A total of more than 6 hours (count 'em - six) of modern third-wave symphonic
progressive rock
No effort has been spared, and this is doubtlessly the most professional,
classy package we've seen.
Then slip in the first CD and ... Wow! That synthesizer hits you like a
sledgehammer cloaked in velvet - it's "Dark Water Part I", a synthesizer-led
instrumental that shows off the most powerful characteristics of that instrument
- rich, deep tones played over bass pedals, and half way through the drums and a
strummed acoustic guitar help it builds into
a full-strength instrumental with its deliberate melody burning its way into
your conscience to become the earworm you will hear for days afterward ...
before fading into soft ocean winds, and moving seamlessly into the introduction
of "Earthbound".
As you've gathered - Looking Backward is a retrospective compilation of
14 years of
the Rocket Scientists' releases (excluding their recent Revolution Road)
Through all those years Erik Norlander has championed the classic keyboard instruments that
defined early progressive music and many of these songs feature Moogs, Hammonds
and 'Trons (oh my). Don Schiff is a talented all-rounder who
appears on bass (fretted and fretless), as well as various Stick instruments.
In fact he was instrumental in the development of the new NS/Stick (Ned
Steinberg, he of the Steinberg guitar, who co-developed it with Emmett Chapman).
He produces a fascinating sound which is best appreciated on the DVD - where you
see Don's Stick effortlessly representing a solid bass and a wailing lead guitar
- at the same time.
There are 6 parts to the "Dark Water" song, spread across
three of the CDs. Just for fun - program your iPod to play all six of them
back to back. You'll get a 21-minute all-instrumental epic with themes that are (occasionally) reprised and developed, tempos shift and
turn, and all of them are serious, strong pieces with an emphasis on moody,
often spacey themes presented by well produced, richly layered keyboards. Only
two of them actually flow into each other, but it's good listen to a piece of
music the artists probably had no intention of you hearing. Another recurring item across all Rocket Scientist CDs is a song named for a
historical scientist. There was "Pythagoras" on the Earthbound
album, "Copernicus" on Brutal Architecture, "Archimedes" on Oblivion
Days, and "Ptolomey" on Revolution Road (not included in this
package). Again - drag and drop all of those tracks into your MP3 player
and you have 15 minutes of solid progressive music without that much in common -
besides some staccato themes that recur from time to time. Fun, anyway.
The DVD starts with same 2 songs as The 2007 Sessions, then has interspersed vocal
sections with band members describing the genesis and many of the musical
specifics of each upcoming song. And as you watch the band recording the
pieces "live in the studio", the DVD showcases the artists'
musicianship more clearly than the CDs can - and particularly, highlights
Schiff's clever fretboard work on his stick, and Greg Ellis's excellent display
of how a brilliant drummer can add life to his music. Singer/guitarist
Mark McCrite's contributions are also most easily appreciated on the DVD, and
you have to love the way his forays into Howe-esque guitar work - listen
to "Minstrel Savior" - add to Norlander's classic prog moods.
Individually, the CDs that have been re-mastered here would earn ratings varying
from 4 to 5 stars. But considering the quality of the whole package and
the tremendous amount you'll get with it - this is clearly a 5-star
product. The press release says
it's a must-have for Rocket Scientist fans. It's wrong. It's a
must-have for any progressive rock fan.
Track Listing:
Disc One: Looking Backward - The 2007 Sessions (2007):
1. Dark Water Part One [4:32] - new 2007 recording
2. Earthbound [6:12] - new 2007 recording
3. Picture Show [8:46] - new 2007 recording
4. Pythagoras (Unbound) [3:54] - new 2007 recording
5. Minstrel Saviour [7:28] - new 2007 recording
6. When Sorrow Falls [5:13] - new 2007 recording
7. Carry Me Home [5:18] - new 2007 recording
8. Escape [10:01] - 2007 remix, previously unreleased
9. Break the Silence [6:01] - 2007 remix
10. Mariner [7:31] - Kelly Keeling vocal version from 2003
11. Earthbound Reprise [2:16] - new 2000 / 2007 recording
12. Dark Water Part Five [6:36] - new 2007 recording
13. Dark Water Part Six [2:12] - new 2007 recording
Disc Two: Oblivion Days (1999, remastered in 2007):
1. Dark Water Part Three: Neptune's Sun [1:46]
2. Aqua Vitae [6:28]
3. Oblivion Days [7:07]
4. Archimedes [5:38]
5. Banquo's Ghost [6:00]
6. Space 1999 [4:38]
7. Escape [10:02]
8. Compass Variation [3:59] - 1999 Japanese edition bonus track
9. Break the Silence [6:01]
10. Dark Water Part Four: Heavy Water [4:44]
11. Wake Me Up - Live in Tokyo 1999 [6:22] - 1999 edition bonus track
12. Stardust - MM96 Mix [4:55] - 1999 European edition bonus track
Disc Three: Brutal Architecture (1995, remastered in 2007):
1. Dark Water Part One [4:12]
2. Wake Me Up [5:44]
3. Copernicus [2:53]
4. Brutal Architecture [6:20]
5. Nether [4:04]
6. Dark Water Part Two [1:39]
7. The Fall of Icarus [6:30]
8. Resolution [7:31]
9. Rainy Days & Pastel Grays [7:13]
10. Millennium 3 [7:16]
11. Mariner [11:31]
12. Stardust [4:57] - 1996 Japanese edition bonus track
Disc Four: Earthbound (1993, remastered in 2007):
1. Earthbound [4:57]
2. Down Trodden [3:30]
3. Picture Show [4:59]
4. No More Lies [4:28]
5. Killing Joke [3:46]
6. Avalon [4:05]
7. Welcome to the Machine [4:48]
8. Minstrel Saviour [6:09]
9. When Sorrow Falls [3:46]
10. Calm Before the Storm [4:27]
11. Pythagoras [0:57]
12. Temple of Pain [3:58]
13. Carry Me Home [4:12]
14. To the Edge of the World - 1993 Demo [3:42] - previously unreleased bonus
track
DVD (NTSC Region Free): Looking Backward (2007):
"LOOKING BACKWARD" Feature [102 min.]
1. Dark Water Part One / Main Titles
2. Earthbound
3. Interview segment
4. Picture Show
5. Interview segment
6. Pythagoras (Unbound)
7. Interview segment
8. Minstrel Saviour
9. Interview segment
10. When Sorrow Falls
11. Interview segment
12. Dark Water Part Five
13. Dark Water Part Six / End Titles
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:
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