Metamatic Forums Socialising The Green Room What Music Are You Listening To ?

David Bedford - The Odyssey.

I got to this via Bedford's connection and work with Mike Oldfield in the 70s. They were bandmates in Kevin Ayer's The Whole World , and Bedford went on to orchestrate both Tubular Bells and Hergest Ridge, Oldfield's first two studio albums.

Oldfield also plays guitar on this amazing opus by Bedford, originally released in 1976 (one track also appeared on MO's Boxed box-set). What's amazing about it though are the keyboards - Bedford proudly boasts playing an ARP 2600 synthesiser, Stringman string sythesiser, Hammond organ, as well as clavinet, vibraphone, cymbal, gong and, er, wine-glasses.
Bedford denied being a proficient keyboard player although this work is a masterpiece of OTT mid-70's keyboard music, complimented (but not smothered) by nifty guitar work by Oldfield and Andy Summers (months away from joining The Police).
Bedford's Odyssey was also performed live in 1977 at the RAH with no less than ten keyboard players .. surely that would've been a sight to see.
Apparently a recording exists. The hunt continues...

Sadly, Bedford died last year.

I'm currently listening to one of my 'absolute all-time favourite' Bill Nelson albums - Chamber Of Dreams (Music From the Invisibility Exhibition). I was originally drawn to the Trial By Intimacy box set (which contans Chamber Of Dreams) when I first saw it in Reddington's Rare Records in Birmingham. It was purchased solely on the strength of the artwork which I thought was beautiful.

I rediscovered the four Trial By Intimacy albums (The Summer Of God's Piano, Chamber Of Dreams (Music From the Invisibility Exhibition), Pavilions Of The Heart And Soul and A Catalogue Of Obsessions) some fifteen years ago when they first came out on CD.

All four albums have just been remastered, and are about to be released as a limited edition box-set. It's currently available to pre-order over at Amazon.

Rob