The Fusion Reactor #138 - "Firsts" and "Seconds"

Tonight we'll be looking at a bunch of "firsts" and "seconds" on the show. Not like "the first song to feature mellotron" or anything like that, but more like "songs that are about first things." And second things, as you'll see. This show also marks the first time I've used the new music/noise background Andrew Sanchez helped me out with.

Phish - First Tube
An interesting little song from the Phish guys. Neat polyrhythms, a catchy melody, a lot more musical depth than you'd expect, and almost no jamming.

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - First Light
A beautiful composition about a beautiful time of day.

Don Caballero - First Hits
Had to put some RAWK into the show. I'm sure this is about having hits on the radio, something Don Caballero would know all about.

Tony Palacios - First Born
I wouldn't know if this song is accurate, I'm the middle child. Oh yes, pity me. Or not. Great song though, from a guitarist who could have been on last week's show.

Vangelis - First Approach
Because it's so much fun to be all over the musical map, isn't it? We're starting off on sort of a musical rollercoaster here, but that's what The Fusion Reactor is all about.

Return To Forever - Excerpt From The First Movement of Heavy Metal
Some might say this song has a misleading title. I won't argue. I guess "Excerpt From The First Movement of Piano Solo Followed By Groovy Funk" doesn't really sound as cool.

Torben Enevoldsen - First Attempt
The album is "Flying Solo" not "Solo Flight." I said the wrong thing. That's two weeks in a row I've played Torben on my show. A new trend? Perhaps, but I doubt it. I like this stuff more than his work with Section A though.

Wertico - First Bass
An odd little tune that fits its name. Are those wind chimes and rain sticks in the background?

Steve Howe - Desire Comes First
Steve is the guy who gets credit for getting me interested in playing the guitar. Not that I've reached his level of proficiency or anything. He just does some really neat things sometimes, and I love his arrangements. He does *not* sing on this song.

Cliff Martinez - First Sleep
From the excellent Solaris soundtrack. When the movie ended and the credits were rolling, I wasn't sure if I liked the film, but I knew I had to get the soundtrack. Ambient music doesn't have to be static and boring! Cliff did an amazing job of mixing the electronic sounds with the orchestra.

Patrik Skantze - Fiction at First View
...and so the "no vocal" streak is broken. After ten instrumentals, you might have suspected I was going for an all-instrumental show. But no.

Pat Metheny - First Circle
An intense, complex song from the master. What a rush this one becomes when everything breaks loose towards the end.

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Now that you've had firsts, it's time to move on to seconds. You saved room, didn't you?
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Pat Metheny - Second Thought
More laid back than First Circle, this one is a nice contemplative piece.

Ergo Sum - Second Rebirth
... and the second piece of the show with vocals. But the first from France. Now, a *second* rebirth would be a third birth, wouldn't it? Perhaps this song doesn't fit in after all.

Canvas - On Second Thought
Back to instrumental mode. Don't want to inundate you with all those vocal tunes out there. Some neat stuff here, even a horn section! I gotta do a show about songs with horn sections sometime.

Riverside - Second Life Syndrome
Vocal mode is on. This is the first of the "epics" for the show. Of course, this is the title track from the Polish group's second full album. That double-qualifies it. Come to think of it, the Canvas song was from their second album too! I don't know that I'd agree 100% with the "prog metal" label this band has been given. Heavier than the Moody Blues*, sure, but I don't know about metal. Just my opinion.

Passport - Get Yourself A Second Passport
Vocal mode off. Very early Passport, pretty sure it's their second album too. A bit more intense than some of what they later morphed into, this is some of that burning, churning funk stuff.

Rush - Second Nature
The Hold Your Fire album has a special place in my memory just because of what I was going through when it came out. It's not my absolute favorite, but it has some definite sentimental value. Upon re-listening to it, I found I know all the lyrics. Memory is an interesting thing.

Genesis - Home By the Sea/Second Home By the Sea
Our second "epic." I'd imagine they did this live like this quite a bit, although I never saw them in any lineup. But hey, if they did it on the "We Can't Dance" tour... never mind. Still, not too bad a song, especially the second part.

Isildurs Bane - The Second Step
While much of this album is very fusiony, this one is more orchestral. Almost classical, even. Still, a little variety never hurts, right? Oh yeah, we're back in no vocal mode.

Gong - Second Wind
A great live rendition of this song. Everything you'd expect from PM Gong... Keyboard percussion, kicking guitars, odd meters, etc... it doesn't get much better than this.

Spock's Beard - Second Overture
From "Snow," this is the start to the second disc. More horns! I wouldn't mind if Spock's Beard did more instrumentals rather than just one here and there.

* I absolutely *love* the Moody Blues, especially "Days of Future Past" through "Seventh Sojourn."