Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin – The Big Idea (1990) [Prog-Pop] @256K

By 1986, Dave & Barbara had reached a level of musical sophistication where aiming their work at the increasingly juvenile UK singles-buying market no longer seemed a smart career move. One afternoon, standing in the electronic chaos of his Chiswick music room, Dave Stewart made a pronouncement: “From now on, we’re going to make albums”. On that fateful day, work began on a project which was to take 3 years to complete, the awesome ‘Big Idea’ album. Every track is a labour of love, with no ‘fillers’. Starting with a lush and emotional exploration of a Billy Bragg song with a touching Tamla Motown theme, ‘Levi Stubbs’ Tears’, and continuing with the exquisite ballad ‘Grey Skies’ (about the English weather, and England), “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (a savagely deconstructed, choppy electronic version of the old Dylan song), ‘Mr. Theremin’ (a tribute to the Russian inventor – see ‘The Theremin’), ‘The Big Idea’ goes from strength to strength, finally culminating in the monumental ‘New Jerusalem’, a sonic epic on the dangers of nationalism complete with 25-voice Welsh choir, the pipe organ of St. Georges Hanover Square, and drums recorded in the Grand Canyon. Students of audio technology may be interested to know that the howling synthesizer solo played by Dave Stewart at the end of ‘New Jerusalem’ was recorded by 2 studio assistants whirling microphones on 8 foot leads around their heads like lassoes.

Tracklist:

01 – Levi Stubbs’ Tears
02 – My Scene (Sample in right panel)
03 – Grey Skies
04 – Subterranean Homesick Blues
05 – Heatwave
06 – The Crying Game
07 – Deep Underground
08 – Shadowland
09 – Mr Theremin
10 – New Jerusalem

Dave Stewart: Organ, Keyboards, Programming, Producer, Engineer, Pipe Organ, Rhythm Programming
Barbara Gaskin: Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Robin Boult: Guitar
Jakko M. Jakszyk: Guitar, Vocals (bckgr)
Rick Biddulph: Guitar, Guitar (Electric), Guitar (12 String), Sampling
Andy Duncan: Percussion
Lyndon Connah: Vocals (bckgr)
Kristoffer Blegvad: Vocals (bckgr)
Gavin Harrison: Cymbals, Drums
The Amorphous Choir: Vocals

(High resolution covers included)