Although Counting By Heads, released on Liquid Disc, is the second project from One Hundred Days, technically, it's not a follow up to 1995's The Obvious. Rather, to tide us over until their next CD is released, Counting By Heads showcases older material recorded between 1989 and 1992. No skeletons in these closets-for the most part, treasures only!
One Hundred Days is comprised of Andrew Horrocks and Ian Tanner. Horrocks plays guitar and sings backup and some lead vocals. Tanner sings lead vocals, and plays bass guitar and keyboards. Both Horrocks and Tanner were members of The Awakening, a Canadian band which released two highly regarded CD's on Reunion Records-Sanctified in 1987, and Into Thy Hands in 1988. Most of the twelve songs on Counting By Heads come from an independent project released by One Hundred Days in 1992, while they were known as The Obvious (hence the title of their first CD). The rest is material recorded by The Awakening for their third project, which was never released.
Counting By Heads opens with "Where Would I Be?," a great straight-ahead rock tune. Tanner and Horrocks share lead vocal duties quite effectively atop a rich base of sound. Fat synthesizer and fuzzy ZZ Top guitar from Horrocks work quite well together. Mike Powell, on drums, keeps things interesting. "Eye To Eye," taken from the 1992 independent project, employs great horns and wonderful harmonies reminiscent of Yes' 90125. The song reinforces the importance of communication in any relationship:
I always bury my head, You only see one side, We always walk instead of meeting, Eye to Eye.
A standout from The Awakening era is "Seven Sails." Alternating between the hypnotic, lilting verse and forthright, reverent chorus, this song gives us a taste of the artfulness of this band. The chorus is beautiful:
Seven sails at sunset, Come to take me home, In the twilight gleaming, I will never be alone. Omnipotence that makes me whole, Cascading light bathes my soul, The foresight of a thousand years has just begun. Take my hand, lead me home, Take my heart and make me whole. The foresight of a thousand years has just begun...
The original demo version of "Beauty Of The Night" is quite a surprise. Featuring entirely different verses and arrangement, it's interesting to hear the origin of one of my favourite songs from The Obvious. A little slower, and a little quieter, this version of "Beauty Of The Night" is enjoyable in its own right.
"Cold World Laughing" features great piano work and a superb vocal performance from Ian Tanner. Discussing the pain and loneliness we all deal with at times, the song reinforces the reality of God that sustains us. Reminding me a little of AD, "Cold World Laughing" is one of my favourite songs on this CD.
The project includes all but four of the songs from One Hundred Days' 1992 independent CD. One song that didn't make the cut, that should have, is "Open Your Heart," a great little pop song with a fun piano solo, trademark One Hundred Days harmonies, and a little reggae thrown in for good measure. "For The Love Of Money," on the other hand, the only song I didn't like on the independent CD, is included. Go figure.
Counting By Heads does a good job of bridging the gap between The Awakening's Into Thy Hands in 1988 and last year's The Obvious by One Hundred Days. The sound quality and performances are consistently good. The songwriting, as we've come to expect from One Hundred Days, is equally strong. This project brings to light some truly wonderful songs. It will be a welcome release for not only true One Hundred Days fans, but anyone who likes fun-loving pop/rock music.
Similar sounding releases
1996Geoff Moore & The DistanceGreatest Hits
1992In ReachWaterline
1992The Seventy SevensThe Seventy Sevens
1994JerusalemProphet
1994Broken SilenceShout It Out Loud
1995The Swirling EddiesThe Berry Vest
