• Edward Ka-Spel – Voice, Keyboards
• The Silverman – Keyboards, Electronics
• Martijn de Kleer – Guitars, Violin
• Niels van Hoorn – electric horns
• Raymond Steeg – sound wizardry

Cover (Caciocavallo) by Nienke Poiesz /Cover Artwork (Big Blue) – Zdzisław Beksiński

 Notes

From Bandcamp: 2001.  Post 9/11 and the shock of that terrible day permeates this recording (except ,ironically, the opener which pre-dated the cataclysm by a good 6 months).
Perhaps LPDs never sounded more melancholic and “Horses” rates in the top 3 of EK’s favourite Dots albums, but it was sadly overlooked by a World which was also in a state of shock.
The little boy on the cover is EK’s son, Tristan

***

“I never liked discussing my own lyrics. In the early days of the Pink Dots, I steadfastly refused to include lyric sheets with the albums, in the belief that a listener cannot enjoy or enter a piece of music if she or he is reading and listening at the same time. However, when those lyrics began to be transcribed poorly and sometimes misinterpreted, understandably, by the people who bought the albums, I was forced to relent. I began writing the words for “All the King’s Horses” and sister album, “All the King’s Men” (on ROIR), early in 2001 with The Unlikely Event. The piece outlined a scenario which could occur in a society increasingly obsessed with technology. A plane is about to crash and one of the unfortunate passengers feels the need to phone his wife on his mobile, only to receive her voice-mail. A runaway train was set in motion with that song. Pieces were written furiously throughout the rest of the year – before and after September 11th. As a result, “All the King’s Horses” and “All the King’s Men” appear thematic– not by design, but on account of a body of work being made in a period when the World really did change. My silent wish is that this work leaves the listener hopeful. Even at a moment in time when only madmen of ALL creeds and colours seem to have the fate of this fragile planet in their hands. Let live.” ~Edward Ka-spel~