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Oblivion Days - 2007 Remastered Edition

by Rocket Scientists

/
1.
2.
Tumbling and turning the dark water falls Up from the deep to the land Filling the holes as it flows up to me And I’m not so sure where I stand Cracks in the earth like a great Chinese wall Quakes like a tottering throne The river is deep and I’m trying to swim But I’ll probably sink like a stone Under the waves Stirring the sea Old Poseidon Aqua vitae Lighting the way Neptune’s sun Thrashing and threshing the dark matter falls Down from the sky to the land Swallowing whole all that pass in its way Where chaos is making a stand Cracks in the sky and the sanctified halls Thunder cuts straight to the bone The oceans will rise and the sheltering skies Will scream like an old gramophone Under the waves Stirring the sea Old Poseidon Aqua vitae Lighting the way Neptune’s sun Nobody can reach you You’re moving in a nether world where sunlight burns your eyes Like falling through holes in the sky You think you have died But if we could see through your eyes Nobody can reach you You’re king of all the ancient worlds so why would you return? And we should known it by now That it’s all in your head For you have escaped us somehow Under the waves Stirring the sea Old Poseidon Aqua vitae Lighting the way Neptune’s sun
3.
This time next year we’ll be looking at our yesterdays See how far we’ve come from here All of our fears are the history of future days Climb the mountain, touch the skyline If you know that change is constant You’ll find it’s nothing new Don’t be surprised when you realize it’s happened to you There’s a storm on the horizon It’s coming here to stay It’s a one way ride through the silicon sky Oblivion days The road is clear down the neverending motorway From the brink of fleeting time Along the banks of the river turning night to day Climb the mountain, touch the skyline If you know that change is constant You’ll find it’s nothing new Don’t be surprised when you realize it’s happened to you There’s a storm on the horizon It’s coming here to stay It’s a suicide dive through the hurricane’s eye Oblivion days This time next year we’ll be looking at our yesterdays See how far we’ve come from here The sound you’ll hear ‘cross the ocean land of far away Climb the mountain, touch the skyline When you know that change is constant You’ll find it’s nothing new Don’t be surprised when the compromise is all about you You can read it in the headlines It’s close in every way When the holes in the sky just multiply Oblivion days When you’re standing at the crossroads So far from hallowed ground Where the high road ends just ‘round the bend in a flash of sight and sound There’s a storm on the horizon It’s coming here to stay It’s a one way ride through the silicon sky Oblivion days
4.
5.
You were talking All about the plans you’re making How they’re going to change your life But when the deed is grimly done You’re strung out like an old piano Now you reap the seeds you sow You feel just like you’re falling The eyes upon the lunar face Reflecting on the glassy water Ever watching over Earth below And late at night you see the face The sky is like the one from Van Gogh Starlight in the afterglow It seems to me you’re losing control Echoes from the ghost of Banquo You were talking All about the plans you’re making Nothing’s going to change your mind If only you could change the past And find a way to start it over Surrender everything you are And try to believe If only you could see the signs They’re lurking in the murky water Starlight in the afterglow It seems to me you’re losing control Echoes from the ghost of Banquo
6.
7.
Morning comes earlier each day Summer turns colder as autumn falls Darkness and daylight fade into gray Shadows that haunt prison walls They say time is a healer but time sealed your fate You walk with the lonely and live with the hate You need to rehearse but now the curtain is up And God knows the show must go on Oh, oh, oh Escape Oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Escape Once you were young and you dreamed of the stars Lighting the holes in the summer sky Racing the wind with your best avatars Blind to the time rushing by Slowly gravity pulled you on down from the sky You found that your wings were too heavy to fly You built up the walls to lock the daydreams away And lost yourself in the maze Oh, oh, oh Escape Oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh Escape Oh, oh, oh, oh Morning comes earlier each day All dreams are fading as winter calls Starlight and shadows take you away Shapes on the old prison wall They’re hanging up Jesus in a motel room Some old velvet pictures, the sun and the moon The cigarette smoke is hanging stale in the air And God knows the show must go on Oh, oh, oh Escape ...
8.
9.
Break the silence Right in front of me There’s a window Overlooks the sea Lightning strikes across the sky Oceans full of dreams that died Time is never on your side Break the silence Ashes through the rain Lower the curtain Lights out on the stage Vermillion colored waves will rise Oceans swallow paradise Water from a moonlit sky Breaks the silence Break the silence Waves are rolling in Hold the circle Shed this mortal skin Lightning strikes across the sky Oceans full of dreams that died Time is never on your side One last breath, a final sigh As the water rises high Mem’ries of a life gone by Break the silence
10.
11.
Fly my pretty angel hanging right above my head She can't see my fingers move She thinks I must be dead Throw me a line, I'm going down for the last time Give me a sign, I'm going under again Time rushes by, when it's gone it's gone forever Wake me up and say I'm dreaming Underwater I can breathe in aquamarine blue I can see her reaching out But she won't pull me through Throw me a line, I'm going down for the last time Give me a sign, I'm going under again Time drifts away like a boat out on the ocean Wake me up and say I'm dreaming Days rushing by like a river to the ocean Wash me overboard Time slips away, when it's gone it's gone forever Wake me, wake me, wake me
12.
Sail Away Twilight falls on me Time is passing much too quickly for my soul Winds of Change Cliffs of Dover I’ve seen the Fates and I am getting older Byron, Keats Shelley, Coleridge Words of love and life will never fade away Memories, songs that linger Harmony of spheres let timbre catch my soul It’s alright It’s alright It’s only stardust maybe If we write and if we sing We’ll live on through eternity Tomorrow I’ve seen the fall, rain and thunder Patter on the rooftops of this golden age Ships of gold, ivory towers Falling in and out of favor endlessly It’s alright, It’s alright It’s only stardust maybe If we write and if we sing We’ll live on through eternity Tomorrow Scarlet sun, violet ocean blue The palette of the spheres Lay down in every hue Fill my sails, warmest westerlies Take me on and on and on into infinity It’s alright, It’s alright It’s only stardust maybe If we write and if we sing We’ll live on through eternity Tomorrow

about

Oblivion Days is the 4th studio release from California's progressive rock masters, Rocket Scientists. Combining their familiar blend of studio mastery with both vintage and modern musical elements, the album displays considerable growth and evolution from the band's previous releases. This growth is a result of Rocket Scientists' touring and recording experience acquired over the last four years since the previous studio release, 1995's Brutal Architecture.

Rocket Scientists' debut album, Earthbound, arrived in 1993 displaying a breathtaking blend of pop and progressive elements: solid songwriting and production combined with progressive arrangements and symphonic sounds. The second album was Brutal Architecture, which was released in 1995. Brutal Architecture took the band into more progressive waters with longer tracks and more experimental compositions including the 11:30 long epic "Mariner". The band toured Europe in 1997, participating in several progressive festivals and club dates in England, Holland and Germany.

Beginning in 1998, Rocket Scientists became an integral part of the recording and live sound of symphonic rock vocalist Lana Lane. The four - member Rocket Scientists lineup of Brutal Architecture and Earth Below and Sky Above toured with Lana in Japan and the US, appearing on her Live in Japan CD as well as several Lana Lane studio albums including Garden of the Moon and Queen of the Ocean. Oblivion Days contains a live bonus track of the Brutal Architecture song "Wake Me Up" recorded live at a club date in Tokyo while on tour with Lana Lane in April of 1999.

Rocket Scientists' involvement with Lana Lane affected the band's sound significantly. Whereas Brutal Architecture featured a more acoustic and vintage sound, Oblivion Days adds the weight and drama of powerful rock guitars and heavier drum tracks. These added modern dramatic elements combined with the vintage elements of Mellotron, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer and E-bow guitar result in a powerful symphonic experience rich with depth and color.

In order to achieve this sonic expansion for Oblivion Days, core members Mark McCrite and Erik Norlander enlisted several additional musicians to deepen these symphonic colors. Lana Lane guitarist Neil Citron also appears, contributing his fluid and melodic solo style as well as his fiery rhythms. Also from the Lana Lane camp, a guest appearance is made by fretless bassist Tony Franklin, known for his work with The Firm and Blue Murder in addition to Lana Lane. Drummer / percussionist Greg Ellis participates on the album as well. Ellis is known for his work on Erik Norlander's solo albums, Threshold, Seas of Orion and Into the Sunset as well as his percussion with the world music group Vas and also Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame. Lastly, the queen of symphonic rock herself, Lana Lane makes an appearance on the album contributing her angelic vocals to the harmonies of several tracks.

In addition to these guest musicians, the familiar Rocket Scientists rhythm section of bassist Don Schiff and drummer Tommy Amato again appear on Oblivion Days. Schiff of course plays his well - known Chapman Stick on the record, but he also adds to his arsenal the new prototype NS/Stick instrument as well as his old faithful Rickenbacker conventional four - string bass.

The center of Rocket Scientists is vocalist / guitarist Mark McCrite and keyboardist / producer Erik Norlander. McCrite brings vintage and melodic influences to the band -- everything from The Beatles to The Moody Blues to Crowded House. McCrite's love of both melody and harmony adds compositional richness and sophistication to the Rocket Scientists sound. Contrastingly, Norlander contributes the more progressive, symphonic and rock elements -- influences from Emerson, Lake and Palmer to Procol Harum to Deep Purple. In fact, the title track from Oblivion Days was originally written to submit to ELP, but Norlander chose instead to use it for Rocket Scientists when ELP announced one of their many breakups in early 1999. McCrite and Norlander have worked together for over 15 years since the two attended high school together in the mid-1980's.

Oblivion Days contains an expansive collection of tracks all centered around a strong sonic concept. Tracks such as "Aqua Vitae", "Banquo's Ghost" and "Escape" move from spacious acoustic introspection to full - speed progressive fireworks. Other tracks such as "Oblivion Days" take a more heavy and dramatic approach right from the start. As one would expect from Rocket Scientists, there are several instrumental tracks on Oblivion Days as well. The band continues the "Dark Water" theme begun on Brutal Architecture with "Dark Water Part Three: Neptune's Sun" and "Dark Water Part Four: Heavy Water". As with Brutal Architecture, there are also two signature instrumental pieces each composed individually by McCrite and Norlander: McCrite's "Compass Variation" and Norlander's "Archimedes" continue in the tradition of Brutal Architecture's "Nether" and "Copernicus". Lastly, Oblivion Days features a dramatic cover of the 70's TV series theme, "Space:1999". The song was chosen both for its timeliness ("1999") and its reference to "Space" -- a subject certainly suitable for a band called Rocket Scientists.

Oblivion Days is an exciting journey through a vivid realm of sound, style and substance. Featuring astounding cover art by Lana Lane artist Jacek Yerka, the album delivers a stunning blend of the surreal and the symphonic. With Oblivion Days, Rocket Scientists once again show that progressive rock is alive and well!

credits

released September 21, 1999

Mark McCrite - vocals, guitars
Erik Norlander - keyboards, vocals
Don Schiff - NS/Stick, bass guitar

with
Greg Ellis - drums and percussion
Tommy Amato - additional drums
Neil Citron - additional guitars
Tony Franklin - additional bass guitar
Lana Lane - harmony vocals

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Rocket Scientists El Dorado Hills, California

Formed in the late 1980s by keyboardist Erik Norlander and vocalist / guitarist Mark McCrite, the two released their first CD in 1993 joined by bassist Don Schiff who soon became a part of the band. RS has played many festivals and concert dates across North America and Europe and continue to release new music. Memorable songwriting and innovative instrumentation are Rocket Scientists hallmarks ... more

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