Prog Britannia - Album Reviews |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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ARMAGEDDON - Armageddon (1975)
The full album isn't currently available on YouTube, so here's the longest track instead: "Basking In The White Of The Midnight Sun" Album Review #87:- ARMAGEDDON were a four-piece British band featuring two former members of Renaissance. The band were led by singer and guitarist, Keith Relf, a former member of The Yardbirds who also featured on the first two Renaissance albums: "Renaissance" (1969) and "Illusion" (1971). Tragically, he was electrocuted by his guitar in 1976 at the age of 33, just before he was due to have recorded the first album with Illusion. Armageddon also featured his Renaissance bandmate Louis Cennamo on bass guitar, Martin Pugh (from Steamhammer) on lead guitar and Bobby Caldwell (of Captain Beyond) on drums. It's time now to do battle between the forces of good and evil and check out Armageddon's one and only 1975 album before the final Day of Judgement.
TAKE COVER!! There's a storming 8-minute "Blizzard" of pounding percussive, window-rattling Hard Rock on the way. This powerful sonic blast of apocalyptic music thunders along at an incredible pace. It's all thunderbolt and lightning, very very frightening. These guys are on FIRE! You can do the fandango and skip the light fantastic to this thunderous non- stop "Blizzard" of Rock. This is like the 1970's equivalent of Speed Metal before Speed Metal had even been invented. Armageddon are a Revelation. This music is supersonic, soaring like the Concorde up into the stratosphere at twice the speed of sound! Wow!! We need a breather after that thunderous blast from the past, and what better way than with the 8-minute- long "Silver Tightrope". It's an altogether gentler melodic song in an album that's a delicate balancing act between an all-out sonic assault on the eardrums and some pleasant melodic prog. "Silver Tightrope" features a lush melody swaying on a high-wire of gorgeous vocal harmonies and a lovely-sounding chorus of electric guitars, although in reality, it's one guitar with a chorus pedal. It's a truly beautiful song and a complete contrast to the storming opening "Blizzard". This superb album is already heading for the accolade of acclaimed five-star status after the first two sensational songs. We're taking off and going supersonic again for "Paths And Planes And Future Gains", another pile-driving powerhouse of dynamic energy and pounding percussive power. It's a thunderous atomic blast, featuring an awesome four and a half minutes of unrelenting sonic assault and battery. Play it LOUD!! Side Two opens with the 8-minute-long "Last Stand Before", which turns out to have more of a funky syncopated groove than the two thunderous Stormbringer songs on Side One. It's still a really energetic toe-tapper though with a hypnotic hook-line and a dynamic driving rhythm, so there's no peace for the wicked (or the good). Whether you're on your feet or on your knees, you won't be able to resist tapping your feet to this catchy upbeat tune. And now, it's time for the musical tour de force and ultimate highlight of the album, "Basking in the White of the Midnight Sun", a four-piece suite with a running time of over eleven minutes. This almighty music has all the unstoppable power and dynamic energy of an icebreaker in the land of the midnight sun. This is a soaring supersonic return to the storm and thunder songs of Side One, only this time it's over eleven minutes of unremitting, high-voltage Rock & Roll energy that hits you straight between the eyes like a battering ram, so crank up the volume and stand well back. Armageddon is not the end of the world as we know it in the final Day of Judgement. No, Armageddon is an atomic blast of high- energy Rock & Roll with enough dynamic power to light up a city! Armageddon have gone nuclear with this stunning one-off album. Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 03 2020 at 09:06 |
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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^ 5 stars...really...?
It's a decent hard rock lp with some proggy aspects but ....I think 3.5 would be enough. :) btw..I noticed you have given 5 stars to most/many of those oldies.....do you really think they all deserve it..? But yet Hatfield and Nat Health got 3.5 and 4..?
Edited by dr wu23 - January 27 2020 at 16:19 |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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Yes, I really loved that Armageddon album that I listened to for the first time tonight and I genuinely believe it fully deserves five stars. You can probably tell from my over-the-top review that I really liked the album. I also stand by all of my ratings, including for National Health and Hatfield & the North, but that's mainly because I prefer Hard Rock to Canterbury Scene music. It's just a matter of personal taste. Also, I'd be willing to pay up to £15 to buy any of those albums I gave five star ratings to and I bought one of them just the other day for £11 which I'd ordered specially: "The Answer" (1969) by Peter Bardens (of Camel).
Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 01 2020 at 09:05 |
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Psychedelic Paul
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CAPABILITY BROWN - Voice (1973)
The full album is currently unavailable on YouTube. so here's the next-best-thing - the longest and best song on the album: "Circumstances" Album Review #88:- CAPABILITY BROWN (named after England's greatest landscape gardener) were a short-lived two-album British band which uniquely featured six vocalists and multi-instrumentalists in the line-up. Their first capable album "From Scratch" (1972) failed to make much of an impression, but their second album "Voice" (1973) represented their real claim to fame, featuring some terrifically lush harmonising and rich complex instrumentation from the six talented singers and musicians in the group, proving once and for all that the band were more than capable of designing some brilliant "landscape gardens" of song-writing and musicianship. The "Voice" album featured just five songs, with the 21-minute-long "Circumstances" occupying the whole of Side Two. Sadly, Capability Brown's moment in the spotlight was all too brief, and the band packed their tools away permanently in the garden shed shortly after recording their second album.
The album opens with an energetic Funk-Rock cover version of Affinity's "I Am And So Are You". This is a funky Blues-Rock number with a bold and brassy attitude that's not going to stand for any nonsense, as these uncompromising lyrics reveal:- "I am a singer of songs, A writer of wrongs, A dreamer of sighs, A hater of lies, And so are you." ..... It sounds like the singer's dour mood hasn't improved with the title of our next song "Sad Am I", but it's really an uplifting Sunshine Pop song, sounding as fresh and sunny as a sun-ripened California orange grove. This warm and radiant music draws obvious parallels with the California Sunshine Pop band, The Association, particularly when it comes to the lush golden harmonies to be heard on this glowing sunburst of music. It's a song that's positively bursting with joyous optimism, despite the song title. We're heading out on the highway next for "Midnight Cruiser", a good old-fashioned Funk-Rock driving song for listening to whilst cruising down the highways and byways on a sunny day with the windows down and with the wind ruffling your hair. It's not as mean and bad- to-the-bone as Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". This is more of a melodic and harmonic, middle-class family station wagon driving song with a happy carefree vibe. We're still on the road (or the pavement) with the amusingly-titled "Keep Death Off The Road (Drive On The Pavement)". This powerful song is an out-and-out rocker which barrels along relentlessly like an express locomotive thundering rhythmically down the tracks. It's a stonkingly-good Hard Rock song that's very reminiscent of the better-known "Jail Bait" classic by Wishbone Ash. It's time now for the magnificent 21-minute-long epic and ultimate highlight of the album , "Circumstances (In Love, Past, Present, Future Meet)". This Side-long magnum opus has it all! "Circumstances" is a majestic Progressive Rock exhibition performance, featuring such diverse music as gently pastoral Prog-Folk passages, wild onrushes of uninhibited Psychedelic Rock, and dynamic outpourings of Symphonic Prog in all of its ceremonial pomp and glorious magisterial splendour - and underpinning it all are those oh-so-beautiful Sunshine Pop harmonies from the scintillating sextet of singers. This tremendous masterpiece is simply sensational! Capability Brown have landscaped a magical garden of musical delights with this endlessly diverse album of timeless classics. This is an outstanding album you can fall in love with over and over again and enjoy listening to under any Circumstances, wherever Past, Present and Future happen to meet. Edited by Psychedelic Paul - January 28 2020 at 13:00 |
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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Fair enough...but we should try to be a bit objective in reviews sometimes. ;) I have paid far more than that for many of my obscure ones....much to the dismay of my wife. ;) Was the Bardens LP an original or reissue..?
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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^^ My reviews are always going to be subjective because they're my own personal opinion of an album, even if I go a little over-the-top with my rave reviews sometimes. Peter Bardens' "The Answer" was a CD reissue with two bonus tracks included. I no longer buy LP albums because I no longer have a record player and I gave all 300+ of my old LP's to my brother.
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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That's too bad....I like collecting the old vinyl...the artwork alone is usually worth it. And I enjoy the 'hunt' to track them down. Turntables are fairly cheap these days...I usually play cd's a t home ...easier...but the table is always there to play vinyl when I'm in the mood. btw...my friend Tom , who lives in Colorado and is a true fan of obscure things, , is going to eventually send me some odd ball stuff...some Cressida demos, 2nd unreleased Khan album, Hillage early demos, etc....I'll let you know what they are like if and when I get them.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
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Psychedelic Paul
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Thanks! It's almost as much fun tracking down obscure long-lost album treasures on CD too. I also find CD's are much more convenient because they don't take up nearly so much room and you can play them all the way through without having to flip them over halfway through the album.
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Psychedelic Paul
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TREES - On the Shore (1970)
The full album is currently unavailable on YouTube, so here's the longest song and highlight of the album as a temporary substitute: "Sally Free and Easy" Album Review #89:- TREES were a short-lived English Folk band who first emerged from the forest in 1969. They recorded two albums together: "The Garden of Jane Delawney" (1969) and "On the Shore" (1970). Neither album achieved commercial success and they were derided by the ignorant music press at the time as being a sound-alike Fairport Convention band. However, Trees particular brand of Folk music was a fairly unconventional blend of psychedelic and progressive Folk in a whole forest of English Folk bands. Their two original LP albums have grown from acorns to become much sought-after mighty oaks amongst record collectors. The 2007 CD re-issue of "On the Shore" included a bonus CD, consisting mostly of remixes of the original ten songs on the album.
We're setting off at a marching pace with "Soldiers Three", which sounds like a traditional Folky drinking song for listening to whilst downing a pint and scoffing a ploughman's lunch down at the local tavern before we go merrily on our way. Just don't let the ploughman catch you eating his lunch. The next song "Murdoch" is nothing to do with the media mogul and newspaper tycoon. No, this song is all about Murdoch's Mountain (wherever that is), which sounds remarkably similar to the Fairport Convention classic, "Tam Lin", particularly in the descending chord sequence. Lead vocalist Celia Humphris sings in a higher register than Sandy Denny of Fairport though, sounding more like Jacquie McShee of Pentangle on this charming Folk album. Maybe this sound-alike song is part of the reason why some Fotheringport Confusion was caused amongst the jaded British music press, who unfairly labelled Trees as a poor man's Fairport Convention. "On the Shore" is so far turning out to be a jolly good Folk album in its own right. We're heading across the Irish Sea to the Emerald Isle next for "Streets of Derry". It's a traditional Folk song with a slow marching rhythm, but don't let that put you off, because there are some scintillating acid- tinged psychedelic guitar vibes in the instrumental bridge section in this seven-minute Psych-Folk excursion to the streets of Derry (also known as Londonderry). The next song "Sally Free and Easy" is a 10-minute-long cover of the classic Pentangle song and it's a real highlight of the album. The hauntingly-beautiful vocals of Celia Humphris are enough to send a shiver up the spine and bring you out in goosebumps in this ghostly spine-tingling refrain. The opening to Side Two is all about a "Fool" by the name of Oswald the Smith, whoever he might be. It's a 5-minute-long Psych-Folk acid trip. bathed in glowing psychedelic guitar colours, where Celia's normally high-pitched vocals drop a whole octave. This is where Trees get to display their very unconventional psychedelic Folk feathers and prove they're not just another carbon copy of Fairport Convention. It'd be no fool's errand to go out and buy this album. There's a brief acoustic guitar interlude now for "Adam's Tune" which leads us nicely into "Geordie", a traditional Folk song given the very untraditional Trees treatment of jangling psychedelic guitars combined with Celia's magnificently soaring vocals. There's no happy ending for the "Geordie" of the title though, because it's a dark and sinister tale of a man being hung for a crime he didn't commit, so it's too late to launch an appeal for clemency. It's time to strike "While the Iron is Hot" for our next Trees song, which opens deceptively as a traditional Folky number, but branches out into some wild Psychedelic Rock excursions. It's all Stetsons and cowboy boots next, because it's time now for a traditional country and western sing-along with "Little Sadie", a song which conjures up an image of a lively square-dance at a country hoe-down, so take your partner by the hand, and dance to the music of the band. Yee-hah! There's a return to some more traditional Folk music for our final song: "Polly on the Shore". This is one of the more conventional Folk songs on the album which most resembles the music of Fairport Convention, although being compared with the best English Folk-Rock band of all time can never be a bad thing. Trees have branched out and explored the colourful psychedelic realms of Acid Folk with this unconventional second album. They're often compared to Fairport Convention, which is no bad thing, but Trees have carved their own particular niche in the vast forest of Folk bands, so you may wish to dip your toes into the rippling musical waves to be heard "On the Shore" before the tide comes in. You won't be disappointed. There's a whole wood-shed full of great songs to be heard on this album. Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 01 2020 at 11:15 |
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Psychedelic Paul
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ALAN WHITE - Ramshackled (1976)
The full album isn't currently available on YouTube, so here's the next-best-thing, a promo video for the shining highlight of the album: "Spring - Song of Innocence" Album Review #90:- ALAN WHITE (born 1949) is of course best-known as the long-standing (or long-sitting) drummer with YES, having taken over the drum sticks from Bill Bruford midway through the gruelling Yessongs (1973) tour. Alan White has appeared on every YES studio album from 1973 onwards, starting with the "Tales from Topographic Oceans" album right through to the final YES album "Heaven & Earth" in 2014. Alan White's first and last solo album "Ramshackled" (1976) was recorded at a time when all of the YES members were taking a well-earned break from the band after the rigours of recording the "Relayer" (1975) album. Amongst the guest musicians appearing on his one and only solo outing were Alan White's YES bandmates Steve Howe and Jon Anderson, who both appeared on "Spring - Song of Innocence".
Ooooh Baby, this powerful opening song is a real surprise because "Ooooh Baby (Goin' to Pieces)" is a complete departure from the proggy music of YES. This is a lively Blue-Eyed Soul number, featuring the deep soulful voice of Alan Marshall (who?) getting all emotional. There's a fast-paced Jazzy feel to the music with some resounding supersonic outbursts of Hammond organ and with Alan White pounding away passionately at an incredible pace on the drums. All in all, it's a great way to open the album. The second song "One Way Rag" has a funky syncopated groove, so if you're looking for fun and feeling groovy, you may be inspired to get up and dance, or get down and boogie to this stirring Soul number. The lovely three-part harmonies of the soulful backing singers - Madeline Bell, Joanne Williams & Vicky Brown - sound in mighty fine voice on this uplifting Jazz-Funk song. These three gospel girls have got SOUL! There's no clue as to what the next piece of music might be all about, because the mysteriously-titled "Avakak" is a Jazzy instrumental. It's the longest piece of music on the album at nearly seven minutes in duration, so there's plenty of time to unleash a wild foray into the weird and wonderful realms of experimental Jazz-Fusion. And now we come to the beautiful highlight of the album, "Spring - Song of Innocence", a bright and sunny song that's positively abounding with the innocent joys of spring. This truly gorgeous song features Alan White's YES bandmates Jon Anderson on vocals and Steve Howe on guitar. It's a lovely warm song that's all aglow with optimism and shining brightly with all of the radiant energy of a one million candle power lighthouse on full beam. Side Two opens in stirring style with "Giddy", a soulful Jazz-Rock refrain, featuring a scintillating synthesiser solo. This is another rousing Blue-Eyed Soul number that barrels along non-stop at a giddy pace with Alan White's drums instilling the song with dynamic energy and power. The next song "Silly Woman" represents the silliest inclusion on the album. It's a playfully light-hearted pseudo Reggae song that sounds like a bright burst of Caribbean sunshine, but it's a long way distant from Bob Marley & the Wailers. It's as close to genuine Jamaican Reggae as "The Tide is High" by Blondie or "Tropical Loveland" by ABBA. It's time now to raise a glass for the brief alcoholic interlude "Marching into a Bottle", an instrumental flighty flute and guitar excursion to while away two minutes of spare time whilst sipping on your favourite aperitif. Gather 'round "Everybody", because that's the title of our next stirring Jazz-Rock song. This soulful Jazzy number storms along at a thunderous pace, and if you listen carefully, you can hear those same steel drum sounds of the Caribbean that we heard earlier on the "Silly Woman" song. "Darkness" is descending now for the closing song of the album. This lovely symphonic melody features a rich tapestry of lush orchestral strings - arranged and conducted by David Bedford - although it's still a Jazzy Blue-Eyed Soul song at heart. If you're expecting to hear elements of the classic YES sound in Alan White's "Ramshackled", then you can expect to be sorely disappointed, because it's not in the least bit proggy. On the other hand, if you're in the mood for some stirring Jazz-Funk with a heart full of Soul, then this might just be the album for you. There's a couple of real shining highlights on the album: "Spring - Song of Innocence" to close out Side One, and "Darkness" to close out Side Two, and the album as a whole represents a good all-round debut from YES drummer Alan White. It's certainly not a "Ramshackled" album in any way, shape or form. Edited by Psychedelic Paul - January 30 2020 at 12:26 |
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Psychedelic Paul
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INDIAN SUMMER - Indian Summer (1971)
Album Review #91:- INDIAN SUMMER were a traditional four-piece English band from Coventry in the West Midlands. The band had their brief moment in the late summer sunshine when they released their one and only self-titled album in 1971, shortly before splitting up the following year, presumably at the onset of autumn. The album featured an impressive arsenal of eight fusillades of heavy powerhouse prog of between five and seven minutes duration. It's time now to bask in the afterglow of Indian Summer nearly fifty years on and give this stunning one-off album a listen.
It appears that Indian Summer are a band of confirmed atheists from the title of our first song "God is the Dog", but don't let that distract you from the great music on offer here, because this is a tremendously powerful opening number. God almighty! The Prog Gods would be graciously appeased with this demonic outburst of keyboard-driven prog. The incredible singer deserves a mention too, with soaring vocals that ascend right up into the heavens and beyond, in the true spirit of David Byron of Uriah Heep. Heavens above! This euphoric stratospheric epic is terrific! We're drifting gently back down to earth now for "Emotions of Men", although don't be fooled by the brief placid intro, because the deceptive calm is about to be shaken and stirred again by another pounding percussive wave of earth-shattering keyboard prog, designed to fire up the "Emotions of Men" with power and passion. These four relentless guys are ploughing on ahead with thunderous power and dogged determination and they're not stopping for anyone or anything, so set the phasers to stun now for "Glimpse", because this is yet another stunning organ blast from the past. This glorious "Glimpse" back in time to 1971 reminds us of just how many great long-lost album treasures are out there just waiting to be re-discovered again in the futuristic age of the Internet. Beam me up Scotty! It's time for a change of pace now for "Half Change Again". It's a two-part song, beginning as a gently-lapping wave of melodic prog, but the clue as to what lays in store is in the song title, because it's all "Half Change Again" for a dynamic explosion of supersonic keyboard wizardry to close out Side One in stunning stupendous style. Holy Moly! There's no let-up in the incredible pace and vigour of this album, so get ready for a dynamic keyboard burst of "Black Sunshine", another wild and heavy powerhouse performance reaching into the realms of the mighty Crimson Kings. There are definite similarities to be heard here with "21st Century Schizoid Man" from King Crimson's sensational first album. Both songs are instilled with that same raw energy and power. We're off to the movies now for "From The Film Of The Same Name", a stirring Jazz-Rock instrumental, which does indeed sound like it might have featured in an action-packed early 1970's crime caper movie. There's time for some quiet reflection now with "Secret Reflects", a hauntingly atmospheric number with a stately marching rhythm. There's a slow and steady build-up in this majestic processional epic, which explodes into a sparkling crescendo of sound and energy for the spectacular grand finale - a song which also features some marvellously over- the-top Byron-esque vocals. In a classic case of saving the best song till last, the final song "Another Tree Will Grow" is another incredible powerhouse display of stunning virtuosity from four multi-talented musicians at the top of their game, featuring a wild and frenzied guitar and keyboard jamboree, not to mention the unstoppable Duracel drummer who probably needed to lie down in a darkened room after his breathless performance here. This simply sensational album highlight shines like a glowing beacon on a hill. Bask in the glory of an Indian Summer with this dynamic outburst of Heavy Prog from 1971. There's enough latent energy stored in this brilliant album to light up a small town. |
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Psychedelic Paul
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BLONDE ON BLONDE - Contrasts (1969)
Album Review #92:- BLONDE ON BLONDE were a British Psychedelic Rock band from Newport in South Wales, who were named after the 1966 album of the same name by Bob Dylan. There was also a short-lived Pop duo of the same name in the late 1970's, featuring two well-known British glamour models, so they're unlikely to be confused with the four hippyish male musicians in the Welsh psychedelic band. Blonde on Blonde released three far-out albums during their brief moment in the spotlight:- "Contrasts" (1969); "Rebirth" (1970); and "Reflections on a Life" (1971). The CD reissue of the first album "Contrasts" - with its creepy arachnophobic image of a huge spider crawling up the back of a naked girl - added two bonus tracks to the original twelve songs on the album. It's time to check out Blonde on Blonde's first album now, so light a joss stick and prepare to take a psychedelic trip back in time to those incense and peppermint flower-power days of the late 1960's.
It's all aboard the magic bus for a "Ride with Captain Max", and what a wild psychedelic ride it is! This song is a veritable potpourri of acid-drenched guitar leads, gloriously combined with gentle acoustic guitar passages. This absolutely fabulous groovy sixties song is flying as high as a kite as these uplifting lyrics reveal:- "How can you fly so high? So high up in the sky, I wish I could fly so high, Up there with you in the sky." ..... There's no need for any illegal substances though when you can just get high by listening to great music like this. It's time to get back on board the magic bus again for the next stop on our magical musical mystery tour: "Spinning Wheel". This guitar and sitar song sounds as Indian as curry and poppadoms, but it's still Quintessentially English (or Welsh) at heart, featuring a simply stunning sitar solo that radiates 1960's flower-power like a bright ray of sunshine. This is sonic nirvana for the soul! If you've ever suffered from insomnia, then you'll be able to relate to the next song: "No Sleep Blues". It's a jingly-jangly, country-tinged 1960's Pop song that barrels along relentlessly at a brisk pace, sounding like an express train rattling rhythmically down the tracks. Despite the title, the song has a buoyant feel-good groove to it, so you're unlikely to sleep through this bright and lively number. It's time to say "Goodbye" now, because that's the title of our next song, even though we're not yet halfway through the album. As you can probably guess from the title, "Goodbye" is a bittersweet ballad where the broken-hearted vocalist sounds like he's nearly in tears, having just been dumped by his sweetheart. proving that all is NOT fair in love and war. Oh dear! The best songs are often written as the result of broken relationships though, and that's the case here as this is a lovely 1960's melody from the Golden Age of Pop. When love goes sour, you need friends, and our broken-hearted singer is reaching out now with "I Need My Friend", another wild psychedelic excursion along the hippy trail onboard the magic bus. It's back to nature for the heartfelt plea of "Mother Earth", a gently charming Folk-Rock song to close out Side One in fine style, in an album that really IS turning out to be a wondrous album full of "Contrasts". The next song will sound VERY familiar, because it's a very accomplished version of the Beatles' classic "Eleanor Rigby", given the Blonde on Blonde jangling guitar treatment. There's also the sonorous sound of a trumpet to be heard throughout the song, although one suspects it's a cleverly-disguised keyboard "voice". Either way, it's a rousing good way to open Side Two. This particular rendition of "Eleanor Rigby" has an altogether happier vibe to it than the original melancholy Beatles' version though. When it comes to great Rock albums, this long-lost treasure chest full of good solid songs really makes the grade, and "Conversationally Making the Grade" is the title of our next song. It's another rip-roaring sonic boom of keyboard prog with some wild psychedelic guitar riffing thrown in too. This music is a blast! We're in the "Regency" suite next for a brief neo- classical harpsichord piece which J.S. Bach would have been proud of. This leads us gently into "Island on an Island", a lovely nautical-sounding Folk song that dances merrily along on a wave of flutes, acoustic guitars and gorgeous multi-part harmonies. There's a beautiful ballad on the way with "Don't Be Too Long", which is a complete contrast to the heavier psychedelic numbers on Side One, and it's a welcome diversion too, featuring a vibrant acoustic guitar and with the singer in appealingly fine voice. This is probably one of the best 1960's Pop songs that no one's ever heard of, and if you're lucky enough to rediscover this long-lost hidden gem from the tail-end of the 1960's, then I'm sure you'll agree. We're off to meet the beautiful "Jeanette Isabella" now for the final song on this marvellous album that's a constant Liquorice Allsorts box of contrasts. And what a gloriously uplifting piece of music it is too, featuring scintillating sitars and acid-soaked electric guitars. The song does have a slight melancholy air to it, but the music is just sublime! "Contrasts" is exactly what it says on the label. The album is a whole kaleidoscope of constantly changing psychedelic rainbow colours, featuring mainly Psychedelic Rock songs on Side One and with a whole psychedelicatessen of musical styles to select from on Side Two. There's something here to suit everyone's tastes in this veritable smorgasbord of great music, and there's a pleasant surprise in store with nearly every song too when you never quite know what's coming up next. They say that blondes have more fun, and Blonde on Blonde definitely sounded like they had fun making this magnificent album of "Contrasts". Edited by Psychedelic Paul - February 02 2020 at 12:02 |
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THE WEB - I Spider (1970)
Album Review #93:- The British band THE WEB are definitely NOT a band for arachnophobes! There's nothing at all scary about their first album "Fully Interlocking" (1968) with its colourful kaleidoscope image on the cover, but their second album "Theraposa Blondi" (1969) features a huge and extremely scary goliath bird-eating spider on the cover which is enough to give you nightmares if you're at all scared of spiders. Thankfully, we're reviewing their third and final album here, "I Spider" (1970), with a curious image of a hand in the shape of a bird's head on the album cover. There was a fourth album in 1971, but the band had changed their name to Samurai by then, so that's another story for another time.
The amusingly-titled, five-piece suite "Concerto for Bedsprings" opens the album, consisting of:- 1. "I Can't Sleep"; 2. "Sack Song"; 3. "Peaceful Sleep"; 4. "You Can Keep The Good Life"; and 5. "Loner". Judging by some of the sub-titles in this 10- minute-long epic, it's dedicated to insomniacs everywhere, although you're unlikely to sleep through this lively Jazz-Rock number. Part 1 "I Can't Sleep" has obvious similarities with the electrically-charged music of Van der Graaf Generator. There's a powerhouse performance from the keyboard player and the vocals are just as erratic and over-the-top as those of Peter Hammill in VDGG. The singer announces at the end of Part 1 "I've got to get some sleep", but there's absolutely no chance of sleeping through the powerful sound of "I Can't Sleep". Part 2 "Sack Song" is a Jazzy cocktail lounge instrumental, sounding somewhat reminiscent of Hatfield & the North in some of their mellower moments, and Part 3 "Peaceful Sleep" is a slightly off-key slice of Canterbury Scene-style Jazz. Part 4 "You Can Keep the Good Life" is a return to an energetic, pounding percussive wave of Van der Graaf Generator-type Jazz-Rock, featuring a scintillating sax solo, and Part 5 "Loner" is a brief return for another bright sunburst of Jazzy cocktail lounge music with a spring in its step to conclude "Concerto for Bedsprings". The whole ten-minute piece is a constantly shifting dynamic, weaving a complex web of stirring Jazz-Rock in dazzling combination with floating mellow waves of the Canterbury Scene sound. All in all, it's a shaken and stirred aperitif of Jazz and Rock combined together into a heady cocktail of great music. Watch out, there's a spider about in the title track coming up next: "I Spider". Let's hope it's just an incy-wincy spider and not a frightening goliath bird-eating spider, or ""Theraposa Blondi" to use the Latin name. No worries, "I Spider" is a slow processional march dominated by the sound of dynamic keyboards and sonorous saxophone. The stately music is soothing and sophisticated, but be prepared because this understated tune has fangs and it creeps up on you unexpectedly (like a spider) and delivers a mighty bite with a crashing crescendo of sound emerging for the grand finale. Opening Side Two now is "Love You", although this is no gentle sentimental ballad. No, this is a sonic explosion of high-energy Jazz-Rock, so fasten your seat belts and brace for impact. Make no mistake, this is an out-and-out raucous rocker! The bizarrely-titled "Ymphasomniac" is up next. So, what on earth is an "Ymphasomniac" you may well ask. Well, no one knows because it appears to be a uniquely made-up word for the purposes of this album. Don't let the strange song title put you off though, because this is a great song. It's a simply sensational Jazz-Rock jam session, featuring an extended dazzling display of virtuosity, with all of the musicians given the chance to display their magnificent plumage in bright musical colours. It's a real album highlight. You could *almost* believe The Web are a Canterbury Scene band because the final song "Always I Wait" is an 8-minute-long weird but wonderful excursion into the realms of experimental Jazz-Rock. The music sounds slightly discordant at times, but it's ultimately rewarding, like all of the best Canterbury Scene music. Imagine, if you will, a delicious shaken and stirred cocktail of Van der Graaf Generator in glorious combination with Hatfield & the North and that's the kind of unique album that The Web have woven here. "I Spider" is an album full of constant surprises. Hear it for yourself on the World Wide Web. |
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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That Web lp -I Spider , is one of my favorite obscure things....love it.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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It's you I have to thank for introducing me to The Web on the World Wide Web. I'll be reviewing their follow-up album soon as well, after they changed their name to Samurai.
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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IMHO, Samurai is just as good. |
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin |
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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I had an original vinyl of Indiana Summer.....traded it away....don't even recall what I traded for.
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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Psychedelic Paul
Forum Senior Member Joined: September 16 2019 Location: Nottingham, U.K Status: Offline Points: 41208 |
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Banzai! I always assumed Samurai were a Japanese band until recently.
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dr wu23
Forum Senior Member Joined: August 22 2010 Location: Indiana Status: Offline Points: 20631 |
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No....funny though. I actually don't own any Mostly Autumn. A band I never have gotten around to buying. I traded away a copy of Staircase To The Day by Gravy Train also...again can't recall why. Still waiting for my friend to reopen his record store so I can but those lp's he's holding for me. Still Life Amon Duul 2- Lemmings Keef Hartley- Time Is Near ,and Overdog I recently found a used vinyl copy of Pavlovs Dog....for 10 bucks....they had 2 lp's not bad. US band..not British.
Edited by dr wu23 - February 03 2020 at 14:52 |
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One does nothing yet nothing is left undone.
Haquin |
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