Earthworks (album)

Earthworks is the debut album by Bill Bruford's Earthworks, a jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford and featuring Django Bates, Iain Ballamy and Mick Hutton. It was released in 1987 on EG Records.

The Allmusic review by Chris Kelsey awards the album with 3 stars and states: "The best thing about this band is its refreshing ingenuousness; they make intelligent, sophisticated instrumental pop music that doesn't pander in the least."^[2]

Track listing

1. "Thud" (Iain Ballamy) – 4:10
2. "Making A Song And Dance" (Ballamy, Bill Bruford) – 5:52
3. "Up North" (Ballamy, Django Bates, Bruford) – 5:19
4. "Pressure" (Bruford) – 4:57
5. "My Heart Declares A Holiday" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:35
6. "Emotional Shirt" (Bates) – 4:45
7. "It Needn't End In Tears" (Ballamy) – 5:14
8. "The Shepherd Is Eternal" (Bates, Bruford) – 1:50
9. "Bridge Of Inhibition" (Ballamy, Bates, Bruford) – 4:15

• Recorded at Terminal 24 Studios, London, England, October 1986

Personnel

• Bill Bruford - acoustic and electronic drums, percussion, whirled instruments
• Django Bates - keyboards, tenor horn, trumpet
• Iain Ballamy - soprano, alto and tenor saxophones
• Mick Hutton - acoustic bass

• Dave Stewart - co-producer (with Bruford), and credited with "samples, keyboard bass, very occasional additional keyboards".

Dave Stewart was the only musician with whom Bruford had recorded before, and his distinctive keyboard sound is most clearly audible on the tracks 'Making a Song and Dance' and 'Pressure'.

References