''Midnight Wire'' is the fifth studio album by

Curved Air Curved Air are an English progressive rock group formed in 1970 by musicians from mixed artistic backgrounds, including classical, folk and electronic sound. The resulting sound of the band is a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fu ...

and was recorded in 1975. It marked another line-up change in the band, with

Darryl Way Richard Darryl Way (born 17 December 1948 in Taunton, Somerset, England) is an English rock and classical musician who was a founding member of Curved Air and co-writer of their Progressive Rock seminal albums from 1970 to 1976. He is best kno ...

and

Sonja Kristina Sonja Kristina (born Sonia Christina Shaw; 14 April 1949) is a British singer and songwriter, best known for starring in the original London production of the seminal 1960s musical ''Hair'', and for being the lead vocalist of the 1970s progres ...

recruiting new musicians after the end of the reunion tour marked by the ''Curved Air - Live'' album. Kristina's friend Norma Tager, who had helped design the costumes she wore on stage from Curved Air's reunion in 1974 to their breakup in 1976, contributed all the lyrics to the songs.

Background and recording

The album's recording was marked by intense and bitter arguments between the band and producers Ron and Howard Albert, who often vehemently criticized the band members.Sutcliffe, Phil & Fielder, Hugh (1981). ''L'Historia Bandido''. London and New York: Proteus Books. . p. 16.

Track listing

Side one

#"Woman On A One Night Stand" (

, Norma Tager) – 5:06 #"Day Breaks My Heart" (

, Tager) – 4:38 #"The Fool" (Way, Mick Jacques, Tager) – 4:27 #"Pipe of Dreams" (Jacques) – 3:58

Side two

#"Orange Street Blues" (Way, Tager) – 5:01 #"Dance of Love" (Jacques, Way, Tager) – 4:36 #"Midnight Wire" (Way, Tager) – 7:32

Personnel

;Curved Air *

– lead vocals *

–

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

* Mick Jacques –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s *

Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...

–

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

;Guest musicians * John G. Perry –

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

* Peter Wood –

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Mus ...

s * Derek Damain – backing vocals on "The Fool" ;Technical * Will Reid-Dick – engineer * Bob Searles, Liz Gilmore – sleeve design "Thanks to Beric Wickens, Carolann Nicholls, Ian Copeland, Miles Copeland, Moray McMillin, Nick Blackburn"

References

{{Authority control Curved Air albums 1975 albums