“Creavolution” Album by Magic Moments At Twilight Gets Remastered!

“Creavolution” by Magic Moments At Twilight Time was originally recorded here at Brain Dead Studios between 1994 and 1995, engineered by myself, and released the following year by Music & Elsewhere (MMATT CD1). It proved to be highly popular on the global underground scene, becoming the band’s biggest selling title ever. In late 2017 it was discovered that the original DAT masters were still playable and the title was added to the TMR Records re-release programme. The tracks were transferred in 64 bit audio at Brain Dead Studios and then bounced on to ¼ inch reel-to-reel tape on a Revox B77 for an analogue remaster! Check out the reviews, they are amazing. The entire track listing has been faithfully restored with an added bonus track! Unlike much of the underground output MMATT were best known for, this CD is not a ‘DIY’ project, it has been commercially ‘glass mastered’ and manufactured at EMI’s London pressing plant. It’s available for only £5 GBP (inc UK p&p, please apply for overseas prices). Payable in UK Sterling by most commonplace methods; PayPal, Bank Transfer, UK Cheque or Postal Order, or even cash if the buyer is in the London area and able to collect from the studio in Plumstead, SE18! For full details and how to place orders, please contact TMR Records via e-mail at marcbell386@btinternet.com, where we will be pleased to help.

“Twenty Odd Years” later, “Creavolution” has been Reborn! Marc Bell (Brain Dead Studio / TMR Records)

“CREAVOLUTION REBORN” (TMR CD8170)

Magic Moments At Twilight Time began life as a solo project way back in 1986, the name chosen from the Perry Como and Platters hits that topped the charts either side of the Atlantic on the day I was born. Then recruiting my long suffering second better half on vocals, we would bill ourselves (tongue in cheek, I hasten to add) as “a husband and wife duo from north west Surrey”, though maybe nobody got the humorous juxtaposition between the somewhat experimental music we produced and a name that sounded like an afternoon tea dance orchestra. Luckily, we were dragged from our misunderstood obscurity by a fortuitous and unexpected chance to take to the stage and our consequent expansion to a four piece. Although that was not to last, over the first six years of our existence, with a line up consisting of myself and whoever else could put up with me for long enough, we produced a dozen albums, largely self-released on our own Music & Elsewhere label. We went on to become one of the best known names on the international underground network, our music being released on cassette, vinyl and CD by dozens of labels in ten or more countries spanning four of the five continents of our planet (nothing in Africa, go figure).

In 1992, I opened Music & Elsewhere up to bands from all around the world and the label kind of took over my life, MMATT going very much on the back burner, the needs of the many and all that. It wasn’t until Marc Bell offered me free time at his Brain Dead Studio a couple of years later that the idea of a 13th album and our first on CD really came to life. Although any semblance of a real band was long gone by this point, I managed to get it recorded over a year or so with the help of our former vocalist, Leonie Jackson, and several guest singers and musicians from other bands on the M&E roster. Then came the beginnings of The Curse. The first production run was absolutely appalling and the individual masquerading as a company responsible for it was anything but co-operative. With only the woefully inadequate powers of our County Court system at our disposal to seek redress, which he resisted at almost every turn, it took a long and bitter legal battle before we finally got our money back. The CD was ultimately released on 20th May 1996, seven months later than originally advertised, and right in the middle of what we still look back on as The Year Of Hell. Although it went on to become our biggest selling album ever, outselling all our others put together, it was always something of a hollow victory, the whole thing having taken a very heavy toll in what was an extremely difficult time in my life. It marked the end of an era and it would be 20 years before I recorded another note.

22 years on, MMATT seem to be enjoying something of a renaissance, amidst a resurgence of interest in the 80’s/90’s underground movement in general. Having started The Magic Net website in 2012 and revived the M&E label, I started to get many inquiries as to if and when our Mmatterial would once again see the light of day. Then a selection from the cassette years was digitally remastered and released by Klappstuhl Records of Germany on their 2015 double album collection, “Flashbax Ω Ultimate: The Best OF MMATT” (SP 008). And present day, Marc Bell, nowadays owner of TMR Records, asked if I’d be interested in a reissue of “Creavolution”, which lead to his brilliant analogue remaster. And only one month late this time. Combined with a couple of decades distance from the difficult emotions of the time, I’ve come to appreciate more what a unique culmination of our ten years of existence it actually was. Looking back on some of the reviews from the day;

“Forget ‘Top Of The Pops’ and the commercial music scene and listen to this band instead.”

(Cyrkel Spynn, U.K.)

“Undoubtedly one of the most diversified and unusual releases of the year, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

(Fight Amnesia, Germany)

“Some of the coolest keyboard sounds on the underground scene come from this band. Way out in space somewhere, yet they have returned to Earth with sounds and music to enlighten us.”

(Tales Of A Nomad, Australia)

“The best damn spacerock ‘n roll dance party sci fi concept album I’ve ever heard.”

(Aural Innovations, U.S.A.)

… well, I think I can appreciate the achievement more now. Why nobody before thought to take a mix of Hawkwind meets Blondie, then throw in Giorgio Moroder synths, Clannad harmonies, a touch of flamenco, gothic hints, an operatic baritone and have fun with rock & roll, who can say? But I’m glad I did, it seems to have worked. After 22 years, I feel like we’ve finally laid a ghost to rest (although The Curse seems to have got Marc again, he’s just recently undergone intracranial surgery!) and I can at last move on to that difficult 14th album…

Source: http://www.mickmagic.net