Subtitled A personal vision of the music of Mike Ratledge, and stemming from an extreme fondness for the music of Soft Machine and general envelope-pushing within the boundaries of a fictional realm he calls "Organ Adventureland," keyboardist Beppe Crovella, of Arti & Mestieri fame, presents an album of three stunning multi-keyboard suites, the first of which is an intensely personal reflection and continuously-evolving interpretation of ten Ratledge-penned compositions.
The "Rattlin' all the time" suite, which comprises pieces from various Soft Machine albums on up through Bundles, owes its sumptuous textures to the vintage keyboards it was recorded with — and not a synthesizer, even an analog, in the bunch. Crovella fired up a Mellotron, Hohner Clavinet, Farfisa and Hammond organs, and Wurly, Hohner and Fender Rhodes electric pianos — and played acoustic grand piano, of course — with which to properly authenticate this recording. Never does the "Rattlin'" suite sound like a hackneyed patchwork, but rather Crovella achieves a spectral seamlessness that resonates spectrally through distorted guitarlike organ leads, airy 'Tron strings, prismic electric piano vamps, and percussive organ ostinatos. "The Man Who Waved At Trains" (from the much-lauded Bundles). Simply put, "Slightly All The Time" sounds magnificent.
The three-track mini-suites "…before the Moon" and "…after the Moon" consist of original "inspired by" compositions that altogether clock in well below twenty minutes. However, these should be considered bonuses, or extensions of the main body of work, characteristically similar and no less vigorous in tonality and execution, particularly "Leonardo's E-Mail" and "Moon Geezers (to Elton & Hugh)."
Tracks:
'Rattlin' all the time' {Tracks 1–10}
1 . Tarabos (5:10)
2. Chloe And The Pirates (7:56)
3. All White (6:24)
4. The Man Who Waved At Trains (3:54)
5. As If (4:14)
6. Hibou, Anemone And Bear (3:28)
7. Out-Bloody-Rageous (8:36)
8. Pig (4:28)
9. Esther's Nose Job (6:04)
10. Slightly All The Time (9:32)
'...before the Moon' {Tracks 11–13}
11. Leonardo's E-Mail
12. Moonvision (2:17)
13. Many Moons, Many Junes (3:05)
'...after the Moon' {Tracks 14–16}
14. Lunar Impression (1:17)
15. Circular Lines In The Air (2:46)
16. Moon Geezers (to Elton & Hugh) (3:27)
Total Time – 69:59
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