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PETER AND THE WOLF "The perfect present for all those pesky Godchildren who seem to have everything, the only Peter and the Wolf that I've managed to sit through in it's entirety without wanting to smash the stereo system. I encourage you to place your Christmas orders now." (Daily Telegraph Arts & Books ) Prokofiev's prettily told musical story of the the boy who killed the wolf has fascinated musicians and actors for years. Now the rock musicians want to tell the tale. In this version, we have Stephane Grappelli (cat) and Eno at the synthesizer (wolf) . Composer- musicians Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley add to the excitement. (Judith Simons. Daily Express) Narration on the new rock Peter and the Wolf is performed by Viv Stanshall ( ex Bonzo Dog vocalist and the voice on Tubular Bells). A very sinister wolf from the keyboard of Brian Eno and a roster of great musicians ( It reads like a who's who of the rock scene) turn the old dog into a exciting new adventure. Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley have stuck to the original story in a way- although they did rewrite the dialogue and added new themes. This is without a doubt the very best version of Peter and the Wolf I have ever heard. Great music lads (C.W. Melody Maker )
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MARSCAPE "Two brilliant musicians Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley have led a plucky team of musicnauts across the void to bring you a remarkable stereo sound record of a journey from Earth to Mars. The musicians involved in this trip across the solar system include all the members of Brand X including Phil Collins who storms away in his inimitable style. It's a splendidly successful record, my only regret is that Marscape couldn't have been a two record set as it is one of those rare examples of a concept conceived and performed by truly worthy musicians." (Dave Fudger. Sounds)
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WILD CONNECTIONS "I approached this recording with some
trepidation not sure what to expect from a synthesisized album.
As my readers know I am not a fan of synthetic music and I hate
Krautrock, it leaves me cold because of it's emotionless icy
monotony. I should have known better- after all Rick Van der
Linden is Dutch and Jack Lancaster is English both with a reputation
for feelgood music. I guess it was the instrumentation that scared
me, Yamaha GX1, what's that? Lyricon, what on earth is that?
Well it turns out that a GX1 is a tri- manual synth ( three keyboards)
with bass pedals, hence- no bass player credited on the sleeve
notes. The Lyricon is a wind synth capable of the fullest range
of expression in the hands of the great player that Lancaster
is. All of the tunes are written by Jack and Rick with the exception
of the Carl Orff standard Fortuna. The trio is rounded off by
one of my favorite drummers Barry Morgan an ex member of Blue
Mink and the owner of Morgan Studios. He plays beautifully throughout
the set, on Fortuna he makes the 9/8 meter feel natural and uncomplicated.
The tunes are wonderfully crafted in a melodic style, the arrangements
are well developed and all the solo work is excellent- true spontaneous
improvisation. To round all of this off Jack Lancaster has arranged
a twenty piece choir for two of the tunes, Fortuna and Nyala.
An excellent outing, I will play it often.(Cindy Paul. The
Herald ).
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OF THE PIG The significance of Blodwyn Pig, and how they fused rock and jazz without, at any time, approaching the horror of fusion, is unquestionably a part of rock & roll history. The sad factor has been that, for decades, Blodwyn Pig enthusiasts have been forced to content themselves with the band's two original two albums "Get Into This", and "Ahead Rings Out", plus a dubious bunch of less than satisfactory bootlegs. It's only now, thanks to the hard work of Blodwyn hornman Jack Lancaster and guitarist Mick Abrahams, that a new and permanent chapter in the history is now preserved on CD. "Pigthology" is a much needed collection of gems that extend from ancient studio masters hidden in the vaults since the early seventies, all the way to more recent tracks cut either in Abrahams's studio in Bedfordshire, or Lancaster's in Los Angeles. Among the other stand-outs are live recordings from a 1974 tour, a show at London's Marquee Club, and a John Peel BBC radio show. It's been a hell of a long wait for more good stuff from Blodwyn, but mercifully (like the Rolling Stones once remarked) it's all over now. Mick Farren, 2005 |
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HIP NEW MOON, Tamiya Lynn. "Stereo Review" Her nonconformity might not come as a surprise, considering that Tamiya Lynn long has been a favorite of Dr John, appearing live and on several of his albums while working as a singer with other name artists, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to name two. Indeed, there are echoes of Dr John's incantatory approach on a couple of these selections, mostly notably 'Love Is" with its throbbing percussive pulse. But an odd dreamlike quality prevails throughout, and by the time you've listened to a few of these beautiful, personal songs about the nature of love, you will have fallen under Miss Lynn's spell. This is an album to refresh those jaded ears. P.G. Popular Music. |
