𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…
On this day (June 16) in 1999, Liquid Tension Experiment released their sophomore full-length studio album “Liquid Tension Experiment 2” via Magna Carta Records.
The album reached No. 8 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart and No. 40 on Billboard's Heatseekers.
It would take the band another 22 years before they would release their third album.
Background:
Each song is described by the band in detail within the liner notes. Bassist Tony Levin almost exclusively used a Chapman Stick to record the album's bass parts. The only bass guitar parts on the album occur briefly in "Another Dimension" and the intro to "Biaxident". The latter song takes its name from Biaxin, a medication that guitarist John Petrucci was taking during the recording sessions to combat severe headaches, making a pun on "by accident".
In the middle of the recording sessions, which took place between October and November 1998, Petrucci had to leave the studio when he got word that his pregnant wife had gone into labor. This left the other three band members to carry on recording by themselves. This is how "When the Water Breaks" got its name, as it was the song the band were working on when Petrucci got the news. The song contains a baby sound effect (a "baby soundscape", as described by keyboardist Jordan Rudess) at 12:48 to mark the particular section the band had been writing upon Petrucci's departure.
In Petrucci's absence Levin, Jordan Rudess and drummer Mike Portnoy recorded dozens of completely improvised jams, many of which would eventually be released on the 2007 album “Spontaneous Combustion” under the group name Liquid Trio Experiment. As such, "914" is the only song on the album which did not feature Petrucci. Portnoy alluded to the jams in the liner notes, stating that "if you dig this, there is A LOT more where it came from..."
When Petrucci returned to the studio in November, he wrote and recorded guitar parts for two of these improvisations: "Chewbacca" and "Liquid Dreams". For "Chewbacca" in particular, he took the time to learn several of Rudess's improvised melodies and doubled them on guitar, which in Portnoy's words "(gave) the illusion of written composition".
"Hourglass" is a duet between Petrucci and Rudess in the style of "State of Grace" from the band's first album. According to Petrucci it was written and recorded "in the wee hours with old strings".
"Acid Rain", the album's opening track, was the last song to be written and recorded by the whole band. For this song Petrucci used a seven-string guitar. A heavily shortened live version later appeared on Dream Theater's 2001 album “Live Scenes from New York”. In this version the bass part is played by John Myung of Dream Theater on a six-string bass.
Critical Reception:
In an October 1999 review for allaboutjazz.com, Glenn Astarita wrote; “While some are prone to criticize prog-rock and fusion for some of it’s inherent bombast, “Liquid Tension Experiment” are a band of pros who come from similar yet at times disparate backgrounds. This band filters out the muck and negatives or perhaps the calamities of the past, while producing comprehensive and well-conceived compositions along with captivating improvisations and jolting solos as they portray a sense of well being and positive vibes..... Without a doubt they reside in a class paralleled by none as “Liquid Tension Experiment” along with other performers on Magna Carta’s impressive roster of talent, have renewed hope within prog-rock circles as they re-write the book on a genre which has seen it’s ups and downs. Liquid Tension Experiment 2 is an exasperating experience, one which you are not liable to forget!”
Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:
Click this link to listen to “Liquid Tension Experiment 2” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/liquid-tension-experiment-2/149011320
Click this link to follow Liquid Tension Experiment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ltexperiment
Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells
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