In Reflection
Recorded by Church guitarist Marty Willson-Piper at home on a 4-track tape recorder in the early 80s, this 1984 classic not only provides a fascinating glimpse into the songwriting soul of a musical mastermind freed from group dynamics and record company pressures (much like Pete Townshend's Scoop) but also stands on its own as a highly individual work of art that transcends its time.
While the critical Khmer Rouge were still declaring 1977 to be Year Zero, Marty was paying tribute to Kevin Ayers ("Soft Murder" is a pun on the name of Kevin's band The Soft Machine), perfecting his Pink Floyd-like vocal harmonies, and resurrecting Godley & Creme's Gizmotron. Years before Julian Cope, Stereolab and the Too Pure scene brought Krautrock back into the public eye, Marty was paying tribute to the Krautrockers with "Travelling Through the Seas of Sun Machines". And in an age when musical worth was often measured solely by the size of one's recording budget, Marty delivered a fully realised fourtrack recording whose proud spirit of experimentation and invention-from-necessity (including touches such as a snare sound derived by whacking newspapers!) predates Chris Knox's breakthrough efforts by a good five years and puts the American '90s lo-fi wannabes to shame.
Remastered by Don Bartley (Australia's finest mastering engineer), and featuring a deluxe 32 page black and silver booklet with full lyrics, photos, and track-by-track session notes from Marty himself, this reissue is not just essential for the collection of every Church fan, but will reward anyone who loves creative and exciting music.
[Source Um & Ar ]
IN REFLECTION [1987] |
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Track Listing: I Know I Won't, Art On The Run, Night Is Over, Velvet Fuselage, Sleepy Metal Box, Hamburg, How Come They Don't Touch The Ground, Winter Splinter Bay, The Lantern, Volumes, Soft Murder, Travelling Through The Sea Of Sun Machines, The Width And The Height Credits: Marty Willson-Piper (Instruments, Voices), Andy Mason (Harmony Vocals on "I Know I Won't, "Art on the Run", "Night is Over", "Winter Splinter Bay", "Volumes", Bass on "Winter Splinter Bay") Ann Carlberger (Harmony Vocals on "The Lantern") |