Rainbow Dome Musick

Introduction

I have always loved Steve Hillage, first hearing him as guitarist with Gong, and his first solo album "Fish Rising" is an absolute favourite of mine, but "Rainbow Dome Music" was a low-priced transparent vinyl release which I bought but couldn't remember too much about it.

I was wondering whether this would be a critique, which it is, but it will slip into the Vocal Beat community even though there is no beat present in either of the two pieces.

Rainbow Dome Musick

I have recently been listening to Gong and "Fish Rising" and started to see a lot of positive vibes about this album, and thought maybe I should revisit it, and as it is available on YouTube on Steve's channel, I decided to give it a try.

These are the details of the two pieces that make up the album, and you can listen to them via the YouTube links that I have included, but these are both more than twenty minutes long:

I also provided a link to Amazon if you want to support Steve and buy the album.

Garden Of Paradise

Composed By – Miquette Giraudy

Lead Guitar, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Arp] – Steve Hillage

Producer – Miquette Giraudy, Steve Hillage

Sequencer [Double], Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes], Synthesizer [Arp omni], Bells [Tibetan] – Miquette Giraudy

23:09

Four Ever Rainbow

Composed By – Steve Hillage

Electric Guitar, Guitar [Glissando], Synthesizer [Moog] – Steve Hillage

Performer [Eventide Harmoniser] – Rupert Atwill

Producer – Steve Hillage

Synthesizer [Arp omni], Bells [Tibetan] – Miquette Giraudy

20:30

I am not sure how to describe this, it is not a playlist as such with only two pieces which are not music as such but rather sequencer sounds with some improvised guitar work, and the sound is soothing and beautiful.

I listened a few times and then decided to download the MP3 and burn a CD, and get myself a copy on vinyl so I could enjoy it on my record player.

While you can't remember the tunes, you do remember the feeling it gives you, which is wonderfully relaxing.

I have a feeling this was very improvised. It has no rhythm, drums or bass, it is just sound. I tell a lie, there is a little synthesiser in "Four Ever Rainbow" that is almost a rhythm.

This is the Amazon Customers Say verdict:

Customers find the album relaxing, with one mentioning it sends them off to sleep. The album receives positive feedback for its quality, with customers describing it as lovely and praising the artist's work.

One of the very few 'pinnacle' atmospheric albums of all time. When are we going to get the 'Extended Version' with an hour-long Garden of Paradise? It's do-able with todays technology.

'Rainbow Dome' consists of two dreamily shimmering works that are focused around keyboards and heavily mediated guitar.The music is a journey through strange other -worldly soundscapes.There are are snatches of conventional melody and rhythmic pulse,but for much of the trip, gossamer like textures, swirling synthesizers and Hillage's glissando guitar make up the bulk of the musical material.It's a truly lovely album and can be recommended to Hippies and non-Hippies alike.

Virgin ought to be congratulated on a first class re-issue - great remastering and an informative booklet make this set a worthy commemoration to an engaging and beautifully conceived album.

Conclusion

This has been on many of my players a lot over the past few weeks, and take a listen, you may be as unexpectedly enamoured of it as I am. It is playing as I write this, and I don't want it to finish. It is beautiful.

Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it.