MARVIN AYRES. Scape. Burningshed. BSHED0405
Marvin Ayers fills this release with twenty tracks of ambience that will test the musical stamina of ambient purists. By using the sound of violins and utilising various types of electronic treatments, the original notes are barely recognised although at times it is still possible to vaguely hear the string instrument. Rarely heard on popular programmes, these sound textures will always be out on the fringes. It of course will never be considered as MOR music, but it certainly focuses the mind towards how Ayers has managed to create such an inspired album from the sound source. Some ambient music is very dispassionate and exceptionally cold, but Scape does not suffer from these extremities, as it is surprisingly warm and melodic. Lovers of beat music won't be interested, as they are practically non existent, but that should not put you off listening to music that expands the mind through gentle persuasion rather than brute force. This is not like any other release where you could hit the random button on the CD player, it must be played from start to finish without interruption. Brave, stimulating and forget about whale sounds, just listen to Scape for relaxation. (Brooky)

MIDNIGHT FLYER. Midnight Flyer. Angel Air SJPCD198.
Who? I hear you ask... well, Maggie Bell, for one, and David Dowle from Whitesnake. Obviously they were snapped up and shipped off to tour with the likes of Bob Segar and ACDC. Although the band was short-lived they managed to get an album out, and a single. Here's the album, for the first time on cd, and the single's tracks are the bonus tracks. Anyone who's at all familiar with Maggie Bell won't have too much of a problem here, she rips through some pretty decent songs here. Whilst a couple do sound rather dated, there are some damn good ones that outweigh this slight imbalance. Whilst it's not top heavy with riffing and guitar solos, Rock n Roll Party has a good solid riff and some snazzy guitar work. In all there's thirteen tracks, produced by Mick Ralphs and like I say, there is an early 80s sound to the album, but many of them still stand up well. (Dw)

DEKE LEONARD. Freedom And Chains. Angel Air SJPCD 197
I'll say right from the get go that, for me, the best track by far is Blues 2 (The Meek Mix). For why? It's just unusual, different and incredibly good. Actually, to be honest, both this track, the last, and the opener The Thrill Of Revolution are really striking, The Thrill reminded me a little of The Stones' You Gotta Move. I'm not going to go into the politics of some of the songs, but tracks like Guantanamo Bay and Palestine say enough. Cuba, Blues and Tahitian Thunder are good pieces and overall the album flows quite well, one or two are a little sugary, but with help from his old mucker, Martin Ace, the album's not too bad at all. Not exactly the rock monster that some of his older fans might be expecting, but if they've mellowed like Leonard has on here, they'll definitely enjoy it. (Dw)

RITCHIE BLACKMORE. Get Away - Groups & Sessions. Castle.
A double album that features 'the best' from Blackmore's days as a guitar for hire man, long before he became a 'rock God'! Actually, between you and me, the jury's still out as to whether he's actually a rock God or just an adequate player!! Anyways, the bands featured are The Outlaws, The Lancasters, The Rally Rounders, The New Soul Brothers, Ronnie Jones, Heinz, Neil Christian And The Crusaders, The Sessions and Silas Dooley, oh, and of course, Screaming Lord Sutch, bless. There's also a radio interview from 1983 where he looks back on these eventful days, plus four tracks from the 'legendary' Green Bullfrog sessions. As you can well imagine, some of the earlier stuff is very much 60s, and don't really feature a rock God, and whilst there are times when the sun does peep from behind the clouds, it's not incredibly warm. Nonetheless, an album for anyone who supplicates themselves at the alter of Blackmore... (Dw)

MOOCH. Flight Of The Dub Voyager. Mooch Remaster #1
We have reviewed the music of Mooch in previous issues, and now the recording number 1 has been re-mastered. The original was recorded back in 1996 in two live sessions to DAT. The first featured 5 musicians and then followed an overdub by just three of the team. By utilising a series of preprogrammed loops the music was developed but the musicians were still given plenty of space to improvise. They describe their sound as a psychedelic patchwork of ambient rock. So on with the show and the first thing to strike me is that there is only one track listed on the CD player although the sleeve notes give a total of twelve. The opening track contains a single hit to a bell that rings very loudly and the cadence is sharply brought into focus – talk of ringing in the ears! Although described in the title as a Dub Voyager, it’s not overtly dub inspired music although the bass guitar is quite prominent during certain sections. With the instrumental lasting for almost an hour, the listener must surely ponder whether the music can hold the attention, but each passage is sufficiently different that your interest in easily maintained. As almost a decade has elapsed since its original release which I suppose is enough time to bring the term nostalgia into play, but even if you do the music does not appear to be dated. It could so easily be a contemporary score for those wishing to become enlightened. The hypnotic congas playing and sumptuous melody provide a very memorable section after about 50 minutes which swirls in the head as though on a cosmic trip and provides an excellent finale. This is so much better than I would have imagined and naturally comes with the recommended listening monicker. (Brooky)

VARIOUS. INDEX 02. DiN. DIN20
From the title, you would imagine that this must be of the second instalment of a compilation album and that is precisely what it is. Featuring tracks from releases 11 through to 19 this is not simply a job of lifting existing pieces of instrumental music to make a brief resume, but by judicious editing the eighteen tracks flow quite effortlessly. Don’t worry as there’s no constant beat which would make the compiler's job so much easier, instead time and careful attention is given to make a valid soundtrack that lasts for over 77 minutes. The quality of DiN has already been established in this magazine via the very positive reviews and as the originals were all limited editions, this release gives a flavour of what may have been missed. The diversity of music is wide ranging from quiet ambient as on Ecliptic by Ian Boddy to the more challenging opening track Regained Paradise by Subsonic Experience. The majestic pseudo choral work by ARC is reminiscent of being recorded in a grand minster. It’s entitled Intro to Arcturus Part 2 and is very different to Sequenced of Acturus Part 2 which uses classic Tangerine Dream style riffs to involve the listener. Sometimes it’s the more subdued tracks that appeal as heard on the atmospheric Aurora by Ian Boddy, but then the riffs on the following track Chiasmata are still very impressive. Some may think that with so many tracks the extracts will only be of relatively short duration, but with three of them exceeding 5 minutes and only a single track lasting less than two and a half, then the validity of this CD is not in question. Compilation albums to some are just the recycling of previous material, but the editing here has created a new soundtrack that seems so natural its hard to fault. (Brooky)

VARIOUS. Oh! You Pretty Things. Castle.
As you might have gathered from the title (?), this release features songs, and not just covers, as such, of Bowie. Whilst I'm no expert on the songs of Bowie, some of the songs here, I don't actually think Bowie sang... I could be wrong, but as the albums says, these are Bowie songs. Some of the artists range from John Cougar Mellencamp, Dana Gillispie, Simon Turner, Ava Cherry, Mott The Hoople (obviously!), Lou Reed, Mick Ronson, The Beatstalkers, and The Astronettes. So, what songs are covered then? Well, we have the obvious (All The Young Dudes) through such as I Am Divine, Over The Wall We Go, Silly Boy Blue, Wagon Wheel and alternate version of The Man Who Sold The World (Lulu) and Andy Warhol (Dana Gillespie). A must for Bowie fans and the curious. (Dw)

ROBERT RICH & IAN BODDY. Lithosphere. DiN. DIN21.
This is the second release by these two giants of the modern music era where the exploration of textures and sound are finely balanced without causing major problems to potential listeners. They decided it would be far more productive to spend ten days at the Californian Soundscape studio owned by Rich to develop ideas rather than post items over the Internet. Rich has been a pioneer of ambient music for years and Boddy has already a proven track record in this musical sphere. They describe the music as possessing a more earthy organic quality and whilst listening I can identify these traits. Rich uses lap steel guitar voicing and deep bass rumblings whereas in comparison, Boddy has utilised glass and stone to form percussive instruments placed on top of orchestral loops and keyboards to deliver a powerful concoction of mesmerising sounds. Forget about melodies that can be hummed and rhythms to be danced to, as this is pure ambient music of the highest quality. After the ambient start the music flows into the deeply menacing Vent which has an unsettling quality despite the lack of objectionable noises. I like Chamber with its slow moving melody and oriental style percussion, which is very seductive. The bass on Geode forcibly make their presence felt on this haunting instrumental that imparts a feeling of sorrow. The label has always been charged with the promotion of electronica and Lithosphere when listened to in a darkened room evokes powerful thoughts. The finale Melt is more orchestral in style and displays a beauty of it’s own making. Maybe this is not for those who think that music should always be in the background. You don’t have to be young, photogenic and trendy to have the X factor, but you do need a musical brain that can be inspirational. Rich and Boddy have proved their musical credentials and since this CD is limited to 2000 copies, don’t miss out. (Brooky)

IAN ANDERSON. The Collection. Fuel Records.
Actually, this isn't a 'collection' as such, more a release of two of Anderson's solo projects. Rupi's Dance and The Secret Language Of Birds. Rupi's Dance is an album of Anderson's observations ranging from the title track (about his cat), to school examinations (Two Short Planks) and photo processing outside an underground station (Photo Shop). The variety of styles is as diverse as one would imagine and the change from light to fairly heavy is a constant surprise, and, of course, the ever present humour is here too. It's a great album although there's no sign of the bonus track, A Birthday Card At Christmas, other than that it's a cracking way into the world of Mr. Tull. The Secret Language Of Birds, strictly speaking, his first album, is for me, a far more consistent album, and has the feel and moods set around the Songs From The Wood period of Tull, again, the bonus tracks are missing. Tracks such as Sanctuary, Set-Aside, Panama Freighter and Circular Breathing are real gems. Guest musicians and one or two Tull boys more on Rupi) appear and generally both albums make a fine combo here. (Dw)

TETSU INOUE. Yolo. DiN. DIN22
I was amazed when I read the accompanying press release. This New York based musician has been involved with over 40 albums and this is his ninth solo work. Definitely filed under ambient, he uses bits of recordings and manipulated sounds to form textures and themes that although generally quiet in nature the results are both intriguing and fulfilling. Its not an easy musical journey for the less serious listener and certainly aimed at the more serious listener, these ten tracks are very detailed but of course be standardised. Electronica is quite a difficult arena to describe, as its all usually very contemporary or even newer and so comparisons are often not available. He has collaborated with Bill Laswell, Pete Namlook and Johan Sharp and you need respect to be able to work with such noted figures. Being very prolific and a natural ability to create music that is challenging gives him a competitive edge. This means that releases such as Yolo will always remain timeless as the minutes pass without the listener realising it as you become so engrossed in the intricate details of the compositions. Each piece dictates its own mood and pace and you feel helpless to do any other but to allow it to come to you at the direction of the composer. Curve is still a fascinating piece as all the fragments have been carefully assembled to make a sort of melody that the mind tries to accept, but its still a little alien and somehow it still remains completely musical without resorting to harshness for effect. Its impossible to appreciate this CD with the volume set close to minimum as so much detail would be lost on examples such as Sour Cloud. It really is one of those albums that you’ll never tire of probably due to complexity of the soundscape, but it all sounds so deceptively simple. I really like the ambient music conceived by this guy. The public may underrate him but the people in the business don’t. (Brooky)

OOSTERDOK. Some Day We Will Part Forever. Brownhouse. BHR001& Twilights Of The Weary Soul. Brownhouse. BHR002.
The style is definitely Electro pop and this duo certainly has a distinctive sound. Featuring the classically trained singer Becky Naylor and songwriter/producer Jay Line. Despite their name, they are based in London and this EP will entertain you for around quarter of an hour. It’s all genteel stuff musically but the lyrics are deceptively more hard hitting than you would imagine. Its almost as though this was sugary pop but its really a cross between Depeche Mode and Air but I do like their style. The majestic production on Psirens is probably the best track as it contains all the ingredients of a great song including catch melody; good hook lines and that marvellously heavy chorus line. This surely is a song that has been overlooked. The last track starts with a squeaky melody onto which Naylor's voice is perfectly placed. It reminds me a little of the music of Clannad and her voice is remarkably pure. There could be an inclination towards believing that this EP features songs that are all very similar and I suppose they do have a style, but not one that becomes overbearing or too repetitive. For a debut, this is well above average and you ought to check this musical couple out.
If their debut EP was classed as good to marvellous by some critics, then seven months on what is to be made of the follow up four tracker? I considered that there was one exceptional track, Psirens, on the above release and I am told by the press release that Twilight is much darker in nature. Perhaps the duo were still finding their musical feet then and are now on much firmer ground. Commencing with the orchestral heavy Elysium albeit out of an electronic box, Naylor’s voice is perfectly suited to the style which sounds so natural and fascinating. The following track again features orchestral style music but this time in a loop until the Electro beat and growling bass notes bite as does the lyrics on I Am Not a Nice Girl. Be Careful is another fine example of their work with its catchy themes. Falling Sand will please those who likes to feel the bass and Naylor’s singing style is reminiscent of Maddy Prior with Steeleye Span. It’s a great song and the temptation to hit the repeat button is almost overwhelming. This does sound a much more polished performance and sadly only lasts for 15 min and left me clamouring for more. (Brooky)

VARIOUS. Some More Trojans...
I guess when you're faced with six newish Trojan Box Sets (three cds in each), it can be quite daunting. It's my own fault really, letting them build up, but there you go. Anyways, these box sets do look rather tasty, and feature some amazing reggae. I suppose it depends on how much of a perfectionist you are as to how tenuous the relationship is between the actual song and what box set they appear on. There's one set called the 80s, and this features reggae released in the 80s, so no real problems. There's one called Legends, another called Lovers Rock, and yet another called Dancehall Roots - again, no problems. Indeed, I'm not really having problems with any of them, even the one called Reggae For Children and the Mod Reggae Volume 2. The one for the kids is a collection of reggaefied nursery rhymes and songs of a similar, simpler outlook. However, what actually is Mod Reggae? Is it reggae that inspired the Mods, or ??
The Lovers Rock one is obviously aimed at the more romantic and the Legends one is full of, well, legends from the reggae world, although how Marley and Beenie Man compare as legends is open to question!
In some ways, it's best just concentrating on the artists. As I've said on many occasions with these sets, and that's almost on every one released so far there's a great little nugget tucked away somewhere. By the same token there's also one or two crap ones as well, but on a three cd set, it's bound to happen. Either way, there's no denying that these sets offer up some choice reggae and I don't think they're too bad at what they do. In and amongst you get the likes of Alton Ellis, Marley, Gregory Brown, Augustus Pablo, Jimmy Cliff, Bunny Wailer, Prince Far I, Sugar Minot, Sophia George, Pliers, Sly & Robbie, plus literally, scores more. Not quite a who's who of reggae, but it's not far off. As is always the case with a clutch of box sets like this, and that's which one? Well, it's not for me really to say, mainly because each and every one is different, well, the title and colour of the box are! The strongest is the Children one, and the only real easy answer is if you don't want your reggae to be fun and quirky, then stay clear of this one. Otherwise it's a very difficult set to choose from. (RG Gold)

ERIC JOHNSON. Bloom. Favoured Nations.
Interestingly diverse and rather satisfying album from the seemingly ever-touring Eric Johnson. It's an album that shows his influences, and ranges from jazz to rock with hints of funk/blues and even country rock. Unlike a lot of these 'new' guitar boys on the block, Johnson here (at least) seems to hold the twiddly in check and concentrates more on melody and method. One of the highlights for me is the subtly beautiful Sea Secret, and the cover of Dylan's My Back Pages is pretty good too. Sixteen tracks in all, arriving in three 'suites' which will appeal to his followers, but like I say, whilst there are more than the odd flashes of guitar wizardry, he keeps it in check, and fair do's to the man for not releasing an album like all the other 'how to play real fast' brigade. (Dw)

PET. Rewind the Sofa Lady. GRONLAND
PET is a group of two halves - Andre Abshagen and Miss Mono who are based in Berlin, while Dodo NKishi and Stefania Vacca find themselves over in Milan. Despite the miles they’re come up with a rather good, upbeat album. Shades of retro electronica are evident on a number of tracks and at times I wondered whether I was listening to Depeche Mode. On top of this though, there are some great, grating, grungy guitar rifts. The Opening track, ‘Cloud Nine’ is so catchy it’s untrue and with a guitar that sounds more like its alive and growling, rather than being played by human hands. The description ‘Feel good’ doesn’t do justice to how breezy and bright many of these tracks are. That doesn’t mean that there are no deep, sensitive moments though. Fine vocals, both male and female, add to the overall ambiance. Rather a surprise to tell the truth and has been played to death in the car so far. Hopefully we’ll hear more from this lot in the future. (Liam)

tvfordogs. Roller. Wampus Multimedia
Wampus Multimedia is a US based Indie label run by artists for artists. Its credo is simple: to introduce the world to the best new music rendered by the best artists. Here’s one of those artists, tvfordogs, who actually hail from the UK. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Neil Luckett is anchored by bassist Mark Homer and drummer Paul Jarrett. This is their follow up to their debut album, “Heavy Denver”. Plenty of influences and styles between the tracks, including Grunge, punk, new wave and the likes of the Jam, Nirvana, XTC and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Plenty of soaring vocals and guitars abound and great song writing takes this album to new heights. The tracks swoop between the raw and the melodic in equal measures. Of all the tracks, “Drive” bridges the gap between noise and melody, aggression and serenity. A wonderful track from an excellent album. (Liam)

VERPLANKEN. The Missing Tracks.
A solo effort by the artist releasing a 5-track EP that is a follow up to Autopsy Of A Dream and I suppose electronica is perhaps the best description of this instrumental music. This really is a musical journey which you have no option but to become involved with particularly with the opening track Voyage. Here the musical representation of the waves and the noise of what sounds like submarine engines pound the head in an almost unforgiving way. It could become so easy to fall overboard as the rhythmic interpretations are quite forcefully presented and for some the nausea maybe too much. The shimmering effects are quite startlingly especially when they oscillate from their spatial position. It has a remarkable sonic effect that entices the listener to concentrate even harder. This is followed after the 10-min opener by On The Edge where guitars and electric piano contribute to the slow theme, which is interrupted with distorted lead guitar riffs emanating from either the left or right speaker. It has a completely different feel to the previous track. The Island is a quieter track, definitely dealing with ambient themes and textures. Looking For The Sun starts with just a guitar and then the melancholy playing imparts a feeling that this instrumental could become discordant, but it never does yet you’re left waiting for it to happen. A very clever piece that had me fooled. Perhaps the finale Welcome is the most accessible track, it could be such a happy instrumental, but you’re always in slight doubt as the melody has a sorrowful aspect to it. Very accomplished and thought provoking for an instrumental that is quite melodious. More info available at his official website http://www.verplanken.com (Brooky)

Godspunk. Volume Four. PUMF PUMF 553
A collection of 21 tracks from a variety of sources, combining electronica, experimental and some poetry and talking. Samples abound on a number of the tracks and the vast majority have strong bass and rhythm. A few are discordant and quite disturbing and, to me anyway, grate after a while. There are several quite dreamy tracks, and ‘Alice Floats Away’ by Pilzin Sox stands out of the crowd. ‘In a Nutshell’ combines the simple sweet tinkles of ‘The Hills are Alive with the sound of music’ with samples and industrial clanging. Litterbug has a couple of great tracks, reminding me of the alternative noises that came out of the early 80s. ‘Nine and a half minutes’ has a fantastic guitar hook and strong bass, combined with ecstatic moanings and breathing throughout and yes it does last 9.5 minutes and does come to a conclusion! A finer collection of group names you’ll not find – how about ‘Lenin’s Virulent Muscle’ or ‘Howl in the Typewriter’. For sheer variety from one track to the next, UNIT can’t be matched – spoken words, vocal juggling, ethereal sounds and ear-ripping noises over 5 tracks. As usual I could go on and on here when I’m writing about Godspunk stuff, but naturally everyone is going to have their own favourite style and sound. Again just excellent. (Liam)

JOHNNY CASH. Classic Cash/Boom Chika Boom and Johnny Cash Is Comin To Town/Water From The Wells Of Home. Universal.
Four album released on two twofers in the wake of a renewed interest in the man in black. It's quite odd really how Cash went in and out of fashion throughout his career. I don't think there's many folk who haven't heard or know of at least five or six of the man's songs. He went from earthy gospel tinged country to, well, earthy tinged gospel styled country. Whatever he sang, either original or covers, he certainly made them his own. Indeed, the Chika Boom 'sound' was again, something that was essentially Cash even before he sang (obviously this was down to the Tennessee Three backing band), and he's one of the most recorded artists to date. He's also been on a few record labels as well, from Sun, Columbia, Mercury and Harmony Records. These four albums are from the late 80s/90s and come from the 'Nashville Sessions', indeed, both are collectively known as The Nashville Sessions 1 and 2. Both contain their fare share of classic (some re-recorded) Cash songs, and obviously one or two duffers, overall they're interesting additions and bridge the gap between his earlier grittier material and his later one. (dw)

John Mayall. Plays John Mayall, Blues Beakers, A Hard Road, and The Blues Alone. Decca.
The above albums were released 1965, 1966, and 1967 respectively. A Hard Road and The Blues Alone were from 67 (and also an album called Crusade). Now I might be kicking a few sacred cows here, but Mayall has never been what I'd call a great singer. At times he sang a little too falsetto for me, but one could forgive and bear through it simply because he had not only a good grasp of the blues, but he employed some rather good musicians. One could argue that without Mayall, bands like Fleetwood Mac wouldn't exist, and musicians like Aynsley Dunbar and Keef Hartley owe a debt of gratitude (not to mention Clapton, Peter Green and John McVie). The British blues movement from around this time onwards more or less grew from the Mayall band/s. Apart from the 'Beano' album (Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton) which deserves special merit, all these albums are essential listening and paint a clear picture of how the genre kept expanding with capable musicians, Clapton and Green being two perfect examples. Plays John Mayall was recorded live at Klooks Kleek, a veritable source of the Nile for early blues. The Beano album now a double (with bonus tracks) was released a couple of days after Clapton had actually left the band, and the album, without a single, got to #6. It shook the blues world, and is where ol' Slowhand arguably began his illustrious career. A Hard Road is one of my personal faves as it has Green playing wonderfully. Okay, Clapton left some big shoes to fill, and rather than fill them, Green brought his own pair. Some amazingly slow yet deep and soulful guitar here. Blues Alone really just features Mayall and Keef Hartley, a stripped down basic affair which, as I said earlier, isn't as 'smooth' for me due to less 'distractions' from Mayall's vocal stylings. All in all, though, these albums do represent a significant slice of not just musical history, but principally the British Blues movement. (Dw)

Kathryn Tickell and Corrina Hewat. The Sky didn’t Fall. Park Records PRKCD88
I’ve reviewed KT a few times in the past and I’ve passed the comment that it is great to see that there are people willing to take traditional music and make it sound contemporary. I don’t mean bringing it up to date or modernising it, so this is not modern folk. This album combines the talents of two of the most respected exponents of the current folk scene. It is stripped down, beautiful and haunting, with just vocals and the instruments they excel at (pipes and fiddle for Kathryn, harp for Corrina) doing all the work. It’s obvious they have a love for the traditional, whether Scottish or North of England. Excellent sleeve notes tell us the reasoning behind the choices and a remembrance of days past is certainly the major driver. An album that will move you to many a pleasant emotion and perhaps a few tears along the way. (Liam)