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New Deluxe Edition!
The creation of the original “Syllabus of Magic - Merlin’s Quest” goes back to 1997, and was Neil H’s fifth release.
The album represented a mystical journey back to the times of legend when Merlin’s magic affected the lives and visions of a hopeful nation emerging upon a changing world.
The voice of Keren Cooksey narrates the selected words from Chris Porter’s story, adding an extra dimension to the musical journey created through the distinctive sounds made popular by Neil in his previous albums. The album also featured djembe drumming (kabudu style) by Torr McFarlane, giving the album a haunting moodiness and old world charm.
The album was a great success and to date is still seen as one of the favourites amongst those who have collected all of Neil’s albums.
Alongside the interest in Neil’s musical talent came questions about why he wrote the album. Neil H had always enjoyed Arthurian legend and was fascinated to discover that his friend and mentor had written a story based on the legendary character Merlin. Neil read the book and so enjoyed the chapter related to a conversation with Merlin that he asked Chris if he could use it to be the basis of his next album. Chris agreed, fascinated to see how Neil would create a musical experience that would represent a wordy conversation of a young man’s fanciful journey into an unknown past with a legendary figure that represented mystery, mysticism and magic.
The result was the highly successful album “Syllabus of Magic - Merlin’s Quest”. The album is still seen as one of Neil’s most successful albums, having sold throughout the country and around the world. It has brought many new followers to Neil’s music and also sparked an interest in the writings of the author.
Up until that time Chris had been a private introspective writer, using his pen as a personal therapy to answer the many questions that life was presenting to him. His scribbled thoughts, prose, poems and penned ramblings would help purge his mind of issues, both good and bad, enabling him to move forward with his life’s journey, preventing him being held back by the sticky web of emotional distress caused when no one was able to help him understand his confused philosophy. Neil’s exposure of Chris’s “magical” thoughts prompted many to make contact, in a desire to know the inspiration for this musical work. What had been personal writings for Chris came in to the public domain. Although acknowledged on every album of Neil as being his support, friend and mentor, many were unaware that the grey haired man that busied himself behind the scenes at Neil’s concerts, acting as his aid, stage manager and lighting technician was in fact the writer and voice of Merlin.
This was all about to change.
Neil, in gratitude for all the work that Chris had done with him over the years, invited him to come into the studio and record the story that inspired the original album. This meant that others would also be able to experience the verbal journal of a young man’s meeting with the Arthurian legend Merlin. So ten years after the original release of the album, and in response to the numerous requests to be able to buy the story, Chris and Neil collaborated on the re-release of the original album. The new version contains not only a copy of the original album but also a copy of the writing that inspired the original music alongside a recording of the story read by its author Chris, supported by the musical talent of Neil. The end result is an enjoyable exploration of thought by a homely storyteller. This is no theatrical oratory, or refined performance of a honed thespian. Neil asked Chris to sit in an arm chair and imagine that he was telling his story to his young niece who was sitting attentively at his feet. And so he did. Kelly listened while Uncle Chris took her on an adventure of the mind to a place long ago forgotten, yet so easily brought back to mind through the magic of imagination.
The result is Neil’s and Chris’s first collaborative work. It is almost certainly destined to be as popular as the original, rewarding those who sought and desired an insight into the words and imagination of the mystery writer, as well as introducing a new generation of listeners to the wonderful musical talent known to the world as Neil H.
Currently only available here:
http://www.legacy-for-a-new-age.co.uk/buy-the-book.php
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