| The Epidemics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Shankar/Caroline | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Recorded | February 1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | ECM 1308 | |||
| Shankar chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Epidemics is an album by Indian violinist L. Shankar and British vocalist, keyboardist and composer Caroline recorded in February 1985 and released on ECM the following year.[2][3][4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Elsewhere's Graham Reid included the album in his list of "10 Unusual ECM Albums of the Eighties I Own," and remarked: "This is a kind of post-punk electro-pop outing... Synth pop with very little catchy pop, emotionally flat vocals by Caroline, widdly rock guitar by Vai and bassist Jones probably wondering why he was doing this."[1]
A writer for Black Country Rock commented: "Squalling heavy rock guitars, eighties booming drums, fretless electric bass and new wave vocals—there is literally nothing else like it in the ECM canon... It is a strange record but probably the most accessible in the ECM catalogue for non-jazz or classical fans, sounding like a traditional eighties rock album."[5]
Tyran Grillo, writing for ECM blog Between Sound and Space, acknowledged that "the musicianship is healthy and the record not without its charm," but stated: "it's difficult to gauge the artists' intentions. Tongue-in-cheek experiment? Worldly statement? Either way, I feel lost, and welcome anyone who knows better to help me find my way." He concluded: "An intriguing detour on the label's path through a sonic territory as vast as it is varied, it is the only ECM album I would never recommend."[6]
