OFF: Steve Hillage 'Light in the Sky'

[dave hall]

1978. Around about the time that Hillage and Blake were on the Xitintoday.
Dave
-----Original Message-----
From: Jon Jarrett <jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK>
To: BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET <BOC-L at LISTSERV.ISPNETINC.NET>
Date: 15 November 2003 17:19
Subject: Re: OFF: Steve Hillage 'Light in the Sky'


>On Wed, 30 Jul 2003, Rich Warren wrote:
>
>> Having been a Gong Fan for many moons, I picked the new Virgin/EMI Steve
Hillage
>> Compilation 'Light in the Sky'
>>
>> What a cracking album, very glad I picked it up indeed, has a superb b
side
>> collaboration with Tim Blake called 'Shimmer', and 'Ether Ships' is just
a
>> phenomenal track. 'Activation Meditation/The Glorious Om Riff' is truly
awesome.
>
>        I don't suppose any suitably pot-headed people would know when
>that's from exactly so I can stick it in the colaborations file, would
>they?
>
>        And I'm in two minds about that evrsion of the Om Riff; it doesn't
>have as much pure energy going as some of the Gong versions but on the
>other hand Andy Anderson's drumming is *fabulous*, changes the shape of
>the track every turn-around. It's just a little bit too finished, it
>doesn't hammer the riff into your head the way it should. But I do like
>it.
>
>        <snip>
>
>> The sound is bolt clear, so the Hillage remasters should be worth the
wait. I
>> hadn't realised 'GREEN' was such gem, it must be based on the 4 tracks
I'm
>> hearing on this compilation.
>
>        The second half of _Green_ is one long suite which finishes up
>with `Activation Meditation' and `The Glorious Om Riff', but the first
>half makes me cringe rather in places. In particular, being the age I am,
>I can't hear `Unidentified Flying Being' without immediately thinking of
>the Grange Hill theme tune. And `Musik of the Trees', even though I
>tolerate Hillage's lyrical New Age excess better than some I know, is very
>difficult to hear without wincing. But, with possible exception of `UFB',
>which is an escaped funk track that doesn't really belong, the music is
>great. The second side works very well (but then, it's mostly
>instrumental... ). Yours,
>                          Jon
>
>ObCD: Spiritual Beggars - _Per Aspera Ad Astra_
>--
>                Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College, London
>    jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk/ejarr01 at students.bbk.ac.uk
>  "As much as the vision of the blind man improves with the rising sun,
>       So too does the intelligence of the fool after good advice."
>       (Bishop Theodulf of Orleans, late-eight/early-ninth century)
>