Kites is more layered and complex than Waves, the duo's previous outing.
The album reportedly took nine months to record, a long time by mid-1970s standards.
The first half is dominated by Jon Field compositions, which are meant to convey the sounds of a kite drifting through skies that range from sunny and calm to stormy and dangerous.
Dense and dramatic, numbers such as "Songs of the Forest" and "Wind Song" spotlight unconventional percussive combinations, ethereal wordless choir voices, and Field's gentle flute playing.
Tony Duhig dominates the second half of Kites with a group of songs interpreting Teh Ch'eng, the Boat Monk, a traditional Zen story.
This is a rare example of intense ambient sound, best realized in "Quietly by the River Bank," which begins with an ominous tone and explodes with the fury of a samurai warrior.
The remainder is more contemplative and some of the energy flags, but the album concludes on a high note with "The Last Question," one of Jade Warrior's prettiest melodies.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Songs of the ForestTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | Wind SongTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 03:22 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 3 | The Emperor KiteTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| 4 | Wind BorneTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 07:36 | 17 MB | 33 MB |
| 5 | Kite SongTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 02:22 | 5 MB | 8 MB |
| 6 | Land of the WarriorTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 7 | Quietly by the River BankTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 04:36 | 10 MB | 19 MB |
| 8 | Arrival of Chia Shan: Disclosure and LiberationTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 00:53 | 2 MB | 3 MB |
| 9 | Towards the MountainsTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 02:03 | 4 MB | 7 MB |
| 10 | The Last QuestionTony Duhig, John Field | Jade Warrior | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 11 | Arrival of the Emperor_ _What Does the Venerable Sir Do | Jade Warrior | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 10 MB |
| 12 | Teh Ch'eng_ _Do You Understand This__ | Jade Warrior | Play | 01:06 | 2 MB | 4 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roger Bryson | Piano |
| 2 | Paschal Byrne | Digital Remastering, Remastering |
| 3 | George Chkiantz | Audio Engineer, Engineer |
| 4 | Coldridge Goode | Bass Instrument, Main Personnel |
| 5 | Tony Duhig | Audio Production, Bass, Composer, Guitar, Instrumentation, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Producer, Various Instruments |
| 6 | John Field | Composer, Instrumentation, Producer |
| 7 | Jon Field | Audio Production, Composer, Flute, Guitar, Keyboards, Member of Attributed Artist, Percussion, Various Instruments |
| 8 | Fred Frith | Main Personnel, Violin |
| 9 | Pete Gibson | Brass, Horn, Main Personnel |
| 10 | Hugh Gilmour | Package Design |
| 11 | Coleridge Goode | Bass |
| 12 | Debbie Hall | Main Personnel, Violin |
| 13 | Jade Warrior | Primary Artist |
| 14 | Jeff Westley | Main Personnel, Piano (Electric) |
| 15 | Graham Morgan | Drums, Drums (Snare), Main Personnel |
| 16 | Tom Newman | Audio Engineer, Engineer |
| 17 | Joe O'Donnell | Main Personnel, Violin |
| 18 | David Platt | Liner Notes |
| 19 | Mark Powell | Reissue Producer |
| 20 | Clodagh Simonds | Main Personnel, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 21 | The String Quartet | Main Personnel |
| 22 | Gowan Turnbull | Saxophone |
| 23 | Geoff Westley | Piano |
| 24 | Jeff Westley | Piano (Electric) |
| 25 | Willie | Drums (Bass), Main Personnel |
| 26 | Willie | Percussion |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |