Deep Breakfast Explained
Deep Breakfast is Ray Lynch's third studio album, released on December 12, 1984. Upon its initial release, the artist sold over 72,000 albums out of his small apartment in San Rafael, California.[4] After signing with Music West Records, the album was released widely in March 1986.[5] Upon its re-release, the album was universally praised for its mesh of electronic and classical sounds, with several calling it an evolution to the respective genres. Eventually, in 1989, the album peaked at #2 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart, behind David Lanz's album Cristofori's Dream.[6] The album was eventually certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 1994.
Concept
The album's title (as well as the names of the songs) is taken from the then-unpublished The Mummery Book by Lynch's spiritual teacher, Adi Da Samraj.[7] [8] [9] The line in which the album's name was inspired can be found in the album's liner notes: "Evelyn slapped Raymond on the back with a laugh. 'You must be starved, old friend. Come into my apartments, and we'll suffer through a deep breakfast of pure sunlight.'"[10] In an interview with Cymbiosis, Lynch said that "Celestial Soda Pop" was named by a friend of Lynch after hearing that song for the first time.[9]
The artwork used for the album was oil painted by Lynch's friend, Kim Prager.[11]
Reception
Joe Brown of The Washington Post praised the album, calling it an album that is "effective with headphones". Brown particularly praised the song "The Oh of Pleasure", stating that it "uses gradual amplification to give the strange sensation that you're being drawn deeper and deeper into the sound."[12] Bill Henderson of the Orlando Sentinel called the album a "rare surprise", praising its "smoothness and sheer beauty."[13] P.J. Birosik of Yoga Journal called the album "the breakthrough new age pop record".[14] David Stockdale of Sunday Tasmanian labeled the album more than "a modern masterpiece" because "It's an absolute joy to behold." Stockdale also compared some of Lynch's works in the album to Vangelis, especially in "Your Feeling Shoulders".[15] William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the album five stars, praising the album's use of "deeply textured melodic structure and a buoyant rhythmic underpinning ". Digital Audio & Compact Disc Review praised the album, believing that it is a "step forward toward maturity for New Age music."[16] Electronic Musician noted that the album is rooted from baroque music, specifically in the way Lynch "constructs neoclassical, melodically beautiful songs of remarkable clarity." The magazine also noted that "Lynch's relationship with synthesizers is a bit different from a keyboardist's" due to his background as a lutist.[17] In an article regarding the artist, Steve Korte of CD Review considered the album a classic.[18]
On June 3, 1989, Cash Box magazine commented that the album became "the only gold album ever by a new age artist on an indie label."[19]
Track listing
Deep Breakfast includes the following tracks. All music is written by Ray Lynch, except where noted.[20]
Personnel
All music composed, arranged, and produced by Ray Lynch except The Oh of Pleasure which was co-written by Lynch and Tom Canning.[21]
- Ray Lynch – keyboards, piano, guitar
- Tom Canning – keyboards on "The Oh of Pleasure"
- Beverly Jacobs – flute
- Ron Strauss – viola
Production
- George Horn and Fantasy Studios (San Francisco) – mastering
Charts
Notes and References
- Widders-Ellis. Andy. Ray Lynch: Exploring the Structure of Music. Keyboard. December 1989. 15. 12. 29. Lynch records and mixes his albums in his home studio..
- Patti Jean Birosik, The New Age Music Guide: Profiles and Recordings of 500 Top New Age Musicians, p113, 1989, Collier MacMillan,, "Deep Breakfast...one of the best-selling New Age Space music albums ever"
- Web site: Deep Breakfast (1986). Discogs. March 20, 2017. en.
- News: Mayfield. Geoff. Indies. March 19, 2017. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. October 25, 1986. N-4; N-20. en.
- McCormick. Moira. Mainstream New Age Promo A Hit. February 13, 2018. Billboard. 99. 51. December 19, 1987.
- New Age Music: Top New Age Albums Chart. Billboard. August 15, 2016. January 28, 1989.
- Ray Lynch: Deep Breakfast. Digital Audio & Compact Disc Review. January 1987. 3. 5. 19. Several of his themes, "The Oh of Pleasure," "Your Feeling Shoulders," and "Tiny Geometries," as well as the disc's title, were taken from the unpublished Buddhist novel The Mummery by Da Free John..
- Means. Andrew. Ray Lynch prefers studios to stages for his harmonics. The Arizona Republic. May 30, 1989. 100. 12. 18–19. Many of the titles on Deep Breakfast and No Blue Thing come from The Mummery, Love-Ananda's unpublished novel. Lynch said the novel is about "the transcendence of the ego," and it may be published this year. [...] Despite the references to Love-Ananda's book, Lynch said he's not trying to promote a particular philosophy through the music..
- Yanow. Scott. Fine Instrumental Cuisine from Ray Lynch. Cymbiosis. August 1987. 1. 3. 22–23; 41. West Covina, California. 9780793556878. 0895-6936. 16743840. 'A good friend of mine joked when hearing the first song that I should call it 'Celestial Soda Pop'. He was laughing, but the name stuck and it's a bit humerous. 'Rhythm in the Pews', although my own title, was suggested by a title in The Mummery, a published novel by Love Ananda..
- Web site: Deep Breakfast (1991). Discogs. 18 August 2016.
- Web site: Lynch. Ray. Deep Breakfast. www.raylynch.com. April 2, 2017. An artist friend of Ray's, Kim Prager (now Zen Player), had heard some of the new music and asked for a copy of it, which Ray gave him. Several weeks later, Kim came back to Ray with this lively oil painting, which really captured the spirit of the music..
- News: Brown. Joe. Nine to herald the 'new age'. February 27, 2017. The Washington Post. October 2, 1987.
- News: Henderson. Bill. Alternative Music. March 20, 2017. Orlando Sentinel. December 7, 1986. en.
- News: Birosik. P.J.. Yoga Journal. March 19, 2017. November / December 1989. Active Interest Media, Inc.. 102. en.
- News: Stockdale. David. Deep Breakfast. Sunday Tasmanian. August 21, 1988. More in the Vangelis mould of romantic-melodrama is Your Feeling Shoulders. It soars to a majestic climax on the wings of his resonant keyboards...Deep Breakfast more than lives up to the claim that it's a modern masterpiece. It's an absolute joy to behold..
- Ray Lynch: Deep Breakfast. Digital Audio & Compact Disc Review. January 1987. 3. 5. 19. Deep Breakfast is a triumph for Lynch and a step forward toward maturity for New Age music..
- Deep Breakfast. Electronic Musician. January 1986. 2. 1. April 10, 2017. A former lutist with a renaissance quartet, Lynch's relationship with synthesizers is a bit different from a keyboardist's. Specifically, he constructs neoclassical, melodically beautiful songs of remarkable clarity — due in part to the percussive, short-envelope sounds with which he works. You can feel the baroque roots..
- Korte. Steve. New Age Leaders. CD Review. August 1994. 10. 12. 24. His 1984 Deep Breakfast disc (Windham Hill) is considered a classic, and his perky instrumental composition "Celestial Soda Pop" from that album is a standard that you've probably heard dozens of times in your local supermarket or dentist's office..
- News: Tickertape. March 26, 2017. June 3, 1989. 2.
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/deep-breakfast-mw0000650439 Ray Lynch / Deep Breakfast / Track Listing
- Das. Ramana. Windows of Sound. Yoga Journal. January–February 1986. 66. 70. April 2, 2017.
- News: Cash Box Indie Jazz Albums. 24. March 26, 2017. December 17, 1988.
