Mike Batt - Zero Zero

Name: Mike Batt
Album: Zero Zero
Year: 1982
Style: Soundtrack, New Wave, Avant-Garde, Art Rock
Similar Bands: Styx, Cirque Du Soleil, John Williams, Split Enz
"One-Word" Review: Bonkers Futuristic Absurdist Live-Action Cartoon Rock Opera
Based Out Of: Southhampton, England
Label: CBS, Epic

 Cover, Record

Record, Back

Zero Zero (1982)

1. Introduction (The Birth of Number 17) 5:22
2. System 605 2:15
3. Love Makes You Crazy 3:36
4. Delirium 8:45/
5. Whispering Fool 4:28
6. Zero Zero 7:17
7. The Dance of the Neurosurgeons 3:50
8. No Lights in My Eyes 3:10
9. Love Makes You Cry (instrumental reprise) 3:00

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Mike Batt - Producer, Arrangement, Conductor, Vox, Percussion, Synth (Hapshash & the Coloured Coat, Wombles, Phase 4, Synthesonic Sounds, so much more)
• Tommy Emmanuel - Guitars, Bass (Australian Country Music Unites, Aus Olympians, Dragon, Hunter, Julian Lee Orch, Southern Star Band, Trailblazers, Love Junkie, Bushwackers, Jimmy Barnes, Maureen Elkner, Air Supply, Kevfin Somerville, Swanee, John Williamson, Goldrush, Doug Parkinson, Valentine)
• Rex Goh - Guitars (Air Supply, QED, Leon Berger, Simon Gallaher, DD Smash, Flaming Hands, Renee Geyer, Byrt Mallanyk, Dangerzone, Play School, Tony Williams, Armando Hurley, Robyne Dunn, Grace Knight, Marc Almond, Savage Garden, Wiggles, Eurogliders, Amy Pearson)
• Ian Bloxham - Timpani & Congas (Crossfire, Judy Bailey Orch, Julian Lee Orch, Kirk L Orange Orch., Southern Contemporary Rock Assembly, Kenny Powell Orch, Mell-O-Tones, Digby Richards, Patch, Digby Richards, John Sangster, Air Supply, Robyn Archer)
• Steve Hopes - Snare Drum (Crossfire, Julian Lee Orch, Renee Geyer, Expression, Delaney/Venn, Marcia Hines, Nev Nicholls, Jeff St. John, Edith Bliss, Philippe Gabbay, Reg Lindsay, Doug Parkinson, Sue Halford, Doug Mulray)
• Myra de Groot - Spoken Word
• Ron Ratcliff - Spoken Word
• Russ Lupalle - Medial Officer
• Wendy Batt - #36 Spoken Word
• John Bee - Principle Sound Engineer
• Glen Phinister - Sound Engineer
• Alan McClean - Sound Engineer
• Brendan Frost - Sound Engineer
• Richard Lush - Sound Engineer
• David Harvey - Sound Coordinator

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this, but it looks like something quite arty out of a New Order video or Klaus Nomi's head. Or just Split Enz. I'm guessing it is a future-fantasy inspired concept album,

Album Review: Zero Zero is a soundtrack to an "audio-video" piece set in an odd, checkerboard, antiseptic world that is trying to phase out love, however the protagonist (#17) finds that he can't help loving another (#36) and is sentenced to Zero Zero facility for his cleansing. It is bleak, and cold synth new wave, as the world he's created would suggest. The vocal songs are punctuated with a scoring of the follies and fumbles that the cast experiences could be described as bumbling cartoon synths. And at times, it sounds like bottom shelf Star Wars tribute.

 At a young age, Batt began recording & producing other acts , and scored countless soundtracks and tv themes (including the Animated Watership Down, and co-writing the title song to Phantom of the Opera). In 1980, he went on a boat ride with his family heading west from France around South America up to LA, then past Hawaii to Australia. On the final lag of the journey was when he was commissioned by Australia to write a piece for the Australian Broadcasting Corp's 50th anniversary, which aired on the UK in '82. His work includes working with many famous people, including Roger Daltrey, Art Garfunkle, Bonnie Tyler, Huey Lewis, and so many more. Of personal interest, he wrote the Orchestral sections for XTC songs "Green Man" and "I Can't Own Her."

Stand Out Track: Love Makes You Crazy

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