Hello ... Hello ... my old friends ... It's great to see you once again! Four light years have passed since 2012's "Across The Divide" and in that "Time", Dave Scott-Morgan has assembled his rather talented quintet Morganisation and taken them out on the road to rave reviews. Significantly, their debut studio album "Bubbles" is officially and digitally released today (Saturday 26th November).
"Bubbles" is a collection of ten (10) tunes including a stomping cover of the Buddy Holly classic "Well ... All Right" alongside nine original compositions which exhibit the influence of Bob Dylan in places with welcome nods to The Beatles and, of course, his old pal Jeff Lynne and ELO too. So named after the "various interludes which sort of bubble up between tracks" (as eloquently explained by Dave recently), "Bubbles" opens with the atmospheric layered vocals of "I'd Love To See You" before "On A Plane" - the most ELOesque of the songs on show here - arrives to grab your aural attention complete with additional guitar contribution of Tony Kelsey. The bluegrass flavoured "Black Dog Day" signposts a change of genre before a new version of the quirky "Mistress Caroline" (originally found on Dave's 2001 "Reel Two" album) makes its appearance, with former ELO bassist Martin Smith also guesting on guitar. The interestingly entitled "The Queen, The Prince And The Dish" is next, a song about HM The Queen, the passing of Prince and an old friend. The last four tracks have all been proof tested in Morganisation's recent live shows and all translate nicely into studio tracks. The crowd pleasing rocker "Knower" is followed the beautiful homage to wartime heroine Violette Szabo GC: "Gibraltar Farm". The anthemic "Are You Ready?" and finally the catchy "Big Brown Sky" close out this highly enjoyable outing which also serves as as a reminder (if it were needed) to the songwriting legacy of one Dave Scott-Morgan with a little help from wife Mandy, talented guitarist Alex Lowe, Alan Smith and Jack Rosa. My fave track has to be "On A Plane" and with an asking price of only £7, this album is a real steal! (10/10)
"Bubbles" by Morganisation comprises: "I'd Love To See You" [1:18] ~ "On A Plane" [3:56] ~ "Black Dog Day" [3:34] ~ "Mistress Caroline" [5:19] ~ "Well ... All Right" (Buddy Holly) [3:12] ~ "The Queen, The Prince And The Dish" [3:54] ~ "Knower" [4:11] ~ "Gibraltar Farm" [2:41] ~ "Are You Ready?" [3:20] ~ "Big Brown Sky" [3:47]
On a Wing and a Prayer: Morganisation are (l-r) Mandy & Dave Scott-Morgan, Alex Lowe, Jack Rosa, Alan Smith
You can find out more about Morganisation via their official web site and/or purchase their new album "Bubbles" (in download format only) via these links thus:
www.morganisation.co.uk
www.123mga.com/wp2016/shop
elobeatlesforever (elobf) recommends "Bubbles" by Morganisation to those enlightened folks who enjoy the music of ELO, Jeff Lynne, The Move, Roy Wood, The Idle Race, 'Brum Beat', The Beatles and related artistes.
Until next "Time" in the ELO [and related] Universe ... KJS ... 26-Nov-2016