1990-1998: Mainstream Success
Acoustic Alchemy were soon moved to the world's biggest jazz label, GRP Records as MCA bought GRP in February 1990. Six more albums followed, starting with the 9-track Reference Point (1990), featuring a cover of Dave Brubeck's classic, "Take Five". Then a live favourite, the track was the band's only recorded cover to this day. The critically acclaimed Back On The Case (1991) followed, a ten-track collection which rivalled the innocent brilliance of the band's début four years previous.
Webb also uncovered fourteen early tracks from 1982 – 1987, featuring Simon James, which were released as a compilation called Early Alchemy (1992). The New Edge (1993) and Against The Grain (1994) followed.
For their eighth album, Arcanum (1996), the band decided to take a retrospective look back by re-recording some of the band's most popular tracks. The album was recorded in London's Pinewood Studios, along with the string section of the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The collection included three new tracks, "Columbia", "Something She Said" and "Chance Meeting", along with recreations of nine classics. Personnel on the recording was Webb, Carmichael, Sheppard, Murphy and Parsons. It was produced by Aubry "Po" Powell (acclaimed for his work with Pink Floyd, Paul MacCartney and Page Plant). Positive Thinking... (Acoustic Alchemy) (1998) was to be Acoustic Alchemy's last album with original frontman Nick Webb. It was recorded over a week's time in a Manor House near Bath, England in Munkton Combe. Recorded by Steve Jones, the musicians were Greg Carmichael, (nylon string guitar), John Sheppard (drums), Dennis Murphy (bass). Webb was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer prior to starting work on it, and became progressively worse throughout the project. In the end, he could only offer inspiration, as he was too weak to play at recording sessions. Nick Webb died on February 5, 1998. However, the album was perceived as one of the band's best. With the general upset surrounding Webb's passing, David Puttick, an artist and composer, had a large part in the composition behind the songs "Auguststrasse 18" and "Limited Excess",by donating two of his own compositions to be used as backing tracks for the guitar duo, but was (erroneously) never credited.After the release of "Sounds Of St Lucia",which featured a live version of "Auguststrasse 18" in 2003,five years after Nick Webb's untimely death, the matter of credits to David Puttick had still been forgotten.
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