Zee--Identity (First 6 Tracks)

I don't listen to Identity since...well I don't remember. Years, anyway But I remember that in a couple of tracks on the B side you can hear some Hammond (Seems We Were Dreaming, maybe). As for the vocals it's often difficult to recognize them but it's safe to say Wright is in the backing vocals most of the times. I have to listen to that album again soon because I want to write a commentary for my website so maybe I'm going to help you here. By the way where did you find the six tracks?

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"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

Here's the URL...I just found it again. Seems it won't be around long, so you might want to move quickly if you want to download it. Good news--if you have a fast connection, you should be able to take advantage of it.

http://www.newpinkie.co.uk/bonus.htm

On 5 May it appears these first six tracks will be replaced by the rest of the album. At that time, I will add any new insights that I have.

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

Good news indeed, I have the LP but now at least I will be able to burn a CD with the album!

__________________
"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

I've heard there IS a way to burn a CD straight from an LP...but this does make matters much easier, doesn't it?

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

Yes there is a way indeed but I have not the required equipment. Download seems an easier solution!!!

__________________
"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

Agreed!

Now, I just hope the new tracks come up according to schedule. Again, for those who want anything from the first 6, you will need to download them BEFORE 5 May (possibly during the day on 4 May depending on where you are).

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

The three tracks you mentioned, Voices, Confusion, Cuts Like a Diamond, are not that bad, I have to agree. Identity, however, remains the weakest of the solo works by Richard Wright. Part of this is due to the strange partnership IMO. We have to remember that all music is co-written by Harris.

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"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

Very true. See the subject of this message!

It IS the lowest point in his career...my point was only that it wasn't the complete disaster Mr. Wright seems to feel it was. (I wish I had a good synthesiser...I do have some plans for a few of these tracks! )

BTW--to anyone who wants these tracks, the show's author will not be able to add the new tracks until next week. The first six are still available.

(Blast.)

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

I can't wait to hear Eyes Of A Gipsy because it was released on the MC (and the Confusion single) format only. However I think that Identity deserves an official CD release because it's not worse than other mediocre solo works (About Face, Pros & Cons, both Mason's albums).

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"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

Better than Pros and Cons...but although I hate to admit it ( ), I think About Face was quite a bit ahead of Identity.

But anyway, I DO hope they put up "Eyes of a Gypsy".

Oh...and as for an official CD release? Unless you can magically brainwash Mr. Wright into not regretting the LP release, I don't think you're going to have much luck!

(Wish you could, though, even if it was just a limited-edition release just for collectors. Even THAT would be something!)

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

The rest of the album is now up, at the URL earlier in this thread. This includes "Eyes of a Gypsy", as well as a couple of different mixes of certain tracks.

I am on a slow connection now, so it will take me awhile to be able to download them all and give my review.

These tracks will be available until 26 May.

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

All right, here's the rest of my opinion on Zee--Identity.

"How Do You Do It?"--One of the more electronic-sounding songs on the album, which definitely would count as a "period piece" from the 80's, but it doesn't really bother me. If you like Radio KAOS, you should do well with this track. I'm not sure if I like Mr. Harris's singing on parts of this track, but it's not offensive. Interestingly, I don't mind the synth brass on this track so badly as I did on some of the others; I don't know why. I must say, it does have a catchy beat...for some reason, this reminds me of Gloria Estefan's use of rhythm.

"Seems We Were Dreaming"--This is one of the best songs on the album...probably just under "Voices", in my opinion. What makes this track special, compared to the rest of the album, is the fact that it's got Mr. Wright's signature Hammond. It starts out slow, but you get the idea early on that it's going to break out into a jam any second. The first few times it crescendoes, it seems to tease the listener--and then it finally bursts out in a flourish of Hammond and rapid percussion. This may sound silly, but sometimes as I listen to a piece of music for the first time, part of me is writing ahead of it, trying to imagine where it might go. And it's an interesting kind of joy when you get it right, and the music goes where you wish--or somewhere even better. This seems to be a good example of the blending between digital and analogue I was talking about, that I did not see on the rest of the album. Perhaps some tracks could be said to have failed...but THIS is a successful experiment.

"Eyes of a Gypsy"--Okay...I'm not sure I care so much for this track. I would've reworked the intro; just launched into it with the beat. This one just sounds almost hackneyed-80's. It IS a catchy track, to be sure...just not very easy to separate from a lot of the stuff put out on the time. Also, Mr. Harris needs to take the reverb off his voice--it doesn't work so well, in my opinion. Not a complete failure...but not a favourite, either.


Reworked versions:

"Confusion" (Single)--I found the introduction a little rushed...and is that the reverb I don't care for so much? I don't think that was there on the original. But still, this is a catchy song. There seem to be added percussion effects...fun with drum kits! People playing with new technologies can't resist this...I speak from experience. When I did MY album (the experiment with ACID Music), I even felt a need to add a track that was nothing BUT a big drum/percussive solo. The transition between keys seems short and sudden to me...I would've left that intact. Personally, I feel that the "single" that would've had the best shot of getting on the radio would have been the original version on the album. Why it didn't--I don't know. In all, this track just seems too short. But that's probably in comparison to the original, so I'm not sure if that's a fair comment to make.

"Confusion" (Extended)--MORE fun with drum kits! Now this REALLY reminds me of what I did on my project. The introduction is basically messing with (what sound like) drum loops. Some of the further work is kind of interesting...but I would have slowly built up the pattern of the backing music, rather than the haphazard way this was done on this song. But still, I think it's interesting to hear some of the different sounds the Fairlight was capable of. Still a fun track to hear, though I think they put the best version on the main album.

"Eyes of a Gypsy" (Dub)--Yes! They got rid of the annoying intro! I like this SO much better. I thought they should've held on to that singing until the rhythm was already started...and on this track, they seem to do what I want. This is a massive improvement on the original, and is quite interesting to listen to. Still 80's, but less of the hackneyed sound. I still think that reverb/mechanical effect on Mr. Harris's voice needs to be toned down...but for some reason, this is a LOT easier to listen to, and pretty enjoyable, at that. Interesting sliding pitch on the percussion, in the end.


Well, here are my summed-up comments on Zee--Identity.

From the outset I could tell this was NOT the total loss Mr. Wright seemed to think it was. Part of the reason I could tell that is probably because I do have a liking for a good bit of 80's music, so that sound isn't an immediate turn-off. Perhaps Mr. Wright (in retrospect) is rather disgusted with the 80's in general...that could explain it.

However, what about "Voices", "Cuts Like a Diamond", and "Seems We Were Dreaming"? And if you don't mind the 80's, "Confusion" and "Eyes of a Gypsy"? Even some of the less-than-stellar tracks have a sort of charm about them. I do think it was very interesting to hear what the Fairlight sounded like, even though some of those sounds (most notably that synth brass!) seem harsh in light of modern synth technology.

But "Seems We Were Dreaming" successfully blends analogue and digital sounds. I think that, between "Voices" and this track, Mr. Wright DID get something useful out of this--a direction that he would refine with Broken China, to come up with a more unified sound. This isn't a loss. In fact, I actually LIKE it. I would say it's not for everyone, but if you don't mind some of the edgier, electronic 80's sound, you should try it. And I think even more people would like the two tracks in this paragraph.

So..."experimental mistake"? No. Just "experimental", that's all. And that's worth it, in my book.

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1

I have to agree with you on the great part of your commentary. I don’t like the solo efforts of the 80s (About Face, Radio KAOS and Pros & Cons are very weak albums) and I have to say that Identity isn’t better. Part of this is probably due to the strange partnership. I can appreciate the songs you mention, Confusion, Seems We Were Dreaming (the Hammond, at last!!!), Voices, and Cuts Like A Diamond though. That’s why I’m happy to have a CD now (it’s easy to select just the right tracks! ). The rest of the album in fact is very weak and the use of the Fairlight doesn’t make things work better. Indeed, it’s experimental, and Wright is trying to do something new in this album, at least. The result is not that brilliant but all things considered is not that crap. 3 or 4 songs are rather enjoyable and have some refined touches indeed.


Anyway...
thank God Rick Wright changed his direction subsequently .

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"Don't you know there ain't no devil, it's just god when he's drunk." Tom Waits

Of course, my perspective is different because I like KAOS and About Face.

Identity isn't as good as those two, but not a total disaster. Even the really WEIRD songs, I find I do get some enjoyment out of. Lately, "How Do You Do It" has grown on me some.

And here's an interesting question. Are you sure Mr. Wright changed direction? Compare Broken China to Wet Dream. I actually think Broken China has more in common with Identity than Wet Dream. I think Mr. Wright actually decided what he did like--probably tracks like "Seems We Were Dreaming" and "Voices" in particular. And then--now that he had much better technology at his disposal--he put his ideas into practice, coming up with a far more polished result. And he also remembered to select some real analogue instruments...including classical ones (cello and oboe), to give the album a unique, warm touch that Identity lacked.

So I'm not so sure if Mr. Wright really changed direction...or just tried again.

__________________
"And with these words I can see
Clear through the clouds that covered me
Just give it time then speak my name
Now we can hear ourselves again..."

WrightSatellite #1