"Sensational!"
That's how Acoustic Alchemy's Greg Carmichael describes the year
2000. With a new album, a new label and a newly configured band
behind him, the man can hardly be faulted for his excitement.
This
new chapter in Acoustic Alchemy's storied history officially kicks
off with the May 23rd release of The Beautiful Game, on the Higher
Octave label. Carmichael was able to achieve a number of dynamic
departures on the record, abetted by his collaborations with a variety
of writers and musicians. Some of these were old friends who had
lent previous support, others were new additions to the Acoustic
Alchemy family. Collectively, they helped Greg coax a dramatic and
open feel from the music, which was recorded at studios in England,
Germany, and the U.S. (specifically S.F. and Nashville).
"The
reason I surrounded myself with so many great people for this project
is that I've longed to be part of a team," says British native Carmichael,
whose longtime guitarist partner and AA founding member Nick Webb
passed away in 1998. "From the beginning, Acoustic Alchemy has been
more about a musical concept than either of us as individuals, and
so I felt inclined to simply find the right people to embrace the
future. Rather than having rigid ideas of what I wanted the new
sound to be like, I felt very open to exploring new ideas, responding
to the input of these other co - writers. I was open to what they
might have to offer, including working with a computer alongside
live musicians. The result is that while we can’t possibly recapture
the old band, you can still hear the signature sound of AA but with
different and positive new influences."
Carmichael's
collaborators include longtime bandmember John Parsons who took
over Webb's seat when Acoustic Alchemy toured in 1998; San Francisco
based ex-A.A. keyboardist Terry Disley, whom Carmichael wrote with
via tapes and international mail; album co-producer Miles Gilderdale,
another of AA's longtime backing guitarists; the young techno keyboardist
Tony White, AA's current bass player Frank Felix and producer Richard
Bull, known for his soulful grooves with Incognito, George Benson
and Workshy.
Another
unique touch was producer Steven Jones’ idea to produce two tracks
-- the dusty, loping, dobro enhanced "Big Sky Country" and the snappy
jazz/rock jam "Trail Blazer" --in Nashville, with the city's top
session players and a good measure of country attitude. Carmichael
liked the lively re-productions so much he decided to include both
the American and the English Versions of the two tracks as a special
bonus. Other key cuts are the moody, retro-soul/blues flavored "The
Panama Cat," the rolling, bass driven Spanish adventure "The Angel
of the South" and the hypnotic, reggae splashed title track.
"Nick's
and my rule of thumb was that everything would start with the two
guitars," says Carmichael, "but we break the rules here by starting
with keyboards, kids voices (on 'Kidstuff') and other instruments.
As for the album title, its immediate reference is to soccer, which
is huge in England of course and which is a passion of most of the
bandmembers. Then of course, there’s the more ambiguous meaning,
which refers quite intentionally to the game of life."
Webb
and guitarist Simon James were the original members of Acoustic
Alchemy, which was formed in England in the early 80's. The band
didn’t achieve notoriety until Carmichael replaced James a few years
later, and the release of Red Dust and Spanish Lace coincided perfectly
with the new NAC radio format. Acoustic Alchemy has a rich legacy
based on the extraordinary airplay, sales and critical reception
given the many Webb-Carmichael recordings over the years. The duo’s
tale begins with them providing the in-flight entertainment for
a Virgin Airlines flight from England to America, playing their
way to America and hoping to get a record deal. Signed to the MCA
Master Series label by Tony Brown, their popularity took off with
albums like Natural Elements (1988), Blue Chip (1989).
GRP
bought their contract in 1990, reissuing the early work and also
releasing Reference Point, Back on the Case, Early Alchemy (featuring
Webb's collaborations with James), The New Edge, Against the Grain
and the live in the studio Arcanum, which featured new arrangements
of classics, a few new tracks and full orchestrations. Recorded
over three days at Pinewood Film Studios in England (home to all
the James Bond films), the sessions were filmed by director Aubrey
Powell for a television documentary of the band, released by GRP
on video under the title Best Kept Secret.
Upon
Webb's February 1998 death from pancreatic cancer towards the end
of The Recording of Positive Thinking, Carmichael found himself
at a crossroads as to the course Acoustic Alchemy should take. At
the time, he said, "the best tribute I can think of to someone who
through it all just kept going, is to keep it going myself."
Carmichael,
however, was only sure Acoustic Alchemy would continue once he saw
how the audiences responded to the reconfigured band in the live
setting. "The decision to move on this way was a natural process
because you can't rush the mourning process or make big career decisions
during that phase. I had to ask myself, am I really happy about
this? Over time, I knew the answer was yes, and I knew we had to
move forward for the long-term. Nick’s spirit lives in all the music
I created with him and all we do now. That is my commitment to what
he started and what we cultivated."
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