Hugh Hopper (of Soft Machine fame) and Alan Gowen (Gilgamesh, National Health) first met in January 1978 and recorded together with Soft Heap/Soft Head and Gowen's Gilgamesh (on their second album Another Fine Tune).
At the end of 1978, Hopper retired, only to come back to music in 1980.
Waiting for him was his friend Gowen, who proposed a duo project.
Two Rainbows Daily was recorded during the first week of June 1980 and released on the short-lived Red Records.
There are only keyboards and bass, sometimes with multiple overdubs, keeping it a two-man creation.
Therefore, the mood of the album remains very intimate and friendly.
Two Rainbows Daily is simply about two friends crafting Moog and bass melodies that retain something from the Canterbury sound but remain very laid-back.
This is Sunday afternoon jamming in the living room with a cup of tea music and is as close to new age as Canterbury rock ever got.
The Cuneiform CD reissue adds five tracks (20 minutes) taken from a one-off concert on September 21, 1980, with Hopper, Gowen, and drummer Nigel Morris.
These improvisations are rather sloppy and of little interest compared to the beautifully crafted tunes preceding them, although the bonus is appreciated if only for historic relevance.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seen Through a DoorAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 05:54 | 13 MB | 31 MB |
| 2 | Morning OrderAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 06:32 | 14 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Two Rainbows DailyAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 4 | ElibomHugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 05:04 | 11 MB | 21 MB |
| 5 | Every Silver LiningAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 05:23 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Waltz for NobbyAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 09:07 | 20 MB | 37 MB |
| 7 | Chunka's TrollAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 05:16 | 12 MB | 27 MB |
| 8 | Little DreamAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 17 MB |
| 9 | Soon to FlyAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 04:03 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 10 | Bracknell BalladAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 04:10 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Stopes ChangeAlan Gowen, Hugh Hopper, Nigel Morris | Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen, Hugh Hopper | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 18 MB |
| 12 | Fishtank I | Hugh Hopper | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 23 MB |
| 62 mins | 142 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 289 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alan Gowen | Composer, Keyboards, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Hugh Hopper | Bass, Composer, Cover Painting, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Hugh Hopper & Alan Gowen | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Paula Millet | Design, Graphic Design |
| 5 | Nigel Morris | Composer, Percussion |
| 6 | Rob Williams | Remastering |
| 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). |