Crack The Sky - Animal Notes-Safety in Numbers (1976-77) (1989)

Artist: Crack The Sky
Title Of Album: Animal Notes-Safety in Numbers
Year Of Release: 1976-77/1989
Label (Catalog#) :Lifesong Records ?[LSCD-8803]
Country:: USA
Genre: Prog Rock
Quality: FLAC (tracks+ cue,log, scans)
Bitrate: Lossless
Time: 01:13:39
Full Size: 422(+3%)

AllMusic Review by Peter Kurtz
Crack the Sky's two most popular records, but they're quite different in sound, mainly because songwriter/vocalist John Palumbo left after Animal Notes for solo work. The vocals on Safety in Numbers were handled by guest singer Gary Lee Chappell. Also, the songs on Safety aren't as strong as on Animal Notes, although "Lighten Up McGraw" is one of the band's better tunes. This two-fer is worth it for Animal Notes alone, a superb collection of idiosyncratic observations by Palumbo. All of the songs display an imagination and caustic irony not unlike that by Becker/Fagen or Warren Zevon, and the music migrates from the Eastern drone of "Animal Skins" to the operatic rave-up "Rangers at Midnight." Palumbo would later use different musicians for his diverse Crack projects, but the musicians here sound like "crack" L.A. professionals rather than working-class rockers from eastern Ohio, and they supply crisp, flawless licks to Palumbo's crafty arrangements.

Tracks:
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Animal Notes:
01. We Want Mine - 4:54
02. Animal Skins - 3:33
03. Wet Teenager - 3:32
04. Maybe I Can Fool Everybody (Tonight) - 5:57
05. Rangers at Midnight" (Including 'Night Patrol' and featuring 'Let's Lift Our Hearts Up') - 7:34
06. Virgin… No - 4:55
07. Invaders from Mars - 3:31
08. Play On - 4:10
Safety ?n Numbers:
09. Nuclear Apathyn - 8:32
10. Long Nights - 3:59
11. Flashlight (Palumbo, Joey D'Amico, Joe Macre, Jim Griffiths, Rick Witkowski) - 4:45
12. Prelude to Safety in Numbers (Macre, Witkowski) - 1:15
13. Lighten Up McGraw (Rob Stevens, Witkowski, Macre) - 5:08
14. Give Myself to You (Witkowski, Stevens) - 3:23
15. A Night on the Town (With Snow White) (Witkowski, Deborah Kucan) - 3:25
16. Safety in Numbers" (Macre, Witkowski) - 6:41

Personnel:
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John Palumbo - Lead Vocals, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonies
Rick Witkowski - Electric Guitar, Harmonies
Joe Macre - Bass Guitar, Harmonies
Jim Griffiths - Electric Guitar, Harmonies
Joey D'Amico - Drums, Harmonies
Gary Lee Chappell - Lead Vocals, Back-Up Vocals, Acoustic Guitar (Safety In Numbers)
Rob Stevens - Piano, Minimoog, Oberheim Synthesizer (Safety In Numbers)

All thanks to original releaser