K2 Tales of Triumph & Tragedy
K2 was recorded at Sarm East, London in June 1988, over a period of two weeks, and mixed there and at CTS Wembley over a period of four days. Most of the overdubs were first or second takes – Gary Moore for instance worked his wonders in one three-hour session, the late great Cozy Powell in little more than two. The keyboard gear used was as follows:- 2xMemorymoog, 2xMinimoog, Roland RD300 piano, Roland JX10 synth, Yamaha DX7IID synth, rack containing, Casio FZ10, Yamaha TX802, Roland D110, Yamaha TX16 sampler, and an Akai Linn MPC60 sequencer/drum machine. The album has been re-mastered in 1999 at SRT, and re-packaged. Much of the original sleeve info and lyrics have been omitted, but for general background to the album read Jim Curran’s book “K2, Tales of Triumph & Tragedy”. 1. K2 Overture (Airey) The savage mystery of K2 is evoked by the opening four chords of doom, TV newsreader Gordon Honeycombe’s sinister narration, the unusual 7/4 time signature, and the heavy pulse of Cozy Powell’s drumming. 2. Sea of Dreams Part I (Airey/Thompson) Refers to the twelve day hike from Skardu, Northern Kashmir, across rivers, over passes, and along the Karakoram glacier, to the foot of what Mallory called the most awful sight he had ever seen, “a mountain of inconceivable height”, K2. Vocal is by Manfred’s main man, Chris Thompson, the sublime guitar work by Gary Moore, and all underpinned by Cozy’s austere thunder. 3. Sea of Dreams Part II (Airey) Concentrates on the state of mind of the climbers as they approach the object of their obsession. Vocal is by Trapeze, and Whitesnake singer/guitarist, Mel Galley. The lyrics were written in the pub next to the studio, just prior to the session, whilst Mel warmed himself up over a large gin and tonic! 4. Voice of the Mountain (Airey) Being mainly an avalanche created on Minimoog 2. 5. Song for Al (instrumental) (Airey) Sets the scene as Al Rouse, perhaps England’s finest ever climber, contemplates the Gilkey Memorial at base camp, before setting off on the first stage of his climb. Laurence Cottle’s virtuoso 5-string fretless bass enters the fray, and Gary Moore surpasses himself on lead guitar. 6. Balti Lament (Airey) Sounds the first note of warning of the catastrophe to come, as the native Balti porters mourn the loss of one their number in an icefall. The vocal sound was created using a sample of Italian rock singer Georgio Veronesi, from my Casio FZ10 7. Ascent to Camp 4 Recreates on keyboards only, the penultimate stage of the climb, to Camp 4 at 26,000 feet. Solo is on Minimoog 1, heavy breathing comes courtesy of co-producer Stuart Taylor, and the ending is a tip of the hat to my old band Colosseum II. 8. Can’t Make up your Mind (Airey/Thompson) Loosely based on the argument at Camp 4 between Al Rouse and famed female Polish climber Dobraslawa Wolf, ( aka Mrufka), about the advisability of going the last 2,000 feet to the summit, with a storm imminent. Vocal and lyric are by Chris Thompson, and the solo was played on a Roland JX10 linked to a Yamaha DX7IID. 9. Summit Push (Airey) Hold on to your icepicks as Messrs. Powell, Cottle, and the brothers Airey, power you to the top of the mountain. Vocal is by Keith Airey, and the solo was played on a Roland RD300 piano. 10. Close to the Sky (Airey) Evokes the mystical (and short-lived) high engendered on reaching the summit of K2. Strictly a family affair this, with brother Keith on lead guitar, my son Michael (then aged 8) on glockenspiel, and his Uncle Cozy on timps and cymbal. 11. Blues for J.T. (Airey) A solo piano piece, recorded unbeknownst to me, by engineer Renny Hill, as I messed around on the studio’s 9ft. Bosendorfer. “J.T.” is Julie Tullis, who became after Al Rouse, only the second English climber to conquer K2. 12. Julie If You Leave Me (Airey) The lyric assumes the persona of legendary Austrian climber, Kurt Diemberger, Julie’s partner. They both fulfilled their main ambition together August 4, 1986, by standing athwart ‘the mountain of their dreams’. Vocal is by the equally legendary Zombies’ frontman Colin Blunstone, and the solo played on Memorymoog 1. 13. Death Zone/Whiteout (Airey) Death Zone refers to anything above the altitude of 26,000 feet where the lack of oxygen can have dire consequences. Atmospherics are courtesy of various Moogs, and Laurence Cottle’s bass. In “Whiteout” the vocal is by Genki Hitomi, lead singer of Japanese rock outfit Vow Wow, and the extraordinary double-tracked lead guitar solo by Keith Airey. The instrumental passage that follows conjures up the five-day blizzard at the peak of the mountain, in which Al, Julie, Mrufka, and three other mountaineers who had just reached the summit of K2, died. Cozy adds to the chaos with a marvellous drum break, Gordon Honeycombe reads the obsequies as the four chords of doom re-appear, and the guitar in the coda is unmistakeably that of Gary Moore. 14. Song for Al (vocal) (Airey/Newsinger) The key to the allegory implicit in the whole work is contained in Betty Newsinger’s plangent lyric. Chris Thompson handles the vocals, and Gary the guitar. Bonus track 15. Take Me Home (Thompson/Airey) The song speaks for itself. This track was recorded at Sonet studios in 1987, features Cozy, Keith and Laurence, with Chris Thompson on vocals, and is my adaptation of an upbeat country song Chris originally wrote for Crystal Gayle. The 2-track master had been lost for ten years and duly turned up in Stuart Taylor’s garden shed, none the worse for wear this March. DON AIREY, MAY 1999. The album was produced by Don Airey and Stuart Taylor, re-mastered by Karl Adams at SRT Cambridgeshire, England, with new cover-art by Simon King-Underwood, at Sijazz@techblue.demon.uk.
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