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Next message Bill_d posted on Monday, 11 October, 2010 - 10:42 am
'John Williams: The Complete Fly & Cube Recordings'

This has just been released. The cheapest is HMV (£6.99).

It has all the tracks from the above three albums, plus four bonus tracks: 'Pomegranite', an unedited take of 'Cavatina' and the single edits of 'Bach Changes' and 'Travelling'.

Actually, with 'The Essential John Williams' and my first ever purchase on eBay, a cheap but rare copy of the 'Bridges' CD, I had all of the three albums anyway. Now all we need is 'Rhapsody' on CD.

I wonder if the single edits will have same heavy compression or limiting that are on the album version of 'Bach Changes'. That still annoys me. I imagine it was done because some passages threatened to get very loud and vinyl pickups might have had trouble tracking.
Next message Bill_d posted on Friday, 15 October, 2010 - 01:21 pm
I have the CDs. Actually, the heavy compression was on 'Spanish Trip', not 'Bach Changes'.

The liner notes state that JW first used electric guitar on 'The Height Below' but there is electric lead on 'New Sun Rising' from 'Changes'. If the notes are correct, then the lead was played by Chris Spedding or Alan Parker, but that seems unlikely.
Next message Mike_b posted on Friday, 15 October, 2010 - 03:22 pm
Wasn't Travelling album where JW first recorded with Francis Monkman and Herbie Flowers and the roots of Sky were set?
Next message Bill_d posted on Friday, 15 October, 2010 - 11:56 pm
Yes.

Herbie Flowers played on 'Changes' and 'Travelling'. Stanley Myers and Herbie co-wrote the bonus track 'Pomegranite' and Herbie produced it. It was released as a single. Amazingly, the superior 'Bach Changes' was the B-side.

Tristan Fry played on 'Changes' and on Side 1 ('Emperor Nero') of 'The Height Below'. Of the three albums, 'Travelling' is the most Sky-like. Richard Harvey is on there too.

Herbie's sole solo album, 'Plant Life', didn't get so well received. It got seriously slagged off on http://www.verygoodplus.co.uk/showthread.php?t=71.
But then they also said this:
"When you look at the list of members of Sky, it's like the ultimate supergroup, with some of the most amazing musicians ever to claim a session fee - but their output is a bit of a disappointment (except for 'Toccata')."
"i remember seeing herbie flowers in sky because my dad knew john williams (the other bloke from the groop). i was never very impressed."
"And of course he played in Blue Mink (again not quite as good as it should have been - although probably better than Sky)"

On the other hand, someone liked 'Plant Life' (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/herbie_flowers/plant_life/), apart from this comment:
"Then Herbie starts to sing.... God no Herbie no!"
Next message Bill_d posted on Monday, 18 October, 2010 - 09:44 am
For anyone who buys the album (and you should)...

Don't skip straight to the unedited Take 1 of 'Cavatina'. If you let it play through from the previous track threre is about a minute of hidden material, studio chat (where they call it 'The Walking Stick'), tuning up etc. If you skip to the track, it Iit goes (lamost) straight into the music.
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