Daydream

Description

Daydream is an instrumental album by Michael Roe & Mark Harmon of The Seventy Sevens fame, released on Unison Music in 1999. The album was recorded by Mark Harmon at Breadbox in Rocklin, California; with Michael Roe and Harmon producing and arranging. Mixed and mastered by Ralph Stover at Audio Production Group in Orangevale, California.

Following in the footsteps of Phil Keaggy‘s Music to Paint By series, Michael Roe and Mark Harmon of the seminal Christian rock band The 77s have signed a multi-album deal with Unison Music. Judging by Daydream, the first album in the series, these records will be jazz-tinged pop instrumentals. This excursion into jazz shouldn’t surprise fans of the 77s – several past songs («Alone Together», «Flowers in the Sand») have been unashamedly jazz-influenced, and Roe has acknowledged both in words and in solo albums his affections for the genre.

The liner notes state that the album is intended to create “an environment of reflection and meditation,” and in that respect, it certainly succeeds. Daydream relaxes the mind (so quietly that you don’t even realize what’s happening) with warm guitar tones, soft keyboards and sparse percussion. The songs make wonderful background music, be it for the suggested meditation or for other activities. (On the other hand, I wouldn’t suggest listening to the album while driving at night…it might put you to sleep!)

Something interesting about Daydream is the fact that Roe, generally thought of as the creative centre of the 77s, participated in the writing of only three of the album’s eleven songs. Harmon wrote or co-wrote five of them, and the opening and closing tracks, «Sleepwalk» and «Sleepwalk (Slight Return)» are easily-recognizable hula dance songs. Harmon proves himself to be a more-than-competent writer (and guitarist, keyboardist, and percussionist, for that matter), as his compositions «Amber Waves» and «Dancing Out on the Moonlit Nile» are two of the most enjoyable tracks on the album.

Daydream is a must-have for fans of the 77s, as well as for anyone who finds their day too hectic and just needs time to relax. I personally am looking forward to the other albums in this series. [Michial Farmer, The Phantom Tollbooth, 1/30/2000]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/daydream/412179123)

CD tracklist:

01. Sleepwalk – 1:26
02. Amber Waves – 7:29
03. Sailing South From Mendocino – 7:52
04. Spirits Flying Over Mt. Tamalpais – 4:20
05. Here’s Another Secret – 6:15
06. Watching The Sunrise In an Old Raincoat – 4:23
07. Dancing Out On The Moonlit Nile – 7:19
08. Float Bop – 5:07
09. Blue Fields – 6:18
10. Herald the Bud – 8:56
11. Sleepwalk (Slight Return) – 0:40

Note: Re-issued on Fools Of The World in 2001 featuring new cover artwork. Available at Bandcamp: https://michaelroe.bandcamp.com/album/daydream-michael-roe-mark-harmon

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CREDITS. Produced by Michael Roe & Mark Harmon. Recorded at Breadbox/Rocklin, CA. by Mark Harmon. Mixed and Mastered at Audio Production Group/Orangevale, CA. by Ralph Stover. Arranged by Michael Roe & Mark Harmon. Production Administration by Gary Oldenbrock. A&R Direction by Judith Volz & David Estes. Art Direction by Michael Roe, Mark Harmon & Brian Heydn. Graphic Design & Photography by Brian Heydn. Executive Producer: David Estes.

Musicians: Michael Roe (Guitars), Mark Harmon (Basses, Keyboards, Percussion, Guitars).