SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE DREAM ACADEMY – RELIGION, REVOLUTION & RAILWAYS

THE DREAM ACADEMY
RELIGION, REVOLUTION & RAILWAYS
CHERRY RED RECORDS

Having a huge, world-wide success with your first single can always be a blessing and a curse. For Dream Academy which includes singer/guitarist and songwriter Nick Laird-Clowes, multi-instrumentalist Kate St. John, and keyboardist/songwriter Gilbert Gabriel, it seems to have been something in between.

The trio became something of a critics’ darlings and acquired a solid cult fan base, but their three original albums, of which two were produced by David Gilmour and the other co-produced by Lyndsey Buckingham and Hugh Padgham, as well as follow-up singles that never reached the status of « Life In A Northern Town ». ‘

Oh, and what a single that was! A Beach Boys-like take on a Mamas & Papas « California Dreamin » with a deep social commentary. It got the success it deserved. But what about the rest, including all the released and unreleased material Laird-Clowes dug out in the archives on this sprawling 7-disc set?

Well, some exquisite, cool sophisticated pop, ranging everywhere from the fifties, through the best of baroque pop to soft jazz like stuff you might expect from the likes of Steely Dan and Michael Franks.

Should it have done much better commercially? Certainly. Is it time for a detailed re-assessment. Check there, too. Luckily, all three former members are still active with Nick Laird-Clowes’s subsequent career as a film composer, Kate St John in demand as both musical director and string arranger, while Gilbert Gabriel’s doctorate sees his continued involvement with both film music and multi-media exploration. A must.

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