Silent Heaven, by C.W. Vrtacek

Silent Heaven

by C.W. Vrtacek

supported by

The Sonic Archives Recording Co. thumbnail

Dr. "Buzz" Frenzy (Matthew J Hesse) thumbnail

more...

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$10 USD or more

	1.	Poison 01:23
	2.	War 01:07
	3.	Tumbling 03:32
	4.	Inside 01:13
	5.	Revenge 02:15
	6.	Song for Marcel 02:01
	7.	Rain 02:09
	8.	Emily, are you happy? 03:24
	9.	Breathing 01:03
	10.	Silence 00:26
	11.	When 01:44
	12.	Thinking 03:19
	13.	Fly/Wave 06:03
	14.	Picture in an Empty Frame 05:07
	15.	Minus My Friend 01:36
	16.	History of the Heart, Mystery of the Mind 01:37
	17.	Part of Me Here, Part of Me With You, Always 01:22
	18.	Stone Steps 01:19
	19.	Preparing the Bridge (for Heaven) 05:12
	20.	Saying Goodbye to the Beauty and Complexity of Life on Earth 05:44
	21.	When Heaven Comes to Town 26:16

about

In the waning days of the very end of the 1970s, Vrtacek (later also known as Charles 'Chuck' O'Meara) purchased the first commercially available 4 track cassette deck, the Teac 144 and recorded four solo albums between 1980-1988.

Also known as 'The Portastudio, this revolutionary, relatively low-cost machine allowed musicians to inexpensively record music at home, and which helped to launch the home-recording wave (see old, thumb-eared copies of OP magazine). This was several years before he formed Forever Einstein.

Silent Heaven puts his third and fourth solo albums, Learning to Be Silent and When Heaven Comes to Town, onto one special album. Very different from Einstein, the music here is quiet, sober, introspective, sometimes playful, and often somewhat dark.

O'Meara (March 13, 1953–October 20, 2018) died in 2018 of a heart attack at age 65.

"It may be preferable to meditate in a quiet room, but we seldom find ourselves in quiet rooms...so, always the same question: how to find silence in the midst of chaos?"
-C.W. Vrtacek.

credits

released March 12, 1996

All music composed, arranged and performed by C.W. Vrtacek with the following exceptions:

Kim Gellatly - toy xylophone on 'Emily, are you happy'
Michael Gellatly - assistant to Emily
James Woodruff - narration on 'Fly/Wave'
Nick Didkovsky - 'dog with mumps' phone call on 'Silence'

Synthesizer [CZ-101], Acoustic Guitar [Yamaha], Guitar [Fender Stratocaster, Guild Starfire], Piano [Old Clunky], Xylophone, Ukulele, Performer [Metronome, Purring Cat, Radio Shack Telephone Answering Machine] - tracks 1-14.

Sampler [Ensoniq Mirage DSK-8], Ukulele [Baritone], Tape, Toy Piano [Broken] - tracks 15-21.

"Learning To Be Silent" recorded August 1985 to January 1986 at C.W. Vrtacek's home in New Preston, CT on a Tascam 144 four-track cassette machine. Mixed at Nono Studios, Norwalk.
Originally released 1986.

"When Heaven Comes To Town" recorded at C.W. Vrtacek's home in New Preston on a Tascam 3440 four-track open reel machine. Mixed at Sountec Studios, Norwalk. Ambient sounds collected at Philip's Diner, Woodbury and at Grand Central Station, NYC. Titled after a room-sized art installation created by Michael Gellatly.
Originally released 1988.

This CD released in cooperation with ReR Records and Cordelia Records. Thanks to Chris Cutler and Alan Jenkins.

license

about

Cuneiform Records Washington, D.C.

Cuneiform Records is an independent record label releasing adventurous, boundary-bursting music by artists from around the world.

Founded in 1984.
Based in Washington D.C.

Recommendations

contact / help

Contact Cuneiform Records

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

Cuneiform Records recommends:

The Gift of Purpose [Hopper Family Benefit Album]
by Bone (Nick Didkovsky / Hugh Hopper / John Roulat)

The BENEFIT ALBUM for Hugh Hopper's family is now on Bandcamp! Cuneiform Records
go to album

If you like Silent Heaven, you may also like:

Abracadabra In Osaka (Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall)
by Soft Works

supported by 31 fans who also own “Silent Heaven”

The combination of Elton and Allan on this is absolutely incredible! Hugh Hopper and John Marshall fill it out BEAUTIFULLY! Jonathan Pryor
go to album
Live at the Baked Potato
by Soft Machine

supported by 27 fans who also own “Silent Heaven”

The legendary Soft Machine are firing on all cylinders here and this is a real musical treat and a superb offering from top to bottom. fgmoods
go to album
Hidden Details (HD)
by Soft Machine

supported by 26 fans who also own “Silent Heaven”

I love Soft Machine and everything these players stand for. New track off of Hidden Details is amazing. Long live Soft Machine. gearmanx
go to album
Furvent
by Le Grand Sbam

Progressive music ensemble The Grand Sbam's bombastic compositions defy tempo, genre, and description. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 17, 2020
go to album
Minimal Surface
by Thee Reps

The long-running NYC group's full-length debut explores the various guises of minimalism in music, from Krautrock to post-rock. Bandcamp New & Notable May 16, 2019
go to album