The Vicar "Songbook #1"

Country: UK
Sub Genre: Chamber Prog-pop
Release date: November 22, 2012 (digital), May, 2013 (CD)
Tracklist: 
1. The Girl with the Sunshine in Her Eyes (2.45)
2. Childhood Days (4.49)
3. That Boy's Not Cool (3.14)
4. The Moony Song (5.30)
5. Twenty Two (4.10)
6. Three Sides of Me (2.15)
7. Man with a Woman on his Mind (3.05)
8. Forever (4.19)
9. San Manuel (2.33)
10. She Closes Her Eyes (2.13)
11. In Dying Fire (4.38)
12. Count Your Blessings (3.23)
13. Inside My Head (2.54)
14. Lonely Sunday (1.37)

Line-up: 
Nigel Barr - Trombone, Tuba
Chas Dickie - Cello, Double Bass
Tim Eisenberg - Vocals
Robert Fripp - Guitar (Electric)
Tony Geballe - Guitar (12 String)
Paul Ibberson - Piano, Vocals
Jakko Jalszyk - Vocals (Background)
Mutch Katsonga - Vocals
Andrew Knights - Oboe
Tony Levin - Fretless Bass
Alex R. Mundy  - Piano
Steve Porter - Vocals
Horacio Pozzo - Guitar, Piano
Punk Sanderson - Percussion, Studio Assistant
David Scott - Vocals
Steve Sidwell - Trumpet
David Singleton  - Composer, Guitar, Musician, Sampling
Cathy Stevens - Viola, Violin
Lewis Taylor - Vocals
Keith Tippell - Piano
Theo Travis - Flute, Recorder, Saxophone
The Vicar - Arranger, Musician, Primary Artist, Producer
Karen Wimhurst - Clarinet, Clarinet (Bass)
Andy Yorke - Vocals

Description/Reviews: 

Out of the King Crimson camp and Discipline Global Mobile comes this enigmatic new artist. We don’t know who The Vicar is, but the other musicians on the album have names, and they include Tony Levin, Theo Travis, and Jakko Jakszyk among many others. Songbook #1 is an unexpected album. There are a variety of singers, but no drummers or electric bassists were invited. The music consists of very English sounding songs with acoustic instrumentation and string quartet/chamber music arrangements, like Giles Giles & Fripp and early King Crimson teaming with Penguin Cafe Orchestra, with assistance from 10cc, Stackridge, and Queen. The Beatles did something like this; The Vicar takes it in a much more progressive direction. The music is so unlike anything else, you’ll just have to listen for yourself (kinesis)

Media/Samples 
Entire album online

Links:
Web page