A box set of material encompassing the career of Bill Bruford’s band is to be released on October 28.
Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago will feature a total of eight discs of remixed and remastered material covering the band’s studio albums and live work.
The collection is based around Bruford’s three studio albums: 1977’s Feels Good To Me, 1979’s One Of A Kind and 1980’s Gradually Going Tornado, with the set also including The 4th Album Rehearsal Sessions, which features a total of 18 previously unreleased pieces of music.
Bill Bruford says: “I wanted to play drums in a certain way and if you want to hear them played in that way you’ve got to write the song. You’ve got to control the audio environment in which your drums are going to be heard and once you’re doing that you’re into a solo career.
“Looking back, the band despatched these tricky little compositions with a smile on its face – with brio, vigour and only a handful of wrong notes. The band was over-caffeinated – short on subtlety but long on the sort of majestic stately themes with antecedents in progressive rock that set it apart from contemporaneous American outfits.
“We were a rock group with a jazz sensibility, rather than a jazz group with rock leanings.”
King Crimson’s Jakko Jakszyk remixed Feels Good To Me and One Of A Kind into surround sound.
He says: “The new versions of these albums sound much bigger, fatter and warmer and whilst I’m keen to take credit for that, the reality is that this is Dave Stewart, Jeff Berlin, Bill Bruford and Allan Holdsworth, and it’s not just about their playing abilities – it’s that they’ve got their sound together and what you need to do is replicate that and not mess about with it.”
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Stewart and Berlin have also spoken fondly about their time in the band, which also featured guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John Clark.
Stewart says: “The great thing about Bill is that he’s not just a drummer. He doesn’t just think about what he’s playing – he’s thinking about the whole picture, thinking about soundscapes, what the sax is doing, the arrangement and the keyboard sounds.
“He’s got this composer/arranger mentality which was there from the beginning and he evolved through the life of the band. He’s a deep-thinking musician and it was great working with him for that very reason.”
Berlin adds: “I learned a lot from Bill. He opened up doors to me about sound, presentation, interplay, the elements of a performance, the elements of group interaction. I think it was one of the happiest and musically productive periods I ever had in my career. I was working with fine human beings and with fine musicians.”
The Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago box set is now available for pre-order from Burning Shed and via PledgeMusic.
Find a list of contents below, along with a video for The Sahara Of Snow Parts 1 and 2.
The Bruford 1977-1980: Seems Like A Lifetime Ago box set contents
- DVD 1: Feels Good To Me: 5.1 surround sound and original 1978 mix remastered
- CD 1: 2017 remix from original masters
- DVD 2: One of a Kind: 5.1 surround sound and original 1979 mix remastered.
- CD 2: 2017 remix from original masters - previously unreleased: outtake of Five G
- CD 3: Gradually Going Tornado: Remaster
- CD 4: The Bruford Tapes: Remaster: Bonus track: Manacles
- CD 5: Live at the Venue: Previously unreleased. Recorded in London 1980.
- CD 6: The 4th Album Rehearsal Sessions: Previously unreleased: 18 rehearsal sketches of new material.
- 16-Page 12-inch booklet
- Sid Smith essay with new interviews with producer, engineer, band members, eyewitnesses and others.
- Previously unseen archive visual material.
- Complete band date sheet with contemporary critical reaction.
- 2 x black and white 10” x 8” band photos.
- 1 x A3-size colour poster accompanying Live at the Venue
- 1 x signed numbered certificate of authentication
