SpaceOpera Space Opera One of the true cult classic albums of the '70s! After woodshedding in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area during the '60s (and recording with high school buddy T-Bone Burnett), Scott Fraser, David Bullock, Phil White and Brett Wilson landed as Space Opera in New York, where the already-legendary Clive Davis offered to sign them on Columbia. Much to the music biz's amazement, they turned him down, opting for more creative control by signing with Epic's Canadian arm, for whom they recorded this excellent but little-promoted album in 1972. An inspired blend of Frank Zappa, the Band, Steely Dan and especially the Byrds, this record is still talked about in hushed tones by 12-string guitarists, as Scott Fraser's unique tuning technique (each string-pair is tuned to 5ths instead of octaves) resulted in a truly monumental sound. Add to that their ample harmonies, and you can hear why Space Opera is considered by some to be the Byrds' natural heirs, or at least their prog-rock cousins! - Collector's Choice Play Holy River Play Over and Over Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Country Max 2. Holy River 3. Outlines 4. Guitar Suite 5. My Telephone Artist (Has Come and Gone) 6. Riddle 7. Prelude No. 4 8. Lookout 9. Blue Ridge Mountains 10. Over and Over 118343354$12.99 Space Opera II "What I'm hearing on the new CD, self-released by the band is a modern technology version of the same group, with denser production and much more accomplished musicianship (which is saying something, since they were already amazing in their early 20s) and remarkably original (and intelligent) songwriting. The Byrds influence is still evident in the layered harmonies and 12-string guitar beauty of numbers such as the hyper-gliding "Welcome" and "Vieux Carre," the majestic "Stolen Ground" and the cosmically bluesy "Blavatsky." Guitarists David Bullock and Scott Fraser readily admit to being Byrds lovers but credit their classical influences to the choral-orchestral works of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. - Gene Triplett - Oklahoma City, Oklahoman Play Mother Nature Father Time Play Who's Calling Play Samples of the entire album Songs on this album are: 1. Welcome 2. Awake I 3. Vieux Carre 4. Stolen Ground 5. Awake II 6. Blavatski 7. Mother Nature Father Time 8. Awake III 9. Who's Calling 10. O.R.C. 11. Awake IV 12. Still Life 118343592$12.99 About Space Opera It has been written that Space Opera plays "serious, complex, satisfying music," blending rock, folk, jazz, and classical influences to achieve their distinctive sound. Space Opera was forged in the Texas summer heat of 1969 by David Bullock, Scott Fraser, Philip White, and Brett Wilson. Already, their young lives had been a history played out on roadhouse bandstands and in the coffeehouses and ballrooms of Texas. They had worked as studio sidemen in exchange for long hours spent arranging and recording their own songs at producer T-Bone Burnett's studio in Fort Worth. Space Opera's first major appearance was at the legendary Texas International Pop Festival. They refined their unique style during years of touring Texas and the eastern seaboard, headlining shows and opening for such groups as The Byrds, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, and Jefferson Airplane. The band's sound was defined by the dense counterpoint of chiming electric 12-strings, crisp, subtle percussion, and choir-like vocals. "Space Opera," an album produced by the band at Manta Sound in Toronto, was released in 1973 by Epic Records. Rock critic and author Ritchie York called the album "incredibly outstanding, deliriously brilliant." The group lived and worked in New York, Canada and Texas during the 1970s and '80s, often augmenting their live sound with symphonic instruments. A music journalist once observed that Space Opera had arrived at "an early, undeserved obscurity." Describing the band's music, he wrote, "They don't just write songs, they compose miniature symphonies, three-to-five-minute pieces that combine musical elements that would seem to have no place in rock." Over the years the musicians disbanded and regrouped as they saw fit. In 1997 Space Opera played a 'reunion' concert at the magnificent Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth. New and old songs were woven together in a suite-like concert that music writer Dave Ferman of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram found "...musically stunning. Moving from mood to mood and using subtle shadings of 12-string guitars, oboe and accordion...Space Opera lived up to its legend and pointed the way to a fresh new start." Today, Space Opera continues to labor in the vineyard of obscurity, creating music that is uniquely its own for the entertainment of a small but devoted audience. In Memoriam On 26 January 2005, Brett Wilson suffered a fatal heart attack, forever altering his family and friend's lives and the course of Space Opera. BRETT WILSON - March 7, 1949 - January 26, 2005 Brett Owen Wilson, respected musician, devoted husband and father, died at his home in Fort Worth on Wednesday, January 26, 2005. He was 55 years old. The cause of death was cardiac arrest. Brett was born on March 7, 1949 in Columbus, Ohio to Virginia and Leo Wilson. When Brett was six months old, the family moved to Fort Worth, where his father worked as an aerospace engineer with General Dynamics. They relocated to San Antonio, where Brett spent his early childhood years, and then back to Fort Worth. Brett attended Wedgewood Jr. High School, and was President of the student body. At Paschal High School he excelled in academics and was a cheerleader. As a teenager, Brett combined his love of jazz with his talent for playing drums. He played in The Ridgeway Scott Orchestra and in The Richard Powell Trio, mastering several jazz idioms. After graduating from Paschal in 1967, Brett attended Oberlin College in Ohio and the University of Texas at Austin. In Austin he met his future wife, Claudia Wormley. Also in Austin, in the Spring of 1969, a chance meeting with old high school acquaintances resulted in Brett's co-founding of the rock band Space Opera. Originally based in Fort Worth, the band went on to play extensively in Texas, New York, and Canada, and recorded for Columbia Records. Brett and Claudia married in Fort Worth in 1974, settling in Mistletoe Heights. While continuing to perform and record with Space Opera, Brett began a long professional association with restaurateur Michel Baudouin, proprietor of La Chardonnay and The Grape Escape. In 1982, Claudia gave birth to a son, Colin. Brett was an avid reader and possessed an imposing intellect. His interests included things esthetic and technical. He loved riding motorcycles,collecting and playing musical instruments with his son, watching sports and taking afternoon naps. A lifelong animal fancier, Brett had innumerable pets: cats, dogs, tropical fish and exotic birds. Brett will always be remembered for his selfless generosity, his devotion to family and friends, and a soft-spoken, congenial persona that complemented his formidable physical and moral strengths. Brett is survived by his parents, Virginia and Leo Wilson, his wife, Claudia Wormley Wilson, all of Fort Worth, and son Colin Alexander Trout Wilson, of Norman, Oklahoma. Other family members include his sister, Lesley Wilson, M.D., of Saratoga, California, nephew Evan Rabinowitz of New York City, and niece Laura Rabinowitz, a student at Skidmore College. Scott Fraser - December 11, 1949 - September 19, 2006 Scott Fraser – composer, co-founder of acclaimed music group Space Opera, and popular guitar instructor – died September 19, 2006 after a long illness. Scott was born December 11, 1949 in Schenectady, NY. His mother Virginia, a professional musician, taught him piano at an early age. He first won recognition in ninth grade as drummer and arranger for The Mods. Their recording “It’s for You” was a top-requested radio favorite in 1964. In 1967 he helped form nationally-known Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit & Greenhill, produced by Grammy winner T-Bone Burnett. (Their album is mentioned in an episode of TV’s “Gilmore Girls”, and is included in the respected Mojo Magazine's Collection book as one of the most important albums in American popular music.) In 1969 Scott joined David Bullock, Phil White, and Brett Wilson to form Space Opera. The group recorded for CBS and Columbia/Epic Records. They toured nationwide, appearing with other major musicians including The Byrds, Mamas & Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. Another respected Fort Worth musician, Stephen Bruton, called Scott “the first virtuosic rock guitarist I knew.” Scott composed “The Angelic” for chamber orchestra competition, “Angelic Suite” for New York’s Falco Dance Company, and “The Mystery of St. Anthony” for symphony orchestras. Since his illness, fans and former students have sent messages to his web site, www.frasermusic.com, including these: “Thank you for your constant inspiration. Heroes leave their mark like that.” “Scott will always live in the hearts of everyone he came in contact with.” “You are certainly the single greatest composer and musician I have had the good fortune to know.” Survivors: Wife Mary; daughter Maggie; sister Patricia Fraser; mother-in-law Marjorie Sewell; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law John and Mary Rhoads and Mike Rhoads; niece Katherine Bryant; nephews Alexander Bryant and John Rhoads; cousins Rix Quinn, Eric Roberson, and Tim Roberson.