Ron Geesin - Roncycle1: The Journey of A Melody

every interviewer will start out by crediting ron geesin with being one of the most creative and original artists of our time - after which they will invariably focus exclusively on his work with pink floyd on atom heart mother, which geesin famously co-wrote and orchestrated. when gauged against his imposing body of work, this must seem a striking case of historical injustice - albeit one which cannot come as surprise to someone who, already as early as 1970, berated the floyd for turning into a commercial machine and always chose the path of the individual expressionist. and yet, even in a career now spanning almost half a century, roncycle1: the journey of a melody, represents one of his most ambitious projects to date.

it is an integral suite composed of sixteen pieces - some of them a mere minute short. geesin has himself, in fact, referred to his latest creation as “a monster from the deep”. elements and influences from his entire career are passing by the audience’s ears, ranging from puristic folk and proto-funk to orchestral meditations and the complex metrics of progressive rock. thanks to a clearly defined narrative, which geesin readily expounds upon in the liner notes, the result has nonetheless turned out entirely coherent.

geesin began work on the album in 1986: “the reason that it has all taken so long is that, as it grew, it frightened me so much that i had to walk away for long periods”. working with a variety of compositional approaches and with a little help from edgar allan poe, the music did not develop in a linear fashion, but rather proliferated outward from a handful of creative centres. technical issues meant parts of the work had to be transferred from their original tape to computer and, according to geesin, “the whole digi-structure was becoming overwhelmingly complicated”. meeting mark ayres, known for his contribution to the bbc’s dr. who, proved to be the solution. ayres took care of final arrangements in his studio, bringing a twenty five year long epic journey to a satisfying end.

needless to say, roncycle1: the journey of a melody won’t save geesin from his association with atom heart mother either. but taking into consideration that every step on his way has always seemed to be good for something, why should it?

Tracklisting:

01. tuning crystals
02. under the heat
03. agreeable disagreement
04. a) low flight
    b) over the edge
05. foggy forest
06. chatter line
07. whether the weather
08. wispy mist
09. cellar fall
10. radio fume
11. presenters’ song
12. disagreeable intrusion
13. a musing
14. gathering strands
15. home, jimmy
16. caught

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