Open the Door (Roger Hodgson album)
| Open the Door | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Roger Hodgson | ||||
| Released | May 9, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998-2000 | |||
| Studio |
Studio Arpege, Les Sorinieres, France, Eglise Notre Dame de Bon-Port, Nantes, France Unicorn Studios, Nevada City, California Barrandov Studios, Prague, Czech Republic mixed at Mulinetti Studios, Recco, Italy | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock[1] | |||
| Length | 52:43 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Alan Simon, Roger Hodgson | |||
| Roger Hodgson chronology | ||||
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Open the Door is the fourth album by Roger Hodgson, released by Epic Records and his third and most recent studio one (and his first studio release since 1987). It was recorded mostly in France and features mostly French musicians, many who have played on Excalibur (La Légende Des Celtes) also produced by Simon featuring contributions from Hodgson, as his backup band. This is Hodgson's only solo album to be partially recorded outside The United States.
Once again collaborating with Hodgson, former Yes guitarist and vocalist Trevor Rabin contributed background vocals on "The More I Look". The song "Showdown" was performed live by Hodgson already in 1996 and a live version was released on the album Rites Of Passage.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Allmusic gave the album a positive review, calling it "the closest thing to Supertramp since ...Famous Last Words..." and praising the songwriting, particularly the unusual incorporation of French influences.[2]
Track listing
All songs written by Roger Hodgson, except where noted.
- "Along Came Mary" 6:24
- "The More I Look" 4:47
- "Showdown" 5:12
- "Hungry" 4:54
- "The Garden" 2:40
- "Death and a Zoo" 7:24
- "Love is a Thousand Times" 3:56
- "Say Goodbye" 3:59
- "Open the Door" 8:44
- "For Every Man" (Roger Hodgson, Alan Simon) 4:43
Album chart
- France: # 30
- Switzerland: # 33
- Germany: # 74
Personnel
- Roger Hodgson: vocals, guitars (tracks 3, 4, 6, 10), 12 string guitar (tracks 1, 2, 7), bass guitar (track 8), keyboards (tracks 1-4, 6, 9), piano (track 6), harmonium (track 5), pipe organ (tracks 8, 9), harpsichord (track 8)
- Trevor Rabin: electric guitar, keyboards, vocals (track 2)
- Claude Samard: banjo, (track 3) Dobro slide guitar (tracks 3, 4), bouzouki (tracks 6, 7), pedal steel guitar (track 7), oud (track 9)
- Manuel Delgado: Spanish guitar (track 9), palmas (track 9)
- Dan Ar Braz: arpeggio guitar (track 10)
- Laurent Verneret: bass guitar (tracks 1-5, 7, 9, 10)
- Alan Thomson: bass guitar (track 6)
- Arnaud Dunoyer: Hammond organ (tracks 1, 7, 9, 10)
- Olivier Rousseau: piano (tracks 2, 3)
- Alan Simon: high whistle (tracks 1, 6), bodhran (track 6), harmonica (track 9)
- Loïc Ponthieu: drums (tracks 1-5, 7, 9, 10)), wavedrum (track 9)
- Denis Banarrosh: percussion (tracks 1, 3-7, 9, 10)
- Gerry Conway: percussion (tracks 1, 6), drums (track 8)
- Jeff Phillips: drums (track 6)
- Jean Pierre Meneghin: Scottish drums (track 1)
- Gurvan Houdayer: Scottish drums (track 1)
- Christophe Negre: saxophone (1, 4, 10)
- Michel Gaucher: flute (track 9)
- Zdenek Rys: oboe (track 6)
- Bruno Le Rouzic: bagpipe (track 1)
- Pascal Martin: uilleann pipe (tracks 1, 6)
- Jean Louis Roques: accordion (tracks 1, 7, 10)
- Marco Canepa: Morse code (tracks 1, 10)
- Jean-Jacques Milteau: harmonica (track 3)
- Dominique Regef: rebec (track 5), Hurdy Gurdy (track 6)
- Didier Lockwood: violin (tracks 3, 6, 8, 9)
- Pavel Belohlavek: cello (track 6)
- Ilana Russell (Alana Cunningham): children's choir
- Sierrah Dietz: children's chorus (track 10)
- Justine Black: children's chorus (track 10)
- Molly Katwman: children's chorus (track 10)
- The Symphonic Orchestra of Prague: conducted by Mario Klemens (tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8-10)
- The Bulgarian Voices "Philippopolis": conducted by Hristo Arabadjiev (tracks 8, 9)
- Samples from: speech by Queen Elizabeth II (track 1), Rev. Jesse Jackson (track 3), Ronald Reagan (track 3), Sevik the wolf (track 6)