Album Liner Notes
Master Strokes 1978-1985
Master Strokes packages Bruford's late-1970s and early-1980s studio bands into one listening arc. Because it is a compilation, the credits read like a map of sources rather than a single session, and the Europe CD edition documents a longer program than some LP configurations.
Overview
This entry is anchored to the Europe CD because its liner-style credit block is explicit about track ranges. The middle of the program is the Moraz/Bruford piano-and-drums material, which is why Jeff's bass drops out for those indices even though the album still reads as a Bruford-focused set.
Guitar credits split by track cluster: Allan Holdsworth is credited on the clusters that match the classic Bruford band sides, while John Clark is credited on the tracks where the guitar chair shifts for the recording in question.
For collectors, the value is documentary. You can hear how Bruford's production choices and writing partners evolved across the era, while still tracing Jeff Berlin's bass voice across the rock-band sides that made the partnership famous.
Quick Snapshot
- Issued in 1986 on EG as LP (EGLP 67 and related catalog numbers) and CD (EGCD 67, Europe), marketed by Virgin on the cited CD pressing.
- The EGCD 67 track list runs fifteen selections, drawing from Bruford's Feels Good To Me, One Of A Kind, and Gradually Going Tornado albums plus the Moraz/Bruford Music For Piano And Drums and Flags sessions.
- Discogs credits Jeff Berlin on bass for CD tracks 1–9 and 13–15, with Moraz on Steinway for tracks 10 and 12, and Jeff on lead vocals for track 5 ('Gothic 17').
Track-level bass map
The compilation credits Jeff on bass for tracks 1–9 and 13–15, not for the full CD sequence.
Jeff as lead singer on one cut
The same credit block lists lead vocals by Jeff Berlin on 'Gothic 17,' a detail that is easy to miss if you only think of him as the bassist.
Multiple primary sources
Selections span several original albums and copyright years; the CD back matter summarizes those sources in one block.
Listen For
Hell's Bells
Opens the CD program and sits inside the early Bruford-band cluster that Discogs groups with Jeff's bass credit.
Living Space / The Drum Also Waltzes / Split Seconds
These Moraz/Bruford selections sit in the middle of the CD sequence where the piano-and-drums credits replace Jeff's bass chair.
Fainting In Coils
Returns to the Bruford writing voice with narrator and voice credits preserved from the original studio concept.
Track Listing
- 1. Hell's Bells — 3:32
- 2. One Of A Kind – Part One — 2:20
- 3. One Of A Kind – Part Two — 4:00
- 4. Travels With Myself – And Someone Else — 6:14
- 5. Gothic 17 — 5:07
- 6. Palewell Park — 3:59
- 7. If You Can't Stand The Heat... — 4:41
- 8. Five G — 4:41
- 9. Joe Frazier — 4:43
- 10. Living Space — 3:53
- 11. The Drum Also Waltzes — 2:53
- 12. Split Seconds — 4:39
- 13. Fainting In Coils — 6:34
- 14. Beelzebub — 3:20
- 15. The Sahara Of Snow – Part Two — 3:30
Musicians
- Bill Bruford: drums, percussion, cymbals (compilation program)
- Jeff Berlin: bass (tracks 1–9, 13–15); lead vocals (track 5)
- Allan Holdsworth: guitar (tracks 1–4, 7, 8, 13–15)
- John Clark: guitar (tracks 5, 9)
- Dave Stewart: keyboards (tracks 1–9, 13–15)
- Patrick Moraz: Steinway D concert grand piano (tracks 10, 12)
- Sam Alder: narrator ('Fainting In Coils')
- Anthea Norman-Taylor: voice ('Fainting In Coils')
- Bill Bruford: voice ('Fainting In Coils')
Technical Credits
- Compilation: EG Records, 1986 (Europe CD EGCD 67 cited on Discogs)
- Original recordings ℗ 1977–1985 EG Records Ltd.; compilation ℗ 1986 EG Records Ltd.
- Track-by-track producer credits on the CD reflect the original sessions (Bill Bruford with Ron Malo, Robin Lumley, or Patrick Moraz as listed per title).
- Glass mastering: Nimbus (EGCD 67)
- Design: Alwyn Clayden; photography: Kelvin Jones