Steve Baker - Free Fall (Digital Album)

The songs can be downloaded at the end of the order.

Sounds of the 80s | Harmonica Pop Instrumentals

The 1980s marked the start of the digital era and most commercial music productions from that period reflected the latest technical innovations. Polyphonic synthesizers, sequencers, drum computers and sample sounds were all recent developments back then, and they totally changed the way that much recorded music was created. In those days, Hamburg was a major hub for the German music industry and Steve Baker played on countless studio recordings throughout the 1980s and 90s, experiencing the digital revolution in music production at first hand.

In summer 1986 he joined forces with a group of Hamburg session musicians including legendary drummer Peter Franken and producer and guitarist Dieter Faber, to write a collection of modern pop harmonica instrumentals, reflecting the technology and sounds of the day. The results were recorded in Adrian Askew’s Simple Sound studio.

The combination of 1980s production techniques and slick studio musicianship puts Baker’s soulful harmonica playing into a context which may surprise listeners more familiar with his work in blues, rock and folk, but the combination is both unusual and effective. As well as his exemplary diatonic harp playing, The Free Fall Sessions also feature rare recordings of Steve on chromatic harmonica.

Three of the tracks were released as a 12“ maxi-single in 1987, long since deleted, but the remainder never saw the light of day. The entire production is now available for the first time from Timezone Records as a download.This vintage release highlights another side of Steve Baker’s wide ranging musicality and underlines his status as one of today’s most influential harmonica players.

Adrian Askew - recording, keyboards
Steve Baker - harmonica
Dieter Faber - guitars, bass, keyboards
Peter Franken - drums & percussion
Michael Pohnke - keyboards

1. Free Fall - soft mix (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
2. Reaching Out (Michael Pohnke)
3. Meet The Beat (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
4. Winter Sun (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
5. Iona (Steve Baker)
6. Grenadina (Dieter Faber)
7. Whistling In The Dark ((Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)
8. Chasing Rainbows (Steve Baker)
9. Free Fall - maxi mix (Steve Baker / Dieter Faber)