Other Works By Judge Smith Currently Available 
  

A collection of vintage demo tapes made between 1967 and 1977, including music and performances by Peter Hammill, Hugh Banton and David Jackson.

"... Not just a songwriter, but a very fine songwriter.. .Judge emerges in a glowing light...The man has enormous talent.. All highly melodic songs, often with just a hint of the bizarre thrown in for good measure...I really like this..."

Pilgrims

"For its experimentalism even more than for the music itself, 'Democrazy' is a fine discovery in these banal days..."

Jornal da Targe (Brazil)

"Doesn't bore you. Each track brings a surprise..."

On & Off (Brazil)

"Democrazy may not impress by its recording techniques, but it's a rare opportunity for a glimpse of one of Britain's most creative - though forgotten - composers. Well worth checking out..."

A Clava Do Sorn (Brazil)

"A kind of weird genius..."

Rock Brigade (Brazil)

"... The songs on this CD show Judge to be a good writer and singer. It is amazing to hear the amount of love that went into them. They are so strong..."

Music Uncovered (USA)

DOME OF DISCOVERY
CD on OEDIPUS RECS (THEEBSOO3)

"...Overall, the tone is uplifting; in some parts, danceable, and other parts, simply strange. The lyrics are refreshingly witty and are clearly expressed by a whimsical Judge, who clearly had a thoroughly enjoyable time in the studio... Here and there are shades of world music, bits of jazz, spaghetti western, salsa, pure pop. The songs are both accessible and bizarre, partly to do with the soprano and mixed-choir backing vocals, twanging guitars, trumpets and cello mix that make up the instrumentation. It should appeal to a broad spectrum of listeners..."

Soundbite

"An excellent, if eccentric songwriter and singer. Upbeat, catchy tunes are backed by the mournful, grandiose strains of strings.. Really excellent..."

Facelift (USA)

"...So often, to describe someone as a pop songwriter is dissuasive and pejorative, but if we're using broad categorisations then this is what Judge does - simply, unpretentiously and brilliantly..."

Pilgrims

"Happy music with a peculiar charm..."

Tanelorn Post (Sweden)

"... Judge Smith obviously has a funny-bone which sticks above the surface like an open-cast mine. But the humour never takes over completely, and ultimately it's the music, sometimes lush, sometimes bouncing madly along, sometimes quite bizarre... which justifies it all..."

Ptolemaic Terrascope

"... The oddest record we've heard recently... If you can imagine Thomas Dolby's eccentric uncle... you might get a rough idea..."

Making Music

"Dome of Discovery suggests a magical circus with its swirling eccentricity, bizarre spectacles and the uncertainty that something is not right behind all this glamour and revelry. A freaky clown personified.... Listen to 'Carpet Tiles' for example, it's perfectly arranged, hilarious, and yet absolutely sober."

Astro Zombie 

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
CD on FIE! (fie9121)

Opera by Peter Hammill, libretto by Judge Smith from the tale by Edgar Allen Poe. Performances by Peter Hammill, Andy Bell, Sarah-Jane Morris, Herbert Gronemeyer and Lene Lovich.

"... I cannot praise this highly enough - A very great achievement..."

Audion

"... Textually the opera is very clever... It is not a collection of songs with the name 'opera' but a real coherent and enormously expressive piece, of immense musical and dramatic proportions.. Hammill's masterpiece... This is the best concept-record ever made by a rock artist. Simply great!..."

SI (Netherlands)

"...I feel that 'Usher' is a work of genius..."

Pilgrims

"... Judge Smith's libretto... achieves a seamless composite of his own classical phrasing alongside the almost uncompromisingly gothic style of Poe's original... In spite of it's mere seventy-six minutes playing time, 'The Fall of The House of Usher' is a modern opera on a gothic scale. Narratively and in intensity, it is as seamless and free of gristle as Poe's short story... Alongside composers like the late Stephen Oliver and Harrison Birtwhistle, we can be proud of another modern English opera composer... A far mightier achievement than it looks in the racks of Our Price and HMV and Virgin Records..."

The Lemming Chronicles

"... It's leagues above the morass of contemporary music 'alternative' or otherwise, hell, I'll say it, it's art!..."

Pulse (USA)

Dome of Discovery is available by mail direct from:-

OEDIPUS RECS
P0 BOX 249
CHESTERFIELD
S40 4DZ
ENGLAND

Web Site: http://www.oedipusrecs.co.uk/

Mail Order Prices

£11.50 (UK). £12.00 (Europe). £12.50 (Rest of World) or $22 US (No personal cheques). Includes Postage and Packing.

The Fall of the House of Usher is distributed by VITAL, and is available from good record shops or online and mail order from Sofa Sound.