Redshift Wild 2 Play Sample:   56K Dialup   Broadband   Download Sample:   500K   1.5Mb (Excerpt from track(s) 'Fuel') Please go to the Store to buy this item.

'Wild 1' flew off the shelves in no time and became a highly prized collector's item. Unlike 'Wild 1' however, 'Wild 2' is a full blown CD and as far as I know is not a limited edition. However, musically it should be as prized as the first as it provides a fascinating glimpse into the history and development of the band.

First up is 'Fuel', a rehearsal for their stratospheric Hampshire Jam 2 appearance. It offers a very different perspective on the tracks which ended up as 'Aquamarine' and 'Quenzer'. The opening restrained melodics, for me, are perhaps the highlight of this whole album. Being a fanatic admirer of Redshift's sequencing prowess, that is no small statement. The opening few minutes of synth chords/motifs and electric piano I could listen to all day. Fantastic! Then the sequencing emerges. What can I say? It's Moog. It's Redshift. It's syncopation central. It's Heaven! 'Fuel', for me, is the highlight of the album.

Fancy listening to a prototype from their momentous '96 Jodrell Bank concert what spawned 'Ether'? Well 'State 2' gives you the opportunity. A rehearsal for the track that ended up as 'Static', this is moody "swamp music" territory with a bristling doom laden sequence accompanied by mournful synth lines.

Next up is the first ever track recorded by Redshift as a 3-piece, back in the summer of '96. Great atmospherics, some crucial sequencing. Early days it may have been but the potential is there for all to witness.

'Iron Heart' is unusual for the inclusion of drum loops which creates a more uniform insistent beat vs the shifting time signatures which usually grace the sequential tapestry. There are some great guitar effects on show here, and the track builds to a frenetic finale. A fascinating piece. Finally, we get another healthy 17 minutes worth of rehearsal material for Jodrell Bank 1996. According to the sleevenotes this is how 'Bombers in the Desert' should have sounded. The live piece was frought with technical difficulties apparently (must admit I didn't notice them!). Anyway, it's called 'Heaven is a Turquoise Avenger', and it's menacingly moody!