''Escala'' is the self-titled debut album by British quartet Escala, who appeared on the

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

talent contest ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...

''. It was released on 25 May 2009 in the United Kingdom.

Release

Escala revealed their debut album to an audience of about 400 media at

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall (also spelt White Hall) at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, except notably Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, were destroyed by fire. Hen ...

, London on 23 September 2008. The album release was pushed back numerous times, to 1 June 2009. Then the album's release was brought forward by one week to 25 May 2009.

Recording

The album was produced by

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...

and recorded mainly at Sarm West London. Parts of "Kashmir" recorded at Sarm West Coast, Los Angeles, and the orchestra for the album was recorded at

Angel Recording Studios Angel Recording Studios Limited (also referred to as Angel Studios) was a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 De ...

, London.

Album analysis

The album begins with "

Requiem for a Tower ''Lux Æterna'' (, ; "eternal light") is an orchestral composition by Clint Mansell. Performed by the Kronos Quartet, it forms a leitmotif in the 2000 film ''Requiem for a Dream'', and is the penultimate piece in the movie's soundtrack. A re- ...

", which is a re-orchestrated version of "Lux Aeterna" from the 2000 film, ''

Requiem for a Dream ''Requiem for a Dream'' is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same name ...

''. The piece will be familiar to viewers of ''Britain's Got Talent'', as it is frequently used on the show. Another group's version of the piece is used by

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

for their

News News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

, for whom Escala had been included as a part of an advertising campaign with the second track on the album, "Palladio", a version of "

Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of th ...

I, Allegretto" from

Karl Jenkins Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song " Adiemus" and the ''Adiemus'' album series; '' Palladio''; ''The Armed Man''; and his ''Requiem''. J ...

' ''

Diamond Music Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

''. It was performed by the group when they were on ''Britain's Got Talent''. The third track is the

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

cover, "

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

", and features guitarist

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

of hard rock bands

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

and

Velvet Revolver Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup consisting of Guns N' Roses members Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass, backing vocals) and Matt Sorum (drums, backing vocals), alongside Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) formerly of punk b ...

. In 2009 Escala returned to ''Britain's Got Talent'' to perform their version of "Kashmir" un-competitively on the second live semi-final. The fourth track is "Finding Beauty", originally composed by Scot Craig Armstrong for his ''

As If to Nothing ''As If to Nothing'' is the second independent album by Scottish composer Craig Armstrong, featuring collaborations with Bono of U2, Mogwai, Photek, Evan Dando, King Crimson, and former Big Dish vocalist Steven Lindsay. It was released on 19 ...

'' album. The fifth track is a mellow cover of the popular

Robert Miles Roberto Concina (3 November 1969 – 9 May 2017), known professionally as Robert Miles, was an Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ. His 1995 composition "Children (composition), Children" sold more than 5 million copies and topp ...

dance track "

Children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

". The sixth track is

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

cover, " Live and Let Die", it was performed by the group when they were on ''Britain's Got Talent''. The seventh track is a cover of film composer

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

's "

Chi Mai "Chi Mai" (Italian: whoever) is a composition by Ennio Morricone written in 1971. It was used in the films ''Maddalena'' directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1971)Feeling Good", which was originally written by

Anthony Newley Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leading ...

and

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films ''Do ...

for their 1965 musical ''

The Roar of the Greasepaint—the Smell of the Crowd ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', but resembling the cover by the band Muse. The ninth track is a rendition of

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

's "

Sarabande The sarabande (from es, zarabanda) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance cal ...

". The tenth track is "Clubbed to Death", which was originally from

Rob Dougan Robert Don Hunter Dougan () is an Australian composer, known for his genre-blending music. Mixing elements of orchestral music, trip hop, and bluesy vocals, his work is tangentially relatable to electronic music. He is known primarily for his b ...

's debut album ''

Furious Angels ''Furious Angels'' is the debut and as of 2022, the only studio album by Australian music producer Rob Dougan. It was released on 1 July 2002 in the United Kingdom and in July 2003 in the United States. It was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Awa ...

''. The album ends with a traditional style version

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century. The music critic Donal Henahan said, "Proba ...

's "

Adagio for Strings ''Adagio for Strings'' is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11. Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quarte ...

". The album features four songs which fellow British quartet

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...

had recorded in a similar style: "Adagio for Strings", "Kashmir", "Palladio", and "Children" (which

performed under the title "Homecoming") on their '' Shine'','' Remixed'' and '' Classified'' albums. Many

enthusiasts claimed Escala were mimicking the contemporary style of

which currently have substantial holding in the classical musical industry. Escala rebuked the claims. ''The Guardian'' newspaper in the UK stated, "a would be classical hit however the covers are endless ..a lack of new original material". According to media reports a cover of

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

's "

Chasing Cars "Chasing Cars" is a song by Northern Irish-Scottish alternative rock band Snow Patrol. It was released as the second single from their fourth studio album, '' Eyes Open'' (2006). It was released on 6 June 2006, in the United States and 24 July ...

" was originally meant to appear on the album, but did not end up on the final release.

Track listing

Charts

The album reached number 2 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

(31 May) and number 49 in the Republic of Ireland (28 May).

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

"Palladio" also made No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart (31 May), and No. 49 in Ireland (28 May).

Personnel

– producer, guitar, programming, piano, bass *

Tim Weidner Tim Weidner is an engineer and producer, best known for his work with Trevor Horn. Biography Weidner has produced for Dead or Alive. He has done mixing for artists including Seal, Mike Oldfield (''Tubular Bells II''), Art of Noise, Captain and Gu ...

– recording engineer, mixer, programming *

Gary Langan Gary Michael Langan (born 19 April 1956) is an English engineer, record producer, mixer and musician. Biography His career started at age 18 when he worked as an assistant engineer at Sarm East Studios, learning the craft from Gary Lyons and M ...

– recording engineer * Sam Farr – assistant engineer * Graham Archer – assistant engineer, programming * Smit – assistant engineer * Mark Lewis –

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

engineer *

Ash Soan Ashley Soan is a British drummer. His influences include Stewart Copeland, Steve Ferrone, Jim Keltner, James Gadson, Phil Rudd, Art Blakey, Steve Gadd. Early life Educated at the Grove School In Market Drayton, Shropshire, Ashley Soan starte ...

– drums, percussion * Pete Murray – programming, arranger, conductor, piano, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer * Isobel Griffiths – orchestral contractor and fixer * Perry Montague-Mason – orchestra leader * Magnus Johnstone – assistant of string production * Thomas Carroll – Cello * Fiona Winning – Viola * Robert Orton (Hit Mixer) – mixer * Chris Elliot – arranger, piano, harpsichord *

Earl Harvin Earl Harvin is an American drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist who has lived in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles and is now residing in Berlin, Germany. Harvin studied at the University of North Texas College of MusicJamie Muhoberac Benjamin Edward "Jamie" Muhoberac is an American session keyboardist with numerous credits. He is best known for his work with Seal and Was (Not Was). Biography Muhoberac has worked with acts including The All-American Rejects, Fleetwood Mac, Bob ...

– guitar samples * Jenny O'Grady – choirmaster * Metro Singers – choir * Jeremy Wheatley – mixer * Steve Robson – mixer * Richard Edgeler – assistant mixer *

Simon Hale Simon Hale is a British composer, arranger, and keyboardist. Life Hale was born in Birmingham, England in 1964, being dually raised there and in South Manchester before moving to London, where he studied popular music at Goldsmiths College, Uni ...

– arranger * Steve MacMillan – recording engineer *

– lead guitar *

John Shanks John Matthew Shanks (born December 18, 1964) is an American songwriter, record producer and guitarist. Early life and education John Matthew Shanks was born in New York City. Shanks moved to Los Angeles when he was 17 years old. He was in a ban ...

– guitar * Jeff Rothschild – drums * Tom Norris – violin * Everton Nelson – orchestra leader *

Phil Palmer Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. Biography Palmer grew up in nort ...

– guitar *

Steve Lipson ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

– guitar *

Lol Creme Laurence Neil "Lol" Creme (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician and music video director, best known for his work in 10cc. He sings and plays guitar, bass and keyboards. Biography Creme was born in Prestwich, Lancashire, England. ...

– guitar * Ian Thomas – drums

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2009 debut albums Escala (group) albums Syco Music albums Albums produced by Trevor Horn