Bill Bruford was a founding member of Yes through the years 1968-1972 and whilst with the band recorded five albums each of which was more successful than its predecessor. When Bill left Yes in 1972 following the release of Close To The Edge, there were those who concluded that he'd taken leave of his senses. But it proved an astute musical move. As King Crimson's enigmatic leader Robert Fripp decided to split the band after three tumultuous albums and move on to other projects, Bill moved to playing countless sessions, and was also briefly a member of the bands National Health, Gong and more famously, Genesis, where he played alongside Phil Collins who had just stepped up to the microphone following the departure of Peter Gabriel. Bill was the live drummer through 1976 while the band toured their album A Trick Of The Tail. His debut album as a leader, Feels Good To Me, was released 1978, and he went on to form the band Bruford, recording two further studio albums and a live album before returning to King Crimson in the early '80s.
Earthworks, born 1987, was designed from the start to ruffle feathers. Featuring the 'taboo' electronic drums, rock technology, and the jazz sensibilities of a new group of fresh players from the anarchic London jazz scene of the eighties, it was bound to make heads turn. Earthworks Edition 1 featured horn players Django Bates and Iain Ballamy alongside upright bassist Mick Hutton, subsequently replaced by Tim Harries. The acoustic front line of Bates, Ballamy and Hutton was a strong and powerful contrast to the electronic percussion supplied by Bruford, and the band received many international critical plaudits: 'Fine groovemanship and advancing techniques on tuned electronic percussion' Downbeat. 1994's Stamping Ground, recorded live in the U.S, allowed the band to present older material in the fresher live format, and contains the key tracks Emotional Shirt and It Needn't End In Tears. This recording of Stamping Ground-Live has been re-mastered and includes one bonus track: Hotel Splendour.
As with other albums in the Summerfold series of releases, Stamping Ground comes re-packaged with a bonus disc containing music from the contrasting Winterfold catalogue and an exclusive interview with Bill Bruford.
