Heidi Berry

Below the waves (1989)



After the generally good vibes of Firefly, the starker performances on Below the Waves must have come as a surprise to many of Heidi Berry's fans. Without changing her excellent singing in the slightest, Berry and her arranger, Christian Lunch, replaced the light folk-rock of Firefly with a more ambient and, often times, quite haunting backing. Brother Christopher Berry's fine acoustic guitar work stays at the center -- but stripped of the band, both it and her vocals stand out with a gorgeous clarity, accentuated by a soft layer of reverb applied throughout the disc. Her lyrics are much clearer as well; her calm detailing of "blood on your hands" in "Little Tragedy" could easily have been lost in the mix had the song been performed on Firefly. Not everything is sonically downbeat -- sprightly guitar helps add a slight musical jauntiness to "Riversong" -- but generally, though, Below emphasizes ruminative lyrics and calm music. The title track is especially fascinating, with a low rumble of sound beginning and ending the song on a slightly disturbing note. Violin and cello appear on a number of songs, deepening the melancholy and sorrowful undertow of many of them. By no means, however, is the record a specifically sad one. If anything, Berry seeks to bring out a careful reflection through her music, as on the lengthy, powerful "Northshore Train," with such slice-of-life observations as "the electric towers stand in line on water's edge." A number of tracks favor keyboards or pianos instead of guitar, often to grand effect: The slow combination of organ swells and bass notes on "Gather All the Hours" creates a lovely bed for Berry's singing. Ending with the elegant "Dancer," Below is an underrated treasure.


TrackList:

1 Ribbons 3:31
2 Below The Waves 3:37
3 Little Tragedy 3:21
4 Legacy 4:19
5 Northshore Train 7:10
6 Gather All The Hours 4:53
7 River Song 3:47
8 All For You 2:51
9 Living Memory 3:09
10 Dancer 5:31

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Firefly (1987)



Heidi Berry cut a stark contrast to the prevailing musical mentality of the early '90s -- despite releasing records on both Creation and 4AD, together the leading lights of the shoegazing and dream pop movements, her haunting, luminous folk-inspired sound instead harked back to the work of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake, complete with an earnestness and raw honesty far removed from her irony drenched times. Firefly's folk/rock/pop confection, in its own way, anticipates the huge popularity of that combination in the 1990s among female vocalists -- and grows out of similar roots of the past, as well. Berry's calm but not remotely cool singing is the most relaxed thing about the midpaced songs, which all have good energetic performances from her studio band. The songs all tend to resemble each other a touch -- the waltz-time swing of "Houses Made of Wood" and the piano-led "Hasten the Buds to Bloom" are fine exceptions to this -- but the overall pleasantness can't be faulted, and Berry's voice is simply quite enjoyable.


A1 Out Of My Hands 3:05
A2 Firefly 2:59
A3 Nobody Tells On You 3:35
B1 Will It All Change 3:25
B2 Houses Made Of Wood 3:01
B3 Hasten The Buds To Bloom 1:56

@320




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Heidi Berry (1993)



This 1993 album is arguably her best. From the rousingly melancholy (if that's not some sort of contradiction!) opener Mercury, via the subtle folk-pop brilliance of The Moon And The Sun and Distant Thunder, and the beautifully understated For The Rose, the standard barely dips below excellent. Maybe the brief foray into ethereal 4AD territory on Ariel is an uncharacteristically weak moment, but it makes the final fatalistic (but also strangely uplifting) Dawn, which follows, all the more effective. Add some brilliant arrangements and shimmering production and you have a modern alt-folk masterpiece.


1 Mercury 4:46
2 Little Fox 4:46
3 The Moon And The Sun 4:43
4 One String Violin 3:48
5 Darling Companion 4:50
6 Distant Thunder 4:16
7 Heart Like A Wheel 3:58
8 For The Rose 3:58
9 Follow 5:05
10 Ariel 2:10
11 Dawn 4:09




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Miracle (1996)



Again working with producer Hugh Jones -- and, as always, accompanied by her brother Christopher on various instruments, along with past veteran guests Jon Brookes and Laurence O'Keefe -- Berry creates another beautiful, subtle collection of songs on Miracle. The slow build of "The Mountain" makes for a fine start. Beginning with the quietest of pluckings, the song gradually adds Berry's sweetly cool voice and Anne Wood's scraping, swirling violin to the mix. It retreats just a bit at the end, imbuing Berry's tale of childhood remembrance with a new, fragile appeal. Her blend of folksy, rustic touches and more modern approaches comes very much to the fore on Miracle, though the former element feels the stronger here. "Holy Grail" has a slow, measured percussion beat that almost sounds like something off the Velvet Underground's third album, but it's Anne Wood's stringwork that proves the song's standout. Other numbers where Wood gets to demonstrate her considerable chops are "Queen" (which ends with a fine duet between Berry and her brother on mandolin) and a cover of the Youngbloods' "Darkness, Darkness." Of course, Miracle is still very much Berry's album, and the concluding track, "Northern Country," leaves no doubt of that. While Wood's violin work is equally inspired here, it's Berry's wonderful vocal delivery that truly stands out. If there's a prime moment on the record, it's the marvellous title track. Featuring terrific backup vocals and Jones' great turn on Hammond organ, Berry's inspiring, anthemic song is a surge of hope and power.

1. Mountain
2. Time
3. Holy Grail
4. Darkness
5. Miracle
6. Californian
7. Queen
8. Only Human
9. Northern Country

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Heidi Berry - Love (1991)



Rodjena je 1958 godine u Bostonu gde je i odrasla, kao dete americkog glumca i francuskokanadske jazz pevacice. Osamdesetih se seli sa porodicom u London gde upisuje slikarstvo. 1985. godine snimila je svoj prvi demo, a 1987. i svoj mini album. Njen muzicki stil je orkestralni folk rock, a ocaravajuci zvuk je inspirisan Sandy Denny i Nick Drake-a.

Vocals – Heidi Berry
Acoustic Guitar – Christopher Berry (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 8 to 10)
Bass – Ian Kearey (tracks: 5, 7, 8)
Bass [Fretless] – Laurence O'Keefe (tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 11)
Cello – Audrey Riley (tracks: 7, 8, 10), Martin McCarrick (tracks: 7, 8, 10)
Drums – Dave Morgan (tracks: 2 to 5, 8, 10)
Piano [Acoustic] – Rocky Holman (tracks: 4, 5, 7, 9 to 11)
Synthesizer – Rocky Holman (tracks: 1, 4, 5, 11)
Viola – Peter Lale (tracks: 7, 8, 10), Sue Dench (tracks: 7, 8, 10)

Genre................: Folk Rock, Psychedelic, Alternative
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1991
Ripper...............: CDex 1.50b7 & Samsung CDDVDW SH-S222A
Codec................: LAME 3.96
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.0, APE v2.000
Ripped by............: pparadiso on 16.4.2011
Posted by............: pparadiso on 30.9.2011
Included.............: NFO
Covers...............: Front Back CD

01. Washington Square
02. Up in the Air
03. Gloria
04. Great Big Silver Key
05. Wake
06. Cradle
07. Hand over Head
08. Silver Buttons
09. Lonely Heart
10. Bright as Day
11. Lily

Playing Time.........: 00:45:56
Total Size...........: 105.15 MB

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Heidi Berry - Heidi Berry (1993)



Genre................: Folk Rock, Psychedelic, Alternative
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1993
Ripper...............: CDex 1.50b7 & Samsung CDDVDW SH-S222A
Codec................: LAME 3.96
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Stereo / 44100 hz
Ripped by............: pparadiso on 16.4.2011
Posted by............: pparadiso on 30.9.2011
Included.............: NFO
Covers...............: Front Back CD

01. Mercury
02. Little Fox
03. The Moon And The Sun
04. One-String Violin
05. Darling Companion
06. Distant Thunder
07. Heart Like A Wheel
08. For The Rose
09. Follow
10. Ariel
11. Dawn

Playing Time.........: 00:46:30
Total Size...........: 106.43 MB

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Heidi Berry - Miracle (1996)



Genre................: Folk Rock, Psychedelic, Alternative
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1996
Ripper...............: CDex 1.50b7 & Samsung CDDVDW SH-S222A
Codec................: LAME 3.96
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.0, APE v2.000
Ripped by............: pparadiso on 16.4.2011
Posted by............: pparadiso on 30.9.2011
Included.............: NFO
Covers...............: Front Back CD

01. The Mountain
02. Time
03. Holy Grail
04. Darkness, Darkness
05.Miracle
06. The Californian
07. Queen
08. Only Human
09. Northern Country

Playing Time.........: 00:43:43
Total Size...........: 100.04 MB

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Heidi Berry - Pomegranate: An Antology (2000)



Album koji je pred vama je neka vrsta njenog Best off-a.

Personnel:

Heidi Berry - vocals
Patrick Fitzgerald - vocals, bass
Christopher Berry - acoustic guitar

Digitally remastered by Gus Shaw - Masterpiece, London, England

Genre................: Folk-Rock, Psychedelic, Indie Rock
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 2000
Ripper...............: Dex 1.50b7 & Samsung CD/DVDW SH-222A
Codec................: LAME 3.96
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.0, APE v2.000
Ripped by............: pparadiso on 16.4.2011
Posted by............: pparadiso on 18.4.2011
Included.............: NFO
Covers...............: Front Back CD

01. Northern Country
02. Time
03. The Moon & the Sun
04. Only Human
05. Up in the Air
06. Washington Square
07. Northshore Train
08. The Mountain (Demo)
09. Mercury
10. One-String Violin
11. Little Fix
12. Follow
13. Cradle
14. Needle's Eye

Playing Time.........: 01:06:22
Total Size...........: 151.89 MB

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