Brian Bennett - Voyage (of re-discovery!)

[iefje]

The 1997 See For Miles Records release "Rock Dreams/Voyage" had used vinyl discs as the sources for both albums, which sounded alright, but the Isle Of Jura Records release from last year was the first CD issue which used the original master tapes as the source and was much better. I have listened to the new 2 CD issue of the album and I think the sound quality is even better, the best of the three CD issues released so far.

The bonus disc includes the very welcome first CD issue of the edited single versions of "Pendulum Force" and "Ocean Glide", but the highest attraction is the 'alternate' "Voyage" album, the working mixes of all album tracks. Apart from "Air Quake", all other tracks include Brian's drum programming guide tracks and the first three ("Voyage", "Solstice" and "Chain Reaction") include Brian counting out the bars. "Voyage" (the track) omits the main melody synthesizer parts and is virtually the backing track of the track and is even more ideal for other artists to use as a sample. "Solstice", "Chain Reaction", "Pendulum Force" and "Ocean Glide" have different sounding synthesizer parts. "Air Quake" has a different balance between the instruments, compared to the album mix. "Ocean Glide" omits Alan Jones' bass guitar and Brian's live drums. On the original album, the first three tracks have been linked together as well as the fourth and fifth tracks, but the working mixes all have an arranged ending.
This is fascinating stuff, I hope Brian and Warren will unearth further material from the vaults! Maybe from the "Rock Dreams" and the "One Step Ahead" (released under the pseudonym "Heat Exchange") albums.

[iefje]

I think Brian has also used the drum machine as a guide to record "Riders In The Sky", one year after the sessions for "Voyage". On the 1980 Swedish issue of the single "Riders In The Sky"/"Rusk", there are a couple of seconds prior to "Riders In The Sky", where Brian can be heard counting in on his drum sticks and in the background the sound of the drum machine is audible.

[iefje]

Out of interest, I thought I'd take a look on eBay for copies of the original 1978 LP. There are some copies on offer, but the asking prices are quite high! I bought a mint copy of the original LP in 2008 for GBP 26,-, a bargain! The 1997 See For Miles CD "Rock Dreams/Voyage" also goes for high prices. I bought that one a few days before Christmas that same year for maybe 30 or 40 Guilders.