Paradox One Reviews

INVENTING STARS

Paradox One is the brainchild of U.K. musician Phil Jackson, who on Inventing Stars plays a variety of instruments, including guitar, synths, piano, organ and bass. Though only a little over half an hour, there are several noteworthy tracks that scud the boundaries of space rock, neo-psychedelia and prog rock. The disc’s opening track, “Dimensions,” is reminiscent of early 90’s Hawkwind, while “An Orison of Sound” blends elements of trance with the work of 70’s synth pioneers like Jean-Michel Jarre and Michael Garrison. “Regeneration” is the album’s heaviest track, its power-chorded guitar intro ultimately making way for waves of organ and samples that again remind one of similar work by Hawkwind. Songs like “Lindisfarne” and “Invisible” provide pleasant quasi-folk diversions from the electronica that dominates most of Inventing Stars. Both tracks feature some nice flute by Elspeth McCormack. The symphonic jazz textures of “The Bridge over the Rhein” move the album away from its roots in electronica and more toward the prog rock of the Canterbury era. Though perhaps not yet fully-fledged, there are enough bright spots on Inventing Stars to warrant the assumption that Jackson’s next project will be more coherent and less eclectic.
Charles Van de Kree (Aural Innovations)

The Journal of the Classic Rock Society thought 'Inventing Stars' was very Tangerine Dream like and will appeal to keyboard fans who like a bit of mystery and atmosphere.
Thanks to Larry Vilchek of Root Deco who took the time to listen to the music and had this to say:
"I'd forgotten how cool a well-tempered synth can sound. 'Dimensions' had a real Hatfield and the North thing going. 'Invislble' is creepy stalker-chic. Liked the vocals! As for Orison...Arthur Brown would be proud.I'm sure he'd love to howl over this kind of thing. By the time one gets to track 6, 'Regeneration', you really kick into overdrive. Tradks 6 through nine (my own favourites) come off like a suite cooked up by Christan Vander of Magma.'The Time Has Come' has another vocal teaser. Let's have more lyrics next time. If I were a reviewer I'd sum up with something like "Paradox One's "Inventing Stars" is an icy soundtrack in search of a cool French Sci Fi film." The quieter bits reminded me of Rare Bird and also I was reminded of Emerson in the keyboard playing. Compliments to whoever did the artwork.
(I really value and appreciate Larry's opinion as Root Deco is a great band and even to be mentioned in the same breath as the artists he quotes..well!!)
Another guy whose opinions I respect is Paul Foley of Oz band Brainstorm:
Three aspects make it for me:
Songwriting - this is a strength, assurance, whatever which comes from artistic drive, more mature and confident than previously.
Also there is a lot of great improvisational keyboard work on the CD, which brings it to life in a big way, again, personalising it and cutting through the medium to connect directly between artist and listener.
Also the use of other instruments, guitar, bass and drums (also flute!) enlarge the canvas immensely on which you work, and offer opportunities for a much broader range of textures and dynamics.
Track 1: reminds me of early Jethro Tull (ie pre Aqualung).
Tracks 2 & 3: Best thing ever.The song itself reminds me of ‘Cellophane Man’ from the musical ‘Chicago’.Music conveying such vulnerability is very brave, and is the most confronting and engaging thing on the CD.
Track 4: Good trick, bringing instruments in one at a time to build to crescendo.Track itself seems too "full" of sound to me; not enough silence behind the music. The best bit, a really good bit, is the improv solo from about the 4-minute mark onwards.
Track 5: Very nice, again the keyboard (distorted organ) improv is great.
Paul didn’t like the second half of the album as well but hey.. what the heck! “I did like the piano improvisations and the use of harmonica,” he says. Thanks, Paul!

Don Campau No Pigeonholes Radio- "I really dig the new album. Its a fine production. I like the length of the tracks, makes me want to hear it again and again. Top notch release! "

Also a positive review from George at European Progressive Rock Reviews

Influenced by science fiction, the universe and life, this album ranges from the almost sentimental new age direction of "Invisible" and "Invisible Too" and winds up in Tangerine Dream territory as the music takes on that unmistakable beat, excitement and energy that is so much a trademark of Edgar Froese. I particularly like the track "Lindisfarne" which is close to my heart, and has a dark and electronic interpretation that is quite unusual when compared to other tracks influenced by that Holy place, it really is effective.
The heavier direction, supplied by Flight 09's Igor Savich on the opener "Dimension" and "Regeneration", adds a bite to Phil's music and is a welcome attraction, while on the aforesaid "Invisible", Phil's heartfelt, pleading vocal style perfectly complements the piano, flute and strings and is certainly pleasing and maybe could be used more on a full length album. Rating 85%

ALTERNATIVE REALITY

Notes by Phil;

The track listing is:
Manfred 2:45 (based on an excerpt from Schumann's 'Manfred Overturre')
Over the Top 2:21
Adrenaline Rush 6:28
(Tracks 2 and 3 had Sebastian Faulks haunting book 'Birdsong' very much in mind and were written around the time we were all reflecting on 'The Longest Day'. I consider 'Manfred' and 'Adrenaline Rush' to be two of my finest compositions to date but I better let the reviewers decide that!)
Lisette 2:09 (Solo acoustic guitar, a lighter moment)
Edge of Reality 3:50 (A new arrangement of what was hinted out in the end section of 'Wake Up Call' off my last album)
A Faint Nimbus of Starlight 1:06 (Another interlude, the title coming from a phrase in a Robert Sheckley story)
Nuclear Casket 4:59 (Based on a Rick Ray composition on 'Night of the Living Deadicated' with additional material)
Space Race 5:10 (I actually wrote this originally for the 'Moon Orion Project' for Stone Premonitions but I figured it fitted well here)
Adrenaline Spill 4:53 (Basically an alternative version of 'Adrenaline Rush' with lots of piano and synth soloing)
The End of All Things 3:50 (It was fun going back to the track from 'Reality Quake' and recall/ record it digitally for the first time. Inevitably the arrangement has turned out to be quite different but the heavy rock organ is instantly recognisable).

from Prognaut.com

"Alternate Reality"is the latest release from British one-man space-rock band, pArAdOx OnE, which is basically Phil Jackson. Phil is mostly associated with recordings by American guitarist, Rick Ray.
pArAdOx OnE creates a wonderful blend of music that’s mostly keyboard based. All of the songs are instrumental and clock in mostly under 4 minutes. Personal highlights of the CD are the songs that over 5 minutes, such as Adrenaline Rush (over 6 minutes) and Space Race.

I would recommend this CD to fan’s of the aforementioned space-rock genre as well as those looking for something non-metallic

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on April 26th, 2005

PARADOX ONE "Alternate Reality" Interesting mix of saucy drums and danceable keyboards make this CD a fun blend of musical creativity. Lots of playful keys and yet it's hard to know what to say about this creation except that it is unique in all ways. Phil Jackson is a one-man band creating sounds and music that must come mostly from joy and experimentation, even including some personal renditions of classical pieces. Amidst the chaos his personal sound and style shines through clearly. I could see this music being used easily as a nice addition to a wacky or upbeat video game soundtrack. Varying from the unusual to do a more traditional sounding acoustic guitar piece in the song "Lisette" it is clear that Phil Jackson is multitalented in his musical abilities. I would recommend this CD to anyone looking for a change of pace from heavily produced, cookie cutter format music that is often available on the market today. [Maria Weeks for Space Junkies)

Paradox One is the solo project of Phil Jackson. Phil who, many moons ago, was in a couple of Dundee based bands that never really got off the ground but along with their own material played covers of YES, Camel, Deep Purple etc. songs, discovered that prog was still a force, albeit an underground one. Inspired by this and bands such as Anekdoten and Anglagard and authors of sci-fi, he 'gave birth' to Paradox One and Alternate Reality is, I believe, his fourth album.

This instrumental and keyboard dominated album opens with a piece of music which sounded familiar (to me) and is in fact an excerpt from Robert Schumann's Manfred Overture (1852). Nicely done but I have to say that the sound of this and the next track, Over the Top, veers on the side of the 'one man and his four-track' recoding in the bathroom, if you know what I mean. However, things improve with the fuller sound on Adrenaline Rush, which is also the longest track at 6mins 28secs but could easily be extended to twice that length without risk of losing the listener's interest.

Keyboards are swapped for acoustic guitar for the lovely Lisette, which provides a nice intermission before the album really kicks off with the Purple-esque keyboards in Edge Of Reality.

The all-too-short A Faint Nimbus Of Starlight enters the prog frame and whilst only keyboards feature on this piece, I keep expecting a Hacketty guitar to enter the frame as on the Genesis track Hairless Heart.

Still maintaining the prog theme, but in standard time, Nuclear Casket carries a hint of sci-fi and Deep Purple. Space Race, as the title would suggest, delves deeper into the sci-fi theme creating a slightly eerie if not lonely atmosphere (not that there is any in space) of an astronaut alone in his capsule drifting in the void.

If you noted what I said about Adrenaline Rush, penultimate track Adrenaline Spill is the sort of 'part 2' in that it continues the original theme. Actually, it is interesting to play this track immediately after Adrenaline Rush to get the full effect.

Alternate Reality closes with strength in The End Of All Things which reminds me of Manfred Mann's Earthband around their Solar Fire era.

With a running time of just over 37 minutes, Alternate Reality by today's standards is a short album, yet it is just the right length to find yourself replaying selected tracks or the whole album. True solo albums such as this are not easy to pull off which is why the majority of 'solo' musicians employ the services of guest musicians. One or two tracks sound a little weak in execution (could be improved with the addition of a bass player and drummer for example) but overall, Alternate Reality is very listenable thanks to Phil's compositions and enthusiastic performance.

Jem Jedrzejewski (Hairless Heart Herald)

One initial reaction to 'Alternative Reality'. "Tremendous stuff, really atmospheric, ACE keyboard playing and GREAT sound quality."
If you want to purchase an early copy we are not hard to deal with!

ESCALATORS TO MARS

Click here for a German review

PARADOX ONE. Escalators To Mars. Neurosis Records '7' CD-03.
One thing about Neurosis Records is the fact that you can't really go wrong for seven dollars! This is Paradox's third album, and is perhaps the one where Phil Jackson comes into his own. The overall mood is darker, and the quality of the production and recording is really spot on. The album is kinda split into two pieces: Escalators To Mars has eight tracks, and Angel Song In Neon has three, and concludes with a 'solo' track, Milo Mindbender. On this album there isn't as many references to Phil's inspirations, such as there was on his first, Reality Quake. Analogue synths blurt throughout the album, some quite beautifully, others more reflective and whilst the album, as a whole, demands more listener participation, ultimately the results are somewhat more satisfying than his previous albums. It's great to hear that the synthesiser can still reveal and create in the hands of someone who obviously knows where he wants it to go. (Dw) Modern Dance #47

Aural Innovations: February 2004
Paradox One is a solo project from Scottish musician and progressive rock journalist Phil Jackson. Escalators To Mars is his third CD on Rick Ray's Neurosis label and consists primarily of two lengthy suites.
The album opens with the multi-track Escalator To Mars. After a brief bouncy keyboard intro, "Twilight Creeping Across The Continent" shifts gears with multiple layers of atmospherics, bubbling and gurgling spacey bits and pulsating effects. There's also an acoustic guitar buried in the mix playing a noodling melody. It's a cool combination of video game and sci fi soundtrack elements. The theme continues to develop on the darkly intense, marching space-prog tune, "Little Green Men". "Yap! Yap! Yap!" goes deeper into atmospheric and enjoyably freaky alien space territory, though Jackson's keyboards keep things equally in the progressive rock realm. Until now Jackson has been drifting along, slowly putting the pieces of his Martian world into place. But as if the picture were now completed and ready for action, things get really exciting with "Son Of Little Green Men", a killer slab of wailing melody, syncopated synth patterns and a general glom of Kosmiche intensity and fun. Next is "Wake Up Call" which shifts gears in both style and mood, being a peacefully melodic tune driven by keyboard and strumming acoustic guitar. But in the last minute, as if it were a completely different song, a potent Deep Purple styled Hammond kicks in, though this section is all too brief. I recall hearing this Jon Lord keyboard sound on previous Paradox One albums. "Minimum Survival Explorer" is a quirky robotic Martian dance song with a great keyboard sound, a solid groove, and cool efx'd vocals. And "Vignette" brings the suite to a close with soothing acoustic guitar and angelic keyboards. Pretty damn good! Jackson does a great job of thematic development and is, with some minor exceptions, seamless in his transitioning from one track to the next.
The album continues with a shorter but still lengthy construction, the 3-part "Angel Song In Neon". Opening with still more space-prog styles, the music is light and melodic at first, but then becomes a brooding song, with the second instance of vocals on the album. I like this song for the nifty blend of progressive rock and Hawkwind influences. And the third part is just as cool, launching into a space-jazz jam that combines steady bubbling space synth patterns with grooving jazz keys. Finally, the album wraps up with the stand alone track, "Milo Mindbender", an acoustic song that's like a cross between folk music and pub rock.
In summary, this is the strongest Paradox One album to date. With each new release Jackson becomes more accomplished at developing solid ideas into larger, coherent works. And while there was plenty of both progressive and space rock on his last album, Dimension Of Miracles (see AI #20), Escalator To Mars integrates these musical spheres more fully to create a space-prog blend that will appeal to varied tastes. Check it out.

Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Paradox One (UK) - 2003 - "Escalators to Mars" *****
(45 min, Neurosis)
Reviewed by Vitaly Menshikov, Progressor
"Escalators To Mars", the second album by multi-instrumentalist and well-known progressive reviewer Phil Jackson, is an extremely unusual, yet, highly attractive experiment. These strange electronically symphonic landscapes are the best Martian music I've heard, as if such a thing really existed! The palette is painted with rich, spacey symphonic, very colorful passages and solos of synthesizers with the addition of the parts of electric and acoustic guitars here and there, all flowing to the accompaniment of an excellently programmed drum machine. The uncommon sound, typical for the greater part of the album, has a clear psychedelic character, and the music shines with diversity and profoundness. One of the compositions, Little Green Men, reminds me of the sci-fi movie music, and the voice at the end of it supplements and intensifies the effect. The parts of electric and acoustic guitars are effectively interwoven with those of synthesizers on Wake Up Call and Milo Mindbender, which is the last stage of this amazing Space Rock escalator. These two have somewhat a more materially minded sound than the others. Maybe, this means that contact between Earth and Mars is really possible after all? Like Phil, I want to believe in it, too. NASA should make a contract with him to play the album via the newest Mars research vehicles, which may turn out to be the best way to finally get into contact with Little Green Men, of blessed memory of Mr. Herbert W.

Hi Phil,

I received your cd from RicK Ray. It's cool. I will certainly give it a spin in my radio program. Ray is a great guitarist and artist.

Groeten uit Nederland, Mark C. Deren
http://www.markfromholland.com

Phil,
I just wanted to thank you for the Escalators to Mars album. It's wonderful! I am really enjoying it. I particularly like the acoustic guitar and vocal additions; they work wonderfully with the synths. Wake Up Call is exquisite--I couldn't get the tune out of my head (isn't that the mark of a break-out single?!)--as is Vignette. And I love all of Angel Song, especially We Are As One. The synthesizers give off such vibrational energy--especially in Track 11. I was listening to the album in my car and it felt like my car had gained a second motor and was going to take off! Truly wonderful.

You must be very proud of the work you've done. Congratulations!

Best wishes,
Kathy Bernstein

Paradox One is Phil Jackson who plays all instruments on this progressive rock CD with space rock overtones. Keyboards abound and pick out the main themes on this album which is definitely based around 70s prog with shades of Genesis being very much present. Vocals are largely kept to the background as Jackson concentrates on his synth work which occasionally moves towards ambient before returning to prog with a vengeance. The final track, 'Milo Minderbender', even seems to sum up the spirit and humour of the 70's as Jackson simply revels in this, his retro fantasy.
Terry Craven
(Journal of the Classic Rock Society)

DIMENSION OF MIRACLES

I'd like to personally thank Robert for his deep consideration of my CD 'Dimension of Miracles'. I really don't know what to say! His insight into and appreciation of what I was trying to achieve on the CD give me great hope and encouragement for the future. Here is the full text of Robert's review:

Paradox OnE - dimension of miracles - PHIL JACKSON - all instruments Neurosis Records Total time - 58:12

Review by ROBERT URBAN Urban Productions, NYC www.roberturban.com

Progressive rock recording artist PHIL JACKSON exhibits a very healthy appreciation for classic analog synthesizer tones, and is a modern master of these good ol' venerable sound sources. There's no clue in the dimension of miracles cd credits as to whether he's using genuine, vintage synths, or digital reproductions of them - but it sure SOUNDS like real Mini-moogs and Oberheims!. I could swear the most modern synth on the album is a DX7!.

This being said - there is an enjoyment in listening to music made on older, analog instruments that is not there when all the sound sources are digital (as is sadly the case in most rock music made today). There's just something warmer, more "real", more "pliant", more "dimensional" for the ear to grab on to with analog - and this helps make listening to PARADOX ONE a welcome treat.

Phil also plays some interesting guitar (more on this later) and offers a touch of both spoken word & singing vocals on DIMENSION OF MIRACLES. His synth bass playing is especially powerful and well-executed throughout. Most of the tracks groove to a simply, but effectively, programmed drum machine.

DIMENSION OF MIRACLES consists of three main musical pieces:

A. TRAGIC REALM
B. DIMENSION OF MIRACLES
C. QUARTER'S MASS

Each piece is divided into several named movements.

This listener senses a certain purposeful "stream of consciousness". or "randomness" to the structure, sequence and progression of the cd's movements, and how they relate to each other on this album. Most seem to come out of left field in relation to what has just come before; and more often than not one cannot tell what they have in common sonically, programmatically or thematically with preceding movements. Nor do the parts seem particularly connected to their wholes.

Which is kewl - and which is why I'd like to review the tracks on DIMENSION OF MIRACLES in a way that reflects my immediate impression of the listening experience.

A. DIMENSION OF MIRACLES
1. "Entering the Dimension" - Cascading Moog-like arpeggios, sparkling Oberheimian octave ostinatos and the fat, lush sound of analog synthesizers' string/brass patches. The purity in tone of a few clear oscillators! Sparse themes simply & elegantly presented - a fanfare of an opener!.

2. "Dimension of Miracles" - deep & pounding swing rock - fondly remininiscent of early Gentle Giant ala "3 Friends" era - spiced up with an electronica hip-hop touch of spoken word - (am getting flashbacks of "I am yourself!" computer/droid voice from ELP's "Brain Salad Surgery").

3. "The Carmodic Personality" - I can't find "carmodic" in the dictionary. Now Phil is jamming on a cool blues rock progression with improvised synth solo (great bass line too, by the way) - Ah! - the joy of "playing with yourself"

4. "From the Void" - Phil chills down to a soft, smooth Latin mood/groove - (am expecting Sade' to start singin' any moment. ) here's a very human touch on the laid back Fender Rhodes solo. BAM! Breaks into a tuff & punchy blown-out rock bass riff (I'd love to sample that bass sound!) I've ever heard - WHOA! - classic B3 Hammond organ in OVERDRIVE! Now he's. murdering the keyboard as a coda. he's.. choking it.. It. slowly. dies.

B. TRAGIC REALM
5. "I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream" - hmmmm.. Something "Pink Floydish" going down here. spookily - the synths mimic the cries of a human voice. - a cacophony of bell chimes.

6. "Majesty" - sounds like the organ at Westminister Abbey - appropriately REGAL music ala the title - some new kind of "Water Music"? - is morphing into a. yes. a Cha-Cha! - am getting visuals of a sashaying Queen Elizabeth groovin' down the aisle at yet another Diamond Jubilee!

7. "Tragic Realm" - BIG, BAD, HEAVY BASS RIFF ROCK intro with rockin' synth solo improv (this may be my fav track.) - plus overlaid cacophonous spoken word effects ala Crimson & Floyd - (wherein you don't understand the words, but get the meaning nonetheless) - very trippy.

8. "Alien Harvest" - Music Concrete' noise - MORTON SUBOTNIK flashback (this should be in Quad!) into a cool ostinato drone/power anthem as good as Crimson's "RED" - and suddenly returns to weirdness - more trippy dubbed in human voices - shades of Beatles' "Revolution #9".

9. "Big Brother" - Aha! I hear a guitar..with the pre-amp maxed out - hmmmm - I hear the squeak of strings. could this actually be a fuzzed-out ACOUSTIC guitar!?!? Very interesting riff - sort of "Captain Beefheart meets Fracture". SNAPS into a trashy punk/southern rock pop hybrid type tune "Big Brother" .

10."The Road to Osiris" - This complex movement is like a whole little symphony of movements unto itself. The music starts as a return to the glistening synth arpeggios as in the cd's first track - then into a slow funky groove - kinda "random sampler-like" riff - into a fast, pulsating movement featuring one of the sickest, spookiest solo synth tones I've ever heard - with haunting, choppy chords that almost seem to talk - into a ghostly, fading coda like the end of Holst's "The Planets" - very unusual chords..

C. QUATER'S MASS
11."An Inheritance of Dormant Faculties" - an ungodly march - overdubbed spoken word references to the dark ages - of some ancient horror -

12. "Imps and Demons" - Appropriately impish and demonic in character - featuring a truly sick Fred Frithish type guitar solo. Phil Jackson's guitar tones are so "over-the-top cooked" as to be indescribable - am guessing there is no guitar amp here - just lined-in and BLOWN OUT - to great effect. SUDDEN switch to dark, soft, oddly disturbing mood music - there's some kind of hideous, hammering industrial sound in the background - a synth solo decomposes before our eyes. we hear whisperings from the Quatermass Trilogy..

13. "Return of the Godz" - More marching. soldiers marching?..like those guards in the Wicked Witches Castle in Oz.or is it us - marching inexorably to our own cosmic doom? Now the march seems more like tribal drums. tribal chants. we are dancing around the bonfire on King Kong's island..Enter now a cycle of different heavy guitar solos trading off riffs.

14."Quater's Mass Final Movement" - The beat is now even MORE crunching - MORE plodding & ponderous - the army of simpletons (us?) marches off. to..The final battle of Armagedon against a Lord-of-the-Ringsian foe! The Masses trudge ever on!

15. "Spaceship in the Sky" - an afterthought. a post-script. a "denoument" if you will; in the form of a short, simple folk acoustic guitar song - as was Paul McCartney's "Her Majesty" at the end of Abbey Road - though here is much more "Sid Barrett" in spirit and effect.

And there you have it. DIMENSION OF MIRACLES is PHIL JACKSON who is PARADOX ONE. Phil is a Keeper-of-the-Flame for a very special, dearly loved and nearly-lost form of rock.

His intuitive & definitive mastery of analog synth art-rock should get him beknighted as a living national treasure in his native England - the country where progressive rock was born, where it blossomed, and where it found its greatest expression. Luckily - we foreigners can enjoy him too.

PARADOX ONE cds are available via Neurosis Records hobbelshnimp@hotmail.com or the-rocker.co.uk

Robert Urban URBAN PRODUCTIONS, NYC www.roberturban.com

My personal gratitude goes to a new site Astro Zombie for their insightful appreciation of Paradox One music and for not looking for perfection!'

Ambient space music in the vein of Hawkwind especially the Harvey Bainbridge era. Paradox One do not waste time – this is hardcore retro spacescapes with aliens on vocals – it’s hilarious. For spaceheads, these albums really are gems. Does anyone remember the early 80s kids’ puppet/animation programme ‘Star Fleet’? This is the soundtrack – could even be the Terrahawks. It’s a space synth-fest which really does sound outdated by about twenty years. At times the music is very tongue-in-cheek trip into the cosmos inducing a lonely paranoia as you are drifting out into the depths too far and too fast, light slipping away rapidly as you veer towards the cruel depths of the unknown. Other times you are sharply pulled back into orbit to float around aquamarine planets free-floating on a very relaxed and pleasant trip. The music itself has a very 70s feel to it, similar to Tonto’s Expanding Head Band and Kingdom Come’s ‘Galactic Zoo Dossier’.

Paradox One is the work of Phil Jackson who really has created his own world (or universe) and its accompanying soundscape. He is a keyboard player but a very eccentric one. His tracks can sometimes last up to just two and a half minutes, others up to nine minutes. It seems as if he does a recording as soon as he gets a flash of cosmic inspiration. Phil could produce soundtracks to some great alien animations. He must have hours of fun in the studio – it’s pure indulgence, no doubt about it. The man is a lunatic but a talented one. He acknowledges the composer Schumann as his inspiration on both albums.
On one hand the music can be very melodic and of epic proportions then on the other, it’s just small snippets of soundwaves and frequency modulation with wave sequencers and nothing more than that really. Paradox One deviates from the norm on an extreme tangent which suggests that he is not of this earth. If you are a fan of lo-fi space ambience Paradox One is out of this world.
Neurosis Records

From http://www.babyblaue-seiten.de/ with a stab at translation further down

Hinter dem Namen pArAdOx OnE steckt der schottische Musiker Phil Jackson. "Dimension of Miracles" ist sein zweites Album, worauf er sich als Keyboarder und gelegentlich als Gitarrist betätigt.
Schwirrende, meditative Synthies, verfremdet-unheimlicher Sprechgesang, gehaltvolle E-Piano-, Orgel- ,Synthie- und Gitarrensolos zu elektronischen Rhythmen, traurig-schöne, sphärische Melodien, leicht schräge, experimentierfreudige Momente, bombastische Kirchenorgelakkorde, das wären nur einige der hier zu bewundernden Fragmente. Alles geschmackvoll und originell aufgemacht, relativ eigensinnig, schön abwechslungsreich und von recht anregender Gesamterscheinung. Eine gewisse klangliche Einfachheit läßt das Album für mich nur noch charmanter erscheinen. Der elektronische Hintergrund groovt meistens leise vor sich hin, wodurch die Stücke noch an Atmosphäre gewinnen.
Als Gegensatz zu den dominierenden, verschiedensten Keyboardsounds bietet "Big Brother" verzerrte Gitarrenläufe, die dann in einen einfachen Spacerocksong münden, der mich beispielsweise an die späteren Hawkwind erinnert. Auch "Alien Harvest" geht in diese Richtung, diesmal jedoch elektronischer ausgerichtet.(Einigermaßen Vergleichbares gibt es schon mal als Neben- oder Soloprojekte aus dem Hawkwind-Umfeld).
Besonders hervorheben möchte ich hier "Quater's Mass Final Movement", was eventuell entfernt an einen der Jacksons Lieblinsgmusiker, an Keith Emerson erinnern könnte. Zum Abschluß gibt es überraschenderweise ein scheinbar scherzhaft gemeintes Stück für Sprechgesang und akustische Gitarre.
Diese Platte hat das gewisse Etwas und ist denjenigen zu empfehlen, die sich für interessante, jedoch nicht allzu sehr abgefahrene Soundtüfteleien begeistern können.

Behind the name Paradox One is the Scottish musician Phil Jackson. "Dimension Of Miracles" is hiss second album, on which he performs keyboards, occasionally as a guitarist. Meditative synths, contemplative piano, organ, and guitar solos to electronic rhythms, sad, beautiful, spherical melodies, experiment and joyful moments, bombastc church organ chords, these areonly some of the fragments which can be admired here. Everything in good taste and original, beautifully varied and quite energizing. A certain simplicity lets the album appear only more charming. The electronic background grooves quietly, while the pieces remain atmospheric. When contrasted to the dominating, most diverse sounds of keyboards on offer, the distorted guitar runs of "Big Brother", which flow into a simple Spacerock song, which reminds me, for example, of latter day Hawkwind. Also "Alien Harvest" goes in an electronic direction, this time however as a secondary or solo projects out of the Hawkwind relation. I would particularly emphasize here "Quater's Mass Final Movement", which moves far away to one of Jacksons musical loves, Keith Emerson. To the concluding track, there is surprisingly an apparently jokefully meant piece of singing and acoustic guitar. This record certainly has something and is to be recommended.

Paradox One - "Dimension Of Miracles" (Neurosis Records 2002, CD) From Aural Innovations #20 (July 2002)

My introduction to Paradox One (the moniker used by Scottish progressive rock musician Phil Jackson) was the debut Reality Quake CD (see AI #15). An impressive set of epic keyboard driven prog rock, my only complaint about the album was that it burdened itself with more ideas than it could properly develop and had some technical trouble with the transitions between themes. But despite these criticisms it was clear that Phil was on to something. And when I first played the latest Paradox One release, Dimension Of Miracles, I had a suspicion that I'd be in for a pleasant surprise.... and indeed I was.

The title track is a 3-part piece that opens with sequenced keyboards against a spacey symphonic backdrop which serves as a slow buildup. The music soon launches into an ELP styled prog rocker with great melodies and some skillful electronic percussion... it thankfully lacks the cold mechanical feel that electro percussion often has. "From The Void" begins as a jazz-rock piece, but more prog than fusion influenced. Soon the sympho keyboards kick in while the toe-tapping jazzy bits continue. I dig the fuzzed keyboard that serves a bass function and we're also treated to a luscious early 70's jamming keyboard sound. An excellent track. "Tragic Realm" is another 3-part work. A dark haunted house feel pervades the atmospheric intro, followed by a majestic organ segment (coincidentally titled "Majesty"). More heavy keyboards and intricately developed progressive rock in the ELP vein makes up the main theme.

Though Paradox One travel in predominantly progressive realms, there's plenty of spacey atmospherics and even some overt space rock influences as well. For example, I'll call "Alien Harvest" progressive space rock. Imagine ultra-spaced out ELP (Keith Emerson jamming with Hawkwind?) and you'll get something like this atmospheric and ultimately tripped out heavy driving track. "The Road To Osiris" doesn't flow smoothly during the first few minutes but it's another meeting of cosmic space rock and prog. One section even reminds me of a more symphonic version of Hawkwind's "Love In Space". "Quarter's Mass Final Movement" is a similar track that space rockers will like. "Big Brother" is a track that's a little different. It's a little uneven in terms of the intro and the main theme, but ends up being the most balls out rockin' track on the CD. Something of a jamming space garage tune with a bit of an angry punk feel. Overall I'd say Jackson is developing the Paradox One project nicely and space rock fans who have a taste for keyboard dominated progressive rock will find much to enjoy on this album.

For more information you can visit the Paradox One web site at: http://www.paradoxone.co.uk.
Dimension Of Miracles is distributed by Neurosis Records. You can visit their web site at: http://communities.msn.com/GuitaristRickRay. Contact via snail mail c/o Neurosis; 20301 Ball Ave; Euclid, OH 44123. Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz

Dave W Hughes, Modern-Dance The A-Z Music Review Magazine
PARADOX ONE. Dimensions Of Miracles. Neurosis Records 7CD02. Perhaps I should spell (or pronounce) the artist properly, pArAdOx OnE! This is the man's second album, following on speedily from his first. All the negative points from the last album have been more or less ironed out. The production is far better, the tracks don't seem to end as abruptly and the overall 'flow' is less jagged. Phil Jackson's musical prowess is something to be admired, and I love (as on the first album) those little bits that echo Keith Emerson, and the menace of John Carpenter. When you consider that ALL Neurosis records (okay, cds) can be bought for seven dollars - this is simply amazing. However, for an old SF fan such as myself it's really interesting to hear Jackson's 'take' on familiar 'themes', or the material that's inspired him. One or two of the titles such as I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, Big Brother (not the shite tv prog I hopefully hasten to add), Alien Harvest and the slightly different spelling of Quater's Mass should be food for thought. The Schumann inspired From The Void is like a cross between JJ Jarre, The Doors and ELP - it's really a showcase for the whole album. Yep! the man's done it again, and for an album that costs under five quid as good as this, hell!

The following review appears on Jur Hage's site 'Axiom of Choice' along with mp3 samples of 4 tracks- 'From the Void', 'Tragic Realm', 'Alien Harvest' and 'Imps and Demons'.

"The title track starts the album of with a three piece, although the three pieces are so distinct, you could have easily fooled me. Entering The Dimension has some fresh tingling keys, Dimension Of Miracles is dominated by a computerized voice, whilst the latter part The Carmodic Personality is pretty much a regular electronic track.
From The Void has a bit of a seventies feel, with on the one hand sounds as you would expect from electronic retros Air and sequencing as we heard from Klaus Schulze on the other. Towards the end a rather fuzzy guitar and Emerson like keys make this track into a bit of a hodgepodge, all be it a niceish one.

Tragic Realm is another trio track, of which section one I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream is eighties keys with a whispered haunted voice on top, creating a bit of an eerie feel. Like it. Majesty opens with the majestic sound of a church organ (undoubtedly a fake one, but still). A mid track snap introduces some less traditional keys, but still leaving a strong effect. Tragic Realm is a near wall of sound, returning the haunted voice with somewhat chaotic and pushing electronics.

Alien Harvest starts a bit of a standard electronic track, with constricted sounding drumming and a meandering melody. As it progresses the tension builds, making it all the more interesting for that. This track also has a strange snap, after which a completely new track seems to start, which appears to be something of a sound effect experiment.

Big Brother seems more like a Rick Ray track: carried by distorted guitars and lyrics that strongly remind me of Rick's normal writings. Not bad, but I fail to see how this track fits in with the others.

The Road To Osiris starts with to minutes of electronic carpet, to then be, somewhat abruptly, taken over by more bleepy electronics, to slowly once again develop into something more carpetlike.

The Inheritance Of Dormant Faculties (does that lead to a daft punk?) has sort of a Frankenstein conversation on Gary Numan keys, making for a rather nice start to Quater's Mass. Imps And Demons has fuzzy guitars over sketchy keys, which as time progresses give way (by being killed off) to a more thoughtful section.

Return Of The Godz is a pleasant track, without being too striking. Or at least, so it would seem: towards the end chaos suddenly strikes.

Quater's Mass Final Movement doesn't appear to be a part of Quater's Mass, as far as the track list is concerned, although its title might suggest differently. This also is a pretty good electronic track.

Spaceship In The Sky is an acoustic guitar ditty, kinda odd, but not a bad closing."

Conclusion
Phil Jackson seems to have progressed after his debut, coming up with a more consistent album, which is quite worthwhile. Experiments and more melodic tracks are interchanged, making for a pretty okay end result.

European Progressive Rock Reviews site.

With the release of Phil Jackson's second album we find he really has taken the bit between his teeth and created a rather ambitious and varied piece of work. It runs the spectrum of styles, moods, sounds and a cross section of eras, from the 1970s through to present day. Primarily, the field of musical influences are still Tangerine Dream, Bjorn Lynne, ELP and among other styles we find an almost techno rock track, "Dimension Of Miracles".
A symphonic approach to some tracks is apparent, e.g. "I Have No Mouth But I must Scream" and the cathedral organ inspired, "Majesty" whilst on "From The Void" we get some gentle jazz/rock/progressive touches, the blending of these styles works brilliantly. The album winds up with an acoustic guitar and vocal track, "Spaceship In The Sky", which gives it an "Ommadawn" style of optimistic, gentle ending.

Let's back track for a moment now. Phil's first album, "Reality Quake", was, for the most part, consistent in that the mood carried on from beginning to end, only being broken up by the sometimes abrupt endings of a couple of tracks, the overriding mood being melodic, ambient influenced music which gave the whole work a dark atmospheric edge.
Overall, this new album nearly pulls it off if it were not for the aforementioned "Dimension Of Miracles" and the track "Big Brother" which is a strange meandering guitar piece which develops into a rather basic vocal and guitar track that fails on all levels. The occasional abrupt stops have just about been ironed out although if one is not prepared for the directional shifts throughout this whole body of work then this album may, on first hearing, seem to lack consistency as it moves from one idea to another and the flow seems to suffer because of it. On subsequent plays, however, everything becomes clearer, especially on the album's obvious standout track, "The Road to Osiris", where all the above styles and directions meet on a track which rivals most of Tangerine Dream's works.
This should be a welcome release for all fans of ambient, progressive electronica and space influenced music. It's not as instant or so melodic as Phil's debut but still this is without doubt an important album of 2002. 85%

Zeitgeist webzine

Here we have the follow up to "Reality Quake", an album rightly lauded as a major album of 2000 by European Progressive Rock Reviews. Phil Jackson, for it is he, has taken a sideways step, aiming for a more ambitious, wider encompassing release. Still rooted in the melodic and ambient, Camel-esque roots of his first release, but adds in some more fusion type touches and even borderline techno loops in places.

The fusion influence is best experienced on standout track, "From The Void" where the progressive and fusion influences gel in fine fashion. And most surprising, album closer "Spaceship In The Sky", closes things down gently with an acoustic guitar! Most Mike Oldfield. Other highlights include the classic prog of "The Road to Osiris", and the spacerock vibe of "Alien Harvest".

I can see some elements of those who acclaimed "Reality Quake" being offended by the more off genre influences but this should be a mandatory release for those who cherish their spacey ambient electro.

No Warning review in English
"Philip Jackson successfully gave a successor to its debut album 'Reality Quake', releasing almost an hour of music that conjugates with good results the main influences of the holder in musical and literary field. Musically Paradox One is situated half way between Keith Emerson and the Krautrock, with lot of spacey themes that can evoke Hawkwind and Incredible Expanding Mindfuck. Totally self produced by Phil on Rick Ray's label Neurosis (where the disc is available at the price of 7 US Dollars), 'Dimension Of Miracles' is subdivided in three movements structured in suites for a total of fifteen pieces of varied duration, where relaxed moments are alternated with decidedly more rhythmic parts. 'Entering The Dimension' for example can recall Eddy Jobson's 'Theme Of Secrets', while the organ parts in' From The Void' seem to come from hypothetical outtakes of 'Get'em Out By Friday'. The ELP of pieces as 'The Barbarian' and 'Eruption' make reference in 'Return Of The Godz' and 'Quater's Mass Final Movement', giving to the conclusive part of the album an epic mood. Pity that pieces such as 'The Road To Osiris' turns out too much dispersed, frustrating also some good cues featured inside. But as was told to me various years ago, the road is always in climb for who can and must improve. To the next one, Phil." (Thanks to Luigi for the excellent translation!)

PARADOX ONE Reality Quake (39:22) DImension of Mircles (58:07) Neurosis Records

Paradox One acomoda influencias de la Escuela de Berlín más secuencial, el sinfonismo y el rock espacial aplicándoles un formato muy envolvente que lo hace receptivo y multidireccional. Phil Jackson, músico que personifica este proyecto, estructura sus extensas piezas en un estilo fragmentado que invita al viaje y al continuo cambio climático. Jackson retoma lo mejor de cada estilo: secuencias provocativas, melodías exquisitas a la vez que esquiva la simetría para dejar que fluyan libremente las ideas. Muy buenos.

Rafa DORADO Margen Magazine

REALITY QUAKE

Described by European Progressive Rock Reviews as 'a major album of 2000, 'Reality Quake' deserves to be heard.' and positively reviewed by Zeitgeist and many other web sites as well as Progression magazine- 'should rate among the best of contemporary electronic music, rewards repeated listenings.' the first Paradox One CD is an essential purchase at only $7 from Neurosis Records or £5 from phil@paradoxone.co.uk

a stuarthamilton.co.uk site (c) 2003. Artwork courtesy of and copyright Rick Ray, stuarthamilton