Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Circus Underwater. 1984 USA-Maryland


Circus Underwater, from the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC, were a progressive electronic group, heavy on atmosphere and with a good grasp of melody. The acoustics are fantastic, and the Frippian guitar leads are really quite splendid. Perhaps had Circus Underwater considered being a Berlin School electronic group in the Tangerine Dream genre, they may have found success at the time - though their sound wasn't that removed from what Klaus Schulze and other electronic artists of the day were attempting. I've seen dealers sell this as "minimal synth" to great success, but that's an entirely misleading genre tag for this effort.

The album is under 28 minutes (Side 2 is about 12 minutes), so it could technically be considered an EP. The Glass Wing label is from Maryland, while the packaging and pressing are from Phoenix. The production and pressing are exceptional. Features a wonderful stenciled front cover. I found this album in a Tucson, Arizona record store in 1994, most likely because it was pressed relatively nearby. 

11/21/17: I received a generous offer for the album direct from my collection, so I sold it.

Not reissued on CD as of 11/22/24 (was reissued on LP however).

7/3/94 (first listen); 2/17/11 (review); 10/26/16 (new entry)

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