One of the most respected, yet underrated nevertheless, British bassists, John Greaves has been at the forefront of rock experimentalism for more than five decades now, ever since he joined HENRY COW and also left his mark on NATIONAL HEALTH’s classic "Of Queues And Cures" and a few other Canterbury-scene ensembles – and that’s without mentioning his work with such friends as Mike Oldfield, Robert Wyatt and Peter Blegvad. Unlike many of his peers, though, Greaves has never stopped looking for new routes to rock further, and moving to France provided John with such opportunities, the composer’s love for poetry resulting in a couple of albums where his music is set to Paul Verlaine’s stanzas, so there’s no surprise in the veteran’s forthcoming venture being based on the verses by somebody influenced by Symbolists, namely Guillaume Apollinaire, a forefather of Surrealism.
Bearing the title of “Zones” and penciled in for October 28th release, the record is not only thematically whole but also a concept album whose main piece, split in four parts, runs along its flow. Perhaps, it’s not to everyone’s taste, but this Greaves’ opus deserves a connoisseur’s attention.
Zones
1. Fête
2. Mutation
3. Zone 1
4. Je pense à toi mon lou
5. Le pont Mirabeau
6. Zone 2
7. Nuit rhénane
8. Liens
9. Zone 3
10. Au lac de tes yeux
11. Le guetteur mélancolique
12. Zone 4
13. La Loreley
