There might be some debate about what the “biggest” band in San Diego is, but when it comes to most traveled, biggest audiences and most countries played, it’s Ocean Beach-based group Liquid Blue, hands down. The band has released several of their own recordings, scoring hits in places as far off as China, but for their latest single they have chosen a cover song, and a rather unlikely one at that. “Song of Seven,” originally by Jon Anderson, former frontman for the group Yes, was first released in 1980. Full of cascading vocals, symphonic passages and folk-inspired rock passages, the song sounds not unlike his former band’s best material. The Liquid Blue version is the key track of their latest album, “Cosmic Covers,” featuring the band performing a wide range of covers such as Madonna’s “Ray of Light” and Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” “Song of Seven” is certainly a catchy song in places, but it’s definitely a breed apart from the more general pop nature of the other tunes. Its inclusion comes from Liquid Blue frontman Scott Stephen’s love of the group Yes. Recorded at Liquid Blue’s studio in the legendary Ocean Beach Hippie House, according to Stephens, “the song is something I have always felt was one of the greatest pieces that he has ever done and it was under-appreciated.” He realizes the song is a leftfield choice. “For us it was a song where I thought, if we never did anything else except this piece of music, we achieved something with it,” he continued. “It’s an emotional piece that really takes you on a musical ride. It definitely takes a bit of patience to listen to, but I just thought this was a masterpiece, we had to try it. We put a lot of emphasis into the song to get it right, and it took some time.”
He points out that it was important to recast the song, at least a little. “First of all, we’re starting out with a really well-written piece both musically and lyrically, so you start out with something great already. There’s no real use in doing a cover unless you’re going to do something somewhat different and try in some ways to top the original.” He found working the instrumentation to be easier going than the vocal arrangements. “Jon’s voice is so magical I thought it would be difficult to shine vocally like he did, so I thought we could up the production, maybe do a little more than he did musically.”
The song’s intricacy and length would make it an unlikely song choice for any such show. “We will probably never play that song live, unless it catches on and somebody was to request it or if Jon was to get up on stage and ask to do it with us, but other than that, I don’t think we would ever do it.”
That possibility is not as remote as it might sound. Liquid Blue reached out to Anderson via email, and to their surprise, he agreed to listen to their recording and offered advice on the project. “We exchanged emails for a while,” Stephens said. “He wanted to hear a mix of it and gave us some notes on the mix as well as some nice comments.”
Visit www.liquid-blue.com to hear songs, see photos, and find more information on the band. on Liquid Blue, visit www.liquid-blue.com.
For his part, Stephens is not overly concerned with the songs commercial potential. He’s merely happy to have his version of an all time favorite song available on his latest album. “Whatever happens, happens,” he said good naturedly. “It’s not really something that would catch on at all (under normal circumstances,) so we’ve really got to find the right niche. The piece is too complex for the general public. Most Yes music doesn’t hit home with people, let alone an obscure Jon Anderson piece,” he laughed.
For songs and more info on Liquid Blue, visit www.liquid-blue.com.
