Gabriel/Yes “Watcher” Bootlegger Revealed

A few months ago, I posted this story about an allegedly authentic version of “Watcher of the Skies” performed by Yes with vocals by Peter Gabriel. Everyone, of course, knew it was a fake, but who did it, and what were the circumstances surrounding its creation? Well, now, the truth has been revealed! And loads of fun it is! See the YouTube link below. And when you’re done, order the album they mention in the video … not only does it have a cleaned-up version of the “Watcher Fantasy Bootleg”, but the rest of the album is also spectacular … and will be reviewed here separately when I have the time. Meanwhile, get the story.

With appreciation to JL who posted a link to this video in a comment to my previous post.

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Ancient Future – World Without Walls re-release

World Without Walls by Ancient Future

What’s an album like World Without Walls doing in the GEPR? “That’s not prog!” I hear you say. Well, in my view it’s definitely progressive, in the true sense of the word, rather than the “sounds like Yes, Genesis or King Crimson” sense. Ancient Future coined the phrase “World Fusion” to describe their music. Not insipid easy-listening “World Music”, though it might make you think of that if you aren’t listening closely. World Without Walls is a remastered re-release of their 1990 classic, and doesn’t sound dated at all.

World Without Walls is a fusion of musical stylings, scales and rhythms from around the world. The main influences I hear are Middle Eastern, Indian and South American, though there’s also Jamaican “Island Music” sounds, Balinese and probably dozens of other influences too subtle for me to notice. The instruments run the gamut of acoustic instruments like violins, piano, tuned percussion instruments and tablas (by renowned master Zakir Hussein) and also electric guitar synths and synthesizers. Leader Matthew Montfort plays (along with other guitars) a unique scalloped-fretboard acoustic guitar which allows for subtle pitch-bending and timbre-modulation effects. A careful listen will reveal that this is way beyond the usual health-food store “World Music” offerings and is instead a high-energy, very experimental fusion of styles from around the world. Highly recommended, and now offered as a digital download for the first time (see link below).

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Click here for Ancient Future‘s web site
Click here to download World Without Walls from iTunes