What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

^^Geez! May not be rap but I noticed a few ho ho ho's.   

What I've been listening to is the polar opposite. Steve Howe and the late Virgil Howe's Nexus. 



Finally got around to listening to the whole album, and I've had it on repeat a few times - that's because it takes a while to settle into. Steve is responsible for the guitars and Virgil everything else. What an awful loss. This could have been the beginning of something quite extraordinary. It's difficult to be objective about the album in terms of criticism, well I find it so anyway - coloured as it is by untimely death. I admire Steve's decision to go ahead and release the album despite such a personal tragedy, so I'm just going to like it and appreciate it for what it is - a collaboration between a father and son who obviously had a special rapport, and in any event, there are some quite lovely pieces here. All instrumental - no voice.

The definition of a nexus is ‘a connection or series of connections linking two or more things’ which really is quite perfectly thought out, and in art terms the cover art takes the form of what is called decalcomania – ‘a blotting process whereby paint is squeezed between two surfaces to create a mirror image’. I only know this latter bit from my own dabblings.
 
The track titles are all space themed, one way or another. “Nick’s Star” is so titled for a friend of Virgil’s who was also taken too young. The world is such a village – turns out some friends of mine’s daughter was at school with Virgil and Nick, and this same friend was also working at Island Records when Yes was first attempting to get signed. Apparently they were totally disorganised – all over the place and stoned out of their brackets most of the time so whoever the head honcho at Island was, Chris Blackwell I expect, was reluctant to take them on. They got their act together eventually, obviously, and signed to Atlantic, but that’s an aside. I have a suspicion that this album will be enjoyed by musicians, more so than mere listeners, Steve has some really shining moments, as one would expect and his son was a talented individual, no question. I would definitely like to add it to my collection.

I've posted this track before somewhere, but anyway - here it is again ...