X-Dreams

X-Dreams
Studio album by
Annette Peacock
Released1978
Recorded1975
StudioEssex Studios, London W1
GenreJazz, rock
LabelAura
ProducerAaron Sixx, Annette Peacock
Annette Peacock chronology
I'm the One
(1972) 		X-Dreams
(1978) 		The Perfect Release
(1979)

X-Dreams is the second solo album by Annette Peacock, released in 1978.[1]

Peacock had spent the previous four years recording material for the album in various studios. She recalled that a total of 22 musicians participated in the creation of the album: "most of them had never played together, and all the tracks were first takes. It was very exciting."[2] Mick Ronson played on tracks 1, 5, 6 and 7. Peacock reflected: "There was an understanding between Mick and I, a mutual respect and admiration."[3]

In an interview, Peacock stated that she approached the creation of the album as if it were two singles, "like each side was one piece... and the relationship between the two sides was important." Side A (tracks 1–3) was "very hard and aggressive," while side B (tracks 4–7) was "very romantic and kind of sweet."[2]

The song "My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook" is featured in the film Chasing Amy.[4]

The contents of the album were reissued by Sanctuary Records on the 2004 compilation My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook: The Aura Years 1978–1982.[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
DownBeat[7]

Thom Jurek of Allmusic said, "there are no weak moments on X-Dreams, and despite its age, the album still sounds a bit ahead of its time."[6]

In an article for Flood Magazine, Ad Amorosi wrote: "X-Dreams is stunning stuff that nearly 45 years after its initial moment has lost none of its punch or import."[8]

Imran Khan, writing for PopMatters, commented: "X-Dreams depicts the endless streams of language found in dreams, a transient moment that has been frozen by the coiled magic of Peacock's words and her uncanny ability to capture an image in sound. Overall, it's a phantasmagorical exercise in harnessing the slipstreams of dreamed noises."[9]

A reviewer for Head Heritage remarked: "Resigning the instrumentation to a battery of both jazz and rock musicians, her songs are all carefully thought out ruminations regarding love, relationships and general man/woman workings that are astonishingly clear and simple as they are frighteningly insightful."[10]

An article at AltRockChick states: "Despite the lengthy, choppy recording 'process,' the gestalt is one of unity, of shared inspiration. X-Dreams is a remarkably engaging record, a full-on aesthetic experience that confirms Annette Peacock's stone-cold original status." [11]

Track listing

All compositions by Annette Peacock except where noted

  1. "My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook"
  2. "Real and Defined Androgens"
  3. "Dear Bela"
  4. "This Feel Within"
  5. "Too Much in the Skies"
  6. "Don't Be Cruel" (Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley)
  7. "Questions"

Personnel

Production

  • Aaron Sixx – executive producer
  • Annette Peacock – producer
  • John MacKenzie Burns – engineer
  • Andrew Pearce – assistant engineer
  • Bob Carlos Clarke – photography

References

  1. ^ "Annette Peacock: X-Dreams". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Brazier, Lottie (March 8, 2017). "The Strange World Of... Annette Peacock". The Quietus. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  3. ^ Weird & Gilly. The Spider With The Platinum Hair, p189. John Blake Publishing. 2017.
  4. ^ Adler, David R. "Biography: Annette Peacock". AllMusic. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "Annette Peacock - My Mama Never Taught Me How to Cook: The Aura Years 1978–1982". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "X-Dreams". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  7. ^ Hadley, Frank-John (February 1980). "Annette Peacock: X-Dreams". DownBeat. Vol. 47, no. 2. p. 44.
  8. ^ Amorosi, Ad (May 25, 2021). "Annette Peacock, 'X-Dreams' + 'The Perfect Release' (Remastered)". Flood Magazine. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  9. ^ Khan, Imran (December 10, 2015). "X = Why? Annette Peacock's 'X-Dreams'". PopMatters. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Annette Peacock's X-Dreams". Head Heritage. January 2001. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Annette Peacock – X-Dreams – Classic Music Review". AltRockChick. January 30, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "X-Dreams". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 November 2017.