Issue #20 Extra!: Reissues
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso – “Banco”
The Foundation – “Departure”
David Sylvian – “Approaching Silence”
Oliver Wakeman – “Heaven’s Isle”
The Foundation – “Departure”
(Musea FGBG 4315.AR, 1984/1999, CD)
Tepid, 80’s symphonic rock certainly doesn’t do a lot of head turning in the pages of Expose, and Swiss group The Foundation may not do anything to change one’s mind. The keys are (mostly) straight out of a neo-prog nightmare, enough Yamaha DX-7, Yamaha CS-80, and Roland Jupiter 6 tones to have one quickly on early-digital tech overload. The Foundation have more than their fair share of Marillion, Pink Floyd, Alan Parsons, Camel, and Genesis influences, and come off like a second-rate Mike & The Mechanics for the first 15 minutes. It’s not until the finale of the 12-minute “Crossing Lines” that the band decides to pick up the pace, but the Pallas-like four-chord anthems do nothing to help its conclusion. Fortunately, things tend to pick up a bit once we’ve reached “Migration Time,” and despite the trite chord progression, the presence of a mini-moog solo at the finale sure helps things tonally. The long closer, “Final Thoughts, Departure” is much better than the rest of the album, sounding sort of like an Edhels ballad, with some nice orchestration at the end. Appended are two bonus tracks, which are both rather dull neo-symphonic pieces, especially the nearly-16-minute “Don’t Wake Me Up” that tends to drag on in parts. Don’t wake me up indeed! – Mike McLatchey
Banco del Mutuo Soccorso – “Banco”
(Victor VICP-60815, 1975/1999, CD)
A CD reissue of Banco’s self-titled English album has been long sought after by fans of the band, and in 1999 the Japanese Victor label came through in spades. This mini-LP gatefold reissue duplicates the artwork of the original, and the music is a 20-bit digital remaster. The visual and aural presentation are, to say the least, splendid. So what of the musical content, for those who aren’t familiar with it? The album consists mainly of English versions of Italian tracks from the band’s first album and “Io Sono Nato Libero”, but there is new material here as well. The album opens with “Chorale”, which is a slower, more stately variation on the theme of “Traccia II” from “Io Sono Nato Libero”. This is followed by “L’Albero del Pane”, the only Italian song present, showing the band going on all cylinders for just under five minutes, perhaps a radio-friendly Banco? “Side One” is closed by an English version of “Metamorfosi” from the first album, and may be the superior version of that song at nearly fifteen minutes in length and featuring absolutely hyperactive drumming in the extended instrumental. Most of “Side Two” consists of the English versions of three songs from “Io Sono Nato Libero”. Unlike the English PFM releases where the lyrical content was often totally changed, here the meaning has been left intact during translation. While English is di Giacomo’s second language, he does a laudable job handling the material. Despite my general preference for native-language releases, this Banco reissue is a delight to listen to and a treat for any Italian prog lover. – Sean McFee
David Sylvian – “Approaching Silence”
(Shakti/Virgin Shakti 72438-48177-2-5, 1990/94/1999, CD)
After a decade of “ambient” silence, Virgin subsidiary label, Shakti has released a set of mysterious instrumental pieces by composer, David Sylvian. This is the artist’s third collection of textural, non-vocal excursions, chosen from two Japanese multi-media presentations (1990 and 1994). The first track, “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” is a re-release from the limited edition Emberglance (a book of fine art plus CD) which was done with graphic designer, Russell Mills. The tone of the track is cold and metallic with swelling bells and a vague sense of hazy disturbance. As is consistent with most drone compositions, a layer of backdrop is present over which eerie interjections of bells and gongs (by co-writer, percussionist, Frank Perry) are applied like a subtle brushstroke. The title track is a joint working title with Robert Fripp who supplies Frippertronics as well as philosophical statements on the almost forty minute murmur. The sound collage suggests a mood of serenity as well as structure in watery ether, while the short connecting track, “Epiphany” is Sylvian’s haiku of collected voices over a short train ride. Despite missing the visual aspect of the presentations, the trio of washes lead you to conjure stark imagery as well as curious backdrops shrouded by elusive optimism. Compared to Sylvian’s joint collaborations with Holger Czukay, this set of pieces matches the intensity of “Flux and Mutability” despite relying on a drone base. – Jeff Melton
[www.p3.org]
Oliver Wakeman – “Heaven’s Isle”
(Verglas VGCD0015, 1997/2000, CD)
Oliver is the eldest of the Wakeman boys, and seems to have appeared on the scene virtually overnight. He first appeared with Clive Nolan on the Jabberwocky album. Heaven’s Isle was released to a limited audience in 1997; it was written, arranged, performed and produced by Oliver himself. For this CD re-issue Verglas has added two extra tracks. The inspiration for the project came from a visit to the beautiful Lundy Island (off of the Devon coast.) I wish the album were as inspiring. Heaven’s Isle is series of an upbeat little tunes; they come, they go, and they leave nothing to remember them by. People looking for a shredding second-generation version of Six Wives will be very disappointed. And that is the key, this isn’t a progressive keyboard workout, it’s more of a new age album. Oliver’s strength lies in his solo piano work, and it is here that the album excels. However I just didn’t find the larger arrangements very interesting. There is a lot of music in this market and Heaven’s Isle doesn’t rise above the rest. – Dane Carlson