Expression Records To Release The 801 Series Through MVD Audio
Date: Tuesday, July 21 @ 06:30:00 UTC
Topic: Album Release News


Phil Manzanera's Expression Records To Release The 801 Series Through MVD Audio on August 11th

On August 11 2009, Phil Manzanera's Expression Records, will release The 801 Series, comprised of 801 Live Collector's Edition, 801 Manchester, 801 Live @ Hull and 801 Latino. All four albums have been digitally remastered and repackaged with extras. The original classic album, 801 Live, is presented in a book form with an extra CD containing previously unheard rehearsal footage from Shepperton Studios as well as new photographs and text.



Phil Manzanera: "Over the years I've been sent photos from these gigs, which led me to go back to the original concert tapes, and then Bill MacCormick came across yet more photos and struck gold with the audio of the 801 Shepperton Studios rehearsals. So that was the impetus for this 801 Live Collectors Edition and Series."

801 Live (Collector's Edition - 2CD set)
Cat.No: EXPCD3R
Release Date : August 11th 2009
? Digitally remastered and repackaged.
? Deluxe package - 2CDs in book format.
? Originally released in 1976 to rave reviews.

Track listing:

CD 1 - Lagrima, T.N.K, East Of Asteroid, Rongwrong, Sombre Reptiles, Golden Hours, The Fat Lady Of Limbourg, Baby's On Fire, Diamond Head, Miss Shapiro, You Really Got Me, Third Uncle.

CD 2 (Recorded at Shepperton Studios during rehearsals Aug 23rd 1976) - Lagrima, T.N.K, East Of Asteroid, Rongwrong, Sombre Reptiles, The Fat Lady Of Limbourg, Baby's On Fire, Diamond Head, Miss Shapiro, You Really Got Me, Third Uncle, Lagrima (Reprise)

In 1976, while Roxy Music had temporarily disbanded, 801 (also referred to as THE 801) got together as a temporary project and began rehearsing at Island Studios, Hammersmith, about three weeks before their first gig. The name of the band was taken from the Eno song "The True Wheel", which appears on his 1974 solo album Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy). The refrain of the song -- "We are the 801, we are the central shaft" -- reportedly came to him in a dream.

The original sextet included Manzanera, Brian Eno, Bill MacCormick, Francis Monkman, Simon Phillips and Lloyd Watson, and after a warm up show in Cromer in Norfolk, that line-up played just two gigs - at the Reading Festival (with John Peel acclaiming them 'the musical high point of the weekend') and at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. This memorable concert was subsequently released as 801 Live.

The music consisted of more or less mutated selections from albums by Manzanera, Eno, and Quiet Sun, plus a full-scale rearrangement of Lennon-McCartney's "Tomorrow Never Knows" and an off-the-wall excursion into The Kinks' 1964 hit "You Really Got Me."

Released at the height of the punk rock revolution in the UK, the LP was not a major commercial success, but it sold well throughout the world, particularly because it received rave reviews from critics, both for the superb performances by the musicians and for its groundbreaking sound quality.

Although live albums were by then becoming increasingly sophisticated in their production -- thanks to the advent of portable multi-track recorders and mobile studios -- most were hampered by relatively poor sound quality. Up until this time, the standard procedure for both front-of-house mixing and live recording was to capture the sound of amplified instruments such as guitars by placing microphones in front of the amplifiers. Although many superb performances were captured, the results were still markedly inferior to studio recordings and live recordings often suffered from a range of problems such as distortion, noise, sound "leakage" between instruments, poor separation and intrusive audience sounds.

What the critics said then (and say now...)

"Most live albums are of no more than token value. 801 Live is, like Bowie's David Live or Dylan's Before The Flood, one of the exceptions that prove the rule... Who needs Roxy Music, now anyway?" (NME)

"With his own floating 801 entourage, Manzanera has created one of the last - and best - psychedelic bands in the world. The band emerges not only tight but spontaneous, and the ensemble texture is rich and explosive, like the finest from the Sixties groups." (Rolling Stone)

"A fine performance that mixed the spontaneity of straight rock with the undeniable virtuosity in the ranks." (Melody Maker)

"The most interesting and adventurous music for the day... they hit peak after peak. Bright jazzy guitar runs, jaggedly staccato or sweetly mellifluous, powerhouse drumming, dazzling individual work, overwhelming unison and really rocking harder than anyone else the whole day." (NME)

"During the concert, these people collectively reached a point where virtually anything is possible. The music seemed to me to embody all the virtues of the very early Roxy Music, with the freedom to try and the freedom to fail. Except that now they're more confident, more able, more eloquent. Manzanera, Eno, and the rest of the 'school' to which they belong have, if they wish, a lengthy and increasingly fascinating creative life ahead of them. As the words of 'Tomorrow Never Knows' suggest, 801 Live may well be simply the end of the beginning." (Melody Maker)

"The outfit, 801, were formed in 1976 simply to play a few gigs for fun; fortunately, they recorded a great live album en route. Eno (at the peak of his 'pop' mode) handles most of the vocals, and 'Tomorrow Never Knows' is pure magic." (Uncut)

[Source: MVD Audio]







This article comes from ProgressiveWorld.net
http://progressiveworld.net/html

The URL for this story is:
http://progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1811