Four Moments

Four Moments is the debut studio album by the Australian symphonic rock band Sebastian Hardie and was released in August 1975 by Polydor Records.^[1] It was their most commercially successful release and peaked at #13 on the Australian album charts.^[2] The single from the album was the instrumental "Rosanna", which peaked at #31 on the National singles chart.^[2] The title track takes up side one of the original vinyl LP release and is a suite of four parts. All tracks were written by lead vocalist / lead guitarist Mario Millo either on his own or with fellow band members Tovio Pilt, Alex Plavsic and Peter Plavsic.^[3] The distinctive logo, which would feature on future Sebastian Hardie releases, was designed by Larraine Hall (see infobox at right). The album was produced by former band member Jon English.^[1]

Four Moments features dramatic arrangements, seamlessly flowing with its impeccable musicianship displaying influences of European progressive rock bands Genesis, King Crimson, Focus and Yes.^[1] Millo, in a 2002 interview, reflected on the creation of the album:

"I began conceiving the various melodic phrases over a period of time and became excited by the idea of writing and ultimately performing an orchestral style piece. I knew I was on to something special and I wanted the world hear it. Sebastian Hardie was the perfect band for this [...] At rehearsals we then took the ideas and began to assemble them, it wasn't long before we were ready to perform what was to become the 'Four Moments' album."^[4]

—Mario Millo, 2002-05-21

According to Millo: "Glories Shall Be Released" was partly inspired by a boyhood friend's drug experiences - his distorted sense of reality and subsequent suicide, "Rosanna" was named for Millo's older sister who was an emotional support, and "Openings" evolved from the band's jamming.^[4]

Track listing

Songwriters according to Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).^[3]

1. "Four Moments" (Mario Millo, Tovio Pilt, Alex Plavsic, Peter Plavsic) - 20:41
   1. "Glories Shall Be Released" (Millo) - 6:42
   2. "Dawn of Our Sun" (Millo) - 5:05
   3. "Journey Through Our Dreams" (Pilt, A. Plavsic, P. Plavsic, Millo) - 6:43
   4. "Everything is Real" (Millo) - 2:11
2. "Rosanna" (Millo) - 6:02
3. "Openings" (Millo, Pilt, A. Plavsic, P. Plavsic) - 13:03

 4."Day After Day" (Millo) - 5:18 (Bonus track on Japanese CD Release Avalon MICY-1115 1999)

Singles

• "Rosanna" #31 AUS
• "Openings"

Chart positions

Personnel

Sebastian Hardie members

• Mario Millo — vocals, lead guitar, mandolin
• Tovio Pilt — keyboards (Moog, mellotron, piano, Hammond organ)
• Alex Plavsic — drums, percussion
• Peter Plavsic — bass guitar

Additional musicians

• Greg Bushell — congas, bells, tambourine
• Bob Payne — tambourine on "Journey Through Our Dreams"

Recording details

• Arranger — Sebastian Hardie
• Producer — Jon English
• Recording and mixing engineer — Richard Lush at EMI Studios, Sydney

Art work

• Symbol design — Larraine Hall
• Photography — David Miller

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} McFarlane, Ian (1999) (doc). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Archived from the original on 2003-05-17. http://web.archive.org/web/20030517224039/http://www.whammo.com.au/encyclopedia.asp?articleid=358. Retrieved 2008-07-24. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.  NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.
3. ^ ^{a b} "Australasian Performing Right Association". APRA. http://www.apra.com.au/cms/worksearch/worksearch.srvlt?action=workSearch&switchDet=Y. Retrieved 2008-07-26.  Note: requires user to input song title e.g. FOUR MOMENTS
4. ^ ^{a b} "Mario Millo interview". ProgressoR. 2002-05-21. http://www.progressor.net/interview/mario_millo.html. Retrieved 2008-07-25.