Phantasmagoria (Curved Air album)
1972 studio album by Curved Air
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Phantasmagoria is the third studio album by Curved Air. Released in 1972, it reached No. 20 in the UK Charts[2] and is notable for its early use of the EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer to process lead singer Sonja Kristina's voice on the second side. Unavailable for many years, the album was reissued on CD in April 2007.
| Phantasmagoria | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1972 | |||
| Recorded | March 1972 | |||
| Studios | Advision Studios, London ("Ultra-Vivadi" and "Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?": E.M.S., London) | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 38:04 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros.[1] | |||
| Producers |
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| Curved Air chronology | ||||
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Reception
Allmusic called Phantasmagoria "the culmination of all that Curved Air promised over the course of its predecessors" and "the band's grandest hour by far". Their review praised the vast majority of the individual tracks, especially complimenting the blending of musical styles and absence of pretentiousness.[1]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Marie Antoinette" | Darryl Way, Sonja Kristina Linwood | 6:20 |
| 2. | "Melinda (More or Less)" | Linwood | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Not Quite the Same" | Way, Linwood | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Cheetah" | Way | 3:33 |
| 5. | "Ultra-Vivaldi" | Way, Francis Monkman | 1:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Phantasmagoria" | Monkman | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Whose Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway?[3]" | Monkman | 3:24 |
| 8. | "Over and Above" | Monkman | 8:36 |
| 9. | "Once a Ghost, Always a Ghost" | Monkman, Linwood | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Sarah's Concern" (single, released March 1972) | Way, Linwood | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Marie Antoinette" (French version, previously unreleased) | Way, Linwood | 3:49 |
| 12. | "Melinda (More or Less)" (Italian version, previously unreleased) | Linwood | 3:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Marie Antoinette" ("Pop Shop" (Belgian TV), recorded April 1972) | Way, Linwood | |
| 2. | "Propositions" ("Pop Shop" (Belgian TV), recorded April 1972) | Monkman | |
| 3. | "Melinda (More or Less)" ("Pop Shop" (Belgian TV), recorded April 1972) | Linwood | |
| 4. | "Vivaldi" ("Pop Shop" (Belgian TV), recorded April 1972) | Way | |
| 5. | "Melinda (More or Less)" ("Spotlight" (Austrian TV), October 1972) | Linwood | |
| 6. | "Phantasmagoria" ("Spotlight" (Austrian TV), October 1972) | Monkman | |
| 7. | "Ultra-Vivaldi" ("Spotlight" (Austrian TV), October 1972) | Way, Monkman |
"Ultra-Vivaldi" was incorrectly listed as length 2:22 on the label of initial green label pressings.
Personnel
- Curved Air
- Sonja Kristina – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2)
- Darryl Way – violin, keyboards (1, 3), tubular bells (1), melon (1)
- Francis Monkman – keyboards, electric guitar, percussion (8, 9)
- Mike Wedgwood – bass, backing vocals, acoustic (6) and electric (9) guitar, percussion (9)
- Florian Pilkington-Miksa – drums, percussion (9)
- Guest musicians
- Annie Stewart – flute (2)
- Crispian Steele-Perkins – trumpet
- Paul Cosh – trumpet
- James Watson – trumpet
- George Parnaby – trumpet
- Chris Pyne – trombone
- Alan Gout – trombone
- David Purser – trombone
- Steve Saunders – trombone
- Frank Ricotti – xylophone, vibes
- Mal Linwood-Ross – percussion
- Colin Caldwell – percussion
- Jean Akers – percussion
- Doris the Cheetah – vocals (4)
- Technical
- Richard Rockwood – art direction
- John Gorham – cover illustration
Charts
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[4] | 20 |
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Albums (Official Charts)[5] | 45 |