Fretplay.com Acoustic Alchemy CD reviews Acoustic Alchemy guitar tabs Acoustic Alchemy CD reviews Acoustic Alchemy tabs Early Alchemy


Acoustic Alchemy - Early Alchemy Audio CD

A fair review of the Acoustic Alchemy "Early Alchemy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Acoustic Alchemy reviews here, or go back to the Acoustic Alchemy tabs.

Acoustic Alchemy Band: Acoustic Alchemy
Title: Early Alchemy
Rating:
Release Date: 1992-02-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Santiago 2: Sarah Victoria 3: Last Summer Song 4: Slap It Down 5: Sira's Song 6: Moonstone 7: Wind It Up 8: Casino 9: Little Bercheres 10: Amanecer 11: Waiting for You 12: Return Flight 13: Daybreak 14: Dream of Fair Women

Once, And Only Once
You see, I've owned this album since roughly 1998 and I literally haven't heard anything else like it. I was compelled to this page in order to find the "If you enjoyed 'Early Alchemy', give a listen to ___(album here)___" recommendation. Oh, sure I own the entire AA catalog, from the delightful and wonderful Webb/Carmichael years through to the mediocre-to-bad recent releases of the Carmichael/Gilderdale era. I know AA backwards and forwards. But every time I give Early a listen (or even think of it), I wonder why this particular sound, these arrangements, didn't prevail throughout Acoustic Alchemy's entire history. The sound here is intimate and tight, by necessity. The closest thing to Early Alchemy I have ever heard is the matchless quartet from Germany, Quadro Nuevo - but not even their sound is this unified, despite superior musicianship. I cannot recommend an album more strongly, and hopefully there's a young guitar duo out there somewhere, hammering out tunes and developing a friendly and familiar sound like this. If Early Alchemy is a style all its own, it needs more practitioners.


Wonderful first issue from Acoustic Alchemy
I was surprised to learn that Greg Carmichael was not on it. I have been a fan of Acoustic Alchemy for years, but somehow never obtained this, their first offering until 2006. In fact they had not even met when this album was issued. The "AA" sound however, is very evident through Nick Webb's wonderful playing and writing, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any AA fan or fan of the acoustic jazz genre.


When Acoustic Alchemy was acoustic
Webb and James may have been calling themselves Acoustic Alchemy, but really, AA didn't start as a stable and successful group until Webb and Carmichael recorded their first album, red Dust and Spanish Lace, in 1987; these tracks precede that. This is a collection of Nick Webb's early recordings with his original partner, Simon James, who split to go solo and was replaced by Greg Carmichael. As Acoustic Alchemy's career progressed, they added other instruments to accompany their steel and nylon string guitars, but there is almost nothing here but acoustic guitar. Try it.


My Favorite Alchemy
I was living in London when "Casino" came out and remember loving it. Before Nick Webb teamed up with Greg Carmichael, he and Simon James created Acoustic Alchemy. These are -- except for the last cut -- early recordings that had never been released in Album form. Like "Casino", "Sarah Victoria" was re-recorded by the Webb/Carmichael partnership. None of the others was. My personal favorites are "Slap it down" and "Les Bercheres. " I also like the new recording "Dream of Fair Women. " Along with "Reference Point" this is my favorite Acoustic Alchemy CD.


You can see a complete list of all Acoustic Alchemy discography, or go back to the Acoustic Alchemy tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]