Cavatina: The Complete Fly and Cube Recordings

Album: Cavatina: The Complete Fly and Cube Recordings
Artist: John Williams
2010 Union Square Music Limited
CD: SALVOCD215

John Williams: guitar (all)
Chris Spedding: electric guitar (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11, 9)
Alan Parker: electric guitar (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Herbie Flowers: bass (1-4, 6-8, 10-12, 24, Travelling)
Chris Laurence: bass (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Danny Thompson: bass (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11), double bass (9)
Joe Mudele: bass (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Barry Morgan: drums (1-4, 6-8, 10-12, Travelling), percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Ronnie Verrell: drums, percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Terry Cox: drums, percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Tristan Fry: drums (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11), percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11; 13-19)
Jim Lawless: drums (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11), percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11; 12)
Ray Cooper: drums, percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Barry Guard: drums, percussion (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Rick Wakeman: keyboards (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
David Snell: harp (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Christopher Taylor, Roy Willox, Tony Coe, Ronnie Chamberlain: woodwind, saxes (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Kenny Wheeler, Stanley Roderick, Ralph Izen, Derek Watkins: trumpets (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Nat Peck, Don Lusher, Peter Harcey, Ray Premru: trombones (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Alan Loveday, Henry Datyner, David Katz, Jeff Wakefield, Desmond Bradley, Laurie Clay, Geoffrey Grey, Cyril Reuben, Basil Smart, Godfrey Salmon, Michael Jones, Michael Rennie, Homi Kanga, Bela Dekany: violins (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Ken Essex, Stephen Shingles, Brian Hawkins, John Graham, Terry Hilton, Henry Myerscough: violas (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Terence Weill, Peter Willison, Vivian Joseph, Francis Gabarro, Marian Sansom, Chris Green: cellos (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Madeline Bell: vocal (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11)
Martin Kershaw: electric guitar (12)
BJ Cole: steel guitar (12)
Steve Gray: piano (12)
Charlotte Nassim: koto (13-19)
Roy Babbington: bass (13-19)
Brian Mollinson: string bass (13-19)
John Marshall: drums (13-19)
Brian Gascoigne: percussion (13-19), vibes (24)
Viram Jasani: tabla (13-19)
Christopher Bowers-Broadbent: organ (13-19)
Willem de Mont: cello (13-19)
Morris Loban: viola (13-19)
Darryl Runswick: bass (20, 22)
Alan Branscombe: vibes (20, 22)
Barry de Souza: drums (20, 22)
Roland Harker: rhythm guitar (21)
Peter Morgan: bass (21, 23)
Chris Taylor: flute (21, 23)
Jack Ellory: flute (21, 23)
George Crozier: flute (21, 23)
Kenny Clare: drums (21)
Dick Abel: rhythm guitar (22)
David Corkhill: vibes (23)
Dudley Moore: organ (24)
Trevor Tomkins: drums (24)
Vic Flick, Les Thatcher, Lawrence Juber: other guitars (Travelling)
Harold Fisher: drums (Travelling)
Stewart Elliot: drums (Travelling)
Francis Monkman: keys (Travelling)
Adrian Brett: pan pipes (Travelling)
Richard Harvey: recorders (Travelling)

The credits for (35, 36) presumably are as for Changes (1-4, 6-8, 10, 11) and for (37) as for Travelling

Produced by Stanley Myers (Changes, Travelling, 35-7), Flowers (12), George Martin (The Height Below)
Arranged by Stanley Myers (Changes, Travelling)
Engineered by Keith Grant (Changes), Jack Clegg/Bill Price/Denny Bridges/Scott Konrad/John Middleton (The Height Below), Michael Stavrou (Travelling), Grant/Nick Smith (35)
Mixed by Keith Grant (Changes), Michael Stavrou (Travelling), Rob Keyloch (35)
Recorded at Olympic Studios (Changes, 35), AIR Studios (The Height Below, Travelling)
Original album design: Hipgnosis (Changes), Michael Hasted (The Height Below), V Barclay (Travelling)
Photos: Hipgnosis (Changes)
Illustration by Rob Roberts (Travelling)

Executive producer: Simon Platz
Project management: Ronen Guha, Chas Chandler
Liner notes: Jonathan Wingate
Digital transfer: Keyloch
Mastered by Nick Robbins
Artwork & design: Estuary English

Tracks:
CD 1
Changes side A
1. "Bach Changes" [Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. by Myers] (4:19)
2. "Theme from Z" [Mikis Theodorakis] (3:08)
3. "Cavatina" [Myers] (3:31)
4. "Spanish Trip (Canarios)" [Myers] (2:52)
5. "Because" [John Lennon/Paul McCartney] (3:17)
6. "Raga Vilasakhani Todi" [Myers] (3:53)

Changes side B
7. "Woodstock" [Joni Mitchell] (5:20)
8. "Good Morning Freedom" [Roger Cook/Roger Greenaway/Albert Hammond/Mike Hazlewood] (2:38)
9. "Nuages" [Django Reinhardt] (2:18)
10. "Sarabande" [Myers] (2:53)
11. "New Sun Rising (House of the Rising Sun)" [trad., arr. by Myers] (5:24)

"Pomegranate" single
12. "Pomegranate" [Flowers/Myers] (3:01)

The Height Below side A
13. "Emperor Nero (i) Dance of the Living" [Gascoigne] (5:10)
14. "Emperor Nero (ii) Lorelei" [Timothy Walker] (2:43)
15. "Emperor Nero (iii) Duet for Guitar and Koto" [Gascoigne] (4:33)
16. "Emperor Nero (iv) Lisa Lân" [trad., arr. by Gascoigne] (2:23)
17. "Emperor Nero (v) Dance of the Emperor's Clouds" [Gascoigne] (4:13)
18. "Emperor Nero (vi) Dance of the Dead" [Gascoigne] (1:05)
19. "Emperor Nero (vii) A Derrin Dhu" [trad., arr. by Gascoigne] (0:46)

CD 2
The Height Below side B
20. "The Height Below" [Gascoigne] (3:36)
21. "Sans Souci (Without a Care)" [George Martin] (2:58)
22. "Sambalaya" [John Dankworth] (1:59)
23. "El Tuno" [Williams] (3:39)
24. "Horizon" [Moore] (4:05)

Travelling side A
25. "All at Sea Minor" [Bach, arr. by Myers] (2:38)
26. "Portrait" [Myers] (2:32)
27. "From the Top" [Bach, arr. by Myers] (3:45)
28. "The Swagman" [Myers] (4:00)
29. "Sheep May Safely Graze" [Bach, arr. by Harvey] (3:55)

Travelling side B
30. "Travelling" [Bach, arr. by Myers/Monkman] (5:26)
31. "The River God" [Myers] (2:47)
32. "J.S.B." [Bach, arr. by Myers] (2:13)
33. "Romanza" [trad., arr. by Myers] (2:42)
34. "Air on the 'G' String" [Myers] (3:48 in liner notes; 4:55 on CD)

Bonus tracks:
35. "Cavatina/Walking Stick (unedited session take)" [Myers] (5:07 in liner notes; 4:11 on CD)
36. "Bach Changes (UK Single Edit)" [Bach, arr. by Myers] (3:36)
37. "Travelling (UK Single Edit)" [Bach, arr. by Myers/Monkman] (3:24)

Notes: (35) is an unedited session take. It begins with some chatter in the studio, although this is indexed as part of track (34) on the CD, which is why the track times for (34) and (35) don't match between the liner notes and the CD.

This compilation brings together three non-consecutive John Williams albums — Changes (tracks 1-11, Fly Records FLY 5, released 2 Apr 1971, re-issued as Cavatina, HiFLY 32), The Height Below (tracks 13-24, Cube Records HiFLY 16, released 11 May 1973) and Travelling (tracks 25-34, Cube Records HiFLY 27, released 7 Apr 1978) — plus some associated single tracks and a session take. (12) b/w (36) is a 13 Aug 1971 single (Fly Records BUG 13). (37) is a 21 Apr 1978 single (Cube Records BUG 78).

John Williams OBE AO was born 1941 in Australia. The family moved to London in 1952 and Williams was initially taught guitar by his father, Len Williams, a classical player. Having trained under Andrés Segovia from age 11, his first album of classical guitar was in 1958. He released a large number of classical albums through the '60s and into the '70s before singing with Fly and releasing Changes, his first crossover album, in 1971. He was to become a huge crossover success. Changes is also where Williams first met Flowers and Fry, with whom he would often collaborate subsequently. Changes is also why we're interested in the release as it includes an early session by Wakeman. Wakeman is just a session player here, his work in the background, supporting Williams' guitar.

Changes included what was to become Williams' signature tune, "Cavatina". Myers had composed "Cavatina" as the theme for a 1970 film called "The Walking Stick". Williams asked him to expand it and a few days later they recorded it in 1969. It appeared in the film and was then included on Changes. However, the piece is best known for its use in the 1978 film "The Deer Hunter". A production assistant on "The Deer Hunter" gave a copy of Changes to the director, Michael Cimino, who thought "Cavatina" would be perfect for the film and invited Myers to do the music. With the success of the film, "Cavatina" was released as a UK single in 1979 (BUG 65), reaching #13. The Shadows also released a cover of it that year (#9 in the UK, #1 in the Netherlands), and many other covers exist. The album Changes was re-released as Cavatina in 1979 by Cube Records, with tracks (1) and (3) swapped so the single would open the album.

Back to the early '70s and Williams released multiple classical albums for other labels before his second for Fly/Cube. The Height Below was recorded in early 1973 with Beatles producer George Martin for Fly's sister imprint, Cube. Note also the former Soft Machine rhythm section of Babbington and Marshall on "Emperor Nero" and the actor Dudley Moore on (24). The album saw Williams playing electric guitar for the first time, and his first composition (23, originally entitled "Just a Thought").

Again, multiple albums for other labels followed before Travelling. (28) was a b-side in 1978 for BUG 78. Travelling features Francis Monkman of "The Ice Bridge" (on Yes's The Quest) fame. The success of Travelling led Williams and Flowers to set up the band Sky in 1978, and they soon recruited Monkman, Fry and guitarist Kevin Peek too.

If you lived through the '70s, you probably heard Williams' guitar playing. This is easy listening, but it's good easy listening. (HP, 29 Mar 23)

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