BEHOLD AND SEE

Boston-based Ian Bruce-Douglas' hippie psychedelia reaches its peak and pinnacle with its second album released in the same calendar year. Production and sound have reached different levels since the January debut as has Ian's delegation of the performance spotlight has opened up to more of the other band members.

1."Gilded Lamp of the Cosmos" (2:30) another West Coast psych-blues rock song with bluesy female lead vocals (courtesy of "guest vocalist" Carol Lee Britt) in the vein of Country Joe and The Fish or The Holding Company. The music is clothed different (I think better) sound production. (8.66667/10)

2."Visions of Your Reality" (5:49) a little more rock-oriented psych blues rock, less folk-spruced, as Ian performs with more of a "serious" blues rock vocal than his theatric philosophic rant style of the previous album. Some elements are improvements showing growth, others showing movement toward standardization and conformity. I miss the reckless abandon of the old hippie social-political commentary lyrics. (8.66667/10)

3."Jazz Thing" (8:20) melodic and slightly jazzy, Ian seems to be trying on a lot of new clothes--here some Dave Brubeck-Van Morrison. It's okay, but I really liked the naked naïveté of his earlier music. (17.5/20)

4."Mind Flowers" (9:38) one of Ian's hypnotic celebrations of psychedelia. The sound Petri Walli would perfect 25 years later. I do like the increased volume in Ian's expression--both through his vocal as well as in the guitars and organ. The examples of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison are having an effect. (18/20)

5."Where You're At" (3:10) back to the rockin' San Francisco heavier psychedelia with Carol Lee Britt again lending her vocal talents to the front. The quick three-chord rhythm guitar foundation gets a bit old rather quickly but the choir vocals and continuously playing fuzz guitar lead are interesting. (8.75/10)

6."Suite: Genesis of Beauty (In Four Parts)" (9:56) another four-part suite starts out with electric piano leads this blues-rock styled music over which "church choir" sings the main lyric. Then, in the more familiar MAMMAS & PAPAS blues-rock pop style, Ian takes the lead vocal while the "church choir" provides "ooo's" in the background. The third part moves back into the church in the form of a solo pipe organ playing a fugue variation of some kind of "ode to joy"-like theme in a way that becomes more familiar to the non-classically-oriented public through the likes of Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. It's actually very interesting and nice. The fourth part sees a return to the opening part in all aspects including melody and choir-presented lyrics. Very interesting. (17.75/20)

7."Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse" (5:50) an instrumental Dylan-like song: complete with electric guitar sound and harmonica play above the electric bass and drums. In the final third of the song the instrumental palette moves back toward a Baroque and then church-like orientation. It's nice, but the pure fact of absence of any vocals--Ian or otherwise--only lends credence to my assertion that Ian is trying to be more of a "serious" musician and less of an "original ideas" pusher. I respect his wishes--as well as his desire to grow and branch out as a musician--but I really do miss the arrogant, brash independent spirit being almost-recklessly expressed on the first album. (8.875/10)

8."Fragmentary March of Green" (6:51) an interesting song for its almost-church-choir presentation of its lyrics over some rather innocuous music in which Ian gets back to his social-political commentary as dominant in his debut album. I like the lyrics, and am amused by his choice of how to present and express them, I just wish the music weren't so dull. (But then, the dull, plodding nature of the music may in fact be the perfect complement to his lyrics and their indictment of modern laziness.) (13/15)

Total time: 52:04

The "improvements" in sound engineering and vocal performing feel like a "cop out" toward conformity while a loss of the naïvely (and headstrong) courageous originality that flavored the debut so strongly. This album is like an artist trying to make music whereas the first album was more like a creative trying to express his ideas using musical theater. Though there are some interesting high points, I

B/four stars; a slightly better production of mostly conformative music that tones down Ian's formerly unique and highly-creative and -individualistic expression of ideas and spirit.