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Eric Woolfson - Poe : More Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (2003) (@256) http://i30.tinypic.com/jf8bno.jpg
Thomas Wolfe said you can never go home again. Apparently no one told this to Eric Woolfson. Good thing, too. Woolfson, half the central core of the Alan Parsons Project, has been doing a lot of different things since the Project's breakup in 1987. He's done some musicals in Germany and Korea (including the critically noted Gambler), written some songs, and spent a lot of time working with more theatrical music. However, it seems he's always wanted to revisit the first subject he ever handled as a musician -- the work of Edgar Allan Poe, the subject of the Project's 1976 debut. Finally, Woolfson, working with a new band and vocalist Steve Balsamo, has released Poe. First things first. This is not a Project album -- this isn't even a progressive rock album. There are elements that are similar, but Woolfson has spent a decade or more in musical theater, and it shows. Poe is closer in spirit to Chess or the work of Tim Rice. That's actually a good thing; longtime Project fans know that Woolfson's commercial-sounding vocals (on songs like "Time") helped destroy the Project's progressive rock sound through record label pressure. Free of that preconception, Poe turns out to be a solid, enjoyable, and well-performed work with very few miscues. The musicianship is excellent; sometime Project bassist Laurence Cottle joins a host of new names to put together a stellar performance. Special kudos have to go to guitarist John Parricelli, who handles multiple styles with ease and aplomb. Production and engineering show that Woolfson must have taken notes during all those years of collaboration; the sound is crisp and clear, no simple task on harmony-heavy tracks like "Goodbye To All That" and "The Murders In The Rue Morgue." So it seems Poe rests on the songwriting -- and that's almost perfect. Poe is astonishing. Tracks like "Tiny Star" and "Wings Of Eagles" are brilliant, "The Pit And The Pendulum" is appropriately horrible, "Somewhere In The Audience" is heartbreaking -- and the closing track, "Immortal", may be the greatest thing Eric Woolfson has ever written. Steve Balsamo's soaring celebration of Poe's literary immortality gave me chills. Simply beautiful. Eric Woolfson has come full circle, and gained a good deal of wisdom and talent along the way. Take the time to dig up a little Poe -- you'll find it to be a poetically good listen. Line-up : - Eric Woolfson / vocals, keyboards, orchestral arrangements with - Steve Balsamo / vocals - Fred Johanson / vocals - Ralph Salmins / drums, percussion - Ian Thomas / drums - Martin Ditcham / percussion - John Parricelli / guitars - Simon Chamberlain / keyboards, orchestral arrangements - Haydn Bendall / keyboards, sequencing - Austin Ince / sequencing - Dermot Crehan / Irish fiddle - The Metro Voices / vocals - Brighton Festival Chorus / vocals - Rob Thompson, Stephan Rhys Williams & Christian Phillips / back vocals Track List : 01. Angel Of The Odd (2:36) 02. Wings Of Eagles (4:45) 03. Train Of Freedom (4:40) 04. Somewhere In The Audience (4:47) 05. Bells (5:32) 06. Pit & The Pendulum Part 1 (2:31) 07. Pit & The Pendulum Part 2 (2:02) 08. Pit & The Pendulum Part 3 (2:02) 09. Murders In The Rue Morgue (4:35) 10. Tiny Star (2:44) 11. Goodbye To All That (5:15) 12. Immortal (5:30)Download: Rapidshare, Hotfile, Megaupload, Przeklej i Inne LINK WYMAR£ Download bez limitów |