Reverberation (album)
Encyclopedia
Reverberation is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Echo & the Bunnymen
. The album was released amidst a line-up change for the group, due to the departure of vocalist Ian McCulloch
and the death of drummer Pete de Freitas
. The remaining members, guitarist Will Sergeant
and bassist Les Pattinson
, were joined by ex-St. Vitus Dance singer Noel Burke
, keyboard player Jake Brockman and drummer Damon Reece
. The album was produced by former engineer
for The Beatles
Geoff Emerick
at Ridge Farm Studio
in Surrey, England, and had a more pronounced psychedelic
sound than the group's previous releases.
Following the album's December 1990 release, critical reviews of were not favourable; critics noted Burke to be a poor replacement for McCulloch, who they believed was an indispensable aspect of the band. After Reverberation failed to chart, the band were dropped by WEA Records
and, after two independently released singles, disbanded in 1993.
. Despite the tour passing without incident, the performances were deemed to be of poor quality. Although American audiences were apparently satisfied by the shows, when the group returned to the United Kingdom for an autumn tour the British music press and audiences were not as equally enthusiastic. Shortly thereafter the band announced plans to record a self-produced album of "savage rock" when there was more free time. The group toured the UK and the US again in early 1988. These concerts were more positively received than their tour the previous year, with guitarist Will Sergeant
being singled out for praise – BBC Radio 1
disc jockey John Peel
said, "Will Sergeant was superb, moving in a trice from squalls of angry sound to playing with such care and subtlety that there were whispered asides from his guitar that I would have sworn only he and I had heard." In March 1988, the band released a cover version of The Doors
' song "People Are Strange
". However, this failed to impress critics; music paper Melody Maker
called it a "rancid effort" and Q
said the band had "thrown in the towel".
Following a Japanese tour in April 1988, Echo & the Bunnymen's lead singer, Ian McCulloch
, announced that the band were going to split up. Following the announcement, McCulloch returned to the United Kingdom to visit his father who had just suffered two heart attacks but was too late as he died shortly before arriving. After five months of speculation as to whether the split up was genuine, McCulloch met with the other members of the band in September 1988 and, despite the group's attempts to change his mind, told them he was leaving the band. McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview, "The last days of The Bunnymen consisted of a bunch of people who were more interested in changing oil in their cars than rock 'n' roll. That pissed me off. I was doing every sodding interview, writing sodding every song." Having been persuaded by Rob Dickins at WEA that the band could still be a success in the United States, Sergeant told McCulloch that he and the other two band members, bassist Les Pattinson
and drummer Pete de Freitas
, planned to continue. After a failed attempt to record with The B-52's
singers Kate Pierson
and Cindy Wilson
, the band advertised for a full-time replacement.
While McCulloch was recording his debut solo album, Candleland
(1989), Echo & the Bunnymen promoted long-time touring keyboard player Jake Brockman to a full-time band member position. In April 1989, after listening to an album by the defunct band St. Vitus Dance which had been recommended by Geoff Davies of Probe Records
in Liverpool, Sergeant felt that the band's singer Noel Burke
would work well within the context of the band's sound. After a meeting with the band and being reassured that they did not want a McCulloch clone, Burke agreed to join. However, tragedy struck when on 14 June 1989 de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident on his way to the band's first rehearsal. The band recruited Damon Reece
, a friend of Brockman, as drummer in de Freitas's place and began rehearsals. The new line-up played their first string of performances in mid-March 1990 with a mixture of old and new material. McCulloch allegedly described this incarnation of the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen" but later attributed the comment to the former The Smiths
guitarist Johnny Marr
. Sergeant later said that keeping the name was "down to wanting to take a bitter swipe at [McCulloch]".
The new line-up entered Ridge Farm Studio
in Surrey, England in mid-May 1990 to record the new album with producer Geoff Emerick
, who had previously been the engineer
for several albums by The Beatles
. While recording the album Emerick would sit on the stairs outside the studio so that he could "listen to the mix properly". Emerick employed the used of instruments such as sitar
s and tabla
as well as backwards guitar loops
. The album contained many of Sergeant's favoured psychedelic
influences.
", released in October 1990, was the only single to be released from Reverberation. The single fared badly on the UK Singles Chart
only reaching number ninety-six, although it reached number eight on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The album's release followed in December 1990, and Echo & the Bunnymen immediately went on a seventeen-date tour that focused on the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour received good reviews, with Melody Maker describing the band as "an object lesson in how to survive and prosper". However, the reviews of the album were not as good. Awarding the album two and a half stars out of five, Tim DiGravina, who reviewed the album for Allmusic, said, "Echo & the Bunnymen doesn't exist without the distinctive voice of Ian McCulloch". Although he added that the album would have been a "great debut" had the band decided to record under a different name. Bob Mack, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly
was more forceful in putting the album down. He described the sound of the album as "hopelessly in thrall to the brand of pale pseudo-psychedelia [the band] helped popularise during the past decade". He went on to describe Burke and most of the songs as "nondescript". He finished his review by saying "this is a turkey best left to be gobbled up by the band's relatives, close friends, and diehard fans".
Failing to make the UK Albums Chart
, Reverberation was the poorest performing Echo & the Bunnymen album at that time. Echo & the Bunnymen were dropped by WEA Records
in early 1991. After touring East Asia, the band launched their own label, Euphoric Records, in October 1991 with the release of their self-produced single "Prove Me Wrong
". The release of another single, "Inside Me, Inside You
", followed in March 1992. With neither of the singles released on Euphoric reaching the UK Singles Chart
, the band undertook an extensive tour of the United States before finally disbanding in early 1993.
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
. The album was released amidst a line-up change for the group, due to the departure of vocalist Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
and the death of drummer Pete de Freitas
Pete de Freitas
Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
. The remaining members, guitarist Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
and bassist Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
, were joined by ex-St. Vitus Dance singer Noel Burke
Noel Burke
Noel Burke is an Irish singer, who is best known for replacing Ian McCulloch as the lead singer with Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in Belfast, Burke's first band was St. Vitus Dance, who released the album Love Me, Love My Dogma in 1987 before splitting up a few years later...
, keyboard player Jake Brockman and drummer Damon Reece
Damon Reece
Damon Reece is an English drummer, who has been a member of Spiritualized, Echo & the Bunnymen and Lupine Howl.-Biography:Growing up in Croydon, Reece moved to Liverpool at the age of eighteen and played in various local bands...
. The album was produced by former engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
for The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
Geoff Emerick
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
at Ridge Farm Studio
Ridge Farm Studio
Ridge Farm Studio was one of the very first residential recording studios in the United Kingdom. The studio operated for over twenty five years as a residential recording studio...
in Surrey, England, and had a more pronounced psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
sound than the group's previous releases.
Following the album's December 1990 release, critical reviews of were not favourable; critics noted Burke to be a poor replacement for McCulloch, who they believed was an indispensable aspect of the band. After Reverberation failed to chart, the band were dropped by WEA Records
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
and, after two independently released singles, disbanded in 1993.
Background and recording
During August and September 1987, Echo & the Bunnymen co-headlined a tour of the United States with popular electronic group New OrderNew Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
. Despite the tour passing without incident, the performances were deemed to be of poor quality. Although American audiences were apparently satisfied by the shows, when the group returned to the United Kingdom for an autumn tour the British music press and audiences were not as equally enthusiastic. Shortly thereafter the band announced plans to record a self-produced album of "savage rock" when there was more free time. The group toured the UK and the US again in early 1988. These concerts were more positively received than their tour the previous year, with guitarist Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant
Will Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
being singled out for praise – BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
disc jockey John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
said, "Will Sergeant was superb, moving in a trice from squalls of angry sound to playing with such care and subtlety that there were whispered asides from his guitar that I would have sworn only he and I had heard." In March 1988, the band released a cover version of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
' song "People Are Strange
People Are Strange
"People Are Strange" is a single released by The Doors in September 1967 from their second album Strange Days which was also released in September 1967. The single peaked at the #12 position of the U.S. Hot 100 chart and made it to the top ten in the Cash Box charts...
". However, this failed to impress critics; music paper Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
called it a "rancid effort" and Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
said the band had "thrown in the towel".
Following a Japanese tour in April 1988, Echo & the Bunnymen's lead singer, Ian McCulloch
Ian McCulloch (singer)
Ian Stephen McCulloch is an English singer, born in Liverpool, and is best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.-Career:...
, announced that the band were going to split up. Following the announcement, McCulloch returned to the United Kingdom to visit his father who had just suffered two heart attacks but was too late as he died shortly before arriving. After five months of speculation as to whether the split up was genuine, McCulloch met with the other members of the band in September 1988 and, despite the group's attempts to change his mind, told them he was leaving the band. McCulloch later said in a 1997 interview, "The last days of The Bunnymen consisted of a bunch of people who were more interested in changing oil in their cars than rock 'n' roll. That pissed me off. I was doing every sodding interview, writing sodding every song." Having been persuaded by Rob Dickins at WEA that the band could still be a success in the United States, Sergeant told McCulloch that he and the other two band members, bassist Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson
Les Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
and drummer Pete de Freitas
Pete de Freitas
Pete Louis Vincent de Freitas was a musician and producer, best known as a drummer with Echo & the Bunnymen, and whose drumming skills have been compared to Dave Grohl's....
, planned to continue. After a failed attempt to record with The B-52's
The B-52's
The B-52's are an American rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider , Kate Pierson , Cindy Wilson , Ricky Wilson , and Keith Strickland . Following Ricky Wilson's death in 1985 Strickland switched to guitar...
singers Kate Pierson
Kate Pierson
Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Pierson is an American vocalist and one of the lead singers and founding members of The B-52's. One of the multi-instrumentalists in the band, Pierson played guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments...
and Cindy Wilson
Cindy Wilson
Cynthia Leigh Wilson is a vocalist and a founding member of new wave rock band The B-52s.- Career :...
, the band advertised for a full-time replacement.
While McCulloch was recording his debut solo album, Candleland
Candleland
Candleland is the first solo album by Ian McCulloch, released 17 September 1989. This album marked McCulloch's departure from Echo & the Bunnymen in 1989. The album features a guest appearance by the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser on the title song, "Candleland"...
(1989), Echo & the Bunnymen promoted long-time touring keyboard player Jake Brockman to a full-time band member position. In April 1989, after listening to an album by the defunct band St. Vitus Dance which had been recommended by Geoff Davies of Probe Records
Probe Records
Probe Records was a sub-label of ABC-Paramount Records. It was started in 1968 as their label for psychedelic rock and progressive rock.-Releases:Number - Title - Artist [Release Date]...
in Liverpool, Sergeant felt that the band's singer Noel Burke
Noel Burke
Noel Burke is an Irish singer, who is best known for replacing Ian McCulloch as the lead singer with Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in Belfast, Burke's first band was St. Vitus Dance, who released the album Love Me, Love My Dogma in 1987 before splitting up a few years later...
would work well within the context of the band's sound. After a meeting with the band and being reassured that they did not want a McCulloch clone, Burke agreed to join. However, tragedy struck when on 14 June 1989 de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident on his way to the band's first rehearsal. The band recruited Damon Reece
Damon Reece
Damon Reece is an English drummer, who has been a member of Spiritualized, Echo & the Bunnymen and Lupine Howl.-Biography:Growing up in Croydon, Reece moved to Liverpool at the age of eighteen and played in various local bands...
, a friend of Brockman, as drummer in de Freitas's place and began rehearsals. The new line-up played their first string of performances in mid-March 1990 with a mixture of old and new material. McCulloch allegedly described this incarnation of the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen" but later attributed the comment to the former The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
guitarist Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
. Sergeant later said that keeping the name was "down to wanting to take a bitter swipe at [McCulloch]".
The new line-up entered Ridge Farm Studio
Ridge Farm Studio
Ridge Farm Studio was one of the very first residential recording studios in the United Kingdom. The studio operated for over twenty five years as a residential recording studio...
in Surrey, England in mid-May 1990 to record the new album with producer Geoff Emerick
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
, who had previously been the engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
for several albums by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. While recording the album Emerick would sit on the stairs outside the studio so that he could "listen to the mix properly". Emerick employed the used of instruments such as sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
s and tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
as well as backwards guitar loops
Music loop
In electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
. The album contained many of Sergeant's favoured psychedelic
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
influences.
Release, reception and aftermath
"Enlighten MeEnlighten Me
"Enlighten Me" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in October 1990. It was the first single released by the band following Ian McCulloch's departure and subsequent replacement by Noel Burke as vocalist and it was the only single to be released from their 1990 album...
", released in October 1990, was the only single to be released from Reverberation. The single fared badly on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
only reaching number ninety-six, although it reached number eight on the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The album's release followed in December 1990, and Echo & the Bunnymen immediately went on a seventeen-date tour that focused on the United Kingdom and Ireland. The tour received good reviews, with Melody Maker describing the band as "an object lesson in how to survive and prosper". However, the reviews of the album were not as good. Awarding the album two and a half stars out of five, Tim DiGravina, who reviewed the album for Allmusic, said, "Echo & the Bunnymen doesn't exist without the distinctive voice of Ian McCulloch". Although he added that the album would have been a "great debut" had the band decided to record under a different name. Bob Mack, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
was more forceful in putting the album down. He described the sound of the album as "hopelessly in thrall to the brand of pale pseudo-psychedelia [the band] helped popularise during the past decade". He went on to describe Burke and most of the songs as "nondescript". He finished his review by saying "this is a turkey best left to be gobbled up by the band's relatives, close friends, and diehard fans".
Failing to make the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, Reverberation was the poorest performing Echo & the Bunnymen album at that time. Echo & the Bunnymen were dropped by WEA Records
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
in early 1991. After touring East Asia, the band launched their own label, Euphoric Records, in October 1991 with the release of their self-produced single "Prove Me Wrong
Prove Me Wrong
"Prove Me Wrong" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1991. It was the second single released by the band with Noel Burke as the vocalist. It was also the band's first release with their new record label, Euphoric Records. The single was released as both a CD single and a...
". The release of another single, "Inside Me, Inside You
Inside Me, Inside You
"Inside Me, Inside You" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in 1992. It was the third and final single to be released by the band with Noel Burke as the vocalist. It was released on Euphoric Records as both a CD single and a 12-inch single .Like their previous single, "Prove Me...
", followed in March 1992. With neither of the singles released on Euphoric reaching the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, the band undertook an extensive tour of the United States before finally disbanding in early 1993.
Track listing
All tracks written by Echo & the Bunnymen.- "Gone, Gone, Gone" – 4:13
- "Enlighten MeEnlighten Me"Enlighten Me" is a single by Echo & the Bunnymen which was released in October 1990. It was the first single released by the band following Ian McCulloch's departure and subsequent replacement by Noel Burke as vocalist and it was the only single to be released from their 1990 album...
" – 5:01 - "Cut & Dried" – 3:47
- "King of Your Castle" – 4:36
- "Devilment" – 4:44
- "Thick Skinned World" – 4:18
- "Freaks Dwell" – 3:51
- "Senseless" – 4:55
- "Flaming Red" – 5:33
- "False Goodbyes" – 5:40
Personnel
- Noel BurkeNoel BurkeNoel Burke is an Irish singer, who is best known for replacing Ian McCulloch as the lead singer with Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in Belfast, Burke's first band was St. Vitus Dance, who released the album Love Me, Love My Dogma in 1987 before splitting up a few years later...
– vocals, guitar, piano - Will SergeantWill SergeantWill Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. Born in the centre of Liverpool, he grew up in the suburb of Melling and attended nearby Deyes High School...
– guitar, loopsMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
, autoharpAutoharpThe autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the... - Les PattinsonLes PattinsonLes Pattinson is an English musician, best known for his work as the bassist and co-writer of the Liverpool based band, Echo & the Bunnymen....
– bass, piano - Jake BrockmanJake Drake-BrockmanJames Ralph "Jake" Drake-Brockman was a Bristol-based English musician and sound recordist. Drake-Brockman was known to fans as "the fifth Bunnyman", as he had been associated with the Liverpool group Echo & the Bunnymen since the 1980s and became a full time member, as keyboardist, in 1989, using...
– mellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, farfisaFarfisaFarfisa is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy.The Farfisa brand name is commonly associated with a series of compact electronic organs, and later, a series of multi-timbral synthesizers. At the height of its production, Farfisa operated three factories to produce instruments, in... - Damon ReeceDamon ReeceDamon Reece is an English drummer, who has been a member of Spiritualized, Echo & the Bunnymen and Lupine Howl.-Biography:Growing up in Croydon, Reece moved to Liverpool at the age of eighteen and played in various local bands...
– drums, percussion - Shanker Ganguly – harmoniumHarmoniumA harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
- Punita Gupta – sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
- John Leach – dulcimerAppalachian dulcimerThe Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
- John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
– tamburaTamburaThe tambura, tanpura, or tambora is a long-necked plucked lute . The body shape of the tambura somewhat resembles that of the sitar, but it has no frets – only the open strings are played to accompany other musicians... - Adam Peters – cello, piano
- Esmail Sheikh – dholakDholakThe Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
- Gurdev SinghGurdev Singh (musician)Gurdev Singh is an Indian-born musician based in London who plays the plucked string instrument sarod. Singh studied under sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, can play the instrument dilruba, and sings Hindustani classical music. He performed on the 1993 album Fate of Nations by English rock singer...
– tar shahanai - Geoff EmerickGeoff EmerickGeoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
– producer - Will Gosling – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Adrian Moore – assistant engineer
- Paul Apted – assistant engineer