Following the success of Michael Hedges' Grammy-nominated Aerial Boundaries, the guitarist took on a new challenge and released Watching My Life Go By, his first recording to feature the musician taking on vocal as well as instrumental duties.
Subdued, almost uncharacteristically restrained, Hedges the singer/songwriter doesn't quite live up to Hedges the avant-garde or self-proclaimed "violent acoustic" guitarist.
This being the artist's first attempt at a vocal recording, it is understandable that what amounts to a musical learning curve sometimes gets the better of him.
But that is not to say that the music of this 1985 Windham Hill release is substandard in a general sense -- quite the opposite, really.
However, when compared to Hedges' brilliant instrumental work, there exists only the slightest discrepancy.
That being said, there are still moments worth mentioning on this release, chief among them being "Woman of the World" and "Streamlined Man." Both of these tracks feature more confident vocal performances and very insightful lyrics.
A bit of a learning experience, Watching My Life Go By might not be Hedges' finest offering; however, the record still features plenty of great performances of heartfelt material.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Face YourselfMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | I'm Coming HomeMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | Woman of the WorldMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 18 MB |
| 4 | Watching My Life Go ByMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 03:14 | 7 MB | 16 MB |
| 5 | I Want YouMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 17 MB |
| 6 | The Streamlined ManMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 18 MB |
| 7 | Out on the ParkwayMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 8 | HolidayMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | All Along the WatchtowerBob Dylan | Michael Hedges | Play | 03:04 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 10 | Running BlindMichael Hedges | Michael Hedges | Play | 04:56 | 11 MB | 21 MB |
| 40 mins | 93 MB | |||||
| 40 mins | 183 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hilleary Burgess | Glass, Production Coordination |
| 2 | Bob Dylan | Composer |
| 3 | John Hanes | Drums |
| 4 | Michael Hedges | Arranger, Bass, Composer, Engineer, Flute, Glass, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Harmonica, Primary Artist, Synthesizer, Vocals |
| 5 | George Horn | Mastering |
| 6 | Michael Manring | Bass, Fretless Bass, Guest Artist, Guitar (Bass) |
| 7 | Elliot Mazer | Engineer, Producer |
| 8 | Bobby McFerrin | Chant, Guest Artist, Vocals |
| 9 | Anne Robinson | Design |
| 10 | Irene Young | Photography |
| 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. |