Tuesday 19 February 2019

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.