Secret Story (album)
| Secret Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Pat Metheny | ||||
| Released | July 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991-1992, Power Station, NYC | |||
| Genre | Crossover jazz, ethno jazz, jazz fusion, world fusion | |||
| Length | 76:11 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | Pat Metheny | |||
| Pat Metheny chronology | ||||
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Secret Story is an album by Pat Metheny released in 1992. The music is all composed by Metheny (shared credit on one track) and it is one of his most ambitious and successful studio ventures, integrating elements of jazz, rock, new-age and "world music". On the performing side it includes collaborations with the Pinpeat Orchestra of the Royal Ballet (of Cambodia), the London Symphony Orchestra and its conductor Jeremy Lubbock, the Choir of the Cambodian Royal Palace, Toots Thielemans, Lyle Mays and many earlier members of Pat Metheny Group.
Background
Secret Story explores further cultural integration than Metheny's previous Brazilian-centered albums with Pat Metheny Group during the 1980s. The opening song, "Above the Treetops", is an adaptation of a Cambodian spiritual song; other pieces take influence from East Europe, such as "Antonia". Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano appears on "As a Flower Blossoms", earning the only co-writing credit on the album. Yano had previously collaborated with Metheny thrice; on "Lots of Love" from her 1991 album LOVE LIFE; and two Metheny covers: "'It's for You'" on Welcome Back (1989) (which also featured Metheny performing on two additional songs) and "Praise" on Super Folk Song (1992). Orchestral arrangements for the album were conducted by Jeremy Lubbock.
Metheny took Secret Story on a concert tour, and a video recording of a live performance at New Brunswick, NJ, was issued. This film, also called Secret Story, was re-released on DVD in 2001.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Reception
AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek awarded the album 4.5 stars."[1]
2007 remaster
In September 2007, the album was released again with noticeably retouched mixes and a bonus cd of five unreleased tracks from the same sessions. The remaster was issued on WEA and Nonesuch Records.
Track listing
All music composed by Pat Metheny, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Above the Treetops" (An arrangement of the Cambodian spiritual “The Buong Song”) | 2:43 |
| 2. | "Facing West" | 6:05 |
| 3. | "Cathedral in a Suitcase" | 4:52 |
| 4. | "Finding and Believing" | 10:00 |
| 5. | "The Longest Summer" | 6:34 |
| 6. | "Sunlight" | 3:53 |
| 7. | "Rain River" | 7:09 |
| 8. | "Always and Forever" (Dedicated to Metheny's parents) | 5:26 |
| 9. | "See the World" | 4:48 |
| 10. | "As a Flower Blossoms (I Am Running to You)" (by Pat Metheny & Akiko Yano) | 1:53 |
| 11. | "Antonia" | 6:11 |
| 12. | "The Truth Will Always Be" | 9:15 |
| 13. | "Tell Her You Saw Me" | 5:11 |
| 14. | "Not to be Forgotten (Our Final Hour)" | 2:22 |
Bonus disc of the 2007 reissue:
All music composed by Pat Metheny.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back In Time" | 5:22 |
| 2. | "Look Ahead" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "A Change In Circumstance" | 2:14 |
| 4. | "Understanding" | 1:19 |
| 5. | "Et si c’était la fin (As If It Were the End)" | 3:40 |
Personnel
- Pat Metheny - electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards & piano
- Gil Goldstein - accordion (tracks: #4, #7 & #9)
- Toots Thielemans - harmonica (tracks: #8 & #11)
- Lyle Mays - acoustic piano (tracks: #2 & #6)
- Mark Ledford - vocals (tracks: #3 & #4)
- Akiko Yano - vocals (track: #10)
- Charlie Haden - acoustic bass (tracks: #1 & #8)
- Steve Rodby - acoustic & electric bass (tracks: #4-7, #9 & #11)
- Will Lee - electric bass (tracks: #4, #6 & #12)
- Armando Marçal - percussion (tracks: #1-7, #9 & #12)
- Naná Vasconcelos - percussion (tracks: #1, #4-5 & #10-12)
- Danny Gottlieb - cymball roll percussion (tracks: #3 & #11)
- Paul Wertico - drums (tracks: #4-5, #7-9 & #11)
- Steve Ferrone - drums (tracks: #3-5 & #12)
- Sammy Merendino - drums (track: #6)
- Andy Findon - fute (track: #7)
- John Clark - French horn (track: #9)
- Anthony Jackson - contrabass guitar (track: #9)
- Tom Malone - trombone (track: #9)
- Dave Taylor - bass trombone (track: #9)
- Dave Bargeron - trombone & tuba (track: #9)
- Michael Mossman - trumpet & flugelhorn (track: #9)
- Mike Metheny - trumpet & flugelhorn (track: #9)
- Ryan Kisor - trumpet & flugelhorn (track: #9)
- Skaila Kanga - harp (track: #13)
Notes
- Pat Metheny - producer
- Steve Rodby & David Oakes - co-producers
- Mastered by Ted Jensen
- Recorded Fall-Winter 1991-92, at Power Station, NYC.[2]
References
- 1 2 Jurek, Thom (2011). "Secret Story - Pat Metheny | AllMusic". Musical review. AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-07-19.
- ↑ "Pat Metheny - Secret Story". Musical review. Discogs.com. Retrieved 2014-05-09.