Bird of Paradise
A longer look at one of Big Wreck's best!
Inspired by one of my favorite “Reaction” channels (mostly because Dave hears what I hear) experiencing Big Wreck’s Bird of Paradise, I dug-up this write-up from last year.
I must have posted this on the Big Wreck Fan Group page on facebook…. but since I got hacked into non-existence on Facebook…. here it is!
It’s been some months now and I noticed something about the tracks from Pages .1. It follows that the order in which they are on the EP yields a downward slope total views or listens on YouTube and Spotify. So combining all the views, Bird of Paradise, being the last track, has gotten the LEAST attention!
Just thought I would give it some updated love here.
The overall track feels as The Rain Song/Page’s - Midnight Moonlight, which came from a Zep demo called Swan Song. I know it doesn’t follow the structure explicitly, but the start/stop mood changes put me in that head. There is that “pieced together” aspect of Ian’s music that is sometimes intertwined intricately, and other times stand alone.
Midnight Moonlight
Zep’s studio treatment of the working title “Swan Song”.
I know that the pieces are not similar to the above mentioned but the feel puts it in the ball park.
The intro to the song, that we now know was lopped off of the outro and introduced in the beginning as a foretaste, at Nick Rasculiniecz suggestion launches the track with that chug chug chug energy that originates in Van Halen’s 3rd album and comes to the forefront on 1984’s Jump with those synth stabs. That’s my touchstone for reference. Maybe some Journey Escape era around 81-82 also.
It’s such familiar warm touchstone pattern. It brings you right into it and then after 4 expanding chug riffs he hits that big Page-like multi-guitar wash. Sekou’s exploding fills punch throughout! My God, where this could go!
Then we drop off a cliff! That thin whistle of a melody and acoustic moves us from triumphant to plaintive in a head turning wipe. Wow! That melody is so Floyd-ian.... or... THAT melody is so Floyd, Ian! With the organ and the acoustic it feels so Dark Side.... or somehow STP’s Plush... somewhere there is some faint reflection. One of you musicians will be able to pinpoint it for me.... or tell me I’m crazy!
And those powerful bass notes just wrap you up... probably synth, because of the lack of attack.
I have to mention that Ian recorded these vocals at his home studio, with no-one to give him any immediate, in-the-moment feedback. There is a closeness and intimacy to how the vocals are recorded and mixed that presents something very personal and vulnerable.
Ian drops a little fairy dust gem, right after he sings, “and once the truth is known”. He does that chimey acoustic accent... and he only drops it once...
We go two rounds, of this blissful melancholy melody.... And the Bird still flies away....
Gears shift, guitars splash and we are in Zep Rain Song territory! So beautiful and measured. So expansive and powerful. That beautiful high cascade of slide that kicks in around the 4:30 mark hugs me with that Ten Years Gone yearning without being derivative. I get chills! All the beautiful swirly slide accents cascading.... “Ah, would you ever return?” my God this part is so gorgeous... the guitar lines pile up and soar.... and then comes the chug!
This drives REAL hard! Ian’s lines “never recover from NEVER” hit me so hard! He REALLY shows what a passionate singer he is! It’s got some of that gritty rasp that he can do at just that right moment.
I Fought the Law - Big Dirty Band - Ian Thornley is featured somewhere in the middle.
I also love the slow down tag out.... it just hangs there ringing out.... makes you think of the EP’s to come!
PS Sekou is a MONSTER on this track... whether it’s the recording technique or those concert toms... his fills burst with energy! This pseudo 80’s milieu suits him well! And of course Dave is masterful!