STEVE TIBBETTS

It is also very unusual that a fusion album has such an original and magnificently composed atmosphere. Tibbetts used techniques such as overdubbing so much that it is said a single song could have as many as 50 different layers to it. That is truly astounding. Despite this, the sound still manages to retain its warmth and intimacy. When recording this many layers it is too easy to go overboard, like many over produced prog albums.

It may be a stretch to call this fusion, because it relies on a slightly different language, but nonetheless it is a truly monumental Masterpiece (with a capital M), because it is so expressive and warm in a cold and calculated era of plastic music. Hats off to Steve Tibbetts.

3(-), there's not much to rate. Calm, calm and again calm music, no major twists at all, slow pace, acoustic beauty. That's all. So if you want Prog, look elsewhere, because this album is for different audience.

The resulting album offers another fascinating example of Tibbett's active interest in esoteric World Music, in this case the ancient folk tradition of rural Scandinavia. In keeping with the unplugged spirit of the moment Tibbetts was joined by his old friend Marc Anderson (adding a sprinkle of hand-held percussives) and a small string section, including harp and psaltery. Together this multi-cultural ensemble creates a melancholy sound conjuring the bleak but beautiful landscapes of both the northern Minnesota prairie and the permafrost of backwoods Norway.

There is some beautiful music here, but 54-minutes are more than enough for a single sitting: after a while a certain monotony creeps into the set. This is an album that doesn't exactly encourage active listening, but it can provide ideal background music for churning butter, knitting woolen socks, or taking long, brisk walks across fallow winter farmland. Approach it in the right frame of mind, and be transported.

This year 2002 album is (in my limited experience with his work) quintessential Tibbetts, typically building layers of overlapping liquid guitars over a perfect storm of exotic percussion, in this instance borrowed from the foothills of Kashmir: tables, gongs, shakers, and so forth. Individual track titles are meaningless: the entire album flows together with remarkable unity, sounding as if it was improvised on the spot and then carefully enhanced in post-production with a dizzy panoply of effects.

Rarely is there an actual melody to latch onto: most of it is a dreamscape of atmospheric rhythms and ethnic textures, blending pinpoint acoustic clarity with fuzzed-out electronic fury. It's an almost cinematic experience, in places resembling the soundtrack to a Central Asia action film. Sometimes delicate, at other times surprisingly harsh, the album as a whole is never less than compelling, and gives newcomers an ideal introduction to a unique (and unfairly overlooked) musical talent.

YR has far more in common with sophisticated instrumental rock than with any kind of jazz. It should appeal to anyone who enjoys guitar-playing that is poetic as well as energetic; I can imagine it will be liked by admirers of Steve Hillage, David Torn, Brand X, Jade Warrior and (early) Mike Oldfield. Strongly recommended!

Do you like frenetic percussion? I mean REALLY frenetic, the kind that makes Santana sound like a kindergarten Christmas recital? Then THE FALL OF US ALL must be the album for you. Especially the first six tracks, because there Steve Tibbetts (percussion), Marc Anderson (Congas, steel drum and percussion) and Marcus Wise (tabla) lay down the wildest rhythms, on top of which Tibbetts plays manic guitar solos, like a latter-day Hendrix. It sounds as if he's on a wild motorcycle ride through Asia, having started the day on half a liter of the blackest coffee - at least the tracks' titles (and the temple photos in the CD booklet) suggest as much: 'Dzogchen punks', 'Full moon dogs', 'Hellbound train'... Occasional relief is provided by gentle wordless female vocals, balmy synths and dreamy guitar loops.

In the second half of the CD Tibbetts has crashed. He now sounds as if he's stumbling through Bangkok in a daze, with a terrible hangover. Electric solos are virtually absent. Tibbetts mainly plays desolate acoustic guitar, helped by steel drums and plangent double bass. Again, the titles seem to be telling a story: 'All for nothing', 'Fade away', 'Drinking lesson', 'Burnt offering', 'Travel alone'. I hope he made it home safely!

"Adventurously eclectic" said one review (Downbeat); to me, it is dominated by irresistibly penetrating rhythms and themes. This is a recording that captures the soundtrack of my heart and mind. It has been characterized as "ambient" by some, and while it is that at times, it is much more than that - it is truly dominating foreground music, not for background because at lower volume you will be missing the beautiful integration of the instruments and the intensity of it. But if you're expecting something that dominates your attention at all times, this probably won't be satisfying, and you'll find it pointless (and maybe ya need a longer attention span).

This is one of many (but not all) of Tibbetts recordings that is an intricate mixture of guitar and percussion. To me, the billing on these albums should be Tibbetts and Anderson, referring to Marc Anderson, who frequently accompanies Steve and arranges the percussion tracks. Tibbetts is the dominant creative genius, but the integrated textures of guitar overdubs and intense driving percussion are inseparable on these Tibbetts/Anderson albums. Without the percussion, the music would be lacking the enormous emotion and intensity it provides. There are other percussionists who accompany Anderson on this album (Tim Weinhold, Steve Cochrane).

"Test", the first track, fades in with softly throbbing percussion and an intensifying alternation of distorted power chords, then a screaming lead track. The percussion drives steadily on; the guitar tracks fade in, scream, and fade out. Excellent track, one of the best compositions of Tibbetts/Anderson.

"Climbing" is a much softer tune with a gentle steady rhythm with steel drums and a wonderfully integrated lead track. It merges into "Running", also a softer composition with an interesting rhythm track, nice steady rhythm guitar, and a soft lead track. These two provide a very nice interlude and move seamlessly into "Night Again", which begins with a few simple ringing notes repeated on a 12-string guitar, and expands into simple chords and patterns with a haunting background (synthesizer and subtle percussion). These tracks continue the air of mystery and haunting that fills this album.

In the liner notes to another Tibbetts album is an interesting anecdote about the song "Running". Steve and Marc spent a day in a grassy filed surrounded by cement buildings at a college in Minneapolis, where there was "a good slap-echo". The sound of Marc's young son running toward Marc gave a left-to-right rhythmic sound, which with Marc's clicking rachet and the breathing of the boy provided an interesting tape-loop that was used as the foundation of the song. (This is from an interview of Tibbetts by Michael Engelbrecht.)

"My Last Chance" is a pleasant mix of a higher pitched lead track, layered with a nice gentle rhythm guitar track, some fitting base notes (Bob Hughes is credited with bass), and excellent percussion. "Vision" begins with a steady rhythm and a lead track that sounds reminiscent of bells, but after a bit over a minute the soothing is penetrated by a searing lead guitar that dominates much of the rest of the five minute track. "Any Minute", "Mission" and "Burning Up" feature driving, yet not overly intense, rhythm tracks painted with relatively simple guitar overdubs. "Any Minute" includes something that sounds to me like vibraphone, but apparently isn't (per album credits).

"Going Somewhere" completes the album with a long meandering track, certainly more ambient than most others on this album, that repeatedly wanders diversely from quiet soundscape, into a searing lead, then back to the quiet soundscape. If you're looking for Pink Floyd, this probably goes nowhere for you, but I find it intriguing, but not captivating from start to end.

The cover art is an interesting picture of what looks like a border exit gate over a dirt road, with the inscription "ByeBye Safe Journey". I'm sure there is a good story behind it, but don't know it. I have read that the US domestic cut of this is from a later version of the master copy and lacks the richness of the original master, so the import is of better quality. I cannot verify if that is the case; all I have heard are the US releases (vinyl and CD), they are satisfactory to me.

Overall, this is a wonderfully soothing set of compositions with varying intense interludes that keep it well away from New Age mush - not even remotely comparable to that crap. It has been a long-time favorite, and is music that I will always grab first when collecting tunes for a long road trip, and gets played early in the trip. and maybe again later. Top to bottom, I think it is one of Tibbetts best albums, it is top-notch stuff that never grows old.

Solidly worth 4.5 stars. ByeBye.

Big Map Idea, the sixth Tibbetts album, is a set of hypnotic compositions with dreamy depth and texture, quieter than most of the other Tibbetts/Anderson compositions, but with not nearly as much quiet introspective space as Tibbetts' third album, "Northern Song". To some, this might have a darker mood than others, but I find it a refreshing and enjoyable set of tracks.

"Black Mountain Side" begins the album, it's a significant improvement of the Jimmy Page track first heard on Led Zeppelin's first album (although I love the way it works as a lead-in to "Communication Breakdown" on that earlier album). As usual, the percussion here and throughout Big Map Idea is top-shelf. The ensuing tracks are largely based on excellent percussion and acoustic or subtle electric guitar layers; this album lacks much of the searing guitar layers featured on other of their albums (especially on Exploded View and select tracks on others).

Part of an interview of Tibbetts by Michael Engelbrecht included in the liner notes of the CD describe Tibbetts use of sounds from the natural environment: "There are a lot of possibilities in sound; possibilities of boredom and of entertainment, there are possibilities of sound actually tapping into your memory and uncovering something with potential, with energy. sounds unlock a flood of emotions.. So you can go into the field, into the arena, out into the world with a tape recorder looking for sounds with coherent harmonic content, good rhythmic content, or emotional content. When you bring these sounds back into the studio and record them on to one track of your. recorder, those sounds will inform the music you're making around them: An emotional situation will inform the music. You can use these sounds as a skeleton, as a scaffolding for a piece of music, as a mold for a piece of clay. In the end, if necessary, you can pull the sound away and let the music exist on its own." He later adds he and Marc arrived at this approach because they "were bored with recording in the studio."

Finally, don't let anyone fool you into thinking this is even remotely comparable to New Age mush (or any other typical category that music is pigeonholed in). If you are new to Steve Tibbetts, you probably wouldn't want to start with this one (consider Yr, Safe Journey or Exploded View instead). But if you've discovered how good the music of Tibbetts and Anderson is, this is another in their collection of very worthwhile compositions.

3.5 stars, very worthwhile if you are a Tibbetts fan, questionable if you aren't. Peace.