Under the Red and White Sky

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Under the Red and White Sky
John wesley - under the red and white sky.jpeg
Studio album by John Wesley
Released 1994
Recorded c. 1993 at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida
Genre Rock
Length52:57
Label Racket Records
Producer

Under the Red and White Sky is the first solo album by singer, songwriter and guitarist John Wesley. It was released in 1994 on Racket Records, a label operated by the British progressive rock band Marillion and used mainly for their own and related releases. Wesley had previously worked as a guitar technician on one of the band's North American tour in the early 1990s and was eventually promoted to their opening act. Marillion's keyboarder Mark Kelly appears on all tracks and also produced the album with sound engineer Jim Morris. Additionally, Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery and drummer Ian Mosley contributed. Other musicians include Mark and Paul Prator, who Wesley (as Wes Dearth) had previously played with in the band Autodrive. Additionally, the album features Sean Malone of Gordian Knot (credited as "Shawn Malone") on fretless bass guitar.

John Wesley (guitarist) American musician

John Wesley, also known as Wes Dearth is an American singer, songwriter and guitar player. John Wesley's professional music career began in the early 1980s in the Tampa, Florida area where he founded 1991 Southwestern Music Conference's showcase act Autodrive along with drummer/producer Mark Prator. The following year, Wesley embarked on a solo career and became the opening act for British rockers Marillion on seven consecutive tour legs around the world, especially North and South America, the UK and Europe.

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.

Marillion British rock band

Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most commercially successful neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s.

Contents

In 1995, the album was released in France by the Dutch label CNR Music. This version included a bonus CD with acoustic material titled The Closing of the Pale Blue Eyes. [1] Both recordings are available as free digital downloads from Wesley's official website. [2]

CNR Music Dutch record label

CNR is a Dutch audio and video label. It was founded in 1937 as CNR Records by Cornelis Nicolaas Rood, who made his fortune as a producer of lampshades and other lighting materials.

Track list

  1. "Into the night" – 04:46
  2. "None so beautiful" – 04:26
  3. "Thirteen days" – 04:50
  4. "Waiting for the sun" – 05:01
  5. "She said no" – 03:41
  6. "The last light" – 04:48
  7. "To reach out" – 05:27
  8. "Rome is burning" – 03:04
  9. "Our hero" – 04:39
  10. "What you really want" – 04:11
  11. "Cuttin the tree" – 04:09
  12. "Silver" – 03:42

Total time 52:57
All songs written by John Wesley, except "Into the Night" and "Waiting for the sun", written by John Wesley and Paul Prator.

The Closing of the Pale Blue Eyes (bonus disc of 1995 CNR Music release)

  1. "Right Here Inside Me" – 03:57
  2. "To Share A Dream" – 01:35
  3. "Alone - Together" – 02:46
  4. "In Ohio" – 02:33
  5. "Say Goodbye To The Pale Blue Eyes" – 03:09
  6. "A Long Way Down" – 03:50
  7. "Death Of A Friend" – 02:27
  8. "Right Here Beside Me" – 02:41

Personnel

Mark Kelly American astronaut and engineer

Mark Edward Kelly is an American astronaut, engineer and U.S. Navy captain. He also is an author, political activist, as well as aerospace executive and consultant. Kelly is the husband of former U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords.

Ian Mosley English drummer

Ian F. Mosley is an English drummer. He attended Abbotsfield School in Hillingdon. He is best known for his long-time membership of the neo-progressive rock band Marillion, which he joined for their second album, Fugazi, released in 1984. He had previously been an in-demand session drummer. Mosley's abilities have been widely praised, including by former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, Meshuggah, drummer Tomas Haake and critic John Franck of AllMusic. Modern Drummer has characterised him as a "drumming great".

Steve Rothery musician

Steven Rothery is an English musician. He is the original guitarist and the longest continuous member of the British rock band Marillion. Outside Marillion, Rothery has recorded two albums as part of the duo the Wishing Tree and an instrumental solo album, The Ghosts of Pripyat, released in September 2014. He also founded the British Guitar Academy in 2011.

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References

  1. "John Wesley". marillion.ter-steege.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
  2. "John Wesley – Free music available for download from John Wesley". john-wesley.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.