Earthrise is a concept album originally released in 1985 in the UK[1] (USA 1984),[3] written by former Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) member Richard Tandy and David Morgan, both from Birmingham, UK. Morgan also wrote songs for 1960s band The Move. The album was inspired by the iconic photo of the earth taken during the Apollo 8 mission.[4]
Earthrise | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by Richard Tandy and David Morgan | ||||
Released | 1985[1] | |||
Recorded | 1981–1983[2] | |||
Studio | Ridge Farm, Sussex, England; RJ Jones, London, England; Chipping Norton, Oxford, England; Jarm East, London, England; Grimm Doo West, Birmingham, England | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 44:58 | |||
Label | FM-Revolver (UK) Straight Ahead (US) | |||
Producer | Dave Morgan, Richard Tandy, Steve Lipson | |||
Richard Tandy and David Morgan chronology | ||||
| ||||
2011 Special Edition | ||||
![]() | ||||
The album's story is about a space explorer who longs to return to his one love on Earth, only to eventually find that true love has always been with him — inside. The album's synthesizer-heavy rock sound is similar to ELO's 1981 album Time. Although the album was well received by ELO fans,[5] it was not a commercial success, largely due to the absence of marketing.[2] Rock Legacy released a remastered special edition on CD in 2011.
On November 9, 2019, to commemorate the 50th year of the moon landings, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire performed an orchestral version of Earthrise with Tandy and Morgan.[6]
The track order of the original 1986 release, on LP and cassette with the FMRevolver label, is:
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Earth Rise" | 2:06 |
2. | "Under the Blue" | 1:17 |
3. | "Asteroid" | 1:57 |
4. | "Suddenly" | 3:34 |
5. | "Escape from the Citadel" | 2:47 |
6. | "Caesar of the Galaxy" | 2:44 |
7. | "One Thousand Worlds" | 3:30 |
8. | "Spaceship Earth" | 4:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Zero Zero" | 3:07 |
2. | "The Third Planet" | 2:33 |
3. | "Ria" | 2:48 |
4. | "Princeton" | 6:00 |
5. | "Pictures in My Pillow" | 4:00 |
6. | "The Secret" | 3:54 |
Total length: | 44:58 |
The remastered CD, released on 18 August 2011, contains the following tracks, some of which are previously unreleased or bonus.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Spaceship Earth" | 4:32 |
2. | "Earth Rise" | 1:52 |
3. | "Under the Blue" / "Asteroid" | 3:12 |
4. | "Starclipse" / "Purpose" | 3:36 |
5. | "Escape from the Citadel" | 2:45 |
6. | "One Thousand Worlds" | 4:01 |
7. | "The Third Planet" | 2:29 |
8. | "Suddenly" | 3:32 |
9. | "Princeton" | 5:21 |
10. | "Wheels" | 2:05 |
11. | "Caesar of the Galaxy" | 3:00 |
12. | "The Secret" | 3:49 |
13. | "Zero Zero" (plus 29 seconds of silence added) | 3:07 |
Total length: | 40:09 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "Pictures in My Pillow" | 4:03 |
15. | "Ria" (instrumental + backing vocals) | 3:11 |
16. | "Starclipse" (outmix) | 2:59 |
Personnel list according to the 1986 reissue liner notes.[7][8]
Earthrise
Production
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 1984 | Unknown | Unknown | |
United Kingdom | 1985 | LP, Cassette | FM-Revolver | [1] |
United States | 1986 | LP, Cassette | Straight Ahead | |
United Kingdom | 1992 | CD | Prestige Records | |
18 August 2011 | CD | Rock Legacy | ||
United States | 24 July 2020 | CD | Prestige Elite | [9] |
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)Authority control ![]() |
|
---|