Thanks to relentless progress in this expanding age of digitization, you can now hear the earliest recorded musical works from the first, authentic and original CITADEL® rock music band in their follow up to the QFM Album release and Concert Simul-Cast Series. Citadel® launched their 28-year (and still counting…) musical career with this 1979 full-length release, which has been extracted and remastered from the original Star Track Studios analogue tapes. Eight exciting tracks of three-piece classic, progressive, symphonic, folk and hard rock music available for the first time on CD!
The versions of Citadel® songs included here on The Citadel® Star Tracks are the first recorded versions by the founding members – and although recorded on 4 and 8 track machines – this early glimpse into the structural diversity of Whitman’s unrestrained compositional style and weighty lyrics combined with Hutchison’s extremely complimentary lyrical rhythms, proves that this band was founded to put out music that challenges and inspires without much regard for 3 minute radio preferences or major label genre/format restrictions.
Over the span of the Citadel® decades, with each variation in members it was appropriate to keep the best known & most requested Citadel® songs in the live show repertoire along with newly released Citadel® material. These tracks are the Citadel® standards that were later re-recorded with each change in drummers - radio/concert favorites such as “Dungeons of War”, “Standing Alone”, “Lothlorien”, “Life” alongside the “MWMC/MWND” suite and the “The Citadel Overture” which formed the musical foundation for the sci-fi/fantasy storyline the band tied to their music in subsequent Citadel® releases.
From haunting vocoders (Silence of Surrender) to majestic strings (The Citadel Overture) to instrumental prog hard rock (Schoolmaster) to the quartet and 12-string folk ballad (Stygian Barque) and classic rock movements in-between, this Citadel® album is a must for longtime fans and newly discovered listeners. NOTE: It is advised that you are careful with the volume and EQ (treble) of your sound system when first listening to these mixes. The inherent analogue volume ranges and distortion levels are hotter and fatter than today’s digital music. Since every effort was made to replicate the dynamic and harmonic range representative of the masters, standard leveling (normalization) and hiss removal was intentionally not utilized – but remember, these recordings are nearly 30 years old – ride the gain and treble a bit so as not to be startled by loud surprises, nor straining to hear nuances. As with every Citadel® release, headphones are recommended.
The Citadel® Star Tracks, re-released in an origami-inspired jacket (no jewel case) with lyrics, is a tribute dedicated to co-founder and drummer/percussionist, Fletcher Neal Hutchison and the friendship, encouragement and guidance that he gave freely to all, and to his incredible sense of timing, dynamics and precision as a musician, and to his humble nature and perpetual sense of wisdom and humor – we all miss you, love you and thank you Fletch.
wePODstudios is offering a series of limited-run Citadel® reissues at a very special prices through CDBaby.com and their retailer and digital distribution affiliates – take a chance you won’t regret – experience the authentic and original CITADEL® rock music band and their first innovative sonic creations on The Citadel® Star Tracks!
Several ‘alternative’ techniques were employed to compensate for the multi-tracking limitations such as:
* Recording basic tracks as a mono submix on one track and then overdubbing until all but one track remained. Then ping-ponging all the overdubs to that open track and reusing the solo tracks for doubling and harmony overdubs. To finish the song, all the overdubs were mixed over to two tracks, vocals kept their own two, lead or specialty instruments were punched in and out on two tracks, and the basic tracks were laid down ‘live’ a second time - but now as a stereo sub-mix to the last remaining tracks – in other words, the band played live together as a unit syncing themselves to the overdubs that had been synced to the initial mono basic track.
* In a couple of songs, the high hat and cymbals were re-played (separate from the drums), with each cymbal miked, but with with all submixed down to one track, which was being played back through a double-miked Leslie to produce a swirling, stereo cymbals effect.
* Often, instruments like chimes, bells or floor toms were played to the basic track while the deck was running at double speed, so that when played back in real time, these sounds would drop a full octave.
* The thunder and rain recordings were done remote with the 4-track in Whitman’s rural Ohio backyard.
* The backwards tracks were created on the 4-track and then mixed over to the 8-track during one of the many ping pong dubs.
* The acoustic 6-string guitar was equipped with a soundhole pickup which was submixed to one buss along with the signal from a mike at the fretboard and an ambient room mike.
* Some of the ‘explosion’ sounds are actually a Fender amp being dropped from about six inches off the floor, making the spring reverb go wild – and this was either recorded backwards at double-speed or recorded forward at half-speed and laced with echo and manual flanges.
TRACK LISTING
01 - MWMC Prelude (Instrumental Solo)
Mystical Folk instrumental with Spanish Flavoring
G. Whitman – Guitars, bells, keyboards, chimes, cymbals
02 – Silence of Surrender (SOS - Fletch Remix)
Hard prog rock, eerie vocals and odd time changes
Fletcher Neal Hutchison – Drums, chimes, percussion
Wayne Stephens - Bass
G. Whitman – Vocals, guitars, vocoders, dialogue
03 - Standing Alone (Fletch Mix)
Classic rock: acoustic on the ends, hard in the middle
Fletcher Neal Hutchison – Drums, chimes, percussion
Wayne Stephens - Bass
G. Whitman – Vocals, guitars
04 - E1010x2 / Life (Fletch Mix)
Trippy F/X intro with classic rock: soft on the verses, hard on the choruses
Fletcher Neal Hutchison – Drums, chimes, percussion
Wayne Stephens - Bass
G. Whitman – Vocals, guitars, vocoders, tape effects, keys
05 – Schoolmaster (MWMD - Fletch Mix)
Solid three-piece metal/hard rock progressive instrumental
Fletcher Neal Hutchison – Drums, chimes, percussion
Wayne Stephens - Bass
G. Whitman – Guitars
06 - Stygian Barque (Whitman Solo)
Dreamy strings slink behind a 12-string acoustic folk vocal ballad
Tim Muffit – Arp strings and quartet arrangement
G. Whitman – Vocals, guitars
07 – The Citadel Overture (Freedom Song - Whitman Solo)
A band being produced by Whitman left all their keyboards in Whitman’s basement studio over a weekend; this compositional experiment was one of the results…something out of a medieval or sci-fi movie score that hadn’t been filmed yet…
G. Whitman – Keys, bass, guitars, effects
08 - Dungeons of War (Fletch Mix)
Haunting thunder and rain linger throughout a classic/prog rocker: soft on the verses, hard on the choruses and even harder between the choruses
Fletcher Neal Hutchison – Drums, chimes, percussion
Wayne Stephens - Bass
G. Whitman – Guitars
Executive Producers: G. Whitman and Fletcher Hutchison
Produced and Engineered by Bob Fister, Ed Whitney and Jeff Warner
Remote and assistant engineering: G. Whitman, Tim Muffit
“Stygian Barque” quartet arrangement and Arp Solina performance: Tim Muffit
Whitman’s Special Thanks To: My dad and mom (for cosigning on the loan for the TEAC A-3340s that started it all), and Mark Chatfield (for selling it to me at cost); The Whitman and Hutchison families (for unwavering tolerance and support); Danny Ryan (for introducing me to Yes, Rush, Kansas, Aerosmith, Boston, Queen, Tull, the Davis Brothers, and for loaning me his 12-string Sigma for recording and performing until I could afford the Alvarez); Jeff Warner (crazy enuff to always be there as the objective ear, and local founder of double-dough/double cheese Domino’s); Scott Warner; Kevin McKean; The Warner and Stephens families; Pat Still and Tom Tuber of QFM; Factory Sound and Lights (Agora); Lisa Sizemore and Beth Newton; Dan and Mark See; Rita Grey, Jack Carter-North, St. Louis Music Company (Alvarez and Electra guitars); everyone at Coyle’s Music; Star Track Studios staff; Gary and The String Shoppe gang; Wally at Buzzard Nest Records; Ruby Tuesday’s (Labatt on tap!) and Bernie’s Bagels (Rolling Rock and a 7- cheese onion bagel!)
Niche indie music publishers Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI), and on-demand a/v service bureau wePODstudios, are re-releasing the earliest works of the first and original Citadel® rock music band, digitally restored from vinyl and tape masters. These remasters are planned to be released in chronological order, starting with the 1979 full-length release, The Citadel® Star Tracks, through CDBaby.com and their retail and digital distribution affiliates. While new Citadel® releases continue, these remasters will keep the always growing fan base in adequate supply of digital ear candy from the unpredictable, nearly impossible to classify stages of development the band goes through with each change in members.
Those who are purchasing Citadel® songs through digital outlets can get the lyrics from the band’s official websites, where you’ll also find dozens of links to the daunting and permeating Citadel® world wide web presence, as well as Citadel® photos, Citadel® videos, Citadel® swag and just about everything Citadel® that you can imagine!
Visit these official Citadel® sites:
http://www.citadelsongs.com
http://www.citadelband.com
http://www.citadelmusic.org
and of course,
www.cdbaby.com/all/citadel
CITADEL® - The Citadel® Star Tracks ©2007 G. Whitman (BMI) [AAD]
Citadel® is a registered tradename, used herein with permission, all rights reserved. Accept no imposters, look for the friendly and authentic ® or the expensive and legal ™ to be sure you have the original CITADEL - and not one of the many flash in the pan impersonators. As usual, all songs, lyrics, art and commentary © 2007 wePODstudios/Citadel of Cynosure Productions (BMI) and G. Whitman (BMI) all rights reserved, used with exclusive permission, illegal to display, perform or distribute without prior consent of the copyright holders. We have always and still do prosecute to protect our property from misuse, plagiarism and piracy.
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