Formed by Kieran O'Connor and Ken Elliott after the dissolution of the British progressive band Second Hand, Seventh Wave is an early example of a synth duo, a pop configuration that was to loom large in the 1980s. They released two albums in quick succession in the mid-70s, on which they showed a certain instrumental fecundity. Elliott's tools were a veritable catalogue of 70s synth technology (ARP, clavinet, Moog, Crumar strings, Mellotron), while O'Connor showed a distinct orchestral bent in his array of perucssion instruments. The debut album "Things To Come"consists of mainly synth-laden instrumental tracks with only four vocal songs The album received a considerable degree of air play in the USA but the band chose not to tour there to support it, which ultimately resulted in poor sales. Not wishing to make the same mistake twice, they embarked upon a US tour in support of their more song-based second album, "Psi-Fi". A leap forward from their debut, this album shows the duo taking on extended song structures and a more varied and much improved vocal style. At times the material sounds like a precursor to the Buggles, as in the slick synths and harmonized vocals of the opening track, "Return to Foreverland." Their better material comes late in the album, though, with Elliot's writhing, serpentine sibilance in "Astral Animal," and the bubbling synth and Spanish percussion of the instrumental "El Tooto." The best is saved for last, with the closing epics "Camera Obscura" and "Star Palace of the Sombre Warrior." The latter's somber arrangement -- of synths, spoken word, and choir voices -- breaks unexpectedly into a lovely moment of grace, where there's nothing but a ticking clock and a music box. Line-up / Musicians Ken Elliott/Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizers,Percussion Kieran O'Connor/Drums,Percussion,Vocals Guests: Hugh Banton/Organ,Melatron,Synthesizer Steve Cook/Bass Rob Elliott/Vocals Tony Elliott/Bongos Brian Gould/Organ Pepi Lemer/Vocals Pete Lemer/Synthesizer,Piano Tony Utah/Percussion Discography(Album) Psi-Fi 1975
1.Return To Foreverland 2.Roads To Rome 3.Manifestations 4.Loved By You 5.Only The Beginning 6.Aether Anthem 7.Astral Animal 8.El Tooto 9.Camera Obscura 10.Star Palace Of The Sombre Warrior
