Charles Thompson 1st Apr 2020 | | Vinyl AlbumVarious Artists - Alpha Omega | ReviewAlpha Omega is a compelling song-cycle written and composed by David Gordon, brother of renowned UK musician, Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens). It concerns humankind’s never-ending pursuit of the meaning of existence combined with their perpetual urge to destruction, enabled by a failure to find common ground on which to unite all the peoples of the world.
The concept album for Alpha Omega was recorded between 1976-79 at many leading recording studios, performed by many of the well-known artistes of the day including David Essex, produced by Cat Stevens, and released by United Artists as a vinyl double-album package. However, in the early stages of rehearsals for a Musical Theatre version, David Gordon became uneasy with how his work was developing and to everyone’s amazement, he closed the musical production.
A version of Alpha Omega, re-worked as an oratorio, has taken place in Coventry Cathedral (1980), the Royal Albert Hall (1982), Southwark Cathedral, and Holywell Music Rooms (2005); an adaptation called, Peace Child has received over 6,000 performances worldwide.
The Artists:
DAVID ESSEX, SUSAN GEORGE, CAT STEVENS, MAXINE NIGHTINGALE, EARL JORDAN, GLORIA JONES, NOEL POINTER, SUZANNE LYNCH, ARTHUR BROWN, KIM GOODIE, TERRY CASSIDY, VICKY SILVA, DEREK JAMES, THE COVENT GARDEN OPERA SINGERS
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