Description
Electric Cinema – an instrumental recording – is the eighth studio album by the American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Robin Crow, released on Rendevous Entertainment in 1992, distributed by RCA Records. The album was produced by Robin Crow.
Robin Crow has long impressed those in the know, both fans and musical peers, as one of the finest guitarists to come along in many years. Through no fault of his own, Crow’s recording career has been continually derailed, by the spars availability of his indie releases, and the fact that his previous record companies have had a nasty habit of going out of business. The good news is, Crow has finally landed on a label with some stability, the international BMG imprint. Better still, his latest effort captures the breadth of his tremendous talent.
The “hook,” if you will, on Electric Cinema (at least for the mainstream audience) is the inclusion of a suite which features three AOR staples – Yes’ «Roundabout», U2’s «I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For» and Pink Floyd’s «Another Brick in the Wall, Part II». Crow shows a lot of moxie by covering tunes by such idiosyncratic guitarists as Steve Howe, The Edge and David Gilmour, but that’s indicative of the confidence he displays throughout the album. On «Roundabout», the guitarist displays acoustic fretwork that would make Steve Howe envious, as he blazes a path for Robb Hajacos to tender a Kansas-like violin solo, while on «Still Haven’t Found», Crow’s guitar takes on the nature of a bagpipe.
But the bulk of the album is made of compositions Crow wrote on his own, in tandem with Jim Weber or guest musicians Paul Brannon and Kerry Livgren. Noted for his ability on double-neck electric, Crow effortlessly shifts from chiming 12-strings arpeggios to fiery single note leads runs. Many of the tracks are built around layers of acoustic guitar and sophisticated percussion parts, which keeps the arrangements from becoming stale. Especially noteworthy are the opening «Shooting Stars», the most aggressive tune of the batch, «Speed of Sound», which finds Crow tapping his acoustic ala Michael Hegdes and «Sleepwalking», which displays the artist’s keen sense of melody. The aptly-named ‘Electric Cinema’ is already the most widely-distributed record of Crow’s career and shows every sign of being his most successful. [Bruce A. Brown, CCM, September 1992]
Guitarist Robin Crow gained acclaim with five albums issued on independent labels and relentless touring on the college concert circuit. Rendezvous Entertainment/RCA rewarded him with a major-label contract, and 1992’s remarkable instrumental album Electric Cinema was the result. Crow’s music, which he himself has described as “Pink Floyd goes instrumental,” has a definite new age feel. His guitar style relies heavily on unorthodox tunings, and that adds a distinctive flavor to his work. Crow assembled an all-star backing band for Electric Cinema including former Kansas guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren, former Toto bassist David Hungate, former Journey drummer Larrie Londin, and members of Steve Winwood’s band, bassist Michael Rhodes and keyboardist Mike Lawler. «Shooting Stars» is dominated by chiming electric guitar parts and sweet acoustic guitar accents. The lengthy medley «Suite: (Spirits from the Past)» is arguably the album’s highlight, and it was a gutsy move linking and rearranging three beloved classic rock staples: Yes’ «Roundabout», U2’s «I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For», and Pink Floyd’s «Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)». «Roundabout» is the best part; Crow uses acoustic guitar on the main vocal melody and the “da da da” vocal coda and electric guitar on the chorus vocal melody. (He also wisely chose to avoid tackling David Gilmour’s brilliant guitar solo on the Pink Floyd cover.) «11th Hour» manages to effectively blend a dreamy intro, a soaring lead guitar, a piercing synthesizer, and a hard-rock rhythm section tempo. The soothingly ethereal «Rainmaker» includes faint vocals by Barbara Bailey Hutchison and crisp acoustic guitar strumming. The finale «The Great Abyss» is sparse, slow, and relaxed. Electric Cinema didn’t scrape the charts and will be difficult to find, but it’s worth hearing, as is any Crow album you might stumble upon. [Bret Adams, AMG]
CD tracklist:
01. Shooting Stars – 4:18
02. Suite: (Spirits from the Past) Roundabout – 6:43
03. Suite: (Spirits from the Past) Still Haven’t Found (What I’m Looking For) – 4:39
04. Suite: (Spirits from the Past) Another Brick in the Wall, Part II – 6:04
05. Seven Leagues Under – 5:15
06. 11th Hour – 4:40
07. Rainmaker – 4:13
08. Speed of Sound – 5:48
09. Sleepwalking – 4:35
10. The Great Abyss – 3:03
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Rendevous Entertainment.
An interview with singer, songwriter, and guitarist Robin Crow was featured in the October 1992 issue of CCM Magazine, as a part of their ongoing Christian Musician Series.
“Sleepwalking” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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