Balance Blue Midnight MR007 || 2004 || £10.64  $ € ¥  + p+p +tax Click for big pic Addictive new album by Grant Showbiz, Elliet Mackrell & friends The best English/Hungarian spacey folk/dub album you'll ever hear. Bass guitar, Trombone, Violin and Harmonica - it's the sound of the future. I don't know why I always think of Hungary when I hear Blue Midnight, maybe it's the violin? But then lead trombone reggae lines with folk violin melodies, under-pinned by fluid, solid bass playing and highlighted by harmonica, quirky, very English lyrics and percussion isn't easy to describe - oh I've just done it...I think. All I really know is it's not like anything else, very smooth listening, very addictive and I love it - so will you if you're brave enough to have a go. I was amazed to hear from Kangaroo Moon's Elliet, when she gave me this CD at the Gong un-convention, that Blue Midnight have existed on and off for 25 years as a part-time/sometime gigging band although I think this is their first CD - until now it has been all tapes (I still cherish their Father of Apples tape). Be the first on your block to discover the very many unique charms of this genuine hidden gem of a band - hell it's what Grant Showbiz and Elliet do for fun so it's bound to be good. Track Listing: Total Runtime 0.00 Before 6.06 (words G. Showbiz/music J.Adams) Sidestepping 3.29 (words G. Showbiz/music C.Bell) Wolf 2.59 (words & music D Johnson/Wolf) Balance 5.48 (words & music D Johnson/R.Johnson) Complicated 8.12 (words G. Showbiz/music N.Waterhouse) Father of Apples 6.48 (trad arr E. Mackrell) After 5.06 (words G. Showbiz/music J.Adams) Goodnight 3.56 (words & music E. Mackrell) Sidedubbing 3.31 (words G. Showbiz/music C.Bell) Musicians: David Johnson: Harmonicas, lead vocals Grant Showbiz: The Bass Guitar Elliet Mackrell: Violin, vocals, bubble bowl Nick Waterhouse: Trombone, percussion, organ, vocals Guests: Justin Adams: Drums (2,3,4,8,9) Giles Leaman: Percussion (2,3,4,8,9) Murray Gordon: Drums (1,5,7)