The dream and reality cross paths..

If you allow yourself the time to look beyond some of the chart-based one hit wonders of the mid 1990's, you actually unearth many gems in the Electronic albums that accompany said hits.

Case in point is The Grid's 1995 epic, "Evolver"

If you only regard this on the basis of thumping dancefloor tune and ever-present club hit "Swamp Thing" or its slightly similar cousin, "Texas Cowboys" you do the album a massive disservice, as messrs Ball and Norris have crafted quite a classy acid house/techno/dance collection here.

Dave Ball was formerly of electro-pop sensations Soft Cell and clearly wanted to utilise his talents in a slightly different direction when he started collaborating with Richard Norris in the late 1980's, when Electronic music was starting to move firmly into acid house territory.

"On The Grid" and "Intergalactica" followed this form as their first singles, with debut album "Electric Head" arriving in 1990. It was an early sign of Ball and Norris' creativity and for me personally it was the fourth album I actually heard of theirs, returning to the back catalogue after my love of "Evolver".

As a work, "Electric Head" is a patchy effort but there is enough within to pique interest - standout tracks being "One Giant Step", "Intergalactica", and the absolutely epic "Floatation" - and lead you on nicely to later work.

The sound moved forward somewhat on 1992's "4, 5, 6" which further showcased the complex electronic signatures, voice samples and varied instrumentation but still having an understated air and not yet totally danceable feel.

It probably helped that they'd switched to a bigger label (Virgin, albeit only for this release) and drafted in vocalists including Yello's Dieter Meier and Faust's Dagmar Krause alongside god-among-men and King Crimson genius Robert Fripp as well as Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera to assist with the overall feel of the album. It moves along beautifully and is certainly more cohesive than "Electric Head"

"Face The Sun", "Crystal Clear", "Aquarium", "Figure Of 8" and "Boom!" are the backbone of the album and the best tracks.

And now we reach "Evolver". Buoyed by modest success from "4, 5, 6" and clearly looking to change the aesthetic somewhat, Ball and Norris (having moved to the new label BMG with maybe a commercial point to prove) crafted a more danceable third album containing techno beats, samples and the ever-present vocal samples.

First out of the traps was "Swamp Thing", and what a fine piece of work it is with the signature banjo riff overlaying thumping bass and complex synth patterns. Instantly recognizeable in a club, it quickly became a hit. "Texas Cowboys" quickly followed with another distinct sound and similar danceable beat, beginning wonderfully with the vocal sample "you're from Texas? That's beautiful...." echoeing off into the distance as the beat bounces in.

If the rest of the album had followed this pattern it would have been dull.

Luckily it doesn't.

"Wake Up" begins the album with an abrasive synth line that literally jolts you into focus and is followed by the instruction "Wake Up" looped in echoed tones by the vocalist, interspersed with some chanting and humming which further adds to the immediacy of the techno-beats. Great start and one of my favourite Electronic album openers.

"Rollercoaster" drives along wonderfully with an ethereal intro that slides into a pumping bassline and guitar overlay. It is probably subliminal input but I imagine riding on a rollercoaster every time I listen to this and the sensations it produces.

"Swamp Thing" is next and it doesn't disappoint or age one bit. The banjo riff is both an exceptional piece of playing and an inspired choice of instrument as it was an unfamiliar thing to use in a mainstream dance tune, which sadly was overshadowed later in 1995 by the utter turd that was Rednex's "Cotton Eyed Joe", putting the banjo firmly back in its case to be reserved only for those who know how to treat it with the reverence it deserves.

"Throb" comes in with a great guitar riff to intro and bass line underlying the tune which guides you through the track hypnotically.

"Rise" is a more minimal beats affair akin to some of the "Electric Head" and "4, 5, 6" tracks, with some really nice synth noodling and beautiful vocals.

"Shapes Of Sleep" is my standout track and I don't even want to say too much about it as I think listening to it will do it justice. Sufficed to say you'll understand where I got the title for the blog piece from, and I love the gregorian chant samples, rolling synths and bassy rhythms. Just epic.

"Higher Peaks" is another techno track that builds nicely to a middle point which softens slightly with a wispy synth and sample vocals before hitting back into pounding beats.

"Texas Cowboys" is next and needs no further explanation. Still a great listen, even if "Swamp Thing" was the superior commercial success and more immediate companion in the mainstream.

"Spin Cycle" takes a different turn (sorry) again, using vocal rhythms looped around beats to bring us into the track, and a beautiful electric piano sound woven into the spine of the tune. The track builds nicely and offers a very different feel to its predecessor tracks without seeming out of place.

"Golden Dawn" is the closer track, and very much like Orbital's "Attached" from 1994's epic "Snivilisation" it has a very comedown-in-an-uplifting-way quality about it, emphasized beautifully by the use of a male opera singer to put textural vocal over the top of the beats and piano riffs.

Ball and Norris would go on to produce "Music For Dancing" as essentially a remix album and vehicle to launch further dance hit "Diablo" into the world (which is also accessible and awesome).

Some remix albums are lazily thrown together, but this one is well crafted, goes back to some acid-house roots, explores new territory/genres and includes a new single which doesn't draw away from the rest of the tracks one iota. Personal favourites include "Floatation" (Subsonic Grid Mix) by Andrew Weatherall, "Crystal Clear" (456 Mix) and the beautiful "Rollercoaster" (Yellow Submarine Retake) which is basically chillout at its finest.

The Grid's final effort in 2008 was "Doppelganger" which is the least listened to for me, not because it isn't good but I am just not a familiar so cannot truly judge it that well.

There's quite a mix of styles here but Dave Ball has clearly reached into the Soft Cell archives for some of the synth tones and it does work well. Immediately enjoyable tracks include pseudo-Kraftwerk inspired efforts "Pleasure Control" and "Pure Statik"

I guess I harbour a hope that The Grid may reform to do a sort of re-run tour of their mid-1990's success but I think I'd be in a minority and there's probably a few more niche fans out there passively hoping - but not openly campaigning - for the same.

With any artist that is slightly obscure they'll divide opinion and probably be most known for the 2/3 hits they had on the dancefloors, but it is no bad thing and I for one spin "Evolver" several times a year as it is still a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

Badger x