Artist description Singer / Songwriter

Music Style Melodic rock music

Musical Influences Crowded House, Peter Gabriel, Beatles, Neil Finn, The Who, Genesis, Marillion

Similar Artists Neil Finn

Artist History early 80's - Moriarty (progressive rock band - a bit YES like) 1995 - Wake up & wake up to the real World (CD) 2002 - Out of this world (CD) 2003 - Top of the World (CD due out Oct 2003) For a free copy of any albums.....send an e mail or write to Federation Music, 21 Coombe Rise, Shenfield, Essex. CM14 8JJ.

Group Members Alan Whittaker (vox/ guitars/ keyboards) , Mark Schlotel (bass), Chris Hobbs (guitars) Steve Lomas (piano & keyboards)

Instruments guitars, keyboards, percussion etc

Albums Out of This World (2002), Wake Up and Welcome to the real world (1995)

Press Reviews "out of this world review" by "www.msswings.com" After this initial listen, my wife happened to be in the room when I was listening again. This time we both thought the opening track, "My Love", was good, but the rest of the album failed to live up to promising start. It wasn't until I had the time sit down and have a 'good listen' to the album that I changed my mind about the album and I began to see it positive attributes. There is a 70s/early 80s pop-rock feel to the material. That opener that I mentioned earlier, "My Love", is a sparse piano track that initially conjures up visions of Sytx, but heads off in a poppier direction. It is not the sort of opener that grabs you from the off, but about half way through, you might just be thinking "this isn't bad". "Her Beautiful Disguise", "Anyhow" and "Another Sunday Afternoon" all have that 70s soft rock vibe with "Anyhow" being the best of the trio. When listening to "Nothing Changes" I'm reminded of a song by the Alan Parson's Project, especially the rhythm section. So far, so good.Then comes "The Day The Angels Came Down" which reminds me of the crass Pogues/Kirsty McCall Christmas ditty "A New York Fairytale". We have to wait until the penultimate track to find a track that falls into the rock rather than the pop arena. "Perfect Life" has a vaguely progressive feel to it, albeit in a latter day Marillion kind of a way rather than a full blown prog workout. "Schizo Kid" is yet another ballad, but this time an effective one that closes the album well. This album was really a little too laid back for my tastes. That is my take of things, you can investigate for yourself at www.mp3.com . This album is available free of charge to anyone who sends Alan a SAE, which makes it worthy of further investigation!!!! Wake Up And Welcome To The Real World was Alans debut album. The title track opens the album with Alan's voice only accompanied by electric piano for most of the song. The lyrical content is very strong, daring the listener to take a look at the world around them - joyriders, terrorism and homelessness. This is followed by an instrumental which is part of the same track although it is totally different. New Toy is the first song about the so-called Irish problem. The "new toy" in question being a gun given to the "birthday boy". The chorus speaks of the "child of Ireland come of age; time to vent that burning rage." Great lyrics giving an alternate view to the conflict. Mother?(can you see me?) is a spooky re-write of the film Psycho with Alan in the lead role. The dinky chorus counter-balances the building tension as "mother and I ascend the stairs...". Free Me is a more acoustic song with Alan accompanying himself on acoustic guitar with minimal keyboard and drumming behind. Masters Of The Universe is a jab at the high financiers - the bulls, lions and hyenas of the stockmarket: "smart money vultures stalk their prey, they watch your every move". Memories Of Love is a more mellow track which tells of an old man: "sailing away on the memories of love". A Tale Of London is a four section epic, rather out of place in an album of shorter songs. Reading through the lyrics, I missed the concept behind the track but Alan informs me that it started off being about the Bishopsgate bombing in London a few years back. It opens with the up-beat scene-setter Time On Our Side which is from the bomber's viewpoint. This segues into Execution which encapsulated the adrenaline rush of the actually explosion as "the glass explodes as if in slow motion takes a hold and fills the air." Ordinary Man is the same event from Alan's own view. It has the same ambience but is more metronomic with a sequenced keyboard under-pining the song.The track bursts back into energy with Coming Home, the triumphant coda as the bomber returns home a hero.Dancing In The Rain is a ballad of a love song "the nights seem so much colder when half the bed is empty." The harmonies and change in cadence particularly makes this track stand out as a beautiful composition and this gets my vote for track of the album. Leaving is another song with a nice ambience. The electronic drum pattern matches the lyrics of the railway journey, and the guitars keeps the whole track travelling along. Cascals is an beautiful instrumental with Alan building up the instrument - acoustic guitars and keyboards with added drums and bass to taste. A serene and very mellow interlude before the drums of The Irish Dream strike up. This is a jab at the Irish Americans' support for the unrest in Ireland: "you've never been here, never walked the fields of my land and then I guess you never will". The song is a march with snares and bass guitar beating out the rhythm as acoustic guitars pick out the tune; the instrumental section adds suitably Celtic keyboard sounds. Favourite Chair is a good track with some great lyrics. The album closes with the haunting Ghosts; lots of keyboards and acoustic guitars manage to fill out a beautiful song. The ghost in the lyrics is the snow, but I think the song is more about ghosts of love; either way it works for me. I think there is a certain lightness about album produced solely by one person which you do not get with a band album. In saying that, this is a great album. It took a little to get into - but that was mainly because the music seems to float over you if you are not careful. Alan took that as a criticism when I told him, but I do not mean it like that. The songs flow very well, and seem to lull you into appreciating them rather than grabbing you by the throat. The problem is that then you miss the lyrics - and these are the other great strength of the album. I have not quoted many, namely because they do not work out of context. I guess you will have the buy the album to see what I mean, wont you!

Additional Info Working on a new album (Top of the World) which should be available later this year (2003) tracks will be published on this site in the near future.

Location Shenfield, essex - United Kingdom

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