The SG Sound is the unique creation of composer Stephen Greaves. The sound brings together and updates all that was fun and hip from the swinging 60s. If you try to imagine a soundtrack of completely new music created especially for a psychedelic new Austin Powers movie, then you won't be very far from the style of the SG Sound. It has classic electric guitars, John Barry style brass, 60s rock and dance beats, with occasional Burt Bacharach style vocals. In addition to Barry and Bacharach, the SG Sound has been compared to a fusion of influences from Henry Mancini, Neal Hefti, Vic Mizzy and Tom Jones to Lalo Schifrin, Herb Alpert and George Gershwin! The myspace page tells us "The SG Sound is so casual, yet nasty. Heavily influenced by go-go, twist, surf, spy, lounge, TV underscore, and soul music of the mid-to-late 1960's, ...". Steve Greaves is based in California and, in order to record these gems, he must bring together and organise a substantial band of like-minded players.
The Title Track of this album "Planet Twist" starts with some sampled vocals which seem weird initially, but the track soon settles down to being mostly instrumental with the SG Sound's typical mix of guitars and brass. "Sirens of Venus" is a high energy track with a suberb mix of classic guitar sounds. Like many of the tracks on the album the track doesn't follow a predictable repeating pattern of verse followed by chorus, but throws in interesting ideas purely because they sound fun. This gives the music a free-flowing vibe where you genuinely feel as though anything might happen. "The Long Horizon" is a slower-paced beach track. From its opening sax notes "Secretary Pool" is very much a show-case for the brass, and they have never sounded more groovy since the John Barry Seven. "Jump the Shark" is a guitar-led trip where the brass return to their role of providing flourishes. While just a short album "Planet Twist" will leave you wanting more.
The best way to get this album and others from the SG Sound is via digital download from this page on Amazon.com which has all the tracks from "Planet Twist" and "The Pleasure Center". You can hear more and find out more about the SG Sound at the SG Sound page on myspace, with sample tracks and groovy retro space-age videos. The latest album from the SG Sound is Escapade Velocity.
Planet Twist is a compact CD with only 5 sample tracks, but it will give you a flavour of what to expect from the SG Sound. We guarantee that once you here it you will want to hear more!
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