The Valley of Swords by Mike Batt (image left) comes from the No. 1 album in our household growing up, Tarot Suite. This 40-minute record, inspired by tarot card imagery, blends orchestral flourishes with progressive rock and folk influences. My father was enthralled by it and would often set the needle down whenever we had guests. I, too, felt compelled to share it—going so far as to introduce songs from Tarot Suite to my school friends on a camping trip.
The Valley of Swords (The Chariot, Justice) is an engaging, yet unusual orchestral piece (from the London Symphony orchestra) in which the Shawm (image left) brings in a distinct sense of regal fanfare from a bygone era. The Shawm is an ancestor of the modern oboe and used as a court instrument from the middle ages through to the renaissance.
Mike Batt’s liner notes portray The Chariot as symbolizing ““Represent[ing] conquest, either mental or physical. Motion, achievement. The young Charioteer rides confidently and triumphantly.” Musically, the piece moves fluidly through different sections of the orchestra and even pauses to spotlight Ricky Hitchcock on lead guitar. The structure is recognizable: a gentle, restrained introduction of the melody that later swells as the full orchestra joins in. There’s a strong sense of forward momentum, the kind of music one might imagine accompanying a celebratory journey or victorious passage.
Mike Batt is a British composer, songwriter, and producer known for his eclectic musical style, blending classical orchestration with pop, rock, and folk influences. Tarot Suite was the traditionally difficult follow-up second album which he had the following to say:
“The success of my first solo album, Schizophonia had spurred me on, and I wanted to make a truly cohesive album that had a dramatic concept on which to hang the ideas. I had always been fascinated by the artwork and the tradition of Tarot Cards. I wasn’t really that interested in the occult, – I suppose I was curious like anyone else, but I got to know the various Tarot packs and read a lot about them. I decided to write an album (“Tarot Suite”) which would once again combine my more experimental combination of rock and symphonic instruments and ideas with songs, some of which could be quite simple. Looking back, I think it was the most cohesive of my solo albums.”
References:
1. Day Eighteen: Mike Batt and Friends – Tarot Suite – Verging on Vinyl
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
“Lady of the Dawn” is the one song I knew from “Tarot Suite.” It got some radio play back in Germany. Mike Batt’s music is an interesting mix of symphonic, rock and pop. Another Batt song I well remember is the cinematic “The Ride to Agadir.”
Cool..