“The music of David Wright transcends frontiers of England School with a touch of his own in a scent of New Age that makes his music so unique”
CD 1
1 Legend of the Tundra 8:24
2 Albania, Pt. 1 8:30
3 Beijing 5:44
4 Rysheara 3:26
5 Cosmicon 5:52
6 Club 80 5:16
7 Returning Tides 4:16
8 Albania, Pt. 2 4:42
9 Dissimilar Views 17:12
CD 2
1 Arrival 3:06
2 Smiling Shadows Lie 3:53
3 Korce 4:59
4 Room of Dolphins 3:18
5 Borders of Colour 1:47
6 Benny's Theme 2:45
7 Transformation 2:26
8 Mountain Miles 7:45
9 Memories 1:11
10 Embarou Bay 5:16
11 Love Remembered 5:34
12 Rysheara (Alternate Version 2019) 3:26
13 Connundrum 7:42
14 Returning Tides (Alternate Version 2019) 9:16
(2CD/DDL 125:46) (V.F.)
(England School, E-Rock, Symphonic EM & New Age)
In my column on Dissimilar Views, I mentioned that circumstances beyond the control of David Wrights management had forced his entourage and the entire team behind the Albania - The Korçë Project to abandon this humanitarian project aimed at helping abandoned children in Albania. By reading Steve Roberts' notes on AD Music site, we learn that a first version of DISSIMILAR VIEWS 2 was assembled by David Wright and put on sale on the English label's download platform in 2002. A CD-R version was also offered. There still remains a nebulous side to the story when Mr. Robert mentions that this edition of DV2 offered music from DV, with additional music which had been composed in 1995 and which could not be offered for all kinds of reasons. A little more and it looks like reading a step in the nebulous career of Tangerine Dream (sic!). But I would never doubt the integrity of David Wright who seems to have finally acquired the full rights of this saga that he completely remixed in a contemporary sound vision, which has passed the iTunes test, the whole of this album which was a turning point in his career. It was his bestseller! How is this project strewn with pitfalls? Imagine that the E-Scape 2020 festival, whose funds were going to this project, had to be canceled because of the new Corona virus!
Now back to DISSIMILAR VIEWS 2 and the changes versus Dissimilar Views! The sound is updated to the same level as the Apple Digital Masters requirements, and the album presents 62 minutes of additional music composed in the wake of this humanitarian project. And the titles of the album are presented in a different order which sticks more to the concept and ideas of the time. And we feel that impact as soon as the splendid Albania, Pt. 1 follows the very electronic rock of Legend of the Tundra. The first new title that we meet is Club 80. It's an electronic rock which takes a Jazz tangent, and which is very creative in terms of percussion and of percussive elements. Great and lively! Thereafter, Mountain Miles is a good title of electronic-symphonic rock. David Wright presents a structure of pulsating bass sequences which beats a sustained rhythm on which are grafted orchestrations and other decorative elements which feed the intensity of the music. The short and symphonic Memories flows very well to the Mountain Miles' finale. Embarou Bay is one of those ballads that capsize our emotions like only the English musician can. Pan flutes add a New Age texture to this slow rock that we can dance like a slow. It may be New Age, but it remains of invading beauty. And that rightly precedes the very beautiful Love Remembered, which is a little longer here and which remains tenderly attractive. The alternative version of Rysheara is clearly more beautiful with its slower flow. The guitar is also less aggressive. Connundrum shows a less familiar visage of David Wright to his new fans. It's a progressive structure knotted in dense orchestrations where an electric piano line swirls. It's a static and minimalist title which struggles in its intense orchestral cloth where everything seems to sway in a lento and repetitive pattern. Returning Tides is one of the great titles in David's catalog. Its alternative version offers a structure which is almost similar, and which is also extended by 5 minutes. It's an opening with a piano line that awaits our ears. This new approach is simply lyrical. A saxophone offers its solitary lamentations in a fairly good moment of tenderness. These are two nice musical minutes before the nervous rhythm resurfaces. The finale finds the sweetness of its intro for 3 minutes and dusts.
Well, we know everything about this Dissimilar Views' adventure. Well….almost! 😊 And is the extra 62 minutes of music worth the price versus the Dissimilar Views single CD? You have to look further than that! The order of presentation of the titles gives an added value to DISSIMILAR VIEWS 2. In addition, the new titles are quite interesting as well as the alternative versions of the 2 titles. I leave you on this question; has David Wright ever offered us anything useless?
Sylvain Lupari (April 21st, 2020) *****
Available at AD Music