3.5

Release data:

Earthstar – French Skyline
LP/CD, Sky Records/MI Records, 1979

“French Skyline” is one of those EM classics that should not remain unmentioned on my site. It came out on the legendary Sky Records label but after twenty years or so it also resurfaced on cd through Bernd Kistenmacher’s MI-Records in digitally remastered form.

Back in 1979, a guy named Craig Wuest had the fortunate opportunity to have access to all the exquisite studio gear in the studio of the notable Klaus Schulze. He took his chances and made this fine album under the moniker Earthstar, while big Klaus was in charge of all engineering.
Schulze’s hallmark sound of those days long gone is all over the place, especially on the three-part opener “Latin Sirens Face The Wall”, where gorgeous mellotron choirs take off, soon followed by tantalizing sequences lines and solo voices joining forces with the delight of much echo and delay. This exercise alone is worth buying this recording, despite the slight aural distortion.

For the next pieces, Mr Wuest invited several guest musicians from his US-band on flute, guitar, bass, violin, viola, French horn, sitar and vocals. Sonically, things slow down onto a mellower level on the romantic-oriented “Splendored Skies and Angels”. Overtly free form and abstract electronics reign on the four-part “French Sky Lines Suite”, although a distinct realm of the first piece is still wandering around on these more relaxed spheres.

All in all, if you’re unfamiliar with this 44-minute vintage recording, which could line up nicely next to Wolfgang Bocks “Cycles” at times, make you sure you track it down