Windo, Gary - Steam Radio Tapes (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
03-GZO190.2
This album has a long and complicated history. In April, 1976, saxist Gary Windo, who was working part time for Nick Mason of Pink Floyd as a mechanic for Nick's car collection, was offered the opportunity to record a album at Pink Floyd's brand-new studio. He would be offered this opportunity as a 'test', to allow the engineers to test, with real musicians, the over-all systems and sound.
Between the years 1976-1978, as time allowed, Gary and a number of other musicians, including
Pam Windo-piano
Steve Hillage-guitar
Mike Hugg-organ
Richard Brunton-guitar
Hugh Hopper-bass
Bill MacCormick-bass
Nick Mason-drums
Peter Van Hooke-drums
Robert Wyatt-vocals
Julie Tippetts-vocals
Terri Quaye-vocals
and even more players, came in and laid down tracks.
The album was completely finished, shopped around by Nick, turned down by all the labels and then half-forgotten.
At a certain point in the 80s, when Gary had moved to the USA, the tapes were exhumed by Gary and Mike King. Some of the original masters were missing or lost or ruined, but there were versions of the entire album in various better or worse sounding versions.
Some of these tracks were previously used on the two Gary Windo archival releases Mike oversaw for us and Cuneiform, His Master's Bones and Anglo-American, but in at least one case not in finished form and, in any event, the record has never been issued in full until now!
"Never heard of Gary Windo, as a solo artist but on the strength of the collaborators (Nick Mason, of Pink Floyd, Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine,, Carla Bley to name but a few) on this disc I took the plunge.
What was I expecting? I am not sure - something along the lines of Nick Masons ‘Fictitious Sports’ possibly, Soft Machine perhaps. What I have though is a Gary Windo album fitting somewhere between the more accessible elements of Matching Mole and Miles Davis ‘Bitch’s Brew’. This is a great album easy to listen to and rewarding when listened to and not put on as background muzak.
Starting with the clarinet solo instrumental of 'Ginkie' and ending with the rather good ‘Red River Valley’ the long lost son of ‘Red River Rock’. The stand out track is for me ‘Stand Fast’ like many songs on the album a suite of ideas pulled together in a single song.
Pink Floyd this is not, but as a classy lost gem of the 70’s British jazz scene, this is recommended."
- LabelGonzo
- UPC5060230863696