Customer Reviews

Northern Song

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been listening to 'Northern Song' for more than twenty years, and never tire of it. Capable of pyrotechnics, here Tibbets is superbly restrained. Just six and twelve-string guitar, kalimba, some subtle tape effects and percussion (courtesy of Marc Anderson). As with all ECM recordings, the sound is deep and lush. My favourite "chill out" album - if that's not damning with faint praise. "Northern Song" is an automatic pick for my all-time top ten, along with 'Kind of Blue', 'Astral Weeks', 'Hejira', Bill Evans recordings at the Village Vanguard and the Allman Brothers 'Live at the Fillmore'. Not for everyone, but for mine it's a timeless gem of a record.

[Reviewer's Note: At the time this record came out in 1982, I was working at a custom record manufacturing company in Phoenix where this record was first mastered and pressed. Otherwise, I might never have come across it. It struck me then as it strikes me now, some eighteen years later. Beautiful and soothing.]

Acoustic guitarist and composer Steve Tibbetts in his album Northern Song presents the listener with five meditative musical landscapes, each leaving the listener with a sense of openness and empty space ready to be filled.

It is background music that doesn't get in the way of the listener's imagination, and yet lets him take it where he will. You fill in the emptiness.

The panorama of acoustic guitar sound is enhanced with soft congas, maraca and chime percussion that lend a light texture to each piece and contribute beautifully to the meditative quality. New Age music this is not. But, rather, spare and limitless, nurturing the listener's creativity. It allows one the space in which to hear himself think.

If you want to calm down after a hectic day's struggle, pop on Steve Tibbetts' Northern Song and feel yourself drawn into a spacious sound landscape with room to breathe and stretch out. And don't be surprised if, when you leave, you find yourself feeling refreshed and alert with more energy than when you began.

yes, this may be a radically different album from steve's other albums, but it is his best in my opinion.
it is a masterpiece of subtlety. it is a gorgeous sonic tapestry. it is one of my most favorite albums.
at first listening it is repetitive, super soft and slow moving. but listen again, closer, and you begin
to hear the shape of a true musician. he evolves the gradual changes here, in a minimalistic way of course,
with such suprising beauty. tape loops and anderson's percussion contribute greatly.
i don't like other of his albums which are so loud. i think we've got a complex creator here. in any case,
this album will truly transport you to landscapes in your mind and heart where peace and beauty reign.

Finally, someone has seen fit to re-release Steve Tibbetts' old stuff. Nobody has ever, or will ever sound quite like him, so do not pass up the chance to get this while it is back in print. Steve Tibbetts is one of the most technically skilled acoustic guitarists in the world (almost on par with Preston Reed), but more importantly, he is an amazing composer who knows when NOT to show off. This album, while it has the fewest "pyrotechnics" of any of his solo works (if you want that, go for Exploded View or The Fall of Us All), it is my favorite (today, anyway). In fact, it is mostly percussion. The pieces are as complex as classical pieces with a general feel closer to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue, although there is nothing else in the world that sounds like this album, and nothing else will have quite the same effect on you. At the risk of sounding like Morpheus from The Matrix, you cannot really be told what this album sounds like-- you have to hear it for yourself. Buy it, listen to it, and experience something truly special. If you like this, here are a few more things to check out: Everything Steve Tibbetts has ever done (my favorites are this one, Exploded View, The Fall of Us All, and his self-titled debut, if you can find it). Bill Frisell-- In Line; jazz guitar with a touch of country done with the same general aesthetic as this album. Sandy Bull-- Re-inventions; brilliant "blend" of classical, jazz, Spanish guitar, Middle Eastern Oud, and yes, even a banjo. You can't say no to an album with Carmina Burana on banjo. Richard Leo Johnsom-- Language; an amazing acoustic guitarist with a penchant for weird arrangements. Buckethead-- Colma; what happens when history's only tasteful speed metal guitarist picks up an acoustic guitar for a mellow, experimental album? "Colma." Keep an open mind and give it a try.

This is the quietest record Steve Tibbetts has ever released. It was recorded in typical ECM fashion (3 or 4 days continuously in a recording studio). This is NOT the way Steve likes to record and he never recorded this way again. Tibbetts likes to play, experiment with sound, treat music a lot like a painting (he and Brian Eno seem to approach music from similar perspective).

The end result of Steve and Marc Anderson's stay in Norway is this set of musical pieces that are sometimes less than brilliant. Some of the tracks here are wonderful, like The Big Wind, Walking, and parts of Aeriel View. But several of the pieces feel unfinished (specifically Form and Nine Doors).

As a true fan of Steve Tibbetts I like this record a great deal and I'm glad it was created. However, it is just not as good as his best works: YR, Safe Journey, Exploded View, and Big Map Idea.

Haunting and meditative ( boy, I just keep coming back to that word when writing about Steve Tibbetts ), Northern Song evokes the snowy expanses of the Arctic. Acoustic guitar, kalimba and percussion set inside vast echoing spaces. "Form" and "Aerial View" are particularly lovely.

This is an absolute MUST listen. Period.

Duets of guitar and marimba and various percussion played by two masters.

Do not hesitate...and you will not be disappointed.

180 degrees from "Safe Journey", but every bit as original. Not to be compared with his other works or as is the case with all of his recordings, certainly CAN'T be compared with anyone else's works. If you analyze it, it's repetitive and extremely minimalist. But if you just feel it and let Steve do his thing, it's beautiful, awe-inspiring fantasy. The all-time best example of "less is more". Gorgeous!

This CD is one of the most haunting and beautiful in my collection. Very personal, introspective. Later works are also wonderful, but this is my favorite! Disregard the bad press. They know not what they speak.

I was terribly excited when, finding this LP back in 1984, I saw that one of my favorite musicians was on my favorite label. After hearing Yr, the tone of this release was shocking. Northern Song is a very contemplative disc, with lots of space, as if Tibbetts were exploring the acoustics and resonances of his expertly played acoustic guitar. Though I have read less than stellar reviews of this CD in various magazines and books, don't believe them - this is a spectacular effort of the highest quality that transcends any categorization - it is not jazz, not rock - it is important music that can get inside of you and bring great pleasure.