A Rainbow in Curved Air

A Rainbow in Curved Air
Studio album by
Terry Riley
Released1969
Recorded1968
Genre
Length40:17
LabelCBS Records
ProducerDavid Behrman
Terry Riley chronology
In C
(1968) 		A Rainbow in Curved Air
(1969) 		Church of Anthrax
(1970)
Reissue cover
1990 CD release cover, based on elements from the LP back cover.
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Pitchfork9.1/10[1]
Rolling Stone(favourable)[7]
The Village VoiceA−[8]

A Rainbow in Curved Air is the third album by American composer Terry Riley, released in 1969 on CBS Records. The title track consists of Riley's overdubbed improvisations on several keyboard and percussion instruments, including electric organ, electric harpsichord, dumbec, and tambourine.[1] The B-side "Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band" is a saxophone-based drone piece featuring tape loops and edits, drawing on Riley's all-night improvisatory performances in the 1960s.[1]

Riley's record deal with CBS was part of "Music of Our Time," a short-lived album series on American experimental music helmed by CBS employee David Behrman, who also facilitated the release of Riley's 1968 album In C;[1] these two were the most successful LPs in the series.[9] The album subsequently influenced a number of rock and electronic productions.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Seth Colter Walls (September 4, 2016). "Terry Riley - A Rainbow in Curved Air". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Ankeny, Jason. "Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
  3. ^ Gibbons, William James (2018). Unlimited Replays Video Games and Classical Music. Oxford. p. 69.
  4. ^ "Minimalism". International Piano: 62. 2007.
  5. ^ Paste Staff (June 3, 2024). "The 300 Greatest Albums of All Time". Paste. Retrieved June 3, 2024. His 1969 record, A Rainbow In Curved Air...[is] a tour de force in psychedelia.
  6. ^ Tyranny, "Blue" Gene. "A Rainbow in Curved Air". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 June 2011.
  7. ^ Silver, Conrad (7 February 1970). "Records". Rolling Stone. No. 51. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. p. 44.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert (April 23, 1970). "Consumer Guide (9)". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Grubbs, David (2014). Records Ruin the Landscape: John Cage, the Sixties, and Sound Recording. Duke University Press. p. 7.