Youth & Macca's Ambient Album

[Alias]

Just re-reading an old interview with Hugh http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Artic ... 91,00.html, going on about his record collection and this is mentioned. Anyone got a copy or even heard it?

"One very experimental, sample-heavy CD, Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest by the Fireman, turns out to have a strange pedigree. "It's a product of the producer Youth teaming up with Paul McCartney. Youth went to McCartney's house, got stoned for two days, took away the 24-track tapes of McCartney's latest album and remixed them. There's no singing on it, it's just noises, and it was McCartney's idea. It sold about 10 copies." Cornwell plays a couple of tracks from the album - and they're a long way off from the Frog's Chorus. "This is Stella [McCartney]'s copy. We used to hang out together a few years ago."


Details
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution
Recording type: Studio
Recording mode: Stereo
SPAR Code: n/a


Album notes
The Fireman: Youth, Paul McCartney.
According to legend, the genesis of STRAWBERRIES OCEANS SHIPS FOREST was a late-night remix session for a single from Paul McCartney's 1992 album, OFF THE GROUND. Having invited ambient house pioneer and ex-Killing Joke bassist Youth to create an ambient remix of the track, McCartney was so inspired by Youth's radical deconstructions that the pair worked through the night to create nine entirely different mixes of the same basic material, which McCartney then issued under the pseudonym the Fireman. Despite using the same starting point for each track, these nine lengthy explorations--only one track, the unsettling "4 4 4," is under eight minutes--are remarkably varied, from the descriptively-titled "Pure Trance" and "Celtic Stomp" to the gentle, watery title track and "Arizona Light." Long before McCartney's involvement became general knowledge, this album was quite popular on the ambient dance scene.


Editorial reviews
3 Stars - Good - ...As an infectious, first-gear, instrumental dance album, it's fine...
Q (01/01/1994)

3 1/2 Stars - Good Plus - ...The droning wail of guitars and keyboards gives the music an exotic tinge, conjuring up images of a late-night stroll through the casbah....
Rolling Stone (06/30/1994)


Track listing
1. Transpiritual Stomp
2. Trans Lunar Rising
3. Transcrystaline
4. Pure Trance
5. Arizona Light
6. Celtic Stomp
7. Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest
8. 4-4-4
9. Sunrise Mix

[Alias]

This doesn't sound bad either. If you like this sort of thing.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 72-8497241

[janek]

i have a copy of it somewhere - it's good to listen to it when you're tired and sleepy, but can't fall asleep. it doesn't make you want to sleep but makes you calm down more :)

[Alias]

As I said - if you like that kinda thing, and I do, it doesn't sound like it would be too bad. Sounds like the best thing Maccas done for a long time anyway.

[janek]

As I said - if you like that kinda thing, and I do, it doesn't sound like it would be too bad. Sounds like the best thing Maccas done for a long time anyway.

macca's one of my heroes - i have all of his regular records, and some of the unussual stuff - just like The Fireman records, or his classical stuff

[Alias]

You got the Frog Chorus?

[Arthur Streeb-Greebling]

Been meaning to check that 'Fireman' album out for years. Any good?

[janek]

Been meaning to check that 'Fireman' album out for years. Any good?

yes, it is good. but don't treat it like a normal album - it's more ilustrationlike music, quite like soundtrack really. there's just music - almost no vocals. sounds a bit like bianco de gaia or sth. like this


ah - yes -> i have the frog song :) love to sing it after drinking