Open the Door (Roger Hodgson album)
| Open the Door | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Roger Hodgson | ||||
| Released | May 9, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998-2000 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[1] | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Alan Simon, Roger Hodgson | |||
| Roger Hodgson chronology | ||||
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Open the Door is the fourth album by Roger Hodgson, released by Epic Records and his third and most recent studio one (and his first studio release since 1987). It was recorded mostly in France and features mostly French musicians as his backup band. This is Hodgson's only solo album to be partially recorded outside The United States.
Once again collaborating with Hodgson, former Yes guitarist and vocalist Trevor Rabin contributed background vocals on "The More I Look". The song "Showdown" was performed live by Hodgson already in 1996 and a live version was released on the album Rites Of Passage.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
Allmusic gave the album a positive review, calling it "the closest thing to Supertramp since ...Famous Last Words..." and praising the songwriting, particularly the unusual incorporation of French influences.[2]
Track listing
All songs written by Roger Hodgson, except where noted.
- "Along Came Mary" 6:24
- "The More I Look" 4:47
- "Showdown" 5:12
- "Hungry" 4:54
- "The Garden" 2:40
- "Death and a Zoo" 7:24
- "Love is a Thousand Times" 3:56
- "Say Goodbye" 3:59
- "Open the Door" 8:44
- "For Every Man" (Roger Hodgson, Alan Simon) 4:43
Personnel
- Roger Hodgson: vocals, guitars, 12 string guitar, keyboards, harmonium, piano, pipe organ, harpsichord, bass guitar
- Alan Simon: high whistle, bodhran, harmonica
- Loïc Ponthieu: drums, wavedrum
- Laurent Verneret: bass guitar
- Denis Banarrosh: percussion
- Gerry Conway: percussion, drums
- Christophe Negre: saxophone
- Bruno Le Rouzic: bagpipe
- Pascal Martin: uilleann pipe
- Arnaud Dunoyer: Hammond organ
- Jean Louis Roques: accordion
- Jean Pierre Meneghin: Scottish drums
- Gurvan Houdayer: Scottish drums
- Marco Canepa: Morse code
- Trevor Rabin: Background vocals on The more I look
- Olivier Rousseau: piano
- Didier Lockwood: violin
- Jean-Jacques Milteau: harmonica
- Claude Samard: banjo, Dobro slide guitar, bouzouki, pedal steel guitar, oud
- Dominique Regef: rebec, Hurdy Gurdy
- Jeff Phillips: drums
- Alan Thomson: bass guitar
- Zdenek Rys: oboe
- Pavel Belohlavek: cello
- Michel Gaucher: flute
- Manuel Delgado: Spanish guitar, palmas
- Dan Ar Braz: arpeggio guitar
- Ilana Russell (Alana Cunningham): children's choir
- Sierrah Dietz: children's chorus
- Justine Black: children's chorus
- Molly Katwman: children's chorus
- The Symphonic Orchestra of Prague: conducted by Mario Klemens
- The Bulgarian Voices "Philippopolis": conducted by Hristo Arabadjiev
- Samples from: speech by Queen Elizabeth II, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Ronald Reagan, Sevik the wolf