Billy Sherwood’s “Citizen” Album

[JMKUSA]

Who here enjoys the first Citizen album? I couldn’t get into the second one, which lacked guest musicians. But the guests and catchy hooks make this album an enjoyable listen.

I especially enjoy:

The title track, with both Chris and Tony
Man and Machine with Steve Hackett
No Man’s Land with Steve Morse
Age of the Atom with Geoff Downes
Trail of Tears with Patrick Moraz

Just Galileo and Me is catchy but historically inaccurate, mixing up geocentrism with the flat Earth theory.

I recently listened to the album after listening to the new Arc of Life, and I prefer Citizen. It and the last Circa album are the last Sherwood productions I genuinely liked and still listen to.

[Soundwaveseeker]

There were two Billy Sherwood solo albums released in 2015: Archived, and later towards the end of that year, Citizen. Archived was the one he dedicated to Chris Squire and was only available at the shows for the most part. Didn't like the title 'Archived', that made it sound like a compilation or 'archive' collection. It's actually a regular solo album, not a compilation/collection. Citizen had all the guests, including Jon Davison on the last track - like a pre-Arc Of Life Sherwood/Davison song. Good stuff on there, such as the title track, the track with Davison (Written In The Centuries), and the Rush-like Man And The Machine. But I think I like Archived slightly better despite no guests. Empathy, the title track which borrows from a World Trade song, Moment Of Clarity, Life's Carousel - all decent tracks. Pick it up for some good Sherwood rockin' stuff, I think it may be on Bandcamp or something now. Originally it was only available at Yes shows

The second Citizen album is a little weaker and a bit samey throughout. As a series of concept albums, I think maybe Billy should have gone a bit deeper with the concept. Various songs about this time travelling someone (the Citizen) who reincarnates into historical figures or experiences key events is fine, but maybe next time tighten up the idea. Who is the Citizen? Is he some sort of Doctor Who type figure, going backwards and forwards through time? How did he get like that? Maybe next time something like Citizen: Origins, or Citizen: Resurrection or something like that, like a movie. If you do a concept album, I guess go all the way.

[yamishogun]

W
Just Galileo and Me is catchy but historically inaccurate, mixing up geocentrism with the flat Earth theory.

This is a great song musically and lyrically, and it isn't historically inaccurate. Galileo is simply telling his friend that the earth is not flat, which almost everyone believed then despite that it had been shown incorrect by Greeks (Aristotle and Aristarchus of Samos) many centuries earlier. Copernicus mostly finished On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres over 30 years before Galileo was born
and was published a few years before Galileo was born and later discovered the moons of Jupiter orbiting that planet, thereby giving support to the heliocentric model.

Sherwood may have mixed things up in his mind but there is nothing inaccurate about a song where Galileo was insisting the Earth was not flat.

[JMKUSA]

This is a great song musically and lyrically, and it isn't historically inaccurate. Galileo is simply telling his friend that the earth is not flat, which almost everyone believed then despite that it had been shown incorrect by Greeks (Aristotle and Aristarchus of Samos) many centuries earlier. Copernicus mostly finished On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres over 30 years before Galileo was born
and was published a few years before Galileo was born and later discovered the moons of Jupiter orbiting that planet, thereby giving support to the heliocentric model.

Sherwood may have mixed things up in his mind but there is nothing inaccurate about a song where Galileo was insisting the Earth was not flat.

In Galileo’s time it was already well established that the Earth is not flat. So the conversation as described in the song would have been quite silly. He was persecuted for his views about the Earth revolving around the Sun, not for his views about the shape of the Earth, which where widely accepted.

[Sharp On Attack]

Written In The Centuries filled me with hopes for more great Sherwood/Davison collaborations...I'm still waiting...

[yamishogun]

In Galileo’s time it was already well established that the Earth is not flat. So the conversation as described in the song would have been quite silly. He was persecuted for his views about the Earth revolving around the Sun, not for his views about the shape of the Earth, which where widely accepted.

Galileo's persecution is not part of the song. That the Earth is not flat was known to a very small percent of the population - many scholars and some monks, so maybe 1%, if that. There is no reason to think the person talking to Galileo would necessarily know especially since he doesn't believe it! There is no historical inaccuracy in terms of the lyrics, and it's a lot easier to use "flat" in a song than "geocentric".

[JMKUSA]

Galileo's persecution is not part of the song. That the Earth is not flat was known to a very small percent of the population - many scholars and some monks, so maybe 1%, if that. There is no reason to think the person talking to Galileo would necessarily know especially since he doesn't believe it! There is no historical inaccuracy in terms of the lyrics, and it's a lot easier to use "flat" in a song than "geocentric".

I do agree with you that geocentric wouldn’t work well in a song.

Musically the song is quite good. I do enjoy it, and the singer Colin Moulding does a good job.

[yamishogun]

I do agree with you that geocentric wouldn’t work well in a song.

Musically the song is quite good. I do enjoy it, and the singer Colin Moulding does a good job.

I like it lyrically because someone not very educated 400 years ago talking with Galileo and gets a lesson about the universe is both cool to me and definitely unique. I got hooked on it a couple of years ago.

[bondegezou]

Who here enjoys the first Citizen album? I couldn’t get into the second one, which lacked guest musicians. But the guests and catchy hooks make this album an enjoyable listen.

I especially enjoy:

The title track, with both Chris and Tony
Man and Machine with Steve Hackett
No Man’s Land with Steve Morse
Age of the Atom with Geoff Downes
Trail of Tears with Patrick Moraz

Just Galileo and Me is catchy but historically inaccurate, mixing up geocentrism with the flat Earth theory.

I recently listened to the album after listening to the new Arc of Life, and I prefer Citizen. It and the last Circa album are the last Sherwood productions I genuinely liked and still listen to.

I can't get over the sense that Sherwood just half-arsed the whole project. How can you make such a basic mistake about Galileo? It's like for his research for the album, he couldn't even be bothered to read the Wikipedia article. I want the love and attention for an album to shine through!