''Decades'' is a 2017 double concept album by David Palfreyman and

Nicholas Pegg Nicholas Pegg is a British actor, writer and director. Educated at Nottingham High School and graduating with a Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Exeter, Pegg subsequently trained at the Guildford School of Acting. Acti ...

, who co-produced it with

Ian Caple Ian Caple is an English recording engineer, record producer, programmer and mixer. History Caple's career began at EMI Music in 1979. After training at Abbey Road Studios, he became an engineer at EMI's KPM studios in Denmark Street London. He ...

. The album features a cast of notable actors, singers and musicians, including

David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to: Sports * Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor * David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier * David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer Oth ...

Richard Coyle Richard Coyle is an English actor. He portrayed lead role of Father Faustus Blackwood in Netflix series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', and Jeff Murdock in the sitcom ''Coupling''. Early and personal life Coyle was born in Sheffield, En ...

Jacqueline Pearce Jacqueline Pearce (20 December 1943 – 3 September 2018) was a British film and television actress. She was best known for her portrayal of the principal villain Servalan in the British science fiction TV series ''Blake's 7'' (1978–1981), ...

Jan Ravens Janet "Jan" Ravens (born 14 May 1958) is an English actress and impressionist, known for her voice work on ''Spitting Image'' and '' Dead Ringers''. Early life Ravens grew up in Hoylake, then in Cheshire, on the west side of the Wirral with he ...

Simon Greenall Simon James Greenall (born 3 January 1958) is an English actor, producer, writer and voice artist. He has portrayed Michael in the BBC television series '' I'm Alan Partridge'', as well as in '' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa,'' the Caretaker in ...

, Edward Holtom, Sarah Jane Morris,

Cassidy Janson Cassidy Janson (born 30 July 1980) is a British actress, known for her work in musical theatre. She won the 2020 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical for ''& Juliet''. Stage career In 2005 Janson appeared in '' Tick, Ti ...

Mitch Benn Mitchell John Benn (born 20 January 1970) is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme ''The Now Show'', and ha ...

, David Palfreyman, Jessica Lee Morgan, Ian Shaw,

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts at Wem ...

Greg Hart Greg Hart is an English guitarist who is a co-founding member of the UK power pop rock band Cats in Space. The band was established in 2015 with rock drummer/percussionist Steevi Bacon. History Hart's career started off in southern England ...

Terry Edwards Terry Edwards (born 10 August 1960) is an English musician who plays trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, guitar and keyboards. Biography Edwards gained a degree in music from the University of East Anglia in 1982, where he was also a founding me ...

and

Martyn Barker Martyn Barker (born 14 September 1959, Merseyside, England) is an English drummer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, best known as the drummer for Shriekback. He has also been a member of King Swamp, and worked with Rob ...

. ''Decades'' is divided into four 'Acts' (corresponding to the four sides of the double vinyl format), and features 20 songs written by Palfreyman, alternating with a linking dramatic narrative written by Pegg. The narrative explores the shifting memories of the album's central character, Kelver Leash, who is played at different stages of his life by Warner, Coyle and Holtom.

Recording

The music tracks on ''Decades'' were recorded at Yellow Fish Studios in Sussex between spring 2014 and summer 2016. The dialogue sequences were recorded at The Moat Studios, London, in January 2016.

Release and reception

''Decades'' was released on 28 July 2017. Critical reaction was favourable: ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

s Andy Rawll praised the "outstanding performances" and described the album as "an ambitious, thought-provoking contemporary musical drama about the cycle of life". Writing in ''

Prog Prog may refer to: Music * Progressive music ** Progressive music (disambiguation) ** Progressive rock, a subgenre of rock music also known as “prog” *** Progressive rock (radio format) * Prog (magazine), a magazine dedicated to progressive ...

'', Chris Roberts considered the album "a true progressive rock curio ... a meditation on time and memory, its ambition is simply colossal." ''The Spill Magazine'' hailed ''Decades'' as "an epic album ... remarkably brave and certainly brilliant", while We Are Cult described it as "a compelling listen" and "a shameless embrace of the full glory of what the concept album can do". Progradar considered ''Decades'' "an absolute delight from start to finish", and dubbed it "one of the albums of the year".

Singles and videos

'We All Fall Down', featuring Sarah Jane Morris on lead vocal, was released as a single on 30 June 2017, a month ahead of the album. The single was accompanied by a video directed by Nicholas Pegg, which was shot on location on

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

and featured Sarah Jane Morris alongside actors David Warner, Richard Coyle and Edward Holtom. 'Dead End Morning', featuring David Palfreyman on lead vocal, was released as the album's second single on 1 September 2017. The video was directed by Tom Saunders and Nicholas Pegg, and again featured actors David Warner, Richard Coyle and Edward Holtom alongside Palfreyman in a computer-animated dystopian cityscape. ‘Hurting, Sinking’, featuring Jessica Lee Morgan on lead vocal, was released as the third ''Decades'' single on 8 December 2017. The video, released a week earlier, was directed by Paul Vanezis and featured Jessica Lee Morgan in a candle-lit room full of memorabilia, encountering her younger self in a mirror. ‘Eyes Wide’, featuring Cassidy Janson on lead vocal, was released as the fourth single from ''Decades'' on 20 April 2018. The video, directed by Tom Saunders, featured Cassidy Janson performing the song against a CGI backdrop of a train speeding through a surreal landscape, and once again featured cameo appearances by actors David Warner, Richard Coyle and Edward Holtom.

Television and radio appearances

In 2018 the ''Decades'' band made several live appearances on Vintage TV, beginning with a performance for ''The Vintage TV Sessions'' transmitted on 25 January. For this appearance the band was fronted by Jessica Lee Morgan, who sang 'Hurting, Sinking' and 'Faraway Day' from the album. Morgan then included an acoustic version of 'Hurting, Sinking' in her own live set for the same channel's ''Live With...'' series, transmitted on 7 March 2018. The following month, the full ''Decades'' band returned for another edition of ''The Vintage TV Sessions'' shown on 26 April 2018, this time showcasing three of the album's lead singers: the set comprised 'Dead End Morning' sung by David Palfreyman, 'Eyes Wide' sung by Cassidy Janson, and 'Got To Be Seen To Be Believed' sung by Sarah Jane Morris. Prior to these live appearances, the videos for 'We All Fall Down' and 'Hurting, Sinking' were also premiered on Vintage TV, as part of a 2017 edition of the video jukebox show ''My Vintage'' presented by

. On 10 June 2018, David Palfreyman and Cassidy Janson appeared on London Live to discuss ''Decades'' and the single 'Eyes Wide'. A week earlier, 'Eyes Wide' was premiered by

Elaine Paige Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...

on her

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

show ''Elaine Paige on Sunday''.

Personnel

Actors

- Kelver Leash *

- Kelver as a younger man *Edward Holtom - Kelver as a boy *

- Linda *

- TV Reporter / Roger Fame / Freddie *

- Jemima / Kelver's Mother / Lady Blue

Lead vocalists

* David Palfreyman - vocals, guitars * Sarah Jane Morris - vocals * Jessica Lee Morgan - vocals * Ian Shaw - vocals *

- vocals *

- vocals *Beth Cannon - vocals *Eliza Skelton - vocals

Other musicians

- drums, percussion *

- saxophone, flute *Jack Birchwood - trumpet *David Clayton - keyboards *

- keyboards, programmed percussion *Otis Coulter - backing vocals *Oz Dechaine - bass guitar *Kat Downs - keyboards, backing vocals *

- saxophone, trumpet *John Fordham - saxophone *Rodger Hanna - guitar, bass guitar *Jono Harrison - keyboards, guitar *

- guitar, backing vocals *

Paul Manzi Cats in Space (styled CATS in SPACE - The Band) is a British rock band formed in Horsham, West Sussex in 2015 by guitarist Greg Hart and drummer Steevi Bacon. Following the band's inception, vocalist Paul Manzi, keyboardist Andy Stewart, ba ...

- backing vocals *Adam Mart - violin *Chris Musto - drums, percussion (for the live ''Decades'' band) *Ben Nicholls - harmonium *Eliska Palfreyman - backing vocals *

- backing vocals *Steve Rump - drums, percussion *Christian Thomas - bass guitar (for the live ''Decades'' band) *Mike Thompson - drums, percussion *Pat Watters - guitar

References

External links

Official 'Decades' website'We All Fall Down' featuring Sarah Jane Morris (official video) on YouTube'Dead End Morning' featuring David Palfreyman (official video) on YouTube'Hurting, Sinking' featuring Jessica Lee Morgan (official video) on YouTube'Eyes Wide' featuring Cassidy Janson (official video) on YouTube'Introducing Decades' interview with David Palfreyman and Nicholas Pegg on YouTubeSpill Feature: Decades - A conversation with Nicholas Pegg and David PalfreymanWe Are Cult: The Nicholas Pegg interview
{{Authority control 2017 albums Concept albums