With this recording, Al di Meola thankfully left behind the pop-fusion sound that he had perfected with Jan Hammer.
This was his first venture using the Roland guitar synthesizer and a drum machine.
The technology used on this recording sounds dated, but the intent seems genuine.
Jan Hammer's Miami Vice sound can be heard throughout, especially on "Sequencer"; di Meola places more emphasis on composition and production than on his famous technique.
This turns out to be a refreshing change, but it would have been nice to hear him jam with Phil Collins on "Island Dreamer" rather than lying back on what turns out to be a disappointing collaboration.
"Calliope" finds di Meola aligned with Bill Bruford and Tony Levin, although this too turns out to be a disappointment.
Certainly a turning point in di Meola's career, but hardly at the level of his later output.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mata HariAl Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 06:05 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 2 | African NightJan Hammer, Al Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 04:50 | 11 MB | 30 MB |
| 3 | Island DreamerJan Hammer, Al Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | ScenarioAl Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 03:57 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 5 | SequencerJan Hammer | Al Di Meola | Play | 04:06 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 6 | CachacaAl Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 05:34 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 7 | Hypnotic ConvictionJan Hammer, Al Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | CalliopeAl Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 04:17 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 9 | ScoundrelJan Hammer, Al Di Meola | Al Di Meola | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 40 mins | 92 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 272 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | William Alexander | Fairlight CMI, Programming |
| 2 | Willie Alexander | Fairlight |
| 3 | John Berg | Cover Design, Design |
| 4 | Bill Bruford | Drums, Drums (Electric), Guest Artist, Simmons Drums |
| 5 | Phil Collins | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 6 | Al Di Meola | Composer, Drums, Fairlight CMI, Flute, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Synthesizer), Mandocello, Multi Instruments, Primary Artist, Producer, Roland Synthesizer, Saxophone, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Flute, Synthesizer Saxophone, Tom-Tom |
| 7 | Bernie Grundman | Mastering |
| 8 | Jan Hammer | Bass, Composer, Drums, Fairlight, Fairlight CMI, Guest Artist, Keyboards, Linn, Linn Drum, Moog Bass, Organ, Piano, Roland Synthesizer, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Drums |
| 9 | David Kennedy | Photography |
| 10 | David Michael Kennedy | Photography |
| 11 | Tony Levin | Bass, Bass (Electric), Guest Artist, Guitar (Bass), Stick Bass |
| 12 | Dennis MacKay | Assistant Producer, Engineer, Producer |
| 13 | Jerry Mahler | Assistant Engineer |
| 14 | Richard Markowitz | Assistant Engineer |
| 15 | Philip Roberge | Executive Producer |
| 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). |