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"Zee" is the name of a short-lived collaboration between
Dave Harris and Mr. Wright, during his time out of Pink
Floyd (not the name of the album, though some refer to it as
that--the album's name is Identity).
With all due respect to Mr. Wright, don't believe what he
says about this work ("experimental mistake")...
it's not the disaster he thinks it is.
Could've been improved--but not a disaster.
From the outset I could tell this was NOT the total loss Mr.
Wright seemed to think it was. Part of the reason
I could tell that is probably because I do have a liking for
a good bit of 80's music, so that sound isn't an immediate
turn-off.
Perhaps Mr. Wright (in retrospect) is a bit disgusted with
the sound of 80's music in general...that could explain it,
but still, I think the "mistake" moniker is unjustified.
What made this album "experimental" was its almost exclusive
reliance on the Fairlight, what was then cutting-edge
technology.
When it is used well, it creates some very interesting
effects.
When used less effectively, the results can be abrasive.
There are examples of both on this album.
Part of the reason it is so glaring when it doesn't work is
that there are no analogue instruments that I can hear.
Mr. Wright's signature Hammond organ is absent from the mix
except on one song.
Had the Fairlight-generated sounds been blended with more
traditional sounds, it might have helped to take away some
of the harsh edges.
Also, there were some sound effects that were...well,
irritating.
"Strange Rhythm", which would otherwise be a better track,
has this odd mechanical voice that repeats in
a loop--though that effect really grew on me, given a few
listens.
The same goes for "By Touching"...except I haven't become
accustomed to that effect.
Here are the particularly good tracks I would recommend
downloading if you get the chance (as the original album was
only released to vinyl and cassette tape, and is extremely
hard to come by):
"Voices"
"Seems We Were Dreaming"
"Cuts Like a Diamond"
"Confusion" (though more typical 80's than the other two)
"Voices" has the most "Wrightlike" sound to it, augmented by
the fact that, despite the credits on the record sleeve, I
am not sure if Mr. Harris is singing the lead vocals; it
doesn't sound like any of the other songs on this album.
In fact, I am most reminded of "Wearing the Inside Out" from
The Division Bell--Mr. Wright's first certain vocals since
Wet Dream.
Whether my guess about the vocals on "Voices" could possibly
be correct, I don't know.
Either way, the sound of the song in general is downright
spooky, and the atmosphere of it sounds very much like a
warm-up for Broken China.
It may well be that he was getting some of the ideas for
sounds that he would use later; however,
I think the technology, for the most part, needed to catch
up to what he had in mind.
Though "Voices" comes out very well, the Fairlight would not
be able to do what would be required to accomplish something
like Broken China.
Clearly Mr. Wright learned from this experience--another
reason I would not write this off as a loss.
On Broken China he takes advantage of that spooky atmosphere
he used in "Voices", but stays away from overly harsh sound
effects--and most importantly, blends it with analogue
instruments: note the Hammond, piano, and even cello.
He also avoids loudly repeating sound loops (which have the
potential to become grating on some songs such as "Strange
Rhythm", though I enjoy that song), blending the sound
effects much more gracefully in
and out.
In my opinion, the best way to look at Identity is as a
learning experience. Maybe it didn't come out as well as he
might have wished...but that's no reason to wish it away.
At least he was back to music. And that, at the very least,
was a step in the right direction.
"Seems We Were Dreaming" is another one of the best songs on
the album, just under "Voices" in my opinion. What makes
this track special, compared to the rest of the album, is
the fact that it's got
Mr. Wright's signature Hammond organ.
It starts out slow, but you get the idea early on that it's
going to break out into a jam any second.
The first few times it crescendoes, it seems to tease the
listener as it rapidly recedes again--and then it finally
crescendoes and bursts out in a triumphant flourish of
Hammond and a much faster beat.
This may sound silly, but sometimes as I listen to a piece
of music for the first time, part of me is writing ahead of
it, trying to imagine where it might go.
And it's an interesting kind of joy when you get it right,
and the music goes where you wish--or somewhere even better.
This seems to be a good example of the blending between
digital and analogue I was talking about,
that I did not see on the rest of the album.
This track, in that respect, is a successful experiment.
Even some of the less notable tracks have a charm about them,
and if you like the 80's, you can successfully get into
them.
"Confusion", while very 80's, is quite likeable.
It was released as a single, and to be honest I cannot
explain why it never got any airplay, considering that
it was better than many songs from that time that I could
name.
Also from a music history perspective, I do think it was
very interesting to hear what the Fairlight sounded like,
even though some of those sounds (most notably that synth
brass) seem harsh in light of modern synth technology.
I think that between "Voices" and "Seems We Were Dreaming",
Mr. Wright did get something useful out of this--a direction
that he would refine with Broken China, to come up with a
more unified sound.
He also learned what he did not like. This isn't a loss, and
not just because of its experience value for Mr. Wright.
In fact, I actually like it, and would recommend people give
it a fair chance.
I would say it's not for everyone, but if you don't mind
some of the edgier, electronic 80's sounds, you should try
it.
I think even more people, not just those with a taste for
the 80's, might like the tracks I mentioned earlier
in the commentary.
So..."experimental mistake"? No. Just "experimental", that's
all.
And that's worth it, in my book. My message to Mr. Wright:
the only art one should regret...is the art one never does.
(Oh...and a limited collector's release to CD would be
nice...I would love to replace my Identity audio files with
something a bit more official... |
