Woob 1194
Encyclopedia
Woob 1194 was the debut album of British soundtrack and ambient
musician Paul Frankland
. It was recorded over the span of two months and was released in the summer of 1994 on Em:t Records
. It was also re-released in late 1994 on Instinct Records in the United States
. It was Em:t's second release and is considered today to be a classic ambient album, and enormously influential.
, dub
, and world music
into long pieces, combined with samples from field recordings, movies and television shows such as Quantum Leap and Star Trek
. The cover art depicts several Emperor Penguin
s in the wild, and they can also be heard near the end of final track of the album, "Emperor".
At 31:59, this is the longest track on the album, and Woob's longest track to date. On Earth mixes rhythms and voices from around the world with clips of dialogue from TV shows and numerous natural sounds, such as birdsong. The track also contains live instrumentation - Frankland improvised the synth solo (heard from 27:23 – 28:46) during recording; he has said this is now his favourite part of the album.
The sample beginning at 5:25 comes from an episode of the TV show Quantum Leap, (“Killin’ Time”, from 1992) and features the voices of Deborah Pratt as Ziggy and Dean Stockwell as Al.
The second, larger vocal sample at 15:48 comes from the 1974 BBC album “English With an Accent” by Peter Hunt.
The repeated plucked-string melody that recurs throughout the track is a version of Camille Saint-Saëns
' "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso" which originally featured in the soundtrack to Sergei Paradjanov's film Ašik Kerib,. This film was also a source for many of the vocal samples, including the female chanting at the start of the track, and the male chanting at the very end.
2. Odonna
One of Frankland’s two personal favourites of the tracks on 1194, Odonna is mostly built around two samples - one an interview with classical cellist Yo Yo Ma, and the second a sample of dialogue from The Mark of Gideon, an episode of the original series of Star Trek
,, which features the voices of Sharon Acker and William Shatner
. The track is named for Acker’s character in the episode, though it is spelt differently. Frankland spent five hours making the vocal loop on an Akai s1000
“so that it didn’t click!”
3. Amoeba
Amoeba is the shortest track on the album, and is notable for the harmonica solo, reminiscent of the soundtrack to Betty Blue, and the sample of frogs croaking en masse as the track fades. This is not the only Woob recording to end in this fashion, the other being the track Fourteen Thirty Three from the Em:t 2295 compilation.
4. Wuub
A simple drumbeat and vocal refrain build to a crescendo. It opens with a sample of dialogue from the 1971 film Night of Dark Shadows
. The second Woob album would continue the pattern of featuring a track referencing the band’s name, featuring a track called Woobed. Frankland almost removed the track from the album entirely, as it “seemed too nice” .
5. Strange Air
Built around a long dialogue sample (once again, from Night of Dark Shadows ), the track is the darkest and most ominous on the album, culminating in the blood-curdling scream at 3:32. Frankland has said that, during recording, nine passes were made at this track, all of them different.
6. Emperor
The deepest of bass notes underpins samples of the unearthly sounds made by Emperor Penguins in the wild. These creatures can also be seen on the album’s cover. Frankland claims that this was a coincidence, with Em:t records providing the image after the track was recorded and named.
's Substrata, Aphex Twin
's Selected Ambient Works Volume II
and The Future Sound Of London's Lifeforms
.
As of December 2009 the album has been re-released on iTunes
Music Store worldwide.
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
musician Paul Frankland
Woob
Woob is the stage name of Paul Frankland, a British ambient musician of the 1990s. Woob’s albums combine elements of ambient, dub and world music, with samples from field recordings, movies and television. Frankland has also recorded with collaborators under the names of Journeyman and Max & Harvey...
. It was recorded over the span of two months and was released in the summer of 1994 on Em:t Records
Em:t Records
Em:t Records was a British record label, based in Nottingham, which specialized in ambient electronic music. They were active from 1994 to 1998, and after a period of bankruptcy, re-established themselves in 2003 under new ownership and management...
. It was also re-released in late 1994 on Instinct Records in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was Em:t's second release and is considered today to be a classic ambient album, and enormously influential.
Overview
The album blends together elements of ambientAmbient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
, and world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
into long pieces, combined with samples from field recordings, movies and television shows such as Quantum Leap and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. The cover art depicts several Emperor Penguin
Emperor Penguin
The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in height and weighing anywhere from . The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly,...
s in the wild, and they can also be heard near the end of final track of the album, "Emperor".
Track listing
- "On Earth"- 32:00
- "Odonna"- 13:23
- "Amoeba"- 1:34
- "Wuub"- 9:38
- "Strange Air"- 10:21
- "Emperor"- 5:53
Track by Track
1. On EarthAt 31:59, this is the longest track on the album, and Woob's longest track to date. On Earth mixes rhythms and voices from around the world with clips of dialogue from TV shows and numerous natural sounds, such as birdsong. The track also contains live instrumentation - Frankland improvised the synth solo (heard from 27:23 – 28:46) during recording; he has said this is now his favourite part of the album.
The sample beginning at 5:25 comes from an episode of the TV show Quantum Leap, (“Killin’ Time”, from 1992) and features the voices of Deborah Pratt as Ziggy and Dean Stockwell as Al.
The second, larger vocal sample at 15:48 comes from the 1974 BBC album “English With an Accent” by Peter Hunt.
The repeated plucked-string melody that recurs throughout the track is a version of Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
' "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso" which originally featured in the soundtrack to Sergei Paradjanov's film Ašik Kerib,. This film was also a source for many of the vocal samples, including the female chanting at the start of the track, and the male chanting at the very end.
2. Odonna
One of Frankland’s two personal favourites of the tracks on 1194, Odonna is mostly built around two samples - one an interview with classical cellist Yo Yo Ma, and the second a sample of dialogue from The Mark of Gideon, an episode of the original series of Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
,, which features the voices of Sharon Acker and William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
. The track is named for Acker’s character in the episode, though it is spelt differently. Frankland spent five hours making the vocal loop on an Akai s1000
Akai S1000
The Akai S1000 is a 16-bit professional stereo digital sampler, released by Akai in 1988. The S1000 was among the first professional-quality 16-bit stereo samplers. Its abilities to splice, crossfade, trim, and loop music in 16-bit CD-quality sound made it popular among producers of this era...
“so that it didn’t click!”
3. Amoeba
Amoeba is the shortest track on the album, and is notable for the harmonica solo, reminiscent of the soundtrack to Betty Blue, and the sample of frogs croaking en masse as the track fades. This is not the only Woob recording to end in this fashion, the other being the track Fourteen Thirty Three from the Em:t 2295 compilation.
4. Wuub
A simple drumbeat and vocal refrain build to a crescendo. It opens with a sample of dialogue from the 1971 film Night of Dark Shadows
Night of Dark Shadows
Night of Dark Shadows is a 1971 horror film by Dan Curtis. It is the sequel to House of Dark Shadows. It centers on the story of Quentin Collins and his bride Tracy at the Collinwood Mansion in Collinsport, Maine....
. The second Woob album would continue the pattern of featuring a track referencing the band’s name, featuring a track called Woobed. Frankland almost removed the track from the album entirely, as it “seemed too nice” .
5. Strange Air
Built around a long dialogue sample (once again, from Night of Dark Shadows ), the track is the darkest and most ominous on the album, culminating in the blood-curdling scream at 3:32. Frankland has said that, during recording, nine passes were made at this track, all of them different.
6. Emperor
The deepest of bass notes underpins samples of the unearthly sounds made by Emperor Penguins in the wild. These creatures can also be seen on the album’s cover. Frankland claims that this was a coincidence, with Em:t records providing the image after the track was recorded and named.
Legacy
1194 is probably the most well-known release on the Em:t label, and is sought after by collectors even today. It still appears on many "all-time best-of" lists of ambient albums, along with other such as BiosphereBiosphere (musician)
Biosphere is the main recording name of Geir Jenssen , a Norwegian musician who has released a notable catalogue of ambient electronic music. He is well known for his "ambient techno" and "arctic ambient" styles, his use of music loops, and peculiar samples from sci-fi sources. His track "Novelty...
's Substrata, Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
's Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
-Formatting notes:The cassette version of the album featured six songs on each side, barring side three, which contained seven . The vinyl version featured four songs on each side, excluding side four, which contained five ....
and The Future Sound Of London's Lifeforms
Lifeforms
Lifeforms is a 1994 double album by experimental electronica group The Future Sound of London. With time, it has become their best-known album and is considered to be an important and influential classic of avante garde electronic music.-The album:...
.
As of December 2009 the album has been re-released on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Music Store worldwide.