If (Glass Hammer album)

Last updated
If
Glass Hammer If.jpg
Studio album by
Glass Hammer
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2010
RecordedSound Resources, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Genre Progressive rock, symphonic rock, art rock
Length1:03:37 [1]
Label Arion Records/Sound Resources
Producer Fred Schendel and Steve Babb
Glass Hammer chronology
Three Cheers for the Broken-Hearted
(2009)		If
(2010)		 Cor Cordium
(2011)

If is the eleventh studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer. It is the first album to feature singer Jon Davison and guitarist Alan Shikoh.

Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid to late 1960s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening, not dancing.

Glass Hammer is an American progressive rock band from Chattanooga, Tennessee, created and led by Steve Babb and Fred Schendel.

Jon Davison American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist musician

Jon Davison is an American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist musician, who has been the lead vocalist of progressive rock band Yes since 2012. He is also known as the former lead singer of progressive rock band Glass Hammer from 2009 to 2014, and the former bass guitarist of Sky Cries Mary from 1993 to 2016, in which he was credited under his nickname of "Juano" Davison.

Contents

The album marks a transition to a more "symphonic-progressive rock" sound, accorded to the band. The cover art was made by artist Tom Kuhn and all drums were provided by session member Randall Williams. [1]

Drum kit collection of drums and other percussion instruments

A drum kit — also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums — is a collection of drums and other percussion instruments, typically cymbals, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drumsticks held in both hands, and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbal and the beater for the bass drum. A drum kit consists of a mix of drums and idiophones – most significantly cymbals, but can also include the woodblock and cowbell. In the 2000s, some kits also include electronic instruments. Also, both hybrid and entirely electronic kits are used.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Steve Babb, Fred Schendel and Jon Davison; all music composed by Babb and Schendel.

No.TitleLength
1."Beyond, Within"11:44
2."Behold, The Ziddle"9:11
3."Grace the Sky"4:29
4."At Last We Are"6:46
5."If the Stars"10:25
6."If the Sun"24:02

Personnel

Glass Hammer

The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer either leads the vocal ensemble, or sets against the ensemble as the dominant sound. In vocal group performances, notably in soul and gospel music, and early rock and roll, the lead singer takes the main vocal part, with a chorus provided by other band members as backing vocalists.

Keyboard instrument class of musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital pianos. Other keyboard instruments include celestas, which are struck idiophones operated by a keyboard, and carillons, which are usually housed in bell towers or belfries of churches or municipal buildings.

Steel guitar type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument

Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii by Joseph Kekuku in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use of a bar or slide called a steel. The earliest use of an electrified steel guitar was first made in the early 1930s by Bob Dunn of Milton Brown and His Brownies, a western swing band from Fort Worth, Texas; the instrument was perfected in the mid to late 1930s by Fort Worth's Leon McAuliffe, who played for western swing band Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Nashville later picked up the use of the steel guitar in the early days of the late 1940s and early 1950s "Honky Tonk" country & western music with a number of fine steel guitarists backing names like Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell and Webb Pierce. The term steel guitar is often mistakenly used to describe any metal body resophonic guitar.

Additional musicians

Production

Bob Katz is an American audio mastering engineer and author of a popular book on audio mastering. Katz has mastered three Grammy Award-winning albums and one nominated album. He has received acclaim from audiophiles and his book on mastering has received acclaim, with some considering it the "definitive work on mastering". He has developed proprietary systems K-Stereo and K-Surround. These processes are designed to "recover lost or amplify hidden ambience, space and imaging, and generate stereo from mono signals without adding artificial reverberation."

Cover art artwork on the outside of a published product

Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book, magazine, newspaper (tabloid), comic book, video game, DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, for instance to promote the product it is displayed on, but can also have an aesthetic function, and may be artistically connected to the product, such as with art by the creator of the product.

Related Research Articles

<i>Chronometree</i> 2000 studio album by Glass Hammer

Chronometree is the fourth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on May 1, 2000.

<i>Perilous</i> 2012 studio album by Glass Hammer

Perilous is the thirteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on October 23, 2012 by Arion Records/Sound Resources.

<i>Journey of the Dunadan</i> 1993 studio album by Glass Hammer

Journey of the Dunadan is the debut studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on August 3, 1993. It is a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings.

<i>Perelandra</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Glass Hammer

Perelandra is the second studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on November 1, 1995.

<i>On to Evermore</i> album by Glass Hammer

On to Evermore is the third studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on February 18, 1998.

<i>Culture of Ascent</i> 2007 studio album by Glass Hammer

Culture of Ascent is the tenth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on October 23, 2007. It is a concept album based on Jon Krakauer's novel Into Thin Air.

<i>Cor Cordium</i> 2011 studio album by Glass Hammer

Cor Cordium is the twelfth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer. The name of the album is taken from the poem of the same name by Algernon Charles Swinburne.

<i>Silk Torpedo</i> 1974 studio album by The Pretty Things

Silk Torpedo is the seventh album by the English rock band The Pretty Things. This is their second album without Wally Waller, the group's rhythm guitarist/bassist since 1967. The album has more of a glam rock feel, a contrast from their early R&B years and their psychedelic years.

<i>Ode to Echo</i> 2014 studio album by Glass Hammer

Ode to Echo is the fourteenth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on March 11, 2014.

<i>Shadowlands</i> (Glass Hammer album) 2004 studio album by Glass Hammer

Shadowlands is the seventh studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on January 14, 2004 by Arion Records/Sound Resources.

<i>The Inconsolable Secret</i> 2005 studio album by Glass Hammer

The Inconsolable Secret is the eighth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on July 12, 2005, by Arion Records/Sound Resources.

<i>Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome</i> 2014 live album by Yes

Like It Is: Yes at the Bristol Hippodrome is a live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released for CD and DVD on 8 December 2014 (U.K.) and 9 December 2014 (U.S.) on Frontiers Records.

<i>Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center</i> 2015 live album by Yes

Like It Is: Yes at the Mesa Arts Center is a live album from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on CD and DVD, LP, and Blu-ray on 3 July 2015 in Europe and on 10 July 2015 in North America on Frontiers Records. It is a partial recording of the band's concert on 12 August 2014 at the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, Arizona as a part of their 2014–15 Heaven & Earth Tour.

<i>Untold Tales</i> 2017 compilation album by Glass Hammer

Untold Tales is a compilation album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on October 20, 2017 to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary. It features previously unreleased or hard to find recordings originating from the early 90s to 2017, and as such features both current and former members of Glass Hammer. It is also the last release of the band with guitarist Kamran Alan Shikoh as band member.

<i>Topographic Drama – Live Across America</i> 2017 live album by Yes

Topographic Drama – Live Across America is a double live album by English progressive rock band Yes, released on 24 November 2017 by Rhino Records. It is the first Yes release since the death of founding member Chris Squire, who was replaced by American multi-instrumentalist Billy Sherwood. It was recorded in February 2017 in several locations across the United States during their 2016–2017 world tour that featured Drama (1980) played in its entirety plus half of their double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973).

<i>Three Cheers for the Broken-Hearted</i> 2009 studio album by Glass Hammer

Three Cheers for the Broken-Hearted is the tenth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released in November 3, 2009. It is their last album with Susie Bogdanowicz, as the band would replace her with new singer Jon Davison before the release, although she would return starting with 2014's Ode to Echo. It is also their first album as a trio since 2000's Chronometree, and their last to date.

<i>The Middle-Earth Album</i> 2001 studio album by Glass Hammer

The Middle-Earth Album is the fifth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on June 15, 2001. It is the band's second album based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings, after their 1993 debut album Journey of the Dunadan, and their second release not to be concept album, after 1998's On to Evermore. It is the first album to feature singer Susie Bogdanowicz after she joined as band member, and as such the first album to feature the band's longest and steadiest line-up, which would last until their tenth studio album, 2007's Culture of Ascent.

<i>Lex Rex</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Glass Hammer

Lex Rex is the sixth studio album by American progressive rock band Glass Hammer, released on September 1, 2002.

References

  1. 1 2 3 . Glass Hammer website http://www.glasshammer.com/pages/features/IF.html . Retrieved 7 August 2012.Missing or empty |title= (help)


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.