WhoIsWho.

By Executive Producer
Bob Carruthers.

To judge from the air of anticipation among the fan base, "Passengers" can't come a moment too soon. It has been a long time since the "Last Bright Light", but in that time the band has improved immeasurably, both in the studio and live on stage, so in theory the longish gap should really help to produce a really special album. I think that will prove to be the case.
We took a decision long ago , that all of the planning and discussions between the label and the band should held wherever during long walks in the landscape that inspired it all. So as we tramped our way round the Lakes, The Cotswolds and the Derbyshire Peaks Bryan gradually unveiled his vision for the new album ,it was interesting to watch Mr Josh progress from enthusiasm to visible excitement as the ideas began to make shape.
The concept for "Passengers" is very loosely based on Bryan's personal vision of the process of rebirth and renewal. It was also, at least partially, inspired by a strange set of coincidences involving the number 3 falling in patterns of 3.Bryan interpreted this as a series if indicators showing the way forward.
As we slowly ate up the miles to the next good Inn Bryan would gradually unfold a little more of the concept and also the increasing number of unusual coincidences like waking with a new song ready formed in his head to find digital clocks showing exactly 3.33.
I have to say I liked the theme for the album right from the outset , and I will always cherish the memory of a beautiful summers day walking through Oversley Wood with Bryan and Heather as they painted more flesh on the bones, the grand cosmic design obviously afforded some fantastic musical opportunities, clearly this was not going to be an ordinary album.... I was less moved by all the stuff about the three's though.
At the time, Bryan felt the moment had come to find an outside producer and a whole range of names from Pip Williams [Nick added: worked with soul artist in 70-ies and with Alex Harvey, Status Quo, Moody Blues (80-ies)] and later with Uriah Heep and on the Story so Far, Mostly Autumn), to Alan Parsons were thrown around. I have to say this did concern me. No disrespect to the men who have produced some of the biggest selling albums in rock, but Mostly Autumn is a rare and delicate treasure. It has grown and flowered against the tide of musical fashion. There is an organic and natural quality to this band which can't be hurried or moulded, my concern was that an outside influence could easily destroy the magic in a rush to find instant commercial success. I'm happy to take the blame if it proves to be a wrong call but over a six month spell, as the ideas began to take stronger shape, Bryan gradually shifted his position. After all he hasn't done a bad job so far...
The first few rough demos were ready by October. This also coincided with the band's first ever gigs in the USA. One of my real highs from 2002 was riding in the back of a big black stretched limo from JFK to Manhattan with what seemed to be the whole band squeezed in and all of them singing the vocals to an instrumental backing track which I would later come to know as 'Something in Between ". Even in this roughest of forms it was crying out to be a single. I knew that it could make a single because of the length of the backing track...you've guessed it 3 minutes 33 seconds ......
Needless to say the band took the US by storm but having heard the new material I was beginning to share the impatience that it was now high time for "Passengers" to really take shape.
It was agreed that the real writing and arranging needed to be done in the Lakes where the band was born, so Mostly Autumn decamped to a cottage to get down to serious work with only the film crew, Chris Walkden (the official photographer) and a portable recording desk for company.
I couldn't resist sending them a postcard for good luck when I received raffle ticket #333 in the pub draw, which my wife now started calling 'Spooky" ...
At that point no studio had been booked it was clear this one needed at least two months and it looked as if the band would be recording in Chapel studios when Fairview suddenly became available. Now, song running lengths can obviously be contrived to fit a desired pattern, there's no big deal in a pub raffle either so a hard bitten cynic like me is not easily convinced, but when Clare Gambold in the Classic Rock offices took a call came from Fairview informing her that they could now fit the band in from March 3rd, even I had to take notice. When you are independently handed a start date of 03/03/03 for Passengers ; maybe it's time to go with the flow.
I'm certainly glad I did because at our next meeting in Dovedale a very excited Mr Josh proudly unveiled three new demos 'Pure White Light","Simple ways "and "Another Lullabye".I was stunned, thrilled and by the end of the second listening every bit as excited as the very excited Mr Josh. The excitement transferred to the walk which was done at twice normal speed as ideas for the rest of the album were sketched out by Bryan along with the first murmurings of a "Passengers" audio visual show which he wanted to stage in November
.At this time my patent CECD (Caledonian Excessive Cost Detector) normally kicks in and I can feign any one of a hundred sudden and severe illnesses which usually help to distract the deluded musician long enough for me hop in the car and drive to another county; but won over by the brilliance of the music I had a weird out of body experience where I was certain my brain was yelling "NO ! not in a million years, you'll be the ruin of us all" but from my disembodied vantage I could clearly see my mouth saying "Yes OK , film , lasers, costume, guest musicians, staging back projection and interpretative dance....sounds like a great idea, I'll book a Theatre" After that it was hardly any surprise when our lunch bill came to £33.30 well what else could it have been..... For those who really can't wait, it's hard to describe the music exactly. It's very much in the Mostly Autumn mode the rock is all there, the celtic echoes, the innovative use of other instruments like violin, cello, wonderful lyrics and some of the best vocal work Heather has ever produced, brilliant keyboard passages from Ian and a big epic number to finish the thing of, so the familiar elements are all there, but "Passengers" has more imediacy.It's probably a result of experience but, any lingering fuzziness has gone.
It won't be an over long long album, but then neither was Dark side of the Moon....
"Something in Between" says in three minutes what "Spirit of Autumn past" did in six and a half "."Another Lullabye" captures the essence of a song like "Evergreen" or "Shrinking Violet" and delivers the goods in a concentrated fashion with Heather reaching new heights as a vocalist and lyricist. "Pure White Light "is something like "Porcupine Rain," "Never The Rainbow" and "Winter Mountain "condensed into one...only better!
Well, that's what passengers did to me. You'll be able to judge for yourself in late May...I don't think you'll be disappointed.

By Bob Carruthers

Passengers Update 4

We are now making real progress with the album. So far three tracks (of eleven) have been completed the remaining eight are all scheduled for completion by April 30th.

A slot has been reserved at the manufacturers so hopefully we can get it into the post in time for the UK tour…..no promises but we know how much the album means to everyone so we’ll do our very best.

So what does it sound like???…well it doesn’t sound like “The Last Bright Light” that’s for sure. It’s more of a rock sound , brighter, more direct and confident than the previous offerings ; but still very much in the Mostly Autumn mode . From what I’ve heard the Pink Floyd tag should also finally be buried by the emergence of what looks like being a truly individual Mostly Autumn sound.

Today (Tuesday) saw Chris Leslie of Fairport Convention in the studio to add his exquisite violin parts to the mix. For the purists out there the celtic influences and instrumentation are all still apparent , but now woven into the fabric of the songs rather than making their presence known in the form of jigs and reels.

At the "proggy" end of the spectrum we have an epic to rival “Mother Nature” in “Pass the Clock”, Heather is singing better than ever and is particularly beautiful form on ballads like “Another Life” so hopefully Passengers will have covered the full spectrum of moods which make us all love Mostly autumn in the first place .

Over the weekend the promotional footage was shot for “Something in Between” and “Pure White Light”. Easter hols permitting , we hope to get a promotional Single with some video material out to radio stations next week, for those who really can’t wait a couple of hundred copies will be available for sale on the site. Passengers definitely marks an evolution in style . It will certainly spark debate. Inevitably some fans will feel disappointed that the band doesn’t simply repeat the same formula as per the first three studio albums. As musicians however, the band needs to progress and create new work . My own view is that Passengers marks the transition from a group which has always worn it’s influences on it’s sleeve to one with it’s own unique voice . The band is enormously excited and almost frantic to finally be able to hear the feedback from all of you. Bryan in particular feels that this is his best work of his career so far. Their belief and enthusiasm is palpable and I sincerely hope that the love and care and attention that has gone into this album strikes a chord with the supporters of the band. That’s enough from me. In just over four weeks …it’s your turn and like every one else I’m now counting down the days to hear what you have to say.

Cheers
Bob Carruthers