Tag Archives: 1988

Spirit of the West: Labour Day

On January 2, 1988, “Stony Plain Records” label released Labour Day”, the third Spirit of the West album. It was recorded in 1988, and was produced by Danny Greenspoon, John Mann, Geoffrey Kelly, and Hugh McMillan.

Personnel:

  • John Mann – vocals, guitar, arrangements
  • Geoffrey Kelly – lead and backing vocals, flute, bodhran, harmonica, whistle, arrangements, engineer
  • Hugh McMillan – bass, mandolin, synthesizer, Chapman stick, backing vocals, arrangements
  • Alan Prosser – electric guitar
  • John Jones – melodeon
  • Jim McGillveray – percussion
  • James Jay Knutson – arrangements
  • Marcel Duperreault – engineer assistant
  • Steve Smith – mixing

Track listing:

All tracks by John Mann, Geoffrey Kelly, and Hugh McMillan.

  1. Darkhouse (Reel: The Connaughtman’s Rambles)
  2. Political
  3. Profiteers
  4. The Hounds that Wait Outside Your Door
  5. Runboy (Reel: The Banshee)
  6. Drinking Man (Reel: The Hunter’s Purse)
  7. Expensive/Cinema of Pain
  8. Gottingen Street
  9. Take it From the Source

Neil Diamond: The Best Years of Our Lives

On December 13, 1988, “Columbia” label released “The Best Years of Our Lives”, the eighteenth Neil Diamond studio album. It was recorded in 1988, at “Chartmaker Studios”, “Lion Share Recording Studios”, “Village Recorders”, “Ocean Way Recording” in Los Angeles, “A&M Studios” in Hollywood, “Omnisound Recording Studios” in Nashville, “Seacost Sound” in Victoria, British Columbia, and was produced by David Foster.

Personnel:

  • Neil Diamond – lead vocals
  • Bill Champlin, Tamara Champlin, Renée Geyer, Richard Page – backing vocals
  • Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar
  • Dean Parks – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Michael Landau, Steve Lukather – electric guitar
  • Michael Boddicker, Robbie Buchanan, David Foster, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren, Michael Omartian, David Paich – keyboards
  • Mike Brignardello, Reinie Press – bass guitar
  • Tris Imboden, Paul Leim, Carlos Vega – drums
  • Rick Bowen, Rhett Lawrence, Kevin Maloney – synthesizer programming
  • Gary Grant, Jerry Hey, Dan Higgins, Bill Reichenbach Jr., Larry Williams – horns
  • David Foster, Jerry Hey – horn arrangements
  • Jeremy Lubbock – string arrangements
  • David Foster – arranger
  • Jeffrey Woodruff – engineer
  • Jesse Kanner, Ray Pyle, Dave Reitzas – engineer assistant
  • Humberto Gatica – mixing
  • Mauricio Guerrero, Laura Livingston – mixing assistant
  • George Marino – mastering
  • David Kirschner – art direction, design
  • Beverley Lazor-Bahr – additional design
  • Matthew Rolston – photography
  • Sam Cole, Chris Earthy – production coordination
  • Ned Brown, Barry Cardinale, Larry E. Williams, Alison Zanetos – production assistant

Track listing:

All tracks by Neil Diamond, except where noted.

  1. The Best Years of Our Lives
  2. Hard Times for Lovers
  3. This Time – Neil Diamond, David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock
  4. Everything’s Gonna Be Fine – Neil Diamond, Weldon Dean Parks
  5. Hooked on the Memory of You
  6. Take Care of Me – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  7. Baby Can I Hold You – Tracy Chapman
  8. Carmelita’s Eyes – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  9. Courtin’ Disaster – Neil Diamond, David Foster
  10. If I Couldn’t See You Again
  11. Long Hard Climb – Neil Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren

Lead Belly

On December 6, 1949, Huddie William Ledbetter aka Lead Belly died aged 61. He was musician (guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, violin, windjammer), regarded as one of the pioneers of the blues and folk music. His songs covered a wide range of genres including folk, blues, and gospel, some of them like “Goodnight, Irene”, “Midnight Special”, “Cotton Fields”, and “Boll Weevil” became standards, and influenced generations of musicians. In 1988, Lead Belly was posthumously inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2008 in the “Louisiana Music Hall of Fame”.

George Harrison

On November 29, 2001, George Harrison died aged 58. He was musician (guitar), singer, songwriter, and music and movie producer, lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Beatles. His interest in folk music and especially in Indian music had serious influence on the band’s Hindu-aligned spirituality in the later years. Some of his songs composed for the band include “Here Comes the Sun”, “Something”, “Taxman”, “Within You Without You”, and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. After The Beatles broke-up in 1970, Harrison released the album “All Things Must Pass” which included the track “My Sweet Lord”, his most successful single, and the first solo single by any member of The Beatles that sold over million copies. In 1971, together with Ravi Shankar he organized “Concert for Bangladesh”, the first big benefit concert in the music history. In 1974, Harrison founded the music label “Dark Horse Records”, and co-founded movie label “Hand Made Films” in 1978. In 1988, with Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and Roy Orbison, he co-founded the supergroup The Travelling Wilburys. As a guitarist he recorded for Badfinger, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Duane Eddy, Randy Newman, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood, and Tom Petty. “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Harrison at number 11 in their list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. In 1988, as a member of The Beatles he was inducted in the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, and in 2004, posthumously for his solo career. As leader, Harrison released twelve studio and two live albums.

Wolfgang Press: Bird Wood Cage

On November 7, 1988, “4AD” label released “Bird Wood Cage”, the third Wolfgang Press studio album. It was recorded in 1988, at “The Townhouse”, and was produced by Flood.

Personnel:

  • Michael Allen – vocals, bass
  • Mark Cox – keyboards
  • Andrew Gray – guitar, photography
  • Peter Ulrich – percussion
  • Gini Ball – violin
  • Sonia Slany – violin
  • Chris Pitsillides – viola
  • Audrey Riley – cello
  • Ruby James – backing vocals
  • Lorna Wright – backing vocals
  • Steven Young – drum programming
  • Lincoln Fong – engineer
  • Hugo Nicholson – engineer
  • Michael Butterworth – engineer assistant
  • Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
  • Chris Bigg – design

Track listing:

All tracks by Michael Allen, Mark Cox, and Andrew Gray.

  1. King of Soul
  2. Raintime
  3. Bottom Drawer
  4. Kansas
  5. Swing Like a Baby
  6. See My Wife
  7. The Holy Man
  8. Hang on Me (For Papa)
  9. Shut That Door

From the Big Sex EP.:

  1. The Wedding
  2. The Great Leveler
  3. That Heat
  4. God’s Number

Vangelis: Direct

On October 18, 1988, “Arista” label released “Direct”, the 14th Vangelis album. It was recorded in 1987, at “Sound Studios” in Athens, Greece, and was produced by Vangelis.

Personnel:

  • Vangelis – multi-instrumentalist, arranger
  • Nicos Despotidis – engineer
  • Paul Wiffen – additional sound design
  • Michael Rochipp – cover image
  • Ida Paraschou, Yiannis Angelou, Stathis Zalidis – booklet photography


Track listing:

All tracks by Vangelis.

  1. The Motion of Stars
  2. The Will of the Wind
  3. Metallic Rain
  4. Elsewhere
  5. Dial Out
  6. Glorianna (Hymn a la Femme)
  7. Rotation’s Logic
  8. The Oracle of Apollo
  9. Message
  10. Ave
  11. First Approach
  12. Intergalactic Radio Station

Syd Barrett: Opel

On October 17, 1988, “Harvest” label released “Opel”, and album compiled from Syd Barrett’s recordings made between 1968 and 1970. It features unreleased material and alternate takes of recordings from sessions for Barrett’s solo albums, “The Madcap Laughs”,  and “Barrett”. It was recorded at “Abbey Road Studios” in London and was produced by Syd Barrett, Peter Jenner, Malcolm Jones, Roger Waters, and David Gilmour.

Personnel:

  • Syd Barrett – vocals, guitar
  • Mike Ratledge – organ
  • Hugh Hopper – bass
  • Robert Wyatt – drums
  • Gareth Cousins – mixing

Track listing”

All tracks by Syd Barrett, except where noted.

  1. Opel
  2. Clown and Jugglers
  3. Rats
  4. Golden Hair – lyrics based on a poem by James Joyce
  5. Dolly Rocker
  6. Word Song
  7. Wined and Dined
  8. Swan Lee (Silas Lang)
  9. Birdie Hop
  10. Let’s Split
  11. Lanky (Party One)
  12. Wouldn’t You Miss Me (Dark Globe)
  13. Milky Way
  14. Golden Hair (instrumental version)

Ramsey Lewis And Billy Taylor: We Meet Again

On October 16, 1989, “Columbia” label released “We Meet Again”, the 62nd Ramsey Lewis album. It was recorded 1988 – 1989, at “Master Sound Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Gary Schultz and Ramsey Lewis.

Personnel:

  • Ramsey Lewis – piano
  • Billy Taylor – piano

Track listing:

  1. I’m Just a Lucky So and So – Duke Ellington
  2. Django – John Lewis
  3. ‘Cookin’ at the Continental – Horace Silver
  4. Somewhere Soon – Billy Taylor
  5. We Meet Again – Chick Corea
  6. Quiet Now – Denny Zeitlin
  7. Soul Sister – Billy Taylor
  8. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evans
  9. Nigerian Marketplace – Oscar Peterson

Partibrejkers: II

On September 2, 1988, “Jugodisk” label released “Partibrejkers II”, the second Partibrejkers studio album. It was recorded in June 1987, “Barbaro studio”, “Bukovac O studio” in Belgrade, Serbia, and was produced by Nebojša Antonijević and Milan Ćirić.

Personnel:

  • Zoran Kostić “Cane”— lead vocals
  • Dime Todorov “Mune” — bass
  • Nebojša Antonijević “Anton” — guitar,  arranger
  • Vlada Funtek — drums
  • Branislav Petrović “Banana” — harmonica
  • Milan Ćirić — arranger, recording
  • Miroslav Cvetković — recording
  • Goran Dimić — artwork

Track listing:

All lyrics by Zoran Kostić, except where noted, all music by Nebojša Antonijević, except where noted.

  1. Prsten
  2. Put
  3. Ja se ne vraćam
  4. Mesečeva kći – lyrics by Nebojša Antonijević
  5. Kako je teško bez tebe – lyrics by Nebojša Antonijević
  6. 5 ispod nule
  7. Bambusov cvet
  8. Ona kaže ljubav pokreće ovaj svet
  9. Nema cure
  10. 1000 zvezda – Ljubiša Kostadinović

David Sylvian and Holger Czukay: Flux + Mutabillity

On September 1, 1989, “Venture” label released “Flux + Mutability”, the second David Sylvian and Holger Czukay album. It was recorded in December 1988, at “Can Studio” in Cologne, and was produced by David Sylvian and Holger Czukay.

Personnel:

  • Holger Czukay– electric guitar, bass guitar, dictaphone, radio, engineer
  • David Sylvian– guitar, keyboard instruments, art director
  • Michael Karoli– electric guitar
  • Michi – voice
  • Markus Stockhausen– flugelhorn
  • Jaki Liebezeit– percussion, African flute
  • René Tinner- technical advice and assistant
  • Yuka Fujii – art director, cover art, photography design
  • David Buckland – front cover photography

Track listing:

  1. Flux (A Big, Bright, Colourful World) – David Sylvian, Holger Czukay
  2. Mutability (A New Beginning Is in the Offing) – David Sylvian, Holger Czukay