BLAKE, TIM - TIDE OF THE CENTURY (2017 REMASTER OF 2000 ALBUM)

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Originally released in year 2000, this is the 4th in a 2017 series of Remastered reissues of Blake’s classic psychedelic-electronic catalogue!

An evocative year 2000 album, ‘Tide Of The Century’ has been Newly Remastered and the accompanying booklet features a New Essay and fully restores the Original Album Artwork.

Here is the original track by track review Andy G did for ‘Tide Of The Century’ following its original …
This is the new studio CD from the ex-GONG / HAWKWIND synth musician, with emphasis on atmosphere and melody this time, and with a lushness of playing and a similar feel to parts of: ‘New Jerusalem’ and also parts of Christian Boule's ‘Photo Music’ LP!
The disc opens with a three-minute slice of typically full-sounding Blake magic with vocoder voice situated over chunky rhythms and soaring synthesizer sounds, with a flying melodic solo to set the scene and introduce you to his new musical world. The title track, at eight-minutes, actually has structural resemblances to 'New Jerusalem' itself, particularly in the vocal section, the piano intro and the way the synths flow underneath, albeit slightly slower. Around half way, the piece really takes off on a trip to the stars with synths and guitar leading the way on one of the finest tracks seen on any album by Blake since the seventies.
'St Dolay' starts with piano and vocal and comes across as a dead ringer for a piece (the title of which I just cannot remember) that Peter Gabriel used to perform as a solo slot - using simply piano and voice - when in concert on his first / second album-era tours of the seventies, with the structure of the sound and the eventual use of keyboard leads adding to the heavenly nature of the song, with seventies influences well to the fore.
'Crystal Island' is another song, this time with more of a decided Daevid Allen influence and lilt to the vocal lead. You could imagine this track coming off an album such as: ‘Good Morning’ or similar, and is an eight-minute song that comes across as a hybrid of Daevid Allen, early Steve Hillage and Al Stewart, but with a huge synth presence filling the mix, along with more delicate piano plus acres of spacey rhythms and waves of cosmic soundscapes.
'Byzantium Dancing' is the only wholly instrumental piece on the album, this time a more varied and powerful set of electronic bass and percussion rhythms and stuttering synth layers leading into a sea of space synth washes, more tinkling electronic rhythm patterns and an overall chunkiness of execution that gives it a soundtrack-like feel without losing any of it's magic.
'Sarajevo' (visions of Dave Brock here) is a big anthemic work with a huge spread of synthesized sound from strings to rhythms, and another 'New Jerusalem' style vocal, that builds to positively towering status and could well be a national anthem for the new age generation.
Finally the album closes with 'Tribulations', a slice of synth-dub that would be at home on an early TOM TOM CLUB album, and at least ends things with a smile, although as serious listening, it's the equivalent of UB40.

Overall, a CD that towers over its predecessor: 'Magick' but cannot be said to attain the giddy heights of the first two albums, but then that really would take some doing wouldn't it? Still, the more you play it, the more you get into it.

Musician line-up for ‘Tide Of The Century’: Tim Blake (keyboards / programming / synthesizers / vocals / engineering), Min Tse Chou (guitar on tracks 5 & 7 & programming on track 7), Stof Kovaks (analogue synthesizer on track 5), Christiane Vitard (vocals on tracks 4 & 7), Marie Annie Vitard (vocals on track 7) and Loys Kerhoas (rap on track 7).

Also available by TIM BLAKE…
CALDEA MUSIC II (2017 Remaster of 2002 Album) CD – Stock # 1952072
CRYSTAL MACHINE (2017 Remaster of 1977 Album / 3 Bonus Tracks) CD – Stock # 1930633
LIGHTHOUSE-ANTHOLOGY: 1973-2012 (2018 3CD+DVD Boxed Set) 3C1D – Stock # 2098894
MAGICK (2017 Remaster of 1991 Album) CD – Stock # 1935668
NEW JERUSALEM (2017 Remaster of 1978 Album / 3 Bonus Tracks) CD – Stock # 1930632
NEW JERUSALEM (2018 Remastered 180gram Vinyl of 1978 Album) LP – Stock # 2094864
NOGGI TAR (2018 Issue of Rare 2012 Album) CD – Stock # 2028740

‘Tide Of The Century’ was released on 26th May 2017.

TIM BLAKE: TIDE OF THE CENTURY Track List:

01. Nature 'L' (3:28)
02. Tide Of The Century (8:09)
03. St. Dolay (5:17)
04. Crystal Island (8:23)
05. Byzantium Dancing [instrumental] (9:14)
06. Sarajevo {Remember} (5:16)
07. Tribulations (3:57)

TPT - 43:04