fox and Vaughn
Evans on
Keyboards and Andy
Lobban on
Guitars. A matter that I found to be amusing, having reels upon
reels and boxes of cassettes that to this date remain un-listened to
from my own early bass playing days, is that this concert's tapes has
a story behind it. David writes (no play on words was intended
it just happened) "As ideas for "Blue"
continued to evolve, we also decided to include unreleased material
from Code Indigo's Derby Cathedral Concert on the collaborative
CD. We hadn't listened through the concert tapes before because
of the technical problems with the actual recording on the
night. There had also been a serious PA and stage monitor
failure during the beginning of the set which made the first number,
quite frankly, a complete disaster." A tip of the hat to
modern technology and the digital re-mastering efforts of David
Wright for bringing this one back to life. And alive is what
this performance and sound of this disc is like. There is a
feeling, a groove if you will, that only happens when the interaction
of talented musicians, who listen to each other, utilizes the
attendant adrenaline and live crowd atmosphere to transcend the
individual parts and live within the moment of the concept as a whole
entity. Once again we are presented with a piece of musical history,
as this concert was again a catalyst for Messrs. Fox and Wright.
The Derby Concert was a stepping stone for the, in David's words,
"much more chilled out", 1999 Code
Indigo CD
release entitled "Uforia",
also on ADML.
Once again a superlative work that
contains incredible ambient information that only enhances the
atmosphere created in this remarkable live recording. Suffice
to say that the entire experience is both enlightening and immensely
enjoyable and that commentary on the individual tracks would serve no
purpose other than to report on an incredible experience out of
context. Once again a disc that would stand on it's own and
only enhances the complete package concept of presenting a productive
musical period that would have otherwise gone unheard.
"This box set puts that right and "fills the gaps"."
Very highly recommended as an
essential addition to any space music fans library of listening
material. Please remember that there are only 2000 of these sets
released. Fair warning as I cannot imagine that they will last
very long.
Reviewed by BEAR
03.18.01 The
New Age Sampler Website
Addendum to review:
Hi Bear,
Thanks for the complimentary
review, of which I have passed on a copy to Robert Fox.
One minor detail, paragraph 7, my
concert was in 1997, not 1998 (actually the 1998 in the booklet is a
misprint, not picked up at proofing).
Also, for your interest, the Blue
track (1-4) was actually composed mainly at Ambivalent studios
(extracts from track 4 were done at Trevalyn), all mastering and
compiling, editing etc. of the track done at Ambivalent Studios.
Robert and I live approximately
250 miles apart, which isn't too much of a distance, but to get to
each other, we have to travel via London, which makes the car journey
anything from 4.5 hours to 7 hours.
We also utilize two quite
different studios which are not easily compatible. Robert is into
computers; i.e. Cubase VST on PC, (I'm a MAC user - hate
PCs!!), very much for his personal use. My studio is designed to
record synths, vocal and acoustic instruments, and I use Fostex
multitracks- so more a general studio.
So, the Blue track, conceived
mainly at Ambivalent, involved some interesting
"overdubbing" when we've worked at Roberts studio.
Hope that's of interest.
Best wishes,
David Wright AD Music
Ltd (ADML). PO Box 3021, Littlehampton, West Sussex, BN16
2NX, ENGLAND.
The Sound:
In the short version stunning and
most revealing through loudspeakers as they are through
headphones. Every layer of every track is articulate and
engineered to suspend itself in its own dimension. The studio
mixing is of the highest caliber and the employment of effects is
very noteworthy. Mainly in the ability to portray the
individual layers as being transported or conveyed about and within
the soundstage by the effect. Very much akin to being encased
or encapsulated inside the reverb or delay algorithm itself.
The third dimension of suspended voicing is also to be commended as
many of the individual instruments just hang in space right before
your ears.
There is a warm, read tube,
feeling to the entire mix which more than likely is the result of the
initial engineering than it is the mastering process. For an
electronic instrumentation release these discs contain an incredible
amount of definition and ambient spatial information, even though it
is for the most part artificially generated.
The frequency spectrum is
presented with an intensity that is rare and so defined that it
invites "tech head" listening on every disc. The spectral
balances of every instruments individual voice are also mixed with
masterful care and attention to subtle detail. Even the
throbbing and pulsing bass and rhythmic kick drum tones avoid the
normal one note conglomeration that usually just lies on the bottom
and woofs to the beat. The high-end frequency information is
also kept in check by the overall rounded, warmth, of the mix.
High frequencies remain defined; they just never reach that
overbearing strident effect and enhance the recording rather than
demand attention.
Remarkably present and very much
like having the entire session performed in your listening room.
The "Blue"
box set is a sonic treat for any size or caliber system.
The listening sessions were
performed in the following systems:
(1) Belles XLM preamplifier,
Belles 200 power amplifier with Magneplanar MG1.6QR, & Sunfire
True Subwoofer speakers.
(2)The Holo-System: Musical
Fidelity A3 CD player, Musical Fidelity A3 Integrated amplifier with
Altec Lansing 510 A speakers. ( A relatively large system in an
extremely small room with only one small holographic listening sweet
spot) Additional listening done with Sennheiser HD 600 and Sony
MDR 7509 Headphones and the Musical Fidelity X-Can v2 headphone amp. |
