Omnia Opera - Omnia Opera
Cat No: DELEC CD 011
Release Date: 24th May 1997
[Track Listing] [Lyrics] [Credits] [Reviews] [Back to Sounds & Discography]
- Space Bastard - 8:17 Lyric
- Disbelief - 6:50 lyric
- The Awakening - 11:50 - lyric
- Floating Settee - 8:20- lyric
- The Awakened - 4:45
- Each Day - 9:09 lyric
- The Brighter The Sun - 5:20 - lyric
- * Bright Sun - 3:00
- * Freeze Out - 15:00 - lyric
Lyrics
Life away, life away, life away
Life away, life today, here today
Running out, peeling out, screaming out
Wipe out, black out, strike out.
Part of the production line and custom made
If you don't fit in you don't make the grade
A revolution is not a dream
I can see it clearly through their screen
People not power, trust not laws
These are the things we're striving for
But the brain police are on our case
Hassle merchants kicking us in the face
Faking, taking, your life away
(Repeat chorus)
I wanna reach out but I don't know how
Everytime I reach out there's nothing there
Treadmill existence driving me crazy
Scrape my self from off the wall
They galvanise your very thoughts
Until you realise the score
The imbeciles that run this place
False champions of a corrupt race
Faking, taking our life away - away.
Let me tell you something; it's the people in high places.
The infamous "they". The five percent elite.
They run the world, yeah they run her into the fucking ground
You've heard it all before.
Work, consume, die.
Harmony is needed.
Our home is being ravaged, polluted.
Taking her for granted, used, burnt down and burnt out
The man machine he took the world.
Support the spirit of natures might.
Tha man machine.
The man machine.
He took the world
Tainted everything natural.
The mighty Spirit broken, the world now grey.
The man machine has missed the scent.
Desolation paves the way, desolation makes my day
Oblivion saves the race, oblivion feels so safe
Read 'em and weep here suspended in disbelief
Our rear view is looking very incomplete
I hear your laughter but I don't feel the same
Who's next in line to take the blame
And who'll be there when we finally fall
No, no not us we're far too obscure.
Child where is your haven, child where do you hide
A whisper desolves my heart, foundation for a rebirth
(Repeat chorus)
Far too obscure, far too obscure
Why is life so cruel...
I feel chosen, I feel chosen, I feel chosen, I feel chosen.
Agents of rejuvination
Earthbound misfortune,
Earthbound misfortune.
(Repeat chorus)
See the light right by you
See the light shining thru
Catch a thread of silver dew
Follow the drift climbing.
A haze of ether follows thru
On a dreamy wake, where a spirit flew
Crack the dark with your rainbow dew
Night migration climbing.
Now is the hour, time to go
Ashes fall and runes to throw
The earth revolves on its axis slow
The energies are fading.
Nova stars in free fall flight
The stones awaken in the night
The leys reborn, a glimmer of light
New lives are waiting
New lives are waiting,
waiting, waiting...
Preacher garbles yellow order
Sandy penis, membrane cover
Scented dreams on a falling wind
Crystal power.
Green lettuce chequered lawn
People piler on a soapbox corner
Dance in green on a monotone
Poster sized, rising carpet dawn.
Floating settee, ocean maze
Puppets, no time to raise
The sinks over the dragon's head
Puppets on actifed
(Repeat chorus)
Preacher man, back preacher man.
Each day you live thru the cultural lie
Each day you strive thru sub human life
Each day weakens the state of nature's fight
Each day the man machine blocks out the sunlight.
You've lost the spark of life that shines
Within your inner self
To live for the love of material wealth.
There's no escaping from your conscious mind
Regenerate the aura of human kind.
Each day you live thru the cultural lie
Each day you strive thru space city life
Each day your food screams out in pain
Each day someone dies for the dies for the white man's claim
(Repeat chorus)
As each day passes fewer sleep beneath the stars
As each day passes it uncovers the insane farce
Each day you pay for the one way cruise
Each day the naelstrom tightens the noose
(Repeat Chorus)
The brighter the sun, the more clearly we see the dust
And Oh! to let the petals fall,
Searching for a good rest to escape this sunless view
I believe but I'm not sure, I seem unable to move
I seem unable to move... what happens next
Who rejects their limitations
Can we find a voice beyond redemption
Can we find a voice beyond the tenth
No more safe hidden corners
There is more than meets the eye
In another world that bides its time
There is more than meets the eye
In another world that bides its time
In the dim light you don't see
The imperfections byt they're there
In the dim light you don't see
The imperfections but they're there
The boundaries we extend, unlimit your horizons
The boundaries we extend, unlimit your horizons
Life after life after life after life...
Come from everywhere, colours of frozen air
Don't wanna stay here, away from fear
So they arrest me, they try to take my key
Can't resist their reel, a fish on a big wheel
They tell me I belong, its the same old song
They tell me I am, they tell me I am wrong.
The time of the freeze out, know one can hear you shout
The time of the freeze out, a victim of doubt.
In a crowd all alone, you speak
The words drown.
I'm buried by their doubt, it is the freeze out
Thru colours of frozen air.
I meet under your stare.
A prisoner of your own mind,
The big wheel starts to grind
And if forever is not very far,
And by chance I do scar
I will be flying, where no one can hear you shout.
Credits
Omnia Opera are:-
- Q - Guitar
- Neil Spragg- Drums
- Ade Scholefield- Keyboards & Vocals
- AndyJones - Vocals & Bass
- Nat Jones- Vocals
- Lisa Moriaty- Vocals
Material composed and produced by Omnia Opera.
Recorded at Squalor Studios, Kidderminster, Worcestershire.
March - October 1992.
Artwork by Jilaen Sherwood
Packaging design by Wrap Me Up Designs
Our eternal gratitude and affection to family and friends over the years without whom Omnia Opera would not have been the same. They are Martin Prest "The Saviour" on Lightshow over the years, Phil Cochran TMA 3, Si Evans, Mik Danby, Mat Collins, Paddy, Foz, Geoff, Tony, Andy, Simon, Zit, Karren, Steve, Carl, Ken, Mike Smith, Chaz, Wak, Paula, Paul...
And to all those who have stuck with us...
Photography and artwork:- Moggy Morris, Mike Parker, Jilaen Sherwood (For the choice), Dale for the "Unceltic Technagrams". A special thanks to Kev Bond, Griffin for all the thousands of miles and white lining. Saviour Mk 2, Val and Ade for the early days. A massive thanks to Mike Tongue and Steve Smith for serving their time on drums and making it all possible; Julie Lench's Mob for putting up with it all and various help. "Ambelian" for their understanding and support, also "Blim", "Bliss the Pocket Opera" (Now "Ye Fungus") "Ring", Daz Russel for all the gigs. Anyone who can remember the Mermaid, Jason for the jewellery. Sean and Marina from the "Organ" fanzine for all their help and an enormous chunk of thanks and gratitude for Richard Allen, Ivor Trueman and all at Delerium Records and Freakbeat magazine for creating this hole in reality and enabling us to record this album. And anyone reading this "Celebrate for Change" and then go "Beyond The Tenth".
- Top September 1993.
- Ptolemaic Terrascope Vol. 4, No. 2, Summer 1993.
- Street Worm July 1993.
- Melodie and Dissonance July 1993.
- Audion No. 24, March 1993.
- Fight Amnesia Summer 1994.
- Earzone Autumn 1993.
- Organ No 31, February 1993.
(Also) worth investigating are label-mates Omnia Opera, a truly horrible-looking bunch who frequented Stonehenge free festival in the '80s (but don't let that put you off), and who deal in Hawkwind / Floyd / Hillage style space rock. The group rather neatly describe the music contained on their eponymous debut as "new age plasma rock". Nice description.
At least you know where you stand with Omnia Opera. Coming straight from Stonehenge towards your pelvis with Rob Lloyd's guitars blazing like treacle (thick, swirling and sticks inside your head) this self-titled debut is nothing short of superb, from the opening Fairies-like riffing of "Space Bastard" to the epic synthesised genius of "Freeze Out". Not a moment is wasted, never a trick is missed; they're shamelessly derivative and yet manage to create something uniquely their own - "Like shamens they reinterpreted everyone's dream and gave it back anew. Replete, it became the new sound. A music of the spheres" (to paraphrase the Glastonbury Thorn). Omnia Opera are a real live living band and they deserve your support. (Phil McMullen)
I like this band - a lot.I've seen them live on many occasions; wild psychedelic music... mad light shows... and packed venues... Now here comes their debut album, released on July 5th. It's all here, from crazed, pile-driving space rock to blissed out ambient mantra sounds. Omnia Opera are a bit of a legend - from Stonehenge to the Colin Campbell, and this LP should put them on the path to bigger things. They really are far superior to the Ozrics and the like, and even Hawkwind could learn from these guys. (Black Cat)
Omnia Opera was born in the mid eighties, since then it has released a few tapes and played a lot of gigs in the British free festivals. After its positive contribution to the "Fun With Mushrooms" compilation, the band has now released it's debut CD thanks to Richard Allen's Delerium Records. More than seventy minutes of beautiful, raving and uncontrollable space rock, as in its best tradition. Omnia Opera is perhaps the band, among all the ones belonging to the new "crusty" scene, which best evokes the ravaging apocalypse which was present in Hawkwind's first albums. The opener "Space Bastards" often reminds me of the unforgettable "Seeing It As You Really Are"; on the same wavelength we find "Disbelief", "Floating Sette" and "Each Day"; "The Awakening", full of keyboards flights, is perhaps closest to the Simon House period; the long and beautiful "Freeze Out" is full of floydish guitar solos which often break the hammering rhythm and flow into some "smokey" free form improvisations; quite interesting is also "The Brighter The Sun", with a "foolish" rhythm section and some mindblowing guitar solos.
A really powerful debut which will be surely appreciated by the "cosmic ride lovers". If it had been released 20 years ago it would have been considered a milestone. The space/time storm which casted it in our times, "only" reveals it as the new British space rock best debut album. (Stefano Covili)
At long last, a much more palatable and consistent release from Delerium! However, Omnia Opera are hardly original, yet they are very competent, inventive and steer well away from the juvenile poppiness of most so-called neo-psychedelic bands. The opening track "Space Bastard" does start the album on a slightly dodgy footing, a kind of amalgam of Calvert era Hawkwind and Motorhead, lyrically banal yet musically it's fine as it ducks and dives from almost copied snippets of various Hawkwind songs. The following tracks are far more together: "Disbelief" sounding like a mixture of the Ozric Tentacles and latter-day Magic Muscle, then "The Awakening" which features female vocals and sounds much like Magic Mushroom Band at their finest (hints of Gong here to). The tracks hereon vary the above formula, with much more of an Ozric Tentacles slant particularly on "Each Day" which is a real scorcher with excellent mock Hillage guitar pyrotechnics.
To sum up. Omnia Opera have put together a very fine album, one which would put many more established bands to shame. I do have some reservations, mostly in some of the songs which are a mite punky at times, and when lyrically understandable (thankfully this is seldom) are not that interesting. That it's totally derivative doesn't really bother me, it's good stuff, full of surprising touches, great space flights, lots of guitars, synths, etc. You couldn't really expect more! Alan Freeman
Lot's of things are happening in the British psychedelic scene and one of the most promising space / art rock bands within that scene are for sure Omnia Opera. The album comes with a strong seventies touch and is influenced by Zappa, Hawkwind, Pink Floyd, Amon Düül, early Genesis and everything that was somehow worth during that period. Omnia Opera have collected all these influences and have put them together with a huge part of their own ideas, so that the final result sounds more than convincing. More than 70 minutes will get you on the ultimate psychedelic trip into the bizarre world of this genious band. The guitars on this album guarantee to amaze you, as well as the vocals and the rhythmical backup, not to forget the spacey keyboards. The guys seem to have a neverending potential of ideas, upon which they can fall back when there is need. Just imagine a more rock-y version of the Cardiacs or Henry Cow and you'd still be far away from the very personal style of this band. A real masterpiece and reason enough to check out more releases from Delerium Records.
Yes that elusive debut LP from eighties free festi faves Omnia Opera has arrived at last thanks to those Freakbeat zine / Delerium Records people. And thank them we should, because this is classic psychedelic festi-space rock at its best. This has a distinct Hawkwind feel, touches of Gong / Ozrics, maybe a bit of Floyd - swirling, spiralling guitar sounds, lively spacey keyboard noises - energetic, driving psychedelic space-rock with a fresh imaginative edge. Omnia Opera have come up with a great record, an essential album for festi-spaceheads. Highly recommended.
Well we never thought we'd see the day when an Omnia Opera album came out! Yeah, this is what we want. We covered Omnia Opera lots back in the early Organs, firm faves in Organ land they were, we put them on our tapes and told all the world, but then after a couple of classic tape albums they fizzled out. They should have been up there with the Ozrics, if Ozrics were the new Gong then Omnia Opera should have been the new Hawkwind flying next to them. Instead, just as the buzz was starting, they split up! Then one day Freakbeat zine (home of Delerium Records) phoned us up, they'd got hold of the tape (via a tape trader in Belgium!). We gave the Delerium crew a few phone numbers and addresses and finally Omnia responded and were bullied back into the studio to make an album (maybe if everyone bullies them a bit more they'll do a few gigs!). Now we've told you the story we'll tell you about the album. We've only got an advance tape so far so we can't tell you who's playing but it sound's pretty much like the original band. Driving, oscillating, levitating space rock with lots and lots of energy, very much in the style of Hawkwind at their best. Lots of forward moving sound generation for festi-head fraggles everywhere. Kicking, driving in an Im-riffing style with plenty of tasty spacey keyboards. Hints of Pink Floyd and Gong and maybe some early Marillion / Solstice but mostly Hawkwind / Amon Düül II. If you're into any of the bands we've mentioned you've got to check Omnia Opera out. Some of the old favourites from the tape albums are here, some aren't quite as good, some are better. The tapes were always poor quality so it's good to have some well recorded versions even if a bit of the vibe is lost here and there. This is probably the best space rock album since Hawkwind's Chronicle Of The Black Sword. Enough epic space food to keep you fed for a long time. Highly recommended.
"All my thoughts have gone to bed, clarity evades me" Lyric, Jones
Sample tracks - Listen here
The Brighter the Sun
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Awakening
Last updated Jan 2010