LISTEN HEAR / MIND GAMES / PSYCHEDELIC RESHUFFLE
LISTEN HEAR
Custard Flux / Helium (CD) I've only recently paid more attention to this album and I feel quite ashamed! Still, better late than never. This has been a year where I've held back on buying too much in the way of new releases in favour of catching up and taking stock of what I already have - and I've listened a lot to 'Helium'. Curvey has been busy here! How has he managed to fit so many notes and changes into each song and still remain melodic? I'm overwhelmed! The word 'grand' comes to mind whenever I listen to the album - the songs sound 'big' or 'epic' in much the same way that Procol Harum did. 'Hit Parade' is a perfect opening track, bright and breezy, but it isn't typical of the rest of the album. Most songs are of a more steady tempo, but do retain an air of playfulness. 'Forevermore' appears to describe a revolt, but violence doesn't appear to be part of the plan, it begins - 'we storm the castle to slide down the bannister, coins ring from my pocket as we swing from the chandelier' – I enjoyed those lines and the persuasiveness shown later by the instigators! 'Tiger' ('...anger and sadness feed the tiger inside...') even has handclaps mimicking the chomping jaws! The Eastern pointing direction continues with the instrumental 'The Shire Of Gingin', and I've no trouble heading that way! Elsewhere, I sense the presence of slowed-down Velvet Underground in 'Sleepy' and the aforementioned Procol Harum in 'Golden Opportunity' and 'Helium'. The latter is what I meant by 'grand'! I've really enjoyed listening to this album (at last), nice one Curvey.
V.A. / A Momentary Lapse Of Vinyl (2CD) Not tardiness this time, more of a revisit to one of my favourite exclusives for FdM club members. A few months ago I read Mark Blake's detailed 'Pigs Might Fly' book, and began listening to my Floyd and Syd discs again - finally arriving at this set. Whereas for many years I'd concentrated mainly on Syd's Floyd and Syd solo, I've recently acquired a greater appreciation for the later Floyd albums – only up to 'Animals' though. After that, hitting something made of brick comes to mind! Back to this set, and I found myself listening more to the second disc of mostly post-Syd material. Thoroughly enjoyed it too - Cary Grace's version of 'Cirrus Minor', Extra's 'Pastoral Symphony' (excerpt? Will have to check out the full version) 'Crying Song'-'Green Is The Colour'-'Cymbaline', the rough and ready 'Interstellar Overdrive' by Interstellar Emily (fantastic bass playing holding the track together too) but especially Rob Gould's 'A Saucerful Of Secrets'. I've had a lot of problems listening to the Floyd version, live versions as well, but Rob has a better arrangement - the emphasis being more on the coda – good idea!
MIND GAMES
John Lennon / Mind Games 2CD - One of the few new releases I have bought this year, but not really a surprise, it's John Lennon! As usual, I've passed over the boxed set and opted for the 2CD format. Is it just me, or does anyone else get lost just reading the description of what's in these deluxe sets? As for fully listening to them, my concentration isn't what it used to be, it'd be a struggle. Don't even get me started on the varying shapes and sizes of these boxes - there's no shelving made yet to house them all efficiently. Rant over, apologies, now back to 'Mind Games'. Never regarded as one of his better albums, it does however contain the song 'Mind Games', one of his greatest songs, to these ears, and reason enough to try another remix, so why not? The depth of this track still amazes me even after all these years, and I'll continue to try every remaster/remix offered to me in the hope of hearing something new in it. I also have a soft spot for 'Tight A$' and 'Out The Blue', and have always loved hearing 'Bring On The Lucie (Freda People)' and 'Meat City' too, where the power of Lennon's voice can still pin you to the wall. After playing spot the differences between disc one - the 'ultimate mix' - with the original version I know and love (finding a few along the way), I find the new version seems to run slightly slower. I can get used to it. Maybe I've been hearing a slightly speeded up version for all these years? These things happen. Turning my attention to the outtakes, I was a little disappointed in 'Mind Games' (take 7/7). I was hoping for more than just a few lyrical differences, but it looks like the magic was concocted later with the overdubs - it's all about getting the feel of the song for now. The real surprise was listening to the nearly 11 minute 'You Are Here'. Sure, there are lyrical differences, but the relaxed pace, together with the length of the track, is hypnotising and I find myself being carried along. As Yoko says from the control room once the track ends, 'very sweet', and she's right. Really beautiful too! There are also two bonus tracks listed in the booklet, but nowhere to be heard on the set. A quick Google of the problem informs me that there's one track 'hidden' right at the beginning of each disc. Press play and << to 'wind back' and hear! Mind games! Yeah, I get it now, and probably the reason that over seventy very short ''blank' tracks are found after disc one ends! There's also the fun Citizen Of Nutopia identity card insert too! Given that the next 'ultimate mix' will most likely be 'Walls And Bridges', and thinking of that as a concept, I hope the compilers keep things simple next time!
PSYCHEDELIC RESHUFFLE
Hinted at in an earlier posting, this is a selection of neo-psych favourites I compiled in 2002 and carried around London on minidisc in a futile attempt to block out the constant construction noise on my way to work! Many more tracks I could add to this now I'm sure - largely thanks to FdM - but it's fun to look back to where I was with my listening at that time. Je ne regrette rien, or however the song goes...
dora flood - ‘Slow Return (To Sleep)’ Leigh Gregory, then of Mellow Drunk, suggested Michael from dora flood send me an unmastered copy of their album 'Welcome', sometime in 2001, with a view of Heyday stocking it when finally pressed. I'm glad he did. 'Slow Return...' was just one of a few outstanding tracks on that album of bright, well produced and catchy pop/rock/psych. 'Slow Return...' reminded me of Rain Parade, particularly ‘No Easy Way Down’. At that time Heyday was based in central London and each morning I’d walk beside the Thames from Waterloo station to Blackfriars Bridge. It’s a beautiful part of London, very peaceful in the morning, with the view of St. Paul’s just up ahead. For quite a few weeks I’d have 'Welcome' playing in my headphones. It fitted the scene perfectly - something about its rhythm and the tide of the Thames combined. Hypnotic. I remember saying to Michael that I'd love the track to be longer and he replied that an extended version was recorded, but this still remains in the vaults. Michael (Padilla) will be familiar to FdM members, he later formed The Soft Bombs (recording 'Echoes' on 'Side Effects'), was part of Elevation ('The Introduction' on strange fish five) and solo he released 'Atmospheres' (strange fish seven).
Strange Flowers - ‘Janet’s Faces’ An Italian band I first heard in the early ‘90’s via a ‘Teen Trash’ series CD - 'Music For Astronauts'. Usually 'Teen Trash' releases featured 60’s influenced garage/punk bands, but Strange Flowers included a version of ‘Dear Prudence’ on this disc, together with their own material. I was intrigued. The band were indeed more Beatles with a little of Syd's Floyd, than 'garage' sounding. 'Music For Astronauts' collects their early singles and other recordings and I still enjoy listening to it all these years later.
Dream Syndicate - ‘Halloween’ From their debut album ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ and written by guitarist Karl Precoda. Main songwriter Steve Wynn knows a good tune when he hears one, and ‘Halloween’ was still a feature of his live sets many years later. I imagine this track playing in the opening scene to a film - a desolate highway late at night and a lone car travelling. As the intensity of the music builds there's a sense that something unexpected is about to happen...and it often did during live performance. The state of Steve Wynn’s fingers and guitar strings, what was left of them, once the song had played out! Phew!
Rain Parade - ‘1 Hour ½ Ago’ , ‘No Easy Way Down’, ‘’Tranquility Base’ ‘1 Hour ½ Ago’ is from 'Emergency Third Rail Power Trip' their amazing Byrds/Floyd influenced debut album, and features the excellent guitar interplay of David Roback and Matt Piucci. 'No Easy Way Down' is the centrepiece of the follow up ‘Explosions In The Glass Palace’. After the band split, following a third (and often under-rated) album 'Crashing Dream', I heard rumours of a CD collection of demos and live tracks entitled ‘Demolition’ being available. This was a really hard release to track down for me, even in London. The downbeat, but still enigmatic sounding ‘Tranquility Base’ features on this. Rain Parade, along with The Church and Thin White Rope remain, in my opinion, the three best twin guitar bands of the 80s.
Anderson Council - ‘Mind Meld Mud’ A customer of Heyday once sent me a CDR of their favourite U.S. neo-psych tracks and 'Mind Meld Mud' was a track on there that caught my ear. I'd never heard of the band before. Psychedelic era Beatles are an obvious influence on their sound, particularly this song, but on checking the band out further so were a whole host of other 60's Brit outfits. There's a clever twist in how the band got their name - Syd 'conjured' the Pink Floyd name from the Blues singers Pink Anderson & Floyd Council. Get it?
Echo & The Bunnymen - ‘The Killing Moon’ The best title and theme for a James Bond film never made. Maybe there's still time? I’ve opted for the extended 12” version here because you can’t have too much of a good thing.
Band Of Outsiders - ‘Another Cowboy’ I first encountered Band Of Outsiders when they supported the excellent Playn Jayn at Dingwalls, London in the mid 80s. I have two memories of that night. One was the more manic vocalist (they had two) of Playn Jayn swinging from the rafters of the club when the DJ played 'Street Fighting Man' - an amazing sight! The other is Band Of Outsiders. They were very cool - beginning their set slowly, building up the intensity throughout the performance. My jaw dropped! I had to find out more about them. Subsequent detective work revealed they were from New York, made it over here to Europe for a spell in the mid 80’s where they released a few records on the Continent and gigged non-stop. Now I had to hear more! The search took me from London to Paris to Utrecht, but eventually I found everything. Although I wouldn’t say they were ‘psych’, more New York Television/Patti Smith influenced with a nod to solo Lennon and late 60s Stones, this track does feature a great middle section where the two guitars work up some mind bending sounds, especially live.
Plasticland -‘Mink Dress’ No idea what was put into their water supply, but it sure made for some interesting songs! A very colourful band! For song titles and lyrics they never lacked imagination. This was their debut single - short, sweet, weird, wonderful, difficult to find and expensive - I must have spent a fortune on tracking down their early vinyl releases.
Delta - ‘Elephant Man’ & ‘Cowboy Raga’ UK indie band I first heard when I bought their 2000 release ‘Slippin’ Out’. 'Elephant Man’ is from this album, and there’s the obvious influence of The Beatles. 'Cowboy Raga’ was a single, and fits the ‘Easy Rider’ soundtrack vibe. The Byrds and David Crosby I can hear everywhere on this.
Green Pajamas - ‘The Fall’ & ‘Deadly Nightshade’ Prolific Seattle based band led by Jeff Kelly. Over the years they've matured from playing slightly loose psych-garage to recording quite sophisticated music with poetical lyrics. Then there's Jeff Kelly solo releases as well, it's hard to keep up! These two tracks are from later period Green Pajamas with that 'underwater piano' sound of 'Walrus'. It's a rare thing to be able to catch the band live over here, and they were one of the reasons I had to attend the Terrastock weekend in London in 1999 - there was the feeling that if I didn't I might not get the chance again, and I was right!
The Church – 'Life Speeds Up' & 'Golden Dawn' Two early tracks taken from an amazing and diverse career. The rush of ‘Life Speeds Up’ combined with the gentleness of mostly instrumental ‘Golden Dawn’. Superb! It was a mix tape a friend made for me in the early 80s featuring 'She Never Said' and 'Unguarded Moment' that introduced me to The Church – that 12 string jangle with surreal lyrics was a heady brew even then, never mind their more expansive sounding releases of later years. Mesmerising live too. In the early 80s new music was all about The Church and R.E.M. for me, and I maybe leaned a little more towards the latter until The Church unleashed the majestic 'Heyday' album. The Church then seemed the more capable of the two bands to reach further musically, and what a long strange trip it's been since! Bless them!
dora flood - ‘Slow Return (To Sleep)’ Leigh Gregory, then of Mellow Drunk, suggested Michael from dora flood send me an unmastered copy of their album 'Welcome', sometime in 2001, with a view of Heyday stocking it when finally pressed. I'm glad he did. 'Slow Return...' was just one of a few outstanding tracks on that album of bright, well produced and catchy pop/rock/psych. 'Slow Return...' reminded me of Rain Parade, particularly ‘No Easy Way Down’. At that time Heyday was based in central London and each morning I’d walk beside the Thames from Waterloo station to Blackfriars Bridge. It’s a beautiful part of London, very peaceful in the morning, with the view of St. Paul’s just up ahead. For quite a few weeks I’d have 'Welcome' playing in my headphones. It fitted the scene perfectly - something about its rhythm and the tide of the Thames combined. Hypnotic. I remember saying to Michael that I'd love the track to be longer and he replied that an extended version was recorded, but this still remains in the vaults. Michael (Padilla) will be familiar to FdM members, he later formed The Soft Bombs (recording 'Echoes' on 'Side Effects'), was part of Elevation ('The Introduction' on strange fish five) and solo he released 'Atmospheres' (strange fish seven).
Strange Flowers - ‘Janet’s Faces’ An Italian band I first heard in the early ‘90’s via a ‘Teen Trash’ series CD - 'Music For Astronauts'. Usually 'Teen Trash' releases featured 60’s influenced garage/punk bands, but Strange Flowers included a version of ‘Dear Prudence’ on this disc, together with their own material. I was intrigued. The band were indeed more Beatles with a little of Syd's Floyd, than 'garage' sounding. 'Music For Astronauts' collects their early singles and other recordings and I still enjoy listening to it all these years later.
Dream Syndicate - ‘Halloween’ From their debut album ‘The Days Of Wine And Roses’ and written by guitarist Karl Precoda. Main songwriter Steve Wynn knows a good tune when he hears one, and ‘Halloween’ was still a feature of his live sets many years later. I imagine this track playing in the opening scene to a film - a desolate highway late at night and a lone car travelling. As the intensity of the music builds there's a sense that something unexpected is about to happen...and it often did during live performance. The state of Steve Wynn’s fingers and guitar strings, what was left of them, once the song had played out! Phew!
Rain Parade - ‘1 Hour ½ Ago’ , ‘No Easy Way Down’, ‘’Tranquility Base’ ‘1 Hour ½ Ago’ is from 'Emergency Third Rail Power Trip' their amazing Byrds/Floyd influenced debut album, and features the excellent guitar interplay of David Roback and Matt Piucci. 'No Easy Way Down' is the centrepiece of the follow up ‘Explosions In The Glass Palace’. After the band split, following a third (and often under-rated) album 'Crashing Dream', I heard rumours of a CD collection of demos and live tracks entitled ‘Demolition’ being available. This was a really hard release to track down for me, even in London. The downbeat, but still enigmatic sounding ‘Tranquility Base’ features on this. Rain Parade, along with The Church and Thin White Rope remain, in my opinion, the three best twin guitar bands of the 80s.
Anderson Council - ‘Mind Meld Mud’ A customer of Heyday once sent me a CDR of their favourite U.S. neo-psych tracks and 'Mind Meld Mud' was a track on there that caught my ear. I'd never heard of the band before. Psychedelic era Beatles are an obvious influence on their sound, particularly this song, but on checking the band out further so were a whole host of other 60's Brit outfits. There's a clever twist in how the band got their name - Syd 'conjured' the Pink Floyd name from the Blues singers Pink Anderson & Floyd Council. Get it?
Echo & The Bunnymen - ‘The Killing Moon’ The best title and theme for a James Bond film never made. Maybe there's still time? I’ve opted for the extended 12” version here because you can’t have too much of a good thing.
Band Of Outsiders - ‘Another Cowboy’ I first encountered Band Of Outsiders when they supported the excellent Playn Jayn at Dingwalls, London in the mid 80s. I have two memories of that night. One was the more manic vocalist (they had two) of Playn Jayn swinging from the rafters of the club when the DJ played 'Street Fighting Man' - an amazing sight! The other is Band Of Outsiders. They were very cool - beginning their set slowly, building up the intensity throughout the performance. My jaw dropped! I had to find out more about them. Subsequent detective work revealed they were from New York, made it over here to Europe for a spell in the mid 80’s where they released a few records on the Continent and gigged non-stop. Now I had to hear more! The search took me from London to Paris to Utrecht, but eventually I found everything. Although I wouldn’t say they were ‘psych’, more New York Television/Patti Smith influenced with a nod to solo Lennon and late 60s Stones, this track does feature a great middle section where the two guitars work up some mind bending sounds, especially live.
Plasticland -‘Mink Dress’ No idea what was put into their water supply, but it sure made for some interesting songs! A very colourful band! For song titles and lyrics they never lacked imagination. This was their debut single - short, sweet, weird, wonderful, difficult to find and expensive - I must have spent a fortune on tracking down their early vinyl releases.
Delta - ‘Elephant Man’ & ‘Cowboy Raga’ UK indie band I first heard when I bought their 2000 release ‘Slippin’ Out’. 'Elephant Man’ is from this album, and there’s the obvious influence of The Beatles. 'Cowboy Raga’ was a single, and fits the ‘Easy Rider’ soundtrack vibe. The Byrds and David Crosby I can hear everywhere on this.
Green Pajamas - ‘The Fall’ & ‘Deadly Nightshade’ Prolific Seattle based band led by Jeff Kelly. Over the years they've matured from playing slightly loose psych-garage to recording quite sophisticated music with poetical lyrics. Then there's Jeff Kelly solo releases as well, it's hard to keep up! These two tracks are from later period Green Pajamas with that 'underwater piano' sound of 'Walrus'. It's a rare thing to be able to catch the band live over here, and they were one of the reasons I had to attend the Terrastock weekend in London in 1999 - there was the feeling that if I didn't I might not get the chance again, and I was right!
The Church – 'Life Speeds Up' & 'Golden Dawn' Two early tracks taken from an amazing and diverse career. The rush of ‘Life Speeds Up’ combined with the gentleness of mostly instrumental ‘Golden Dawn’. Superb! It was a mix tape a friend made for me in the early 80s featuring 'She Never Said' and 'Unguarded Moment' that introduced me to The Church – that 12 string jangle with surreal lyrics was a heady brew even then, never mind their more expansive sounding releases of later years. Mesmerising live too. In the early 80s new music was all about The Church and R.E.M. for me, and I maybe leaned a little more towards the latter until The Church unleashed the majestic 'Heyday' album. The Church then seemed the more capable of the two bands to reach further musically, and what a long strange trip it's been since! Bless them!