1 Thud Written-By Ballamy 4:10 2 Making A Song And Dance Written-By Bruford, Ballamy 5:52 3 Up North Written-By Bruford, Bates, Ballamy 5:19 4 Pressure Written-By Bruford 7:25 5 My Heart Declares A Holiday Written-By Bruford, Bates, Ballamy 4:35 6 Emotional Shirt Written-By Bates 4:45 7 It Needn't End In Tears Written-By Ballamy 5:04 8 The Shepherd Is Eternal Written-By Bruford, Bates 1:50 9 Bridge Of Inhibition Written-By Bruford, Bates, Ballamy 4:15 Bonus Tracks 10 A Stone's Throw Written-By Bruford, Bates, Ballamy 8:55 11 All Heaven Broke Loose Written-By [Old Song] – Bates Written-By [Psalm / Old Song] – Ballamy Written-By [Psalm] – Bruford 8:27
Recorded: October 1986., Terminal 24 Studios, London, England
Bill Bruford's Earthworks Bill Bruford - acoustic & electronic drums, percussion Iain Ballamy - soprano, alto & tenor saxophones Django Bates - trumpet, Eb tenor horn, keyboards Mick Hutton - acoustic bass
Additional personnel: Dave Stewart - keyboards, samples
Drummer Bill Bruford made a name for himself in the '70s as a rock & roller of a progressive bent. In the '80s he formed the rather extraordinary jazz/fusion band that became Earthworks -- Bruford, saxophonist Iain Ballamy, keyboard and brass virtuoso Django Bates, and bassist Mick Hutton. This was their first album; an interesting one it was, though a later, live recording of the band presented some of the same material in a more highly developed state, rendering this original somewhat irrelevant. Bruford is a stiff-wristed player -- not a particularly subtle percussionist, though his compositional skills are apparently of a high quality (most of the tunes are co-written with other band members, so it's hard to know how much credit to give Bruford). The best thing about this band is its refreshing ingenuousness; they make intelligent, sophisticated instrumental pop music that doesn't pander in the least. This is their art, and a fine art it is. ---Chris Kelsey, allmusic
Includes liner notes by Simon Puxley. |