Until the arrival of the Sugarcubes, jazz fusion band Mezzoforte was Iceland’s best-known musical export. The group was formed in 1977 at a Reykjavik high school by Fridrik Karlsson (b. 24 April 1960; guitar), Eythór Gunnarsson (b. 9 September 1961; keyboards), Jóhann Ásmundsson (b. 30 March 1961; bass), and Gunnlaugur Briem (b. 8 September 1962; drums).
They signed a recording contract with local label Steinar, and with the assistance of Stefán S. Stefánsson (saxophone) recorded their debut album. Bjorn Thorarensen (keyboards) joined in time for the recording of the band’s second long-player.
Kristinn Svavarsson (saxophone) was featured on the exuberant ‘Garden Party’, which was a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1983.
The tune was covered in the USA by Herb Alpert who performed it at half-speed, reportedly because he had learned the piece from a 45 rpm single accidentally played at 33.
The follow-up, ‘Rockall’, was only a minor hit but it was adopted as a signature tune by radio chart shows in the Netherlands and UK. It was taken from theit 1984 album "Observations".
The Other singles taking from "Observations" are: "Spring Fever/Summer Dream" and "Midnight Sun".
Side one
1. Midnight Sun - 4:33
2. Spring Fever - 3:45
3. Summer Dream - 5:20
4. The Venue - 4:52
5. Rockall - 5:02
Side two
1. Double Orange Juice - 5:42
2. We’re Only Here For The Beer - 5:47
3. Observations - 5:10
4. Distance - 6:24
Credits
- Alto Saxophone – Kristinn Svavarsson (tracks: A2 to B1)
- Arranged By – Mezzoforte
- Arranged By [Horns, Vocals] – Chris Cameron
- Bass – Jóhann Ásmundsson
- Drums – Gunnlaugur Briem
- Electronics [Vocoder] – Eythor Gunnarsson (tracks: A4, B2, B3)
- Guitar – Fridrik Karlsson
- Horns – Chris White (tracks: A1, A5, B1), Martin Dobson (tracks: A1, A5, B1)
- Keyboards, Synthesizer – Eythor Gunnarsson
- Percussion – Gunnlaugur Briem (tracks: A1, A3, B2, B3), Louis Jardim (tracks: A1, A5, B1 to B4)
- Piano – Eythor Gunnarsson (tracks: A1 to A4, B2 to B4)
- Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Geoff Calver
- Synthesizer – Fridrik Karlsson (tracks: A2 to A4, B1)
- Tenor Saxophone – Kristinn Svavarsson (tracks: B1, B3, B4)
- Written-By – Eythor Gunnarsson (tracks: A1, B2, B3), Fridrik Karlsson (tracks: A2 to B1)
Notes
Release: 1984
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz-fusion
Label: Jump & Shout Records
Catalog# JS 3304
Vinyl: Goed
Hoes: Goed
Prijs: €10,00
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