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WOVEN CORD (Iona with the All Souls Orchestra)
This is a live album from the show at the Royal Festival Hall in London earlier this year.
For this one off event the band were joined by the All Souls Orchestra for a unique concert of symphonic rock. This album includes tracks from each of their four studio albums with different arrangements and interpretations embellished by the orchestra.
For those unfamiliar with the band , they were formed in 1989 and released their self titled debut album the following year. Since then they have recorded and released "Book of Kells" (1992),
"Beyond These Shores" (1993), "Journey Into The Morn" (1995) and the live double " Heaven's Bright Sun" (1997). The current line up of the band is Joanne Hogg - vocals ,
keyboards, guitar , David Bainbridge - guitars and keyboards, Phil Barker - bass guitars, Troy Donockley - uilleann pipes, whistles, pipes and guitars and Frank Van Essen - drums, percussion and violin.
The band's music varies from Camel like jazz/rock, to soft Celtic acoustic music (think of the "Braveheart" soundtrack) to full blown progressive soaring majestic rock in the Yes vein.
Chances are if you ever liked those aforementioned bands or the likes of All About Eve, Renaissance, or Clannad you will probably love Iona.
This lengthy CD starts with a beautiful orchestra dominated piece entitled "Overture", penned by Troy, which recalls themes and melodies from other Iona songs. Next is "Be Se I Mo Shuil"
sung in Gaelic by Joanne and accompanied by gentle strings and synths. What follows is one of Iona's epic pieces, "Man", clocking in at over 13 minutes.
This song has everything - an upbeat bass led intro, soaring vocals, a blinding guitar solo and many quiet moments of beauty too. For this song they are also joined by ex-member Nick Beggs playing the Chapman Stick.
Two quieter pieces next - "White Sands" is an exquisite gentle Celtic instrumental and "Murlough Bay", a gentle ballad. The band then play "Dancing On The Wall", a reworked
and much improved version of a song from their debut album, which is very uplifting.
Then "Encircling" another twelve and a half minute epic which, I think, is my favourite Iona song ever (so far!). Again lots of tempo changes, instrumental passages, quiet sections with spine tingling vocals and an incredible guitar solo from Dave Bainbridge that will make you jump out of your seat.
"Lindisfarne" and "Revalation" two more lovely songs follow, the latter having an excellent jazzy extended ending. The penultimate piece is the title track "Woven Cord" composed
especially for this concert.
At nine and a half minutes, it starts quietly and then launches into a guitar and pipes led instrumental with lots of twiddley bits and the orchestra giving it loads of "oomph" - again, I'm in prog. heaven!
Finally the CD comes to an end with a beautiful version of "Beyond These Shores" with cosmic vocals from Joanne, embellished by violin from Frank, piano from Dave and strings from the orchestra.
As you can tell, I quite like this album and so will all the other Iona fans who were there on the night.
The band are now working on their next studio album which is planned to appear next March along with a UK tour. Meanwhile, if you're not too keen on live albums I can heartily recommend their most recent studio album "Journey Into The Morn" which is, I think, their best so far.
Steve Smith 7th November 1999
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OPEN SKY
'Open Sky' is the first new studio album from Iona since their 1995 opus 'Journey Into The Morn'.
Whilst continuing in a similar direction as 'Journey', it shows that the band are not afraid to stretch out further and add new dimensions to the band's sound ... if anything, the band are moving toward ever more ambitious pieces that are more challenging and rewarding for the listener. This is also the first new studio album to feature the talent's of bassist Phil Barker and percussionist/violinist Frank Van Essen.
The album begins with 'Woven Cord' (9:28) a lengthy instrumental that originally appeared on last year's live album.
Re-recorded in the studio for this release, it's a superb display of celtic flavoured jazz rock. Starting with waves of atmospheric synths, whispering voices and pipes, the volume gradually builds until the drums and bass cue the main theme led by Troy Donockley's uilleann pipes in unison with Dave Bainbridge's fluid guitar. Busy percussion from Frank van Essen is underpinned by Phil Barker's rock solid but melodic bass. After about five minutes the pace slows for a short quiet interlude followed by one of Dave's dazzling guitar solos that lasts nearly two minutes. The main theme picks up again and comes to a spectacular ending on a scorching guitar note.
'Wave After Wave' (6:15) begins with some lovely violin from Frank which introduces the main theme.
Joanne sings the first verse accompanied by gentle synths and then the whole band join in. Gradually building in intensity, this song just soars and finds Iona firing on all cylinders. Joanne hits some crystal clear high notes and Dave's insistent guitar riff comes more to the fore before ending with more tranquil vocals
The title track, 'Open Sky', (5:39) is a slightly more relaxed song in a pastoral acoustic vein.
A chanting chorus is followed by a solo from Dave with lovely sustained guitar notes and lush vocals sing of hope and the gift of life.
'Castlerigg' (9:25) is a mostly instrumental piece that falls into three broad sections. Beginning with gentle low whistles from Troy and more atmospheric keys from Dave, percussion and uillean pipes gradually
gain momentum before giving way to a tranquil violin and acoustic guitar section followed by some quietly sung mystical vocals from Joanne.
The last two minutes of the piece then goes into free fall with Troy and Dave playing their hearts out in a full blown reel of great speed and complexity.
As the band joked on stage recently there can't be many drummers who also play violin!
Having Frank van Essen in the band is a huge plus as clearly demonstrated on 'A Million Stars' (3:19). This is a beautiful piece of violin work complimented by Dave's atmospheric keyboards - lovely. 'Light Reflected' (5:11) is another stunner with magical lyrics. Joanne sings "As we walk across this hill, we're in orbit around the sun" - more glorious vocal melodies abound. There's some lovely fretless bass playing from Phil and an ecstatic guitar solo burning bright near the end. 'Hinba' (4:57) features a lovely synth refrain and more strong vocals from Jo. This song puts me in mind of All About Eve and Judie Tzuke with its enchanting chorus. There's some more nice touches of violin , great percussion and a fine uillean pipe solo from Troy.
'Songs of Ascent' is the biggie that clocks in at over 23 minutes in total - and consists of three main parts. Part one (7:58) begins with waves of synths, guitar and violin.
After a few minutes Troy's low whistles herald the vocal section with Joanne singing a majestic hymn-like melody that is totally entrancing. Part two (9:06) is mainly instrumental and reminds me of Mike Oldfield and Gandalf for its deeply moving and relaxing qualities. There's a beautiful piano section and some quiet thought provoking synth atmospheres that just make your spine tingle. Part three (4:52) continues quietly at first then soon builds into an exciting conclusion. Troy's pipes recall the vocal melody from part one and then Dave delivers a spectacular guitar solo over what sounds like a very tricky time signature - stunning.
Finally 'Friendship's Door' (7:14) is an ethereal slow number featuring Joanne's bright clear voice and another pipe solo from Troy.
It closes with some clever snippets of all the previous songs making you want to go back and play it all over again. Iona's new music is totally uplifting and 'Open Sky' is undoubtedly their best yet ...
Steve 15/5/00
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THE RIVER FLOWS
Disc One- 'Iona' (59.57): Turning Tide, Flight Of The Wild Goose, The Island, White Sands, Dancing On The Wall, A'Machair, Vision Of Naran, Beijing, Iona, Trilogy, Here I Stand, Columcille.
Disc Two- 'The Book Of Kells' (72.23): Kells Opening Theme, Revelation, Matthew - The Man, Chi-Rho, Mark - The Lion, The River Flows, Luke - The Calf, Virgin And Child, Temptation, The Arrest - Gethsemene, Trinity - The Godhead, John - The Eagle, Kells, Eternity - No Beginning No End.
Disc Three- 'Beyond These Shores' (68:27): Prayer On A Mountain, Treasure, Brendan's Voyage, Edge Of The World, Today, View Of The Islands, Bird Of Heaven, Murlough Bay, Burning Like Fire, Adrift, Beachy Head, Machrie Moor, Healing, Brandan's Return, Beyond These Shores.
Disc Four- 'Dunes' (54:48): Snowdonia - Realm Of The Ravens, Jigs, Hearthquake, Castlerigg/Reels, I Will Give My Love An Apple, Song Of The Waves, The Final Journey.
This limited edition four CD set from Iona comprises their first three studio albums (which have been otherwise deleted), plus a fourth disc of previously unreleased material.
All bound together in a beautifully packaged, full colour digibook this is the band's first venture on their own Open Sky record label.
The original albums are all remastered and, in some cases, reworked or partially re-recorded, whilst the book includes many unseen photos, notes from the band about the songs and much more besides.
With over four and a quarter hours of music on offer I won't be describing every track in detail, but here are some of my personal highlights and comments along the way...
'Iona': Recorded in late 1989 and early 1990, this debut album featured the nucleus of Dave Bainbridge (guitars, keyboards), David Fitzgerald (sax, flutes, whistles) and Joanne Hogg (vocals, keyboards).
Other musicians who would later become permanent members also contributed; such as Tim Harries (bass), Terl Bryant (drums, percussion) and Troy Donockly (Uillean pipes, whistles).
This first album shows the band beginning to invent the sound of the Iona that we know today.
The style of music is divided into seemingly three types; atmospheric Celtic flavoured instrumentals, proggy/jazzy instrumentals, and vocal based songs sung by Joanne. The magic combination of the three facets of their music would have to wait until the second album, but in the meantime there is still plenty to enjoy here. My favourites are the jazz/prog outings, 'Flight Of The Wild Goose' and 'A'Machair', with their fluid guitar runs reminiscent of 70's Camel.
'The Book Of Kells':
Released during the summer of 1992, this is still one of the band's best albums in which Iona established their majestic style of deeply spiritual music. Terl Bryant became a full member of the group, and they are joined by bass and Chapman Stick player Nick Beggs who provides a new dimension to the sound while Troy Donockly and Frank Van Essen guest once more on pipes and percussion respectively.
The atmospherics from the first album remain, but this time the songs show a stronger progressive leaning with Joanne's soaring voice and very moving lyrics. 'Chi-Rho' is extremely uplifting whilst the sheer
power of 'Kells' and the epic 'Matthew - The Man' is simply awesome. 'Revelation' and 'The River Flows' are also fine songs.
'Beyond These Shores':
Founder member David Fitzgerald left the group prior to the recording of this album in 1993 and was replaced by Mike Haughton. Based upon various Celtic religious themes, this is a more musically varied album featuring atmospheric, progressive and mainstream melodic rock styles.
There are beautiful instrumentals such as 'Prayer On A Mountain' and 'View Of The Islands', while Joanne shines perhaps brightest on the magnificent title track.
Nick Beggs' wonderful fretless bass features strongly on 'Brendan's Voyage' - and another epic, 'Bird Of Heaven', rocks out with power and beauty.
'Dunes':
Featuring line ups old and new, this disc features mostly previously unreleased material and will be one of the main attractions for the purchase of this set. The magnificent twenty two minutes of 'Snowdonia - Realm Of The Ravens' was originally written for a BBC programme back in 1993, and has been partially re-recorded with new sections added. The sheer beauty of this music with Jo's heavenly vocal choirs, Troy's pipes, Dave's weaving guitar lines and Frank Van Essen's violin produce a strong uplifting feeling of well being and relaxation.
There's also the original studio version of 'I Will Give My Love An Apple' that was recorded for the Classic Rock Society's 'Unprogged' CD, and 'The Final Journey'; an instrumental piece that was left off of the
'Beyond These Shores' album.
Finally, a word about Iona's Christian faith which, as well as switching many people on to the band, may well put some people off too.
The group's Christian themes, which are often based upon legend and history, are never preaching or in your face. Nor could their sound be described in any way as "happy clappy". To me, as a non believer myself, Iona's spiritual lyrics evoke the same sense of wonder as Yes's 'Topographic Oceans' or 'Awaken' - soaring majestic prog rock that touches the soul as well as the head and the heart... highly recommended.
Steve 11th September, 2002
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THE CIRCLING HOUR
Tracklist:
1. Empyrean Dawn (7.50);
2. Children of Time (5.33);
3. Strength (5.59);
4. Wind Off The Lake (11.07);
5. Factory Of Magnificent Souls (5.06);
6. Sky Maps (6.43);
7. No Fear in Love (6.02);
8. Wind, Water & Fire - Wind (3.30);
9. Wind, Water & Fire - Water (3.00);
10. Wind, Water & Fire - Fire (7.16);
11. Fragment (Of a Fiery Sun) (2.47)
LINEUP
Dave Bainbridge - Keyboards, guitars, bouzouki
Phil Barker - Bass
Troy Donockley - Uileann Pipes, low whistle, guitars, vocals, bouzouki
Joanne Hogg - Vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Frank Van Hessen - Drums, percussion, violin
REVIEW
'The Circling Hour' represents Iona's first studio album release in just over six years and follows on from the highly acclaimed
'Open Sky' (which itself came some five years on from the preceding studio album 'Journey Into the Morn'. In view of this it's probably fair to say that Iona have not been one of the most prolific band's around in recent years, but at the same time it is equally true that when they do put out an album you can be certain that the result is a quality product.
With a run time of just over an hour, 'The Circling Hour' contains a superb mix of styles that shows just how versatile the band are. The music throughout has a predominantly Celtic / Folk feel, but there
are some inspired flashes of rock along the way that really keeps the interest alive and makes this more than just another pleasant background album.
The opening track "Empyrean Dawn" gets things moving in fine style.
The first two verses of the song are taken from the hymn "How Wonderful This World", and while there is no disguising the obvious Christian theme to the song the lyrics are uplifting and relevant whatever your personal beliefs may be. Joanne's vocals are smooth and delivered with precision, while the music runs along at a pace mixing traditional Celtic sounds with an upbeat rhythm, the overall mood is restrained making for a very pleasing number.
The album continues with a wonderful fluidity, and the mood is preserved as we run first into "Children of Time" and then "Strength". The latter track uses a powerful bass line that has a strong progressive
feel and, quite surprisingly, really reminded me of early IQ. Once again Joanne's vocals carry the listener along, but the supporting backing vocals as the song reaches it's climactic close really add that
special touch to a great number.
"Wind Off the Lake" has what many listeners will recognise as a typically Celtic feel as initially the lively pipe work carries the main theme supported by some great bass and percussion work.
After working through several variations on the original theme the introduction of electric guitar injects into the mix a new sense of direction and vitality which could have brought the number to a satisfactory conclusion, however for some reason the last two minutes of the song switch to an ambient synth / vocal section that seems to have nothing in common with what has gone before. Personally I found this a trifle disappointing as I cannot help but think of it as unnecessary padding to a number that could (and should) have stopped short of this point and allowed this end section to form the basis of a separate piece.
"Factory of Magnificent Souls" is a nicely balanced number, with clean vocal lines and a pleasing mix of acoustic and electric guitar neatly blending folk and progressive influences. This is followed by the
near perfect "Skymaps", which interweaves pipes, violin and electric guitar sounds to provide a driving theme that pushes along in a confident and purposeful fashion.
The haunting vocal opening with synth backdrop gives 'No Fear in Love' a very strong opening that seems to promise much. For some reason however this relatively slow moving number never really clicked with me
and despite some intricate guitar runs and superb vocal delivery towards the closing section, never quite managed to live up to that initial promise.
The next three tracks provide a linked musical suite of Wind Water and Fire - the music here is extremely atmospheric and inspires a sense of inner calm and peace.
The use of voice without words in the second of the three pieces is inspired and as the music becomes more layered the vocal sound holds everything together perfectly, while the third section once again takes a multi layered approach with a gradual build up as the track progresses to it's ultimate satisfying conclusion.
The final track "Fragment (of a Fiery Sun" provides the perfect end piece to what is undoubtedly a very fine album.
This is a soft and delicate song which brings you down gently and leaves you in a calm and reflective frame of mind.
Despite one or two little niggles, I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Circling Hour' and I would heartily recommend it as the perfect introduction to the world of Celtic / Progressive music!
Simon 4th February 2007
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