Echoes: Ancient and Modern

by Trevor Horn

Overview

An '80s pop icon with Yes, Buggles, and the Art of Noise, Trevor Horn is also well known as a producer behind the scenes. He brings this aspect of his talents to the fore with 2024's Echoes: Ancient and Modern, a covers album that finds him putting a new twist on songs, many of which he produced originally. The album is the conceptual follow-up to his previous covers project, 2019's Reimagines the '80s. As with that album, Echoes finds him joined by guest vocalists, each of whom is recognizable in their own way and has worked with Horn in the past. Given some of the new wave and dance-pop leanings of Horn's own classic work, one might expect Echoes to be a frothy, upbeat affair. While there are certainly moments of buoyant pop fun to be had, the overall approach is more low-key, with Horn reworking most of the songs in a more dramatic, sonically textured, and emotionally introspective way than the originals. Perhaps a good clue to the aesthetic vibe he conjures here is with his cover of Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music's "Avalon," the sole track to feature his own vocals. It's subdued and somewhat jazzy, not unlike Ferry's version, and feels like a creative touchstone for the overall vibe Horn is going for. Similarly, we get an arid, goth dreamscape arrangement of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax" featuring singer Toyah and husband/guitarist Robert Fripp. While the original "Relax" as produced by Horn was done with singer Holly Johnson's tongue firmly in cheek, here Horn goes for a deadpan earnestness, underlining the notion that he is deconstructing each song to get to the core emotion at the center. Yet more far afield of the original is his shadowy, EDM-esque take on Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield" with Marc Almond, which turns the rock anthem into a dark club ballad. Another surprisingly effective transformation is Tori Amos' opening rendition of Kendrick Lamar's "Swimming Pools." Her throaty coo is a perfect match for the moody atmosphere Horn creates and one could easily imagine listening to a whole album of Amos and Horn done in a similar fashion. Admittedly, some of the covers are more admirably interesting than effective: Rick Astley offers a pleasant adult contemporary reading of "Owner of a Lonley Heart" and Andrea Corr and Jake Lukeman's electro-acoustic take on Billy Idol's "White Wedding" washes away much of the song's bite. Still, we get Iggy Pop and Lambrini Girls joining forces for a rootsy take on Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus," while Seal offers a compelling version of Joe Jackson's "Steppin' Out." All of this is done with impeccable taste as Horn mixes analog elements with electronic ones and takes his time building each song with the creativity and passion he is known for. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	01/05/2024
Label:	Universal Import
UPC:	0028948648801

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Trevor Horn   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Keyboards,Double Bass,Vocals (Background)
Marc Almond   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Seal   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Toyah   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Lady Blackbird   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Iggy Pop   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Steve Hogarth   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Jack Lukeman   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Robert Fripp   Primary Artist,Guitar,Featured Artist
Lambrini Girls   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Tori Amos   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals,Featured Artist
Rick Astley   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Andrea Corr   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Phil Palmer   Guitar
Mica Paris   Vocals (Background)
Alan Clark   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Bryan Chambers   Vocals (Background)
Danny Cummings   Percussion
Toyah Willcox   Vocals,Featured Artist
Simon Bloor   Guitar,Keyboards
George Oulton   Strings
Alex Torjussen   Drums
Izzy Chase   Vocals (Background)
Calum Landau   Percussion
Alex McArthur   Guitar
Tessa Niles   Vocals (Background)
Jimmie Wood   Harmonica
Steve Sidwell   Trumpet
Earl Harvin   Drums
Jon Evans   Bass
Lol Creme   Guitar,Keyboards
Louise Clare Marshall   Vocals (Background)
Phoebe Lunny   Featured Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Tashya Lorien   Vocals (Background)
Jamie Muhoberac   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Louise Claire Marshall   Vocals (Background)
Alan Connor   Piano
Hayley Sanderson   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Jimmy Wood   Harmonica
Matt Bartman   Strings
Ash Soan   Drums

Technical Credits

Max Bisgrove   Recording
Michael Chapman   Composer
Bryan Ferry   Composer
Alan Clark   Orchestration
Holly Knight   Composer
Holly Johnson   Composer
Dave McCracken   Programming
Joe Jackson   Composer
Tori Amos   Engineer,Vocal Producer
Trevor Rabin   Composer
Trevor Horn   Composer,Producer,Photography,Drum Programming,Musical Producer
Tyler Williams   Composer
David McCraken   Programming
Kendrick Lamar   Composer
Nikhil Seetharam   Composer
Sam Grade   Assistant
George Oulton   Engineer,Recording
Zachary Zajdel   Assistant
Marc Fritsch   A&R,Product Manager
Calum Landau   Engineer
Alex McArthur   Assistant,Recording
Sidney Claire Meyer   Mastering Engineer
Lina Matschinko   Production Coordination
Nicole Maurer   A&R
Jesper Lynggaard Rosenmejer Nielsen   Engineer,Recording,Programming,Mixing Assistant
Paul Morley   Liner Notes
Stephen Lipson   Composer
Billy Idol   Composer
Jimmie Wood   Wood
Kurt Cobain   Composer
Krist Novoselic   Composer
Chris Squire   Composer
Dave Grohl   Composer
Jon Anderson   Composer
Mark Hawley   Engineer,Producer,Recording
Mark O'Toole   Composer
Martin Gore   Composer
Tashya Lorien   Engineer,Vocal Producer
Peter Gill   Composer
Mat Bartram   Recording
Ric Ocasek   Composer
Tim Weidner   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Programming
Bruce Woolley   Composer
Oliver Kreyssig   Production Manager
Rainer Maillard   Mastering
Simon Darlow   Composer
Julian Hinton   Arranger,String Arrangements
Mario Lombardo   Design,Art Direction
Paul Crockford   Management
Matt Bartman   Engineer
Aaron Horn   Arranger,Recording Arranger
Luis Gomez   Recording