Tarot Suite
| Tarot Suite | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1979 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Mike Batt | |||
| Mike Batt chronology | ||||
| ||||
Tarot Suite is the third solo album by English singer-songwriter Mike Batt, credited as "Mike Batt and Friends". It was released in 1979 by Epic Records.
Background and content
[edit]Tarot Suite is a concept album, inspired by the 22 Major Arcana trump cards of the tarot deck,[1] of which Batt had been fascinated by the artwork and tradition.[2] The album's liner notes include a description of the various cards and how they individually relate to each track on the album.[1][3]
Like his previous album Schizophonia (1977), Tarot Suite contains what Batt has described as an "experimental combination of rock and symphonic instruments.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
In a review for AllMusic, Dave Sleger said that the album is "an artfully and literate collection of orchestrated rock & roll", and that it features an "impressive assemblage of musicians". He opined that on the track "Imbecile", guest singer Roger Chapman "has never appeared to have better control of his voice".[1]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks written by Mike Batt.
Side one
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Imbecile" (vocal: Roger Chapman) | 5:05 |
| 3. | "Plainsong" | 1:58 |
| 4. | "Lady of the Dawn" (vocal: Mike Batt) | 4:00 |
| 5. | "The Valley of Swords" | 5:30 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Losing Your Way in the Rain" (vocal: Colin Blunstone) | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Tarota" | 6:13 |
| 3. | "The Night of the Dead" | 3:30 |
| 4. | "The Dead of the Night" | 1:58 |
| 5. | "Run Like the Wind" (vocal: Roger Chapman) | 4:27 |
Personnel
[edit]Adapted from the album's liner notes.[3]
Musicians
[edit]- Mike Batt – vocals (side one: track 4), arranger, conductor
- Colin Blunstone – vocals (side two: track 1)
- Roger Chapman – vocals (side one: track 2; side two: track 5)
- Tony Carr – percussion
- B. J. Cole – pedal steel guitar
- Mel Collins – saxophone
- Ray Cooper – percussion
- Jim Cregan – lead guitar
- Harold Fisher – drums
- Mike Fry – percussion
- Rory Gallagher – lead guitar
- Ricky Hitchcock – rhythm guitar
- Chris Karan – percussion
- London Symphony Orchestra – orchestra (leader: Irvine Arditti)
- Frank McDonald – bass guitar
- Tony McPhee – lead guitar
- Trevor Morais – drums
- Roy Morgan – percussion
- Alan Parker – rhythm guitar
- Chris Spedding – lead guitar
- Les Thatcher – rhythm guitar
- Martin Kershaw – rhythm guitar
Technical
[edit]- Mike Batt – producer
- Mike Thompson – principal recording engineer
- Robert Butterworth – engineer
- Gary Langan – engineer
- Dick Lewsey – engineer
- Julian Mendelsohn – engineer
- Vaughan Rogers – engineer
- John Timperley – engineer
- Eric Tomlinson – engineer
- Sleeve design: Mike Batt & Simon Cantwell
- Artwork: Jack Richards
- Photography: Peter Lavery
- Typography: Richard Field
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1979) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[4] | 32 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[5] | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] | 3 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[7] | 47 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Tarot Suite - Mike Batt | Album | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b "TAROT SUITE". Mike Batt.
- ^ a b Tarot Suite (liner notes). Mike Batt. Epic. 1979.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mike Batt – Tarot Suite" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Mike Batt – Tarot Suite". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Mike Batt – Tarot Suite". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 May 2025.