Rob Reed on Speechless
We wrote Speechless about 12 years ago. Christina and I were in a band called Trippa. We were quite an angry band, playing quite commercial songs, with strong cinematic, proggy elements, but over short songs. Being in the band was brilliant, but dealing with record companies was a nightmare, and the whole thing was a bit of a horrible experience. Speechless was one of those times when we knew we had a great song as soon as we recorded the demo. It was going to be the second single, but it never got released. In the end we just decided we’d had enough of being told what to do by people who had no enthusiasm for the music business, so the song just sat on the shelf.
We were still getting asked about it, and the band was constantly asking me about trying it. One day in rehearsals, I gave in and showed everyone the chords and we tried it. Everyone’s jaws just dropped. The power of it with the guitars and Tina singing it was just amazing, especially as she’d written the words and it had a special meaning for her. We rewrote the middle section and made it a bit more Magenta-ish, and then we had the mad idea of doing the single, and it all tied in nicely.
The original version has a lot of samples and drum loops. It’s a lot more electronic. A bit more Depeche Mode. The Magenta version has that big, heavy middle section and goes right over the top at the end, which is something we developed in rehearsal. Now I think we have the definitive version.
Speechless extended version
The idea was to expand it and give it a few more dynamics. You get the middle section to gather your thoughts then back into the main song. It gives a different side to the track, and I know a lot of people prefer it. Perhaps one day we’ll play it live. When we can learn it!
Anger
It’s the third live arrangement of the song. I always felt there was more that could be done with it and it has always been my favourite track on Seven. We were messing around in rehearsal, and we tried taking it up a notch by adding drums, and putting a key change on the end. It is a chance for everyone to shine and for Martin to have a solo spot. There are 3 solos – the first is me(though Martin plays it live), the second is Martin and the third, after the key change is Chris. Chris replaced the harp on the original version with his classical guitar, and now I think it works much better live. Hopefully that’s the definitive version, cos I’m not recording it again.
Review of Speechless by Stephen Lambe, with thanks to www.musicaldiscoveries.com
(25 March 2007) "Speechless" (Tigermoth Records (UK) CDTMR1, 2007) is Magenta's first release since the successful Home album in early 2006, and marks the debut release of the band's new label.
Clearly the intention is to increase the band's profile, by releasing a slice of short, snappy contemporary pop/rock. Indeed the band have made no secret of their ambitious attempt to chart the song in the UK, and whether they manage this or not, there is little doubt that it will turn a few heads. Yet despite the accessibility of the song itself, there is a distinct link, stylistically, to past single releases like "Broken" and "I'm Alive" and those that appreciate the bands more pop-orientated efforts will certainly enjoy this.
Indeed, the song will be familiar to some, having first seen the light of day on the 2002 Progrock Records sampler credited to Trippa, Christina Booth and Rob Reed's late 90s pop outfit, and the main single edit retains the Trippa version's song structure. The difference lies mainly in the guitars from Martin Rosser and Chris Fry, which underpin the song powerfully, with Daniel Fry's bass also prominent, while Rob Reed's keyboards provide an orchestral counterpoint. The star, though, is Christina, who delivers an astonishingly mobile and soulful vocal performance, freed of the vocal restrictions which Magenta's progressive rock style can sometimes impose.
With the pop song structure raining in the band’s natural versatility, Magenta fans will be very grateful for the Extended mix – a very different version, cunningly reconstructed by Rob Reed. For the first two minutes, the song in largely the same, before suddenly a screaming prog synth solo cuts through the mix, prior to a new vocal / acoustic guitar bridge. This leads the track somewhere else entirely, allowing Chris Fry a slide guitar solo, before a poised piano and lead guitar section gradually drags the piece back towards the main song. This is simply stunning, and has already lead to calls for the band to play this extended version live.
The audio tracks conclude with a beautiful new arrangement of "Anger," as played by the band in their live shows at the end of last year. The piece begins in familiar fashion, with Chris Fry's nylon string introduction combining with Christina's beautiful lead vocal, building gently with the introduction of orchestra and piano, before Martin Rosser's restrained guitar solo. Unlike the version of the song on Seven however, the piece does not end there, and Martin's solo extends, building to a key change and a further solo from Chris, and some beautifully understated synthesiser from Rob. Again, this is beautifully done, and just might now be the definitive version of the song.
The CD also contains a well-produced performance video of the single edit, which is certainly worth seeing, and as the package is likely only to be available for a limited period, with the extended version of Speechless likely never to appear elsewhere, we heartily recommend it.
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