System 7 is the first studio album by the dance/ambient band System 7.
A somewhat different version was released in the United States as 777 by 777. The running order is different, there are different mixes of two tracks (taken from the "Miracle" single), and it has two tracks from the "Freedom Fighters" single – "Depth Disco" and "Mia". Just to confuse matters, 777 was also the title of System 7's second UK album, with completely different music.
With several vocal tracks, this album has rather a different feel from later System 7 albums. Aniff Cousins appears on "Freedom Fighters" (with Zoë providing chorus vocals) and "Dog", and Olu Rowe on "Habibi", "Bon Humeur" and "Strange Quotations".
Style Candy Absorption of The Rough Guide to Rock wrote that the album was "accessible, if in retrospect untypical", adding that group leaders Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy "were yet to settle into their after-hours, dreamy, chill-out style, and the record features vocals by Olu Rowe reminiscent of Seal." John Bush of AllMusic writes that the album is a "potent crossover record" that explores "the polished end of ambient house". He wrote that Hillage's guitar solos and the structures of several tracks evoke Hillage's mid-1970s work, considering the album to be "space-rock explorations". Davydd Chong of Music Week describes it as an album of "atmospheric sound collages" which are laced with harder-edged material.
The single "Habibi" was described by Chong as "world music dragged through a sweaty sound system at three in the morning". Hillage explained: "'Habibi' means 'my love' in Arabic. I've had a long-term interest in Arabic music, right back to the mid-seventies. It's quite elevating." "Mia (The Fisherman Mix)", found on the American version of the album, is a washing ambient track which features on the 1993 Excursions in Ambience compilation.
Track listing System 7 # Track Length Written by Produced by Mixed by 1 "Sunburst" 07:25 Alex Paterson, Steve Hillage & Miquette Giraudy Youth & Hillage Youth and Thrash 2 "Freedom Fighters" 05:21 Hillage, Aniff Cousins & Zoë Hillage Hillage, Thrash and Greg Hunter 3 "Habibi" 06:09 Steve Waddington, Hillage, Olu Rowe & Giraudy Hillage & Waddington Thrash 4 "Altitude" 05:58 Derrick May & Hillage May & Hillage May 5 "Bon Humeur" 07:27 Hillage, Rowe & Giraudy Hillage Thrash 6 "Fractal Liaison" 02:09 May & Hillage May & Hillage mixed live to DAT 7 "Dog" 05:52 Paterson, Hillage, Cousins & Giraudy Hillage Thrash 8 "Thunderdog" 02:26 Paterson, Hillage & Giraudy Hillage & Paterson The Orb 9 "Listen" 06:23 May & Hillage May & Hillage Thrash 10 "Strange Quotations" 06:36 Hillage, Michael MacNeil & Rowe Hillage — 11 "Miracle" 07:08 Paterson, Paul Oakenfold, Hillage, Giraudy & Andy Falconer Hillage Thrash 12 "Over and Out" 03:27 Hillage & Giraudy Hillage & Giraudy —
777
# Track Length Written by Produced by Mixed by 1 "Sunburst (Seahorse Mix)" 07:14 Paterson, Hillage & Giraudy Youth & Hillage Youth and Thrash 2 "Miracle (Orb Remix)" 06:31 Paterson, Oakenfold, Hillage, Giraudy & Falconer Hillage The Orb (Paterson and Thrash) 3 "Depth Disco" 07:35 Hillage, Giraudy & Lewis Keogh Hillage Hillage and Tyrell 4 "Altitude" 05:58 May & Hillage May & Hillage May 5 "Habibi" 06:19 Waddington, Hillage, Rowe & Giraudy Hillage & Waddington Thrash 6 "Strange Quotations" 06:16 Hillage, MacNeil & Rowe Hillage Hillage and Thrash 7 "Bon Humeur" 07:00 Hillage, Rowe & Giraudy Hillage Thrash 8 "Freedom Fighters" 05:18 Hillage, Cousins & Zoë Hillage Hillage, Thrash and Hunter 9 "Dog" 05:52 Paterson, Hillage, Cousins & Giraudy Hillage Thrash 10 "Thunderdog" 02:26 Paterson, Hillage & Giraudy Hillage & Paterson The Orb 11 "Listen" 06:25 May & Hillage May & Hillage Thrash 12 "Fractal Liaison" 02:10 mixed live to DAT 13 "Over and Out" 03:25 Hillage & Giraudy Hillage & Giraudy — 14 "Mia (The Fisherman Mix)" 06:09 Hillage, Nigel Butler & Giraudy Hillage & Butler mix consultant Paterson
References
External links System 7 on the official System 7 website