Natural Elements was the second major label release by Acoustic Alchemy from 1988. The shortest of all of the band's albums, only comprising eight tracks, Natural Elements set out to show what the title suggests: the organic side to Acoustic Alchemy's music.
| Natural Elements | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Studio | Hansa Haus Studios, Bonn, Germany | |||
| Genre | Smooth jazz | |||
| Length | 34:21 | |||
| Label | MCA 42125 GRP 9834 (1996 re-release) | |||
| Producer | John Parsons | |||
| Acoustic Alchemy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Points to note from this album include the title track, Natural Elements, which became the theme tune to long-running BBC gardening show, Gardener's World, and the re-recording of an early track, "Casino", now re-arranged to include piano and full percussion parts. The track "Ballad For Kay" is dedicated to Nick Webb's wife, Kay.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Stewart Mason of AllMusic begins his review with, "Not quite complex enough to be jazz, not quite mellow or ambient enough to be new age, and just a little too cerebral to just be pop music, Acoustic Alchemy's Natural Elements is its own little oddity."[1]
While doing an article on Acoustic Alchemy, Dirk Sutro of The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Americans love the rich acoustic music of Acoustic Alchemy. The British band has sold more than 100,000 copies each of its albums "Red Dust & Spanish Lace" and "Natural Elements" in the United States."[2]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Greg Carmichael and Nick Webb, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Drake's Drum" | 4:45 | |
| 2. | "Overnight Sleeper" | 3:35 | |
| 3. | "Natural Elements" | 3:51 | |
| 4. | "Casino" |
| 3:48 |
| 5. | "If Only" | 5:08 | |
| 6. | "Ballad for Kay" | Nick Webb | 2:56 |
| 7. | "Evil the Weasel" | John Parsons | 5:34 |
| 8. | "Late Night Duke Street" | 4:44 | |
| Total length: | 34:21 | ||
Musicians edit
- Nick Webb – guitars (steel and nylon)
- Greg Carmichael – guitars (nylon)
- Mike Herting – keyboards, synthesizers
- Rainer Brüninghaus – acoustic piano, synthesizers
- Mario Argandoña – percussion
- Konrad Mathieu – bass
- Bert Smaak – drums
- Serge Maillard – programming
- John Parsons – programming
- Vera Elfert – recorder
Production edit
- John Parsons – Producer
- Milan Bogdan – Digital Editing
- Klaus Genuit – Engineer
- Günther Kasper – Engineer
- Ashley Jackson – Painting (Front Cover)
- Paul Cox – Photography (Back Cover)
- Simon Levy – Art Direction
- Benny Quinn – Mastering
- Linda Schwab – Artwork
- Virginia Team – Design
- Manfred Struck – Mixing
Track information and credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b Mason, Stewart. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Sutro, Dirk (22 June 1989). "LA Times Article". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ Natural Elements (liner notes). Acoustic Alchemy. MCA Records. 1989. MCAD-42125.
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