Daphne Oram - Oramics

Paradigm Discs 2007

Disc 1:

01 Introduction

02 Power Tools

03 Bird Of Parallax

04 In A Jazz Style

05 Purring Interlude

06 Contrasts Essconic

07 Lego Builds It

08 Pompie Ballet (Excerpt)

09 Intertel

10 Adwick High School No.1

11 Look At Oramics

12 Rotolock

13Purple Dust

14 High Speed Flight

15 Studio Experiment No.1

16 Four Aspects

17 Kia Ora

18 Dr. Faustus Suite

19 Adwick High School No.2

20 Tumblewash

21 Studio Experiment No.2

22 Snow

Disc 2:

01 Rockets In Ursa Major (Excerpt 1)

02 Food Preservation

03 Studio Experiment No.3

04 Bala

05 Episode Metallic

06 Studio Experiment No.4

07 Adwick High School No.3

08 Fanfare Of Graphs

09 Studio Experiment No.5

10 Brocilliande

11 Mary Had A Little Lamb

12 Incidental Music For Invasion (Excerpts)

13 Costain Suite

14 Rockets In Ursa Major (Excerpt 2)

15 Passacaglia

16 Missile Away

17 Pulse Persephone

18 Adwick High School No.4

19 Nestea

20 Rockets In Ursa Major (Excerpt 3)

21 Conclusion

22 Studio Jinks

Essentially the first album to compile the work of electronic innovator Daphne Oram, this title is now out of print.

Besides co-founding the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, inventing electronic musical instruments, pioneering musique concrete and inventing Oramics, (there really isn't enough space to list her achievements), Daphne Oram left behind some startling music.

This compilation collects together sounds from her career; sound effects, original music, advertising, experiments...it really only scratches the surface, but it's a good introduction.

I really can't recommend enough looking further into the music and writings of the remarkable Daphne Oram.

Broadcast - Mother is the Milky Way

Warp 2009

01 Creation Day The Travel Flute Way

02 In Here The World Begins

03 Elegant Elephant

04 Through The Gates Of Yesterday

05 Milling Around The Village

06 The Aphid Sleeps

07 Growing Backwards

08 I'm Just A Person In This Roomy Verse

09 Never Trust A Rusty Bolt

10 Innocence In Orbit

11 Mother's Milk Means Music (At Home In The Universe)

A sweet obscurity from Broadcast now. This EP consists of song ideas, field recordings and randomness.

Only 750 copies were pressed and it was only on sale while on tour.

The Byrds - The Ballads of Easy Rider

Self made fan album 1969

01 Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins

02 Tulsa County

03 Jesus Is Just Alright

04 There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)

05 Close Up The Honky Tonks

06 It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)

07 Fiddler a Dram

08 Gunga Din

09 Jack Tarr the Sailor

10 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

11 Ballad Of Easy Rider

Another fan album from The Byrds, this time, a re-imagining of 1969's 'The Ballad of Easy Rider' (hence the added 's' in the title).

The album as released saw The Byrds critical stock rise slightly after the much maligned 'Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde'. It's a laid back country album, probably better than the sum of it's parts. I've always thought the abandonment of psychedelia from the later Byrds output was a shame, this self made album variation (partially) addresses this.

I start the album with 'Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins', the original experimental closer and McGuinn's latest space obsession song. 'Tulsa County', 'Jesus Is Just Alright' and 'There Must Be Someone (I Can Turn To)' are also from the original album. I end my side 1 with a live version of 'Close Up The Honky Tonks' from 'The Byrds Live at Filmore East' and then 'It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)' from the 'Easy Rider' soundtrack.

Again wanting to open a side with an experimental piece, I chose the outtake 'Fiddler a Dram'. Its weird synth blurb suggesting The Byrds could of remained an experimental psych band if they had wished. Fan favorite 'Gunga Din' follows with original album songs 'Jack Tarr the Sailor' and 'It's All Over Now, Baby Blue' after that.

I end the album with the soundtrack version of the title song, preferring it over the album version.

Hope any Byrds fans out there will enjoy.