''Planet Gemini'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal musician Michael Angelo Batio. Recorded at M.A.C.E. Court Studios in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, it was released in 1997 by his own label

M.A.C.E. Music M.A.C.E. Music, Inc. is an American record label founded by Michael Angelo Batio in April 1993. Currently based in Gurnee, Illinois, the label's main job is that of selling material and merchandise of Batio's, including his albums, videos and acc ...

. Batio performed the majority of instruments on the release, as well as producing, engineering and mixing the album.

Background and production

Michael Angelo Batio's second solo album, ''Planet Gemini'', was recorded and mixed at M.A.C.E. Court Studios in his hometown Chicago, with Batio handling all production, engineering and mixing; Pat Lilley mastered the album at Nexus Studios in

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Its population was 71,158 at the 2020 census. The city is adjacent to the Village of Waukesha. History The area that ...

. All electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, bass, keyboards, drums and percussion were performed by Batio, with keyboardist Frank Lucas and drummer Chuck White performing on "No Boundaries Part II".

Reception and legacy

Guitar Nine Records praised ''Planet Gemini'' for its "tight arrangements and very clean production", noting the speed and quality of Batio's guitar playing on the album. Their review highlighted the song "Time Traveler" in particular, and described the style of the album as "

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

ndhard edged". ''Planet Gemini'' was remastered and reissued in 2006, with previously unreleased instrumental versions of "So Much to Live For" and "These Four Walls" replacing the original tracks, plus the addition of "Enough Is Enough" from '' Lucid Intervals and Moments of Clarity''. "Time Traveler" was also included on Batio's 2010 Metal Method instructional video ''Speed Kills 2010''. In 2007, Batio released the album ''

2 X Again ''2 X Again'' is a compilation album by American shred guitarist Michael Angelo Batio released on November 5, 2007. It features songs from Batio's first two studio albums – '' No Boundaries'' and '' Planet Gemini'' – remixed and remast ...

'', which features remixed and remastered songs from ''Planet Gemini'' and previous album '' No Boundaries'' with re-recorded drums by Joe Babiak. From ''Planet Gemini'', the tracks "No Boundaries Part II: Intro", "Time Traveler" and "Planet Gemini" are included.

Track listing

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from the album's booklet. * Michael Angelo –

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

s, additional drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing *Frank Lucas – Kurzweil K2500X and

Korg Trinity The Korg Trinity is a synthesizer music workstation released by Korg in 1995. It was also the first workstation to offer modular expansion for not only sounds, but also studio-grade feature such as ADAT, various sound engine processors, audio r ...

keyboards ("No Boundaries Part II") *Chuck White – drums and percussion ("No Boundaries Part II") *Pat Lilley – mastering *The Watericolor Group –

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

*Dan Machnik –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employed ...

References

{{Authority control 1997 albums Michael Angelo Batio albums M.A.C.E. Music albums