Liquid Tension Experiment 2
Encyclopedia
Liquid Tension Experiment 2 is the second album
by the band Liquid Tension Experiment
. The tracks were largely improvised with little rehearsal, and there are no vocals.
to record the album's bass parts. The only 'real' bass guitar appears on the 'accordion/reggae section" of the track "Another Dimension"; Levin also used a fretless bass for the intro to "Biaxident".
In the middle of the recording sessions, John Petrucci had to leave the studio when he got word that his pregnant wife had gone into labour. This left the other three members to carry on recording by themselves. This is how the song "When the Water Breaks" got its name - it was the song the band were working on when Petrucci got the news. The song contains a "baby soundscape" to mark the particular section the band had been writing upon Petrucci's departure.
In Petrucci's absence, Portnoy, Levin and Rudess recorded dozens of completely improvised jams, many of which would eventually be released on the album Spontaneous Combustion under the name Liquid Trio Experiment. When Petrucci returned to the studio in November, he wrote and recorded guitar parts for two of these improvisations: "Chewbacca" and "Liquid Dreams". For "Chewbacca" in particular, Petrucci took time to learn several of Rudess's improvised melodies and doubled them on guitar, which in Portnoy's words '(gave) the illusion of written composition'.
"Hourglass" is a duet between Petrucci and Rudess in the style of "State of Grace" from LTE's first album. According to Petrucci it was written and recorded "in the wee hours with old strings".
The song "Biaxident" takes its name from Biaxin, a medicine that Petrucci was taking during the recording sessions to combat severe headaches and is a play on "by accident".
"Acid Rain", the album's opening track, was in fact the last song to be written and recorded by the whole band. For this song Petrucci used a seven-string guitar. A riff heard at 4:15 is very similar to the song Race With Devil On Spanish Highway by Al Di Meola
, of whom Petrucci is a fan. A live version of "Acid Rain" later appeared on the Dream Theater
album Live Scenes from New York
. In this version the bass part is played by John Myung
of Dream Theater on a six-string bass.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the band Liquid Tension Experiment
Liquid Tension Experiment
Liquid Tension Experiment is an instrumental progressive rock/metal supergroup, founded by Dream Theater's former drummer Mike Portnoy in 1997. The band has released two albums through Magna Carta Records...
. The tracks were largely improvised with little rehearsal, and there are no vocals.
Track listing
Personnel
- John PetrucciJohn PetrucciJohn Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Chapman stickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures... - Mike PortnoyMike PortnoyMichael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
and percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - Jordan RudessJordan RudessJordan Rudess is an American keyboardist best known as a member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater and the progressive rock supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment.-Biography:...
- keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
s
Recording and Composition
Tony Levin almost exclusively used a Chapman StickChapman Stick
The Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures...
to record the album's bass parts. The only 'real' bass guitar appears on the 'accordion/reggae section" of the track "Another Dimension"; Levin also used a fretless bass for the intro to "Biaxident".
In the middle of the recording sessions, John Petrucci had to leave the studio when he got word that his pregnant wife had gone into labour. This left the other three members to carry on recording by themselves. This is how the song "When the Water Breaks" got its name - it was the song the band were working on when Petrucci got the news. The song contains a "baby soundscape" to mark the particular section the band had been writing upon Petrucci's departure.
In Petrucci's absence, Portnoy, Levin and Rudess recorded dozens of completely improvised jams, many of which would eventually be released on the album Spontaneous Combustion under the name Liquid Trio Experiment. When Petrucci returned to the studio in November, he wrote and recorded guitar parts for two of these improvisations: "Chewbacca" and "Liquid Dreams". For "Chewbacca" in particular, Petrucci took time to learn several of Rudess's improvised melodies and doubled them on guitar, which in Portnoy's words '(gave) the illusion of written composition'.
"Hourglass" is a duet between Petrucci and Rudess in the style of "State of Grace" from LTE's first album. According to Petrucci it was written and recorded "in the wee hours with old strings".
The song "Biaxident" takes its name from Biaxin, a medicine that Petrucci was taking during the recording sessions to combat severe headaches and is a play on "by accident".
"Acid Rain", the album's opening track, was in fact the last song to be written and recorded by the whole band. For this song Petrucci used a seven-string guitar. A riff heard at 4:15 is very similar to the song Race With Devil On Spanish Highway by Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola
Al Di Meola is an acclaimed American jazz fusion and Latin guitarist, composer, and record producer of Italian origin. With a musical career that has spanned more than three decades, he has become respected as one of the most influential guitarists in jazz to date...
, of whom Petrucci is a fan. A live version of "Acid Rain" later appeared on the Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
album Live Scenes from New York
Live Scenes from New York
-Disc two:-Disc three:-Personnel:* James LaBrie – vocals and percussion* John Myung – bass guitars* John Petrucci – guitars and backing vocals* Mike Portnoy – drums and backing vocals* Jordan Rudess – keyboards-Additional Personnel:...
. In this version the bass part is played by John Myung
John Myung
John Ro Myung is an American bassist, Chapman Stick player and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. He is considered a virtuoso player who is widely recognized for his technical proficiency....
of Dream Theater on a six-string bass.