'Bittersweet Symphony' (And Others...) (Echoes - Ed Alleyne-Johnson)

Name: BlueMidget

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Product:	Echoes - Ed Alleyne-Johnson
Date:	09/10/06 (300 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazing playing and interpreations of popular songs

Disadvantages: Can become a little repetitive in "one-sitting"

Ed Alleyne-Johnson is an artist you're either familiar with, or have never heard of. Apparently he has recently had significant airplay on Radio 2, (though I couldn't vouch for this having not heard him on the station). I myself stumbled across this talented musician one day when I was wandering around Chester and heard what I thought was an small orchestra busking near the Cross, (for anyone unfamiliar with Chester, the Cross is a favourite spot near the City-centre for buskers of all kind).
What I thought was an small travelling orchestra turned out to be a solo-violinist playing a purple electric violin, (which reminds me a lot of the B.C. Rich style guitars for any guitarists out there) with an array of FX boxes playing all parts live, then with the aid of his home-built kit repeating passages and playing over the top with another part, creating a collage of sound.

As a 'musician' myself, (though I know many people who would argue with such a description!) I normally always give money to a talented busker and move on. This time however, I felt compelled to stay and listen a while and I have to say that there was a fair sized crowd gathered around Ed listening. Upon completing his song, (a medley of 'With Or Without You/Wherever You May Go') Ed gave a quick talk to the crowd and mentioned he had a few CDs for sale, so I decided to take a look and see if there was anything that appealed to me. His double CD, called 'Echoes', seemed reasonable for £15 so I decided to give it a go.

This particular CD is a collection of covers from the pop and rock genres, which includes songs such as Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Sting/Police's "Every Breath You Take", Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" and Dido's "Thank You" to name but a few, (see Track Listing for full details).
I think most people will be able to recognise the vast majority of songs and be able to find at least a couple they would enjoy.

The ranges of tones used on the album vary from 'clean' violin, occasionally with a little bit of reverb, to distorted, to 'harmonised'. All parts are played by Ed on his purple electric violin, using a variety of techniques aside from his bow, such as finger-tapping, slides, tremolos and other techniques. I'm not a violinist myself, but as a guitarist I recognise many of this techniques (though their application is quite different on a guitar) and I think Ed's style of playing is technically very sound, but also quite emotional in places.
I wouldn't say Ed's vibrato (where a note is 'wobbled' for effect) is hugely distinctive, but certainly plays a big part in his playing and I think any fan of his would be able to recognise the fact it's him playing a piece rather than another violinist.

Ed's interpretation of songs is quite interesting and, whilst he follows the basic structure of familiar songs, he's not against adding his own interpretation to a melody. I for one find it quite refreshing to hear another person's interpretation of popular songs and I think most people would enjoy Ed's arrangements.

The recordings themselves are overall of a high-standard; though occasionally I thought they could have been a little more clear in places. The playing is superb and of a very high-standard and I think reflects the abilities and talent Ed possesses very well.

The most impressive thing about these tracks is the fact that they're all played live, with no overdubs, so what you hear on CD is what you would hear live. Some people might be thinking it's a bit of a cheat to use FX-pedals to produce music, but I for one think it's been done very well. Rather than using FX-pedals to make up for a lack of ability, Ed uses them to enhance his playing and manages to produce some very interesting and captivating sounds and songs.

I think where the album suffers the most is it can become a little formulaic in places. A lot of songs start off with a finger-tapped intro, use the bow for the main melody, then have distorted tones for emphasis. I think this could lead to the album have a limited appeal for listening in one-sitting. That said, if the songs are spaced out between others, (such as if you own an MP3 player and use the random feature) the songs are definitely entertaining and enjoyable to listen to individually.
I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with the amount I paid for this CD, but I think if you're looking for an album you can listen to in one-sitting this might not be an ideal purchase. If you own the technology to play other things in-between the songs, then I think the album has very good longevity, but as a stand-alone album it can become a little repetitive.
I suspect the album would lend itself well for most people as "background music" for dinner-parties, or just as something relaxing to have playing in the distance. Whilst I personally think you can be rewarded by listening carefully, I doubt everyone would feel that way about 'Echoes'.

The CD itself is very well designed and professional, with a fold-out sleeve that gives you a few pictures of Ed himself, the track listing with the original song-writer credits, as well as a brief auto-biography and Ed's reasons for releasing this particular album. I found this enjoyable to read and also quite informative - I hadn't realised it was possible to make a career out of busking, but Ed seems to have been doing this for over twenty years, 'touring' the world from Europe to America with his rig, (did I mention the fact he owns a purple electric violin?).

I don't think 'Echoes' will appeal to everyone. If you enjoy instrumental music of any kind, (fan's of Hank Marvin would probably enjoy this) or you're a "contemporary" violinist yourself, then I think this album will appeal to you. I personally am quite pleased that I bought it and for 32, high-quality, expertly played tracks I think £15 was a bargain - when sufficiently space apart. I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, but if you think you're interested, then I'd say you could do much worse.

Disc One
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1) Clocks
2) We Are All Made Of Stars
3) By The Way
4) With Or Without You/Wherever You Will Go
5) Merry Xmas Mr Lawrence
6) Smells Like Teen Spirit
7) Teenage Dirtbag
8) Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
9) Bohemians Like Us
10) Bittersweet Symphony
11) Don't Fear The Reaper
12) Can't Get You Out Of My Head
13) How You Remind Me
14) Stir It Up
15) Thank You
16) All Right Now

Disc Two
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1) Every Breath You Take
2) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
3) Because Of The Night/Layla
4) Fields Of Gold
5) Mad World
6) Better Off Alone
7) Follow You Follow Me
8) Another Chance
9) Where Is The Love?
10) Sweet Child Of Mine
11) Stuck In A Moment
12) Right Here Right Now
13) Zephyr Song
14) Pretty Green Eyes
15) Imintation Of Life/You'll Never Walk Alone
16) Loneliness
17) Whatever

Summary: Not for everyone, but fans of interpretations will enjoy. Enjoyable, though occasionally repetitive