In Search of the Angels

I first heard the music of Nicholas Dodd probably about 10 years ago (a rough estimate), when my mum had recorded a tape off my uncle called “Waves – Nicholas Dodd”. The first time I listened to this I loved it, and recorded myself a copy straight away. The music was played over the top of the sound of waves of the sea. On side one was a sweet, gentle piano tune. On side two was a piece which sounded like angels calling from far away. I loved this piece, really loved it; it tugged on the heart strings like nothing else I’d ever heard; eventually it faded away, leaving just the sound of the waves; a short while later, another piece emerged, this one even better than the previous one, and pulling the heart strings until they nearly snapped.

A while later, probably a year or so later, my brother had persuaded me to go into this rather alternative and arty-farty type shop in the lovely small Gloucestershire town of Nailsworth. I thought it was all quite nice in there, but eventually was starting to get bored; but then I spotted something – a cassette: Nicholas Dodd: Starlands 1. I bought this, and listened to it on my personal stereo in the back of the car on the way home.

Track details from the inlay card…

Side 1

1. Wings of Light 6:14
2. Golden Land 7:13
3. Green Embers 7:35
4.  Heavenly Hymn 7:17

Side 2

1. Summer Solstice 7:55
2. Ascension 4:35
3. Father Forgive Them 4:32
4.  Redemption 9:27

And then on the side it says:

“Nicholas Dodd is an accomplished classically trained artist. His “New Age” synthesizer work often reveals his classical background. Starlands 1, the first of a trilogy, has a truly uplifting effect, stirring heart and mind to heavenly vistas.”

Yes, it does.

I can’t find Starlands 2 or 3. Never mind that, I can’t even find any more of his synthesizer work at all. A search on the internet reveals a huge work history as a classical conductor/arranger. Look here.

No less than 52 film scores since 1993! This includes some quite famous ones such as The World Is Not Enough, The Stepford Wives and Godzilla.

A Google search for “Nicholas Dodd Starlands” returns nothing; the same with “Nicholas Dodd Waves”. The search “Nicholas Dodd synth” doesn’t bring back anything of any real use either.

The record label that the cassette was made by is called Dawn Awakening. I found their website.

“Music to reduce and manage Stress, Anxiety & Depression. Calming, therapeutic relaxation CDs and cassette tapes for alternative healing and mind massage. We specialise in creating interesting music for use with various therapies and work closely with both Musicians and Therapists. This music is also suitable for creating a relaxed atmosphere after a stressful day.”

Well, that all sounds nice, and actually I’m all for that kind of thing; but a search of that site for “Nicholas Dodd” brings back absolutely nothing. Nothing!

A search of Amazon brings up loads of soundtrack CDs which he as worked on. A search on play.com brings back some CDs by British comedian Ken Dodd. I don’t think he made Starlands 1 or Waves.

So, I’ve searched the internet, and there’s no trace of Nick’s “new age synthesizer” stuff. Are there two people called Nicholas Dodd? One a very well known conductor/arranger in the film score world and one an unknown but extremely talented synth wizard? I don’t know. Oh well, anyway…

Starlands 1 is something really special. I’ve never heard anything quite like it before or since. The only way I can describe it is that it’s kind of like film music, really moving film music. Most of the pieces start off very quietly, with quiet, drifting notes floating in, gradually followed by some other soft notes gently sliding in; and the sounds build, the notes increase, and smoothly glide from one to another, and then they sometimes settle down to a more subdued level again.

What is this? I wouldn’t call it ambient, not in the sense that most people understand ambient music. It’s not classical, because it’s created electronically. It’s not even a synthesizer version of existing classical music. I suppose the nearest comparisons I know of are Vangelis (who has done various movie soundtracks, including Bladerunner) and Angelo Badalamenti (who did the music for most of director David Lynch’s stuff, including Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive). Not quite the same though. Although Vangelis and Angelo B are great; actually, some of the music on David Lynch’s stuff is spectacular, particularly the opening theme to Mulholland Drive and some of the mood pieces in Twin Peaks.

Anyway…

Sometimes, when I am driving home from work, and I’ve got Starlands 1 playing in my car, I look at the glow on the horizon, and the silhouettes of the trees, and I almost feel as if it is the actual sound of my own inner being.

Actually, that’s it! That’s the best way to describe it! If you could imagine what it would sound like if you could take the experience you have when you’re meditating, or when you’re having a beautiful, peaceful dream, and turn that into sound, THAT is what Starlands 1 sounds like.

And as for Waves, well for side one, the piano piece, imagine you’re lying on a raft on the sea on a quiet sunny day, relaxing, and remembering golden times, and your heart sings; for side two, imagine you’re dreaming of your perfect lover, your soul mate, and you’re lying on a beach as the last glow of a sunset is going down, and once that last drop of red disappears, your lover fades away, leaving the sound of angels calling their name from far across the ocean, and then eventually even they disappear, and you’re just left with intense memories, and everything that makes you feel…

And then I ask myself, why oh why is there no more of this to buy?

Then I wonder what his classical work is like, and a whole new world of possibilities opens up before me.