Track Listing

1. Awakening
2. Robes And Crowns
3. From The Four Winds
4. Lucifer's Cage
5. Revelation
6. Price Of Experience
7. Dance Of The Albion
8. Tyger
9. Ecchoing Green
10. London
11. Night
12. On Wings Of Hope
13. Jerusalem
14. Visionary

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #31477 in Music
• Released on: 1999-11-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued

Customer Reviews

Petrolhead
I first bought this album when it came out on record back in the late 70s and was absolutely mesmerised by his playing. Plus, all the tunes were so melodic yet haunting that I would listen to the album over and over again, soothing my teenage angst. Then, someone borrowed it from me and I never got it back. I searched all over the shops but alas, the record was no longer on sale and I was gutted. Years went by, I got married, got on with life until Amazon came along. I thought I'd just check to see if they had it and there is was! I could not believe my eyes. I immediately ordered 2 CDs, one for a friend.

Just listening to his playing brought back so many memories, and all the reasons why I love this album. Gordon's playing is just terrific. And unlike the reviewer from Spain, I could feel all the emotions he put into his playing and music. Gordon took me on a journey of Blake and his world and visions, and I've never left. Stranded for a few years, perhaps, but never left.

If you have to buy the one definitive guitar album, this has to be it. You'll never regret it but remember this. Never, ever lend it to anyone unless you're sure you'll get it back!

Blake's one over the Eight
This album was originally released as around 30 mins worth(that's up to and including track 11, and I urge you to treat that as a separate entity.

Don't ignore the extra tracks, we'll return there in a moment. The idea was a series of music paintings exploring the canvasses of William Blake. If that sounds heavy, it could get worse-most intellectuals(not me-haven't the IQ!!) consider Blake to be the only true English mystic ever!

However, Giltrap's guitar virtuosity and the accompanying sweeping synth-dominated backing tracks hit the right note every time. Each track is memorable, they run together somehow AND every time you are guided into the start of the spiritual pathways in Blake's forest of the night.

There, however, you are left with your imagination and that's how the album succeeds-giving you the initial insight only, but enough of a key to want to unlock the door further. Unlike Huxley, you won't need mescalin to do it, either!

The extra tracks, the first 2 anyway, just don't fit in with the album as it originated or developed. This is in spite of Jerusalem being the first thing most people associate now with Blake, or perhaps because of it-don't always do the obvious, it seems-and here Giltrap was correct.

But beware the last track-Visionary original version WILL surprise you-it's the Unplugged/Acoustic/Demo version of the whole resulting album. See how refined the raw seed became before it blossomed into the final work of genius that is Visionary and realise this is one of the most criminally-neglected albums of all time.

I'm not one for encouraging criminality in any body, so please salve your conscience, end this scandal, buy it now and savour genius again.

Grossly under-rated musical genius
When I listen to albums like this, it breaks my heart to see how much the standard of contemporary English music has dropped, no, plummeted in the last two decades. Could you imagine somebody with this magnitude of talent appearing on X-Factor? I seriously don't think so. You can keep all the Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey and boy band clones, give me this album anyday. Thankfully Gordon is still performing today and it's reassuring to know that people of his musical calibre are still around. Please don't disappear Gordon - we need people like you to reassure us that there is still true musical talent in this country. Every time I hear this album it lifts me from the dirge and crass of the modern musical trends.