Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Live - Stamping Ground

This generous live album will remind you of how great the first incarnation of Earthworks really was. Bill Bruford himself uses electronic drums sensitively (i.e. not too often), most of the first Earthworks' best compositions are included, and since it's a live recording, the music sounds far more spontaneous and less clinical than on the preceding studio albums. In fact, some of this music is so beautiful I almost got tears in my eyes: 'It needn't end in tears' is a delightfully bluesy, sax-led ballad; and on 'Pilgrim's Way' Iain Ballamy plays some lovely soprano sax (shades of Wayne Shorter) on top of a subtle 'chordal drums' pattern. 'Up North' is one of my favourite Earthworks pieces: a highly catchy melody, for which Ballamy and Django Bates pair up on sax and euphonium. (The same pairing can be heard on 'Candles still flicker in Romania's dark' which features some deeply moving dissonance, reminiscent of the vocal duets in Mozart's REQUIEM and in certain baroque cantatas.)

Even if you were not too interested in Earthworks as a band, STAMPING GROUND would be worth buying because Django Bates is undoubtedly the most gifted keyboard soloist Bill Bruford ever worked with. (With the possible exception of Rick Wakeman - but even there I have my doubts.) Oh, I know, I love Dave Stewart just as much as the next person; Stewart's keyboard arrangements on Bill's FEELS GOOD TO ME and ONE OF A KIND are wonderful; but as a soloist (particularly on piano) the unpredictable Django Bates is even quirkier, more brilliant and more exciting. (Subsequent Earthworks keyboardists have all been NICE, but none were quite as idiosyncratic as Bates.)

A warning: 'Nerve', the opening track, sounds somewhat mechanical and relentless; don't let it put you off from the rest of the album, which is far more approachable. A tip: most of the tracks featured here are also available (in different performances) on one of those splendid Earthworks DVDs which appeared in 2007.

Live, released in 1994

Track Listings

1. Nerve (6:07)
2. Up North (5:20)
3. A Stone's Throw (8:26)
4. Pilgrim's Way (8:45)
5. Emotional Shirt (6:01)
6. It Needn't End In Tears (8:02)
7. All Heaven Broke Loose (7:46)
i) Psalm
ii) Old Song
8. Candles Still Flicker In Romania's Dark (6:41)
9. Bridge Of Inhibition (10:58)

Total Time: 68:06

Line-up/Musicians:
- Bill Bruford / electronic, acoustic, and chordal drums
- Django Bates / keyboards, e-flat peck horn
- Iain Ballamy / saxophones
- Tim Harries / acoustic and electric bass