Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio (1977) Remastered Reissue 2007

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Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio (1977) Remastered Reissue 2007

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2007 digitally remastered reissue of the classic album by Steve. The one time member of Gong and System 7, Steve Hillage released 7 studio and one live album in his tenure with Virgin Records from 1975 to 1982. He played an integral part in Gong's rise to prominence and after joining in 1972, he pursed other music interests outside the band. These 8 albums proved him to be as prolific as he was out-there. A string of top 40 albums including the top 10 album "L" cemented Hillage's place at the heart of the acid generation and to this day he is still making music be it as producer, re-mixer or artist. The digitally remastered album boasts a number of bonus tracks from the Hillage's personal tape archives. The booklet liner notes were penned by prog expert Mark Powell and include photos and memorabilia also from the Hillage archives.

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Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio (1977) Remastered Reissue 2007

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Those in tune with being transported through music will want to station themselves near the speakers for Motivation Radio. Call it the "light side of the moon," this album draws the listener into its own astral plane with a glossy and gauzy sound similar to Pink Floyd without the darkness, or Alan Parsons Project without the dorkiness. The new age/space ideology isn't far removed from Gong's original alternate reality (remember the Octave Doctors?), spelled out best during the album's true point of transmigration, "Saucer Surfing." Hillage's guitar work is typically transcendent, Giraudy's keyboards a vital component (note the Doctor Who-isms of "Searching for the Spark"), and Joe Blocker's drums a frequent breath of change. Steve Hillage doesn't have the vocal presence to reach out to listeners; at best, he can meet them halfway. Motivation Radio works as well as it does because it draws listeners to that halfway point (and beyond), steering them with spiritual signposts and rewarding them with rapturous music. It's a remarkably smooth journey, more accessible than L, if equally cosmic. Again, it was an idiomatic cover tune, "Not Fade Away," that became the single; though an odd way to end the record, it wouldn't have made any sense in the middle. The rest of the record is a contiguous collection of music. So tune in and bliss out.

Review by Dave Connolly, Allmusic.com

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Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio (1977) Remastered Reissue 2007

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Steve Hillage - Motivation Radio (1977) Remastered Reissue 2007

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