Radio Free Albemuth (album)

Radio Free Albemuth
Studio album by Stuart Hamm
Released	1988
Recorded	1988
Genre	Progressive rock, instrumental rock, jazz fusion
Length	37:16
Label	Relativity
Producer	Stuart Hamm
Stuart Hamm chronology
Radio Free Albemuth (1988) Kings of Sleep (1989)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Radio Free Albemuth is the debut solo album by bassist Stuart Hamm, released in 1988 on Relativity Records. An energetic instrumental fusion album, Hamm is backed up by keyboardist Scott Collard and drummer Mike Barsimanto, with guitarist Joe Satriani guesting on three tracks, and Allan Holdsworth (SynthAxe) and Tommy Mars (keyboards) playing on the title track. The title of the album and many of the songs were inspired by the novels of Philip K. Dick.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stuart Hamm, except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Radio Free Albemuth"		5:10
2.	"Flow My Tears"		8:23
3.	"Dr. Gradus Ad Parnasum"	Claude Debussy	3:05
4.	"Sexually Active"		7:51
5.	"Simple Dreams"		4:05
6.	"Country Music (A Night in Hell)"		3:45
7.	"Moonlight Sonata"	Beethoven	4:54
Total length:			37:16

Personnel

• Stuart Hamm – bass guitar, production
• Allan Holdsworth – SynthAxe on "Radio Free Albemuth" ^[2]
• Joe Satriani – electric guitar on "Radio Free Albemuth", "Flow My Tears" and "Sexually Active"
• Mike Barsimanto – drums
• Amy Knoles – percussion on "Radio Free Albemuth"
• Scott Collard – keyboards
• Glen Freundl – keyboards on "Radio Free Albemuth", "Sexually Active" and "Country Music"
• Tommy Mars – keyboards on "Radio Free Albemuth"
• Charles Hamm – front cover photo
• Mark Effords – back cover photo
• David Bett – design

References

1. Radio Free Albemuth at AllMusic
2. Holdsworth is listed on guitar at AllMusic, but if you listen to the actual recording, it is apparent that the solo is performed with a synthesizer. Holdsworth was a prolific user of the SynthAxe in this time period, and did not perform with regular guitar synthesizers. The synthesizer may have been processed through a guitar amp, a method Holdsworth had previously employed on "Mac Man" from the album "Sand". ("Castles Made Of Sand", Guitarist, November 1987)