MICHAEL J BOLTON - Earthrise: a motion picture in sound
Market Square Music: MSMCD207
Michael J Bolton: basses, rhythm guitars, synths, moon piano; Mike Walker: lead guitar, rhythm guitar; Neil Yates: trumpet, flugel horn; Marc Russo: soprano saxophone; Tim Garland: soprano saxophone; David Hentschel: synths, keyboard orchestrations; Matthew Johns: piano; Alex Smith: drums; Noelle Rollings: vocal
No recording details
The ‘concept album’ is a product of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s - although it is an idea that makes sporadic returns, for me, the bulk of the truly interesting examples come from that period(as well, of course, as some less so). So, it is always very pleasant to find records to add to that canon (of truly interesting concept albums) and this is one such record. Bolton has chosen this format to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Of a similar vintage, I well remember the grainy black and white footage of a dusty moon surface as the lander flew along for what seemed like hours before landing, with scratchy comms and intermittent bleeps. This memory (more than the astronauts bouncing around on the moon and putting up a flag) has stayed with me, and convinces me that this wasn’t faked (who, in their right mind, would think that long periods of not much happening would make good tv?). The opening track, ‘The Launch’, has more than a hint of Pink Floyd and Bolton notes that his compositions combine prog rock with jazz, funk, latin. What he does here is to not only fulfil the aim of producing a ‘motion picture in sound’ (and this is definitely a recording that could be played over a edited clips of space exploration – although I also kept imaging scenes from ‘2001’) but also to create this uses contemporary takes on the music of the time. This is not to say that the music sounds in the least dated but, rather, that Bolton has cleverly taken inspiration from the music of the 60s and 70s that might well have been playing for the astronauts and the NASA ground staff and then orchestrated this into compelling cinematic experience.
The liner notes describe the long journey that Bolton himself took from composing to recording to mixing this album; coping with the loss of Paul Buckmaster in 2017 and his able replacement in David Hentschel. Together, arrangers and musicians have realised Bolton’s vision for a very original and very fitting tribute to space age.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Market Square Music: MSMCD207
Michael J Bolton: basses, rhythm guitars, synths, moon piano; Mike Walker: lead guitar, rhythm guitar; Neil Yates: trumpet, flugel horn; Marc Russo: soprano saxophone; Tim Garland: soprano saxophone; David Hentschel: synths, keyboard orchestrations; Matthew Johns: piano; Alex Smith: drums; Noelle Rollings: vocal
No recording details
The ‘concept album’ is a product of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s - although it is an idea that makes sporadic returns, for me, the bulk of the truly interesting examples come from that period(as well, of course, as some less so). So, it is always very pleasant to find records to add to that canon (of truly interesting concept albums) and this is one such record. Bolton has chosen this format to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. Of a similar vintage, I well remember the grainy black and white footage of a dusty moon surface as the lander flew along for what seemed like hours before landing, with scratchy comms and intermittent bleeps. This memory (more than the astronauts bouncing around on the moon and putting up a flag) has stayed with me, and convinces me that this wasn’t faked (who, in their right mind, would think that long periods of not much happening would make good tv?). The opening track, ‘The Launch’, has more than a hint of Pink Floyd and Bolton notes that his compositions combine prog rock with jazz, funk, latin. What he does here is to not only fulfil the aim of producing a ‘motion picture in sound’ (and this is definitely a recording that could be played over a edited clips of space exploration – although I also kept imaging scenes from ‘2001’) but also to create this uses contemporary takes on the music of the time. This is not to say that the music sounds in the least dated but, rather, that Bolton has cleverly taken inspiration from the music of the 60s and 70s that might well have been playing for the astronauts and the NASA ground staff and then orchestrated this into compelling cinematic experience.
The liner notes describe the long journey that Bolton himself took from composing to recording to mixing this album; coping with the loss of Paul Buckmaster in 2017 and his able replacement in David Hentschel. Together, arrangers and musicians have realised Bolton’s vision for a very original and very fitting tribute to space age.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
