Product Format: CDDV
** Regular Stock Item **Price: Normally
£15.99 Currently
£10.83 (exc)
£12.99 (inc)
Qty:
This is the Limited CD+DVD-Audio edition of the 2014 solo album from the twice Grammy nominated PINK FLOYD sound engineer: Andy Jackson!
This Limited Edition Double Disc edition of the ‘Signal to Noise’ CD includes a DVD-Audio Disc (NTSC/Region Free) featuring DTS 96/24 Digital Surround and High Resolution LPCM Stereo mixes of the album that were prepared at Astoria studios.
‘Signal To Noise’ is a fine, modern Psychedelic Progressive work that draws on Andy Jackson’s exemplary work as an engineer and producer. Besides being an allusion to Andy’s sound engineering background, the title refers to many of the lyrical themes of the album. Andy explains: “The album reflects on the sorting of what is important in life from the humdrum of everyday existence, and is in itself an analogy for the process of the creation of the album”.
The CDS Towers review…
‘Signal To Noise’ has been issued amidst a massive bout of FLOYD fever in the UK with the release in the same month of PINK FLOYD’s final album: ‘The Endless River’, and I guess the question on every FLOYD fan’s lips has to be… Is this anything like a PF album?
Having now listened to it right through a couple of times, I would say, YES, in many respects it certainly is!
I sense the earlier, more Psychedelic PF songs as being a major influence of the music on ‘Signal To Noise’.
The music is taken at a similarly laid-back, plodding pace that’s tightly held together by the bass and drum work, just as many FLOYD tracks are, and there is nice use of electric, slide and acoustic guitar over most tracks.
However, a good level of the driving force behind the music comes from keyboards, synthesizers and electronics. The MELLOTRON is not a sound normally associated to any great degree with the majority FLOYD tracks, at least certainly not during any part of the later period, but Jackson does feature the instrument (or an extremely well sampled version of one) quite heavily on some tracks on this album, which, like myself, is going to please a lot of Prog fans big time, and it adds perfectly to the Psychedelic feel displayed by much of the music.
The songs themselves are actually extremely very well written and are a times quite infectious in a strange kind of way, and although Andy’s vocals (at least I’m assuming it’s him) are not the greatest I’ve heard, they do fit perfectly into the context of the concept of the album, standing up well within the overall sound and feel of the music, and as such, are therefore more than acceptable.
Some of the guitar work throughout ‘Signal To Noise’ is undoubtedly Gilmour influenced, but if you are looking for the big electrifying solos, you’ll have to wait for the final track, and even then, it is not anywhere near a ‘Comfortably Numb’, but it does hint at references to the fantastic style you all know and love!
So, in conclusion, if you are a FLOYD fan, I would certainly go for ‘Signal To Noise’, but the odd thing is, where Andy Jackson is noted for his work on later PINK FLOYD albums, I would say the influences on this solo album definitely come from the band’s earlier albums! There are also points when some classic (Virgin period) Steve Hillage moments came to mind for me as well, but given that this is a Psychedelic Progressive-Rock album, that is perhaps to be expected and no bad thing if you ask me!
As you would expect from a PINK FLOYD sound engineer/producer, the DVD-Audio Quadrophonic and Stereo versions of the album that come with this Limited Double Disc sound fantastic as well!
‘Signal To Noise’ is going to be that unexpected Christmas bonus for FLOYD fans already cock-a -hoop with their copies of the brilliant ‘Endless River’ album. Nice one Andy!
About the musician…
Andy Jackson began his career at Utopia Studios in London, training under James Guthrie, a relationship that continues to this day, with the duo being co-pilots of PINK FLOYD’s sound.
Andy had success as a recording engineer at Utopia, including hits with BOOMTOWN RATS’ ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’, before the call came from James Guthrie to follow him into the world of PINK FLOYD, to work on the film of ‘The Wall’, an offer he couldn’t resist, having been a FLOYD fan for many years.
So started a relationship that continues to this day, (on albums such as: ‘The Final Cut’, ‘A Momentary Lapse Of Reason’, ‘The Division Bell’, ‘Pulse’, Roger Waters’ ‘The Pros & Cons of Hitchhiking’, David Gilmour’s ‘About Face’, ‘On An Island’, ‘Live In Gdansk’), resulting in two Grammy nominations for his work and Mix magazine’s award for best live sound engineer for the ‘Pulse’ tour.
He is also engineer and a co-producer of the 2014 PINK FLOYD album: ‘Endless River’.
Alongside his work with PINK FLOYD and wider work as an engineer, he has three albums he recorded with friends, as a musician in his own right: ‘On the Surface’, ‘Obvious’ and ‘Mythical Burrowing Animals’. All three works were ideas ahead of their time it would seem. He did find time along the way to produce work for other artists, including the seminal British Goth band FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM. This again was the genesis of a relationship that would lead to the present day, after ex-NEPHILIM Tony Pettitt asked Andy to join his new band: EDEN HOUSE as guitarist. After three years with the EDEN HOUSE, Andy felt it was time to move on and embark on a new challenge of a completely solo album project. This has led to the creation of the ‘Signal To Noise’ album, a wonderful sonic experience that is sure to have Andy Jackson heralded as a significant creative force in modern Prog.
‘Signal To Noise’ is also available as a Standard CD – Stock # 1728734
‘Signal To Noise’ is released on 24th November 2014.
ANDY JACKSON: SIGNAL TO NOISE CD+DVD-A Track List:
Disc 1 [CD – Stereo]:
01. Boy In The Forest (7:09)
02. One More Push (4:21)
03. Invisible Colours (4:49)
04. Spray Paint (3:33)
05. Herman At The Fountain (9:54)
06. It All Came Crashing Down (3:49)
07. Brownian Motion (7:19)
TPT – 40:56
Disc 2 [DVD-Audio - DTS 96/24 Digital Surround & High Resolution LPCM Stereo mixes]:
01. Boy In The Forest (7:09)
02. One More Push (4:21)
03. Invisible Colours (4:49)
04. Spray Paint (3:33)
05. Herman At The Fountain (9:54)
06. It All Came Crashing Down (3:49)
07. Brownian Motion (7:19)
TPT – 40:56