Smiling at Grief
Encyclopedia
Smiling At Grief is a studio album released by UK neo-progressive band Twelfth Night
in 1982.
The success of the Live At The Target
LP had led to a publishing deal with Neptune Music. With their backing, the band decided to demo several new songs that were written with Geoff. The band were experimenting with shorter songs, consisting of one or a few ideas, instead of compositions of strings of ideas. The recordings were done in two batches at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios. In the time between those two, Rick Battersby decided to leave the band. For the remaining sessions, Clive Mitten
doubled on keyboards.
After the recordings, the band realised they had an album's worth of music, so Smiling At Grief was released (as a cassette only, advertised at gigs and through the fan club).
Three of the songs, East of Eden, This City and The Creepshow were re-recorded in 1982 for Fact and Fiction
.
Smiling At Grief is the first of the Twelfth Night "definitive releases" by Festival Music to be released in March 2009
Disc One – ..Smiling At Grief'
Tracks 1-9 are the original Smiling at Grief cassette album, recorded at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios, Berkshire , November 1981.
Tracks 10-14 were bonus tracks first released on the 1997 MSI CD reissue. These were recorded at Burghfield Mill, Reading, in
September 1981.
Previously unreleased. Recorded at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios, Berkshire , November 1981.
Previously unreleased. Recorded in Geoff's cellar, 59 Duchy St. , Salford , September 1981.
Disc Two – ..SAG-LIVE'
Tracks 1-11 recorded at The Target, Reading , 10 December 1981.
Previously unreleased. Recorded at Burghfield Mill, Reading , September 1981.
Twelfth Night (band)
Twelfth Night are an English neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s, reformed in 2007.-Formation:The seeds of Twelfth Night were sown when guitarist Andy Revell and drummer Brian Devoil joined forces on 23 February 1978 to win a talent competition at Reading University. The road crew included Geoff...
in 1982.
Details
Smiling At Grief comprised Twelfth Night's first recording with vocalist Geoff Mann. The album was recorded at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios, Berkshire.The success of the Live At The Target
Live at the Target
Live At The Target is a live album released by UK neo-progressive band Twelfth Night in 1981.-Details:Shortly after the release of Early Material singer Electra McLeod left Twelfth Night , leaving the band with a new release featuring a vocalist, but without a vocalist for concerts...
LP had led to a publishing deal with Neptune Music. With their backing, the band decided to demo several new songs that were written with Geoff. The band were experimenting with shorter songs, consisting of one or a few ideas, instead of compositions of strings of ideas. The recordings were done in two batches at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios. In the time between those two, Rick Battersby decided to leave the band. For the remaining sessions, Clive Mitten
Clive Mitten
Clive Richard Mitten is a British musician and is a member of the band Twelfth Night, both between November 1978 and December 1986 and again since the band reformed in June 2007.- References :...
doubled on keyboards.
After the recordings, the band realised they had an album's worth of music, so Smiling At Grief was released (as a cassette only, advertised at gigs and through the fan club).
Three of the songs, East of Eden, This City and The Creepshow were re-recorded in 1982 for Fact and Fiction
Fact and Fiction
Fact and Fiction is a studio album released by UK neo-progressive band Twelfth Night in 1982.-Details:Recorded during down-time at Revolution Studios, Cheadle Hulme, Fact and Fiction was engineered by Stuart Rickering, Johnny Gluck, and Pablo, and produced by Twelfth Night and Andy MacPherson...
.
Track listing
All songs written by Twelfth Night.- East Of Eden (3:29)
- This City (3:13)
- The Honeymoon Is Over (2:35)
- Creepshow (10:13)
- Puppets (Intro) (1:25)
- Puppets (2:50)
- Three Dancers (2:54)
- Makes No Sense (4:02)
- Für Helene Part II (10:48)
Reissues
Smiling At Grief was the first of the ongoing Twelfth Night reissue / archive programme, released on CD in 1997 on MSI Records with five bonus tracks recorded prior to the main sessions at the band's rehearsal venue, Burghfield Mill, Reading. This CD is now out-of-print.- Kindergarten (3:05)
- Midnight (0:51)
- Keep The Aspidistra Flying (9:40)
- Convenient Blindness (3:27)
- Makes No Sense (5:10)
Smiling At Grief is the first of the Twelfth Night "definitive releases" by Festival Music to be released in March 2009
Disc One – ..Smiling At Grief'
- East Of Eden (3:29)
- This City (3:13)
- The Honeymoon Is Over (2:35)
- Creepshow (10:13)
- Puppets (Intro) (1:25)
- Puppets (2:50)
- Three Dancers (2:54)
- Makes No Sense (4:02)
- Fur Helene Part II (10:48)
Tracks 1-9 are the original Smiling at Grief cassette album, recorded at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios, Berkshire , November 1981.
- Kindergarten (3:05)
- Midnight (poem) (0:51)
- Keep The Aspidistra Flying (9:40)
- Convenient Blindness (3:27)
- Makes No Sense (instrumental) (5:10)
Tracks 10-14 were bonus tracks first released on the 1997 MSI CD reissue. These were recorded at Burghfield Mill, Reading, in
September 1981.
- Eleanor Rigby (3:03)
Previously unreleased. Recorded at Woodcray Manor Farm Studios, Berkshire , November 1981.
- This City (alternative version) (3:19)
Previously unreleased. Recorded in Geoff's cellar, 59 Duchy St. , Salford , September 1981.
Disc Two – ..SAG-LIVE'
- Kindergarten (3:05)
- The Honeymoon Is Over (2:50)
- Eleanor Rigby (3:38)
- Makes No Sense (5:20)
- East To West (9:39)
- Three Dancers (3:44)
- Puppets (3:50)
- This City (4:16)
- Creepshow (10:13)
- East Of Eden (3:29)
- Sequences (20:15)
Tracks 1-11 recorded at The Target, Reading , 10 December 1981.
- Convenient Blindness (3:27)
Previously unreleased. Recorded at Burghfield Mill, Reading , September 1981.
Personnel
- Rick Battersby keyboards (tracks 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13)
- Brian DevoilBrian DevoilBrian Ronald Devoil is a British musician and a founding member of the band Twelfth Night.-References:...
drums and percussion - Geoff Mann vocals
- Clive MittenClive MittenClive Richard Mitten is a British musician and is a member of the band Twelfth Night, both between November 1978 and December 1986 and again since the band reformed in June 2007.- References :...
keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, 6), acoustic guitar (track 14), bass - Andy RevellAndy RevellAndy "Rev" Revell is a British businessman, scientist and musician. He was founding member of the band Twelfth Night in 1978.He first started playing guitar after seeing Led Zeppelin in December 1971...
lead guitar