Album Liner Notes
The Spice Of Life Too
The Spice Of Life Too keeps the Bruford/Berlin rhythm-section association with Watanabe while widening the keyboard palette. Discogs documents Peter Vettese on keys alongside the trio, and the Gramavision CD places the sessions at Great Linford Manor.
Overview
Compared with the first Spice album's lean trio frame, this record reads as a slightly more produced ensemble date because of the credited keyboard chair and the same hybrid drum approach from Bruford.
Great Linford Manor is a concrete location hook for readers who like studio genealogy; it is named directly on the Gramavision CD manufacturing block on Discogs.
The title variants 'The Spice Of Life Too' versus 'The Spice Of Life 2' on some international pressings are catalog culture, not musical differences, but they matter when you hunt specific copies.
Quick Snapshot
- Released in 1988 on Gramavision (US CD 18-8810-2 / R2 79416 and related LP catalog numbers), with parallel German Gramavision pressings and Japanese DOMO editions on Discogs.
- The Gramavision US CD program runs eight tracks with timings from roughly five minutes each, opening on 'Andre' and closing on 'Men And Angels.'
- Credits on the cited US CD list Akira Yada as producer, Adam Moseley as recorded-by and mixed-by, and assistant engineers James Hatton, Julian Adair, and Nick Blundell.
Expanded quartet credit
Watanabe, Bruford, Berlin, and Vettese form the credited instrumental core on the Gramavision CD cited on Discogs.
Bruford on Simmons SDX
Electronic drums are specified as Simmons SDX in the master-release credit summary on Discogs.
Adam Moseley engineering
Moseley is listed as both recording and mixing engineer on the US CD release page.
Listen For
We The Planet
Early in the program, it sets the wider keyboard-and-guitar orchestration against the Bruford/Berlin engine.
Concrete Cow
Mid-album Watanabe writing that keeps the fusion momentum up in the eight-track arc.
Men And Angels
The closer named on the master release page caps the sequel album's narrative run.
Track Listing
- 1. Andre — 5:10
- 2. We The Planet — 5:20
- 3. Fu Bu Ki — 4:54
- 4. Rain — 4:57
- 5. Small Wonder — 5:05
- 6. Concrete Cow — 5:22
- 7. Kaimon — 5:35
- 8. Men And Angels — 5:35
Musicians
- Kazumi Watanabe: guitar
- Bill Bruford: electronic drums (Simmons SDX)
- Jeff Berlin: bass
- Peter Vettese: keyboards
- Akira Yada: producer
- Adam Moseley: recorded by, mixed by
- James Hatton, Julian Adair, Nick Blundell: assistant engineers
Technical Credits
- Recorded at Great Linford Manor (Gramavision US CD 18-8810-2 on Discogs)
- Art direction: Beth Yenni; design: Izumi Inoue
- Licensed from Gramavision Inc.; phonographic copyright Polydor K.K. on cited pressing
- Manufactured and marketed by Gaia Records on the US CD entry