Eddie Jobson & Zinc - The Green Album (1983) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2014] PS3 ISO + DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

The Green Album is the debut album by English rock musician Eddie Jobson, released by Capitol Records in 1983. It is officially credited to Eddie Jobson and Zinc, Zinc being identified in press releases as a backing band consisting of Michael Cuneo (guitars), Jerry Watts (bass), and Michael Barsimanto (drums); however, none of the members of Zinc played on more than half the songs on the album, and only four tracks feature the entire group. Because of this, The Green Album is widely regarded as an Eddie Jobson solo album, similarly to how Runt is considered a Todd Rundgren solo album despite being credited to Runt. Jobson, a former member of Roxy Music, had also previously played with Curved Air, Frank Zappa, UK, and Jethro Tull. The album contains Jobson's first (and only) lead vocal performances. It also features ex-Gentle Giant guitarist Gary Green on some tracks. The album features a mostly synthesizer based synthpop / progressive rock sound and is a concept album of sorts, with the lyrics centring on a somewhat Orwellian dystopian future where everything is tinted green.

After his stint with Jethro Tull and as the wave of new romantic pop groups were taking control of the airwaves, Eddie Jobson entered the studio to record his first solo album, known as Zinc, although it was meant to be titled "The Green Album" and billed to the band name "Zinc" – the record company messed things up quite a bit. This is an honest effort of when-prog rock-meets-synth pop. The songs are often better than Drama-era Yes and turn-of-the-'80s FM or Saga. In terms of writing and production, it sounds like Jobson is emulating Rupert Hine, whose art-pop gem Immunity came out two years before Zinc. Jobson handles all keyboards, vocals, and electric violin. Alon Oleartchik and Jerry Watts split bass duties, Michael Barsimanto supplies very early-'80s-sounding drum tracks (cold and square). Nick Moroch, Cary Sharaf, Michael Cuneo and Gentle Giant's Gary Green appear here and there on electric guitar. Jobson's lyrics are poor and his attempt to tie them together with a "green" theme doesn't help. Luckily, the music is better, with "Green Face" and "Resident" standing out as two of the best synth pop songs produced in that era. The second half of the album gets weaker as ideas run thin, but the first half offers a very nice blend of pop songs and instrumentals. Jobson's high-pitched voice is nothing to write home about, but he conceals it with the favorite gizmo of the time: the vocoder. Of course, the album sounds very dated, but collectors will find it has its moments.

Tracklist:

01. Transporter
02. Resident
03. Easy For You To Say
04. Prelude
05. Nostalgia
06. Walking From Pastel
07. Turn It Over
08. Green Face
09. Who My Friends…
10. Colour Code
11. Listen To Reason
12. Through The Glass
13. Transporter II
14. Turn It Over

DSD flat transferred from U.S. original analogue master tapes.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, in 2014.
Universal Japan # UIGY-9573


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Uncompressed SACD ISO size > 2,03 GB
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