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Various Artists (Concept albums & Themed compilations) - Morning Of The Earth original soundtrack CD (album) cover

MORNING OF THE EARTH ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Various Artists (Concept albums & Themed compilations)

 

Various Genres

3.87 | 6 ratings

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sl75
4 stars For prog fans, the principal interest of this soundtrack album is in the contributions of Tamam Shud - the three tracks here are the most progressive tracks they ever recorded. "Bali Waters" is a mellow instrumental, somewhat reminiscent of Focus, in which Richard Lockwood's flute takes the leading role. The version here is lifted by Peter Jones' sensitive string arrangement. "Sea The Swells" is based on the simplest of musical ideas - a straight up and down scale - but becomes the launching place for a great mellow jazzy jam, again with Lockwood's flute taking the leading role, although Tim Gaze does get in a decent guitar solo. Duryea's congas are more prominent here than in any other Tamam Shud recording. "First Things First" is the straightest of the Tamam Shud tracks, a mellow ballad penned by Tim Gaze, sung here by Broderick Smith from Carson, with Lockwood contributing a lovely counter melody on clarinet.

The rest of the album generally focuses on folk or softer rock styles, and for the most part maintains a mellow vibe. Peter Howe's "I'm Alive" is a highlight, with extremely delicate vocals over a picked guitar part, with some sympathetic flute (from Lockwood?) towards the end. The title track, one of those epic ballads constructed on four descending chords, could have been very cheesy were it not for Peter Jones' excellent orchestral arrangement. "Open Up Your Heart is the most commercial moment, although again Peter Jones does his best to lift it above standard top 40 fare. "Simple Ben" is a lengthy, repetitive folk song which succeeds thanks largely to it's lyrics and Brian Cadd's intervention on piano. "I'll Be Alright" and "Day Comes" are folk-rock ballads dominated by piano and acoustic guitar. Brian Cadd's three contributions are the only tracks to break the mellow mood, his exuberant southern-style rock jarring somewhat with the rest of the album - although "Making It On Your Own" is among the best of his early songs with it's stretched out arrangement. The whole album is justly regarded as a classic of Australian music, whose fame has probably outstripped the film it was made to accompany. (Who has actually seen the film? No, me neither)

The 30th anniversary edition adds four bonus tracks that were left off the original album. For some reason they've chosen to intersperse this among the original tracks instead of tacking them on the end, which somewhat messes with the flow of the record. The additional tracks from G Wayne Thomas and Peter Howe are of disappointing sound quality, as if they were dubbed from a print of the film. "Ullawata" is basically the rest of the fade from "I'm Alive", with the focus on the flute solo. "Getting Back" is a country song. The two contributions from NZ band ticket again jar somewhat with the mood of the rest of the album, being heavy psych guitar rock, but are pleasing contributions in their own right - particularly "Dream Chant" with it's pleasing main melody and riff, and diversion into completely unexpected harmonic territory.

sl75 | 4/5 |

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