Description
The Butterfly Effect is an album by the British born, US based, poet and singer/songwriter Steve Scott, released on Blonde Vinyl Records in 1991.
“Work on this project done in three studios. Most of the work on the readings, and keyboard sequencing (and subsequent mixdown) was done at Millenia Media Studios with John La Grou. Barry Dixon and Studio W helped me greatly with some of the other tracks such as “Sun Poem,” “Who Among the Angels?” and “Flight.” “Snapshots at the Taj” (sampled tabla sounds and all) courtesy of Bongo Bob Smith and his Bongolu Studios.” [Note from the booklet]
Back in my high school youth group, I had a bit of stigma. I was the “wierd” one, who listened to music like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Mortal, and the Prayer Chain – you know, the stuff that every depressed “alternative” teenager listens to. One day, one of the girls walked up to me and handed me this tape. I went home and was immediately intrigued, until I realized that this was a spoken word album, which made me think that this was too “wierd,” even for me.
But something about the album fascinated me and I soon found myself listening to this on many a bus ride to and from school. I now count this album as a huge influence on the way I see music and poetry.
I don’t know a whole lot about Steve Scott, but I take it he’s a well-travelled man. Many of his poems deal with experiences in exotic locales, and even though his poetry is often beautiful and full of bizarre, spiritual imagery, there’s still a human element to it. And the music, consisting primarily of ambient loops with ethnic and tribal touches, adds to this feeling.
Especially moving is «No Memory Of You», a poem about several encounters with Jakartan prostitutes. Scott recorded the conversations he had with these women, and uses them as loops which he reads over. It may sound confusing, but when the words he reads and the words spoken in the loop grow in sync, the effect is just haunting. The same holds true for «The Beautiful Light», set against the backdrop of Orthodox chants, as Scott tells of his journeys and encounters in Russia. Incredibly stimulating stuff, mentally and spiritually. [Jason Morehead, Opus, July 2001]
CD tracklist:
01. Sun Poem
02. Slow Motion (Slow Motion / A Rumour Of Separate Worlds / Signals)
03. No One Else To Blame
04. Butterfly Effect
05. No Memory Of You
06. Ghost / Explanation
07. Lights & Shadows
08. Flight
09. It’s As If / Snapshots At The Taj
10. Who Among The Angels?
11. Jubilee Fragment
12. The Beautiful Light
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Blonde Vinyl Records. (The song “Jubilee Fragment” has been omitted from the cassette version.)
“No Memory Of You”, performed live at the Next Stage Arts Festival on June 5, 1994 at Xenos in Columbus, OH
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