Review by CD Services
Stephen Caudel is a brilliant multi instrumentalist that first
came to my notice in the early 80's. It was just about the time that
the CD format started to really break in the UK. I remember hearing
his 'Wine Dark Sea' playing in a shop and purchasing it as one of
my first ever CDs. 'Wine Dark Sea ' was easily the best of all the
CODA label releases in the 80's and the music from it was regularly
featured on television's 'Art of Landscape' programmes. Caudel's music
can only be described as "one-man rock symphonies" - it starts in
the realms of rock and crosses right over the musical spectrum to
touch on classical music, with its rich, at times grandiose displays
of intricate guitar work and superb keyboard craftsmanship. I have
often said that had M. Oldfield not emerged from the depth of Virgin's
Manor studios with his 'Tubular Bells' epic under his arm, then Stephen
Caudel my have made it big with his own brand of multi-instrumental
sound painting, but I dare say Richard Branson may not have been too
happy about it!!! Fans of Austria's multi-instrumental genius: Gandalf
will also derive much pleasure from listening to the music of this
wonderful composer, as will lovers of Steve Hackett's magical merging
of electric/acoustic guitars, keyboards and percussion. Mike Oldfield
is also a good reference point, but Caudel's music is much more majestic,
considerably less quirky and more solidly structured than earlier
Oldfield material.
Track
by track
So, let's take you through the CD track by track …… Track 1
is the title cut and it's a kind of prelude that introduces motifs
of characters and events from the album as a whole. It opens with
soft flute sounds & synth strings that create a very relaxed setting
before synth trumpets & massed choir effects break on to the scene
with bursts of powerful dramatics to herald the arrival of an acoustic
guitar that carries the main melody over a sea of swirling synth oboes
& strings. This track has a wonderful "days of old" feel about it!
'Call of Destiny', is a dramatic nine minute piece that looks
into the mists of time as it depicts an army legion on the march.
Stylistically, it is very similar to Steve Hackett material with keyboard
flutes, brasses & strings revolving around a 'Bolero' like central
theme, before it breaks off into some stunning electric/acoustic guitar
interplay. This series of majestically sweeping themes takes the music
from its darker beginning into a brighter progressive sound that Camel
(specifically Andy Latimer) fans will really go for. Track 3 is 'Coronation',
a grandiose four minute work with the electronic flutes & strings
creating a vision of some kind of royal pageantry display where synth
choirs, brass & percussion build the piece up into a splendid collage
of majestic keyboard orchestrations. Then it's straight into rock
territory with six minutes of Prog heaven on 'Gargantuan',
where soaring electric guitars sing over layers of strings & brass
samples, taking the music on a wonderfully melodic path that will
haunt the ears of symphonic rock fans for years to come - Classic
stuff that I defy any bands from the prog genre to beat … brilliant
music that's a prog fan's dream! 'Forbidden Love' follows and
it's a beautifully romantically inclined work with a stunning melody
performed on acoustic guitar and set on a background of flowing strings
- a lovely piece that Hackett or Anthony Phillips fans will adore.
It's back to a more ethereal, dramatic style for 'Dark of Night'
- an evocative six minutes of symphonic wonder that is initially dominated
by keyboards, but as the track builds up the percussion & choirs effects
rejoin the show, with guitar of the "soaring into the heavens" variety
making a welcome return with interludes of flute & acoustic guitar
giving the track a more segmented feel towards the closing moments.
The five minute epic 'Eve of Battle/Dawn' is introduced with
a sea of soft string & mystical flute sounds floating behind a beautifully
honed acoustic guitar melody. Suddenly a crazed electric guitar solo
makes a surprising entrance and proceeds to tear its way through the
scene in ferocious manner. Wild, crashing percussion then builds the
scene up to fever pitch and then the calming sounds of more strings
& flutes take over again to lead the track towards a grandiose symphonic
finale full of sweeping strings & masses of other orchestral sounds.
The nine minute closer comes in the shape of 'A Legend Is Born',
where a pulsing rhythm creates the base for the oncoming display of
soaring electric guitars & thematic synth chords with some fine, but
brief acoustic guitar parts creating breathing space before the powerful
electric onslaught continues in grand Hackett-esque fashion. At the
half-way mark the track steps down a few gears and moves back into
symphonic territory with the acoustic guitar crying over a sombre
Mellotron like string backdrop - an extremely vivid emotional ending.
Conclusion
Overall, 'Earth in Turquoise' is a superb example of "real"
instrumental symphonic rock music and it falls mainly into two categories
as far as a CD services audience is concerned. 1) The Gandalf style
of melodic, electronic sound-painting - & 2) The more symphonic areas
of progressive rock where the likes of Steve Hackett & Camel reign
as rulers of that kingdom - but in this CD, the two have found a worthy
adversary and strong challenger for the symphonic rock crown - An
album full of glorious guitar/keyboard based themes that will thrill
and move any fan of either of the two genres - A winner for sure!
