In Search of Eddie Riff
Encyclopedia
In Search of Eddie Riff is an album by British
musician Andy Mackay
, first released on Island Records
in 1974.
The album was released during a brief hiatus from Roxy Music
's recording schedule. Mackay later claimed that he intended for the album to showcase his different musical interests: "classical music, Motown, fifties rock and roll instrumentals, film music, electronic effects and partly for my wife Jane, who I had recently married, country and western."http://www.manzanera.com/shopmaster/AM1.htm. The leadoff single was a jazz cover of "Ride of the Valkyries
".
Reviews were mixed, and the Trouser Press Record Guide has described it as "merely a display of his technical abilities."http://trouserpress.com//entry.php?a=roxy_music
Later, after a single of "Wild Weekend" was released in 1975, the album was re-released with a different track listing (but with the same catalogue number), which was the version that was issued on all other vinyl reissues of the album. This was also the only version released in the US. Three songs were added to the new version (and one slightly renamed), and two songs removed. A CD version released in 2003 contains all the songs with the addition of three live rehearsal tracks.
Version 2 (1975)
CD Version (2003)
Recorded and mixed and Island Studios in February 1974. Engineer: Phill Brown. Assistant engineers: Dave Hutchins, Richard Elen, Brian Pickering.
Additional personnel listed on 1975 re-release...
Added tracks on version 2 likely recorded in June 1975 in the same studio with the same engineers.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician Andy Mackay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....
, first released on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
in 1974.
The album was released during a brief hiatus from Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
's recording schedule. Mackay later claimed that he intended for the album to showcase his different musical interests: "classical music, Motown, fifties rock and roll instrumentals, film music, electronic effects and partly for my wife Jane, who I had recently married, country and western."http://www.manzanera.com/shopmaster/AM1.htm. The leadoff single was a jazz cover of "Ride of the Valkyries
Ride of the Valkyries
The Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
".
Reviews were mixed, and the Trouser Press Record Guide has described it as "merely a display of his technical abilities."http://trouserpress.com//entry.php?a=roxy_music
Later, after a single of "Wild Weekend" was released in 1975, the album was re-released with a different track listing (but with the same catalogue number), which was the version that was issued on all other vinyl reissues of the album. This was also the only version released in the US. Three songs were added to the new version (and one slightly renamed), and two songs removed. A CD version released in 2003 contains all the songs with the addition of three live rehearsal tracks.
Track listings
Version 1 (1974)- "Ride of the ValkyriesRide of the ValkyriesThe Ride of the Valkyries is the popular term for the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen. The main theme of the Ride, the leitmotif labelled Walkürenritt, was first written down by the composer on 23 July 1851...
" (Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, arranged Mackay) - "The End of the World" (Sylvia DeeSylvia DeeSylvia Dee was an American songwriter and novelist best known for penning the lyrics to "Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, and "The End of the World", a hit for Skeeter Davis...
, Arthur Kent) - "The Hour Before Dawn" (Mackay)
- "Past, Present and Future" (Mackay)
- "Walking the Whippet" (Mackay)
- "Summer Sun" (Mackay)
- "What Becomes of the Broken HeartedWhat Becomes of the Brokenhearted"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the brokenhearted, and their struggle to overcome their sadness so that they...
" (Paul Riser, James Dean, William Weatherspoon) - "A Four Legged Friend" (Jack BrooksJack Brooks (lyricist)Jack Brooks was an English-American lyricist.Brooks was born in Liverpool, England. He wrote a large number of lyrics of popular songs, including "Ole Buttermilk Sky" "That's Amore" and " Wagon Train" the second theme used on the television program, Wagon...
) - "An Die Musik" (Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, arranged Mackay)
Version 2 (1975)
- "Wild WeekendWild Weekend"Wild Weekend" is a single by American country music artist Bill Anderson. Released in March 1968, it was the first single from his album Wild Weekend. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks chart in Canada.-Chart...
" (Todaro, Shannon) - "The End of the World" (Sylvia DeeSylvia DeeSylvia Dee was an American songwriter and novelist best known for penning the lyrics to "Too Young", a hit for Nat King Cole, and "The End of the World", a hit for Skeeter Davis...
, Arthur Kent) - "Walking the Whippet" (Mackay)
- "What Becomes of the Broken HeartedWhat Becomes of the Brokenhearted"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the brokenhearted, and their struggle to overcome their sadness so that they...
" (Paul Riser, James Dean, William Weatherspoon) - "An Die Musik" (Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
, arranged Mackay) - "Time Regained" (Mackay, Eno)
- "The Hour Before Dawn" (Mackay)
- "Pyramid Of Night (Past, Present and Future)" (Mackay)
- "The Long And Winding RoadThe Long and Winding Road"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...
" (John LennonJohn LennonJohn Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
) - "Ride Of The Valkyries" (Richard WagnerRichard WagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, arranged Mackay)
CD Version (2003)
- "Wild Weekend"
- "The End Of The World"
- "Walking The Whippet"
- "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted"
- "An Die Musik"
- "Time Regained"
- "The Hour Before Dawn"
- "Pyramid Of Night (Past, Present and Future)"
- "The Long And Winding Road"
- "Ride Of The Valkyries"
- "Summer Sun"
- "A Four Legged Friend"
- "Ride Of The Valkyries" (live rehearsal)
- "The Hour Before Dawn" (live rehearsal)
- "Walking The Whippet" (live rehearsal)
Personnel
- Andy Mackay: saxophone, oboe, voice
- Phil ManzaneraPhil ManzaneraPhil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
: guitar, saxophone, treatment - Lloyd WatsonLloyd WatsonLloyd Watson is an English rock and blues guitarist.Born to a Jamaican father and an English mother, Watson's early influences covered the whole spectrum of both black and white music...
: slide guitar, guitar - John PorterJohn Porter (musician)John Porter is an English musician and record producer.-Biography:He attended St Michael's School, Allerton Grange School, King's College, and Newcastle University....
: guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar on "The Hour Before Dawn" and "A Four Legged Friend" - Roger GloverRoger GloverRoger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep Purple.-Early career:...
: bass guitar on "Ride of the Valkyries", "The End of the World", "Past, Present and Future", "Walking the Whippet" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" - Eddie JobsonEddie JobsonEdwin "Eddie" Jobson is an English keyboardist and violinist noted for his use of synthesizers. He has been a member of several progressive rock bands, including Curved Air, Roxy Music, U.K., and Jethro Tull. He was also part of Frank Zappa's band in 1976-77...
: piano on "The End of the World", "Past, Present and Future", "Summer Sun" and "A Four Legged Friend", organ on "Past, Present and Future" and "A Four Legged Friend", synthesizer, glockenspiel, violin, strings, string arrangements - Brain Chatton: piano on "The Hour Before Dawn" and "An Die Musik", clavinet on "Ride of the Valkyries", "Past, Present and Future" and "Walking the Whippet", organ on "The Hour Before Dawn"
- Paul ThompsonPaul Thompson (musician)Paul Thompson is the drummer for Roxy Music from 1971 to 1980 and from 2001 onwards.In between those stints with Roxy Music, he was drummer in the Oi! band, Angelic Upstarts and the American alternative rock band Concrete Blonde...
: percussion - Bruce RowlandBruce Rowland (drummer)Bruce Rowland is an English rock drummer best known for his memberships of The Grease Band and folk rock band Fairport Convention. He is also a prolific session musician.-Early career:...
: percussion on "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" and "An Die Musik" - "Countess" Sadie MacKenzie: ethereal voice
Recorded and mixed and Island Studios in February 1974. Engineer: Phill Brown. Assistant engineers: Dave Hutchins, Richard Elen, Brian Pickering.
Additional personnel listed on 1975 re-release...
- Jane Riff
- Brian EnoBrian EnoBrian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
Added tracks on version 2 likely recorded in June 1975 in the same studio with the same engineers.