UNDRUGGED

"Undrugged is a terrible state to be in. The state of having no drugs. Dopeless. Lacking the wherewithal. Absence of the necessary. Grim. Desperate. Pestilence walks the land?.Take a stroll around your local police station on a weekend and you will find that the cells are not full of placid, grinning hippies, they are full of aggressive, vomiting piss-heads. Now, I've got nothing against aggressive, vomiting piss-heads. Without them, the music industry would grind to a halt. Every band contains at least one. Traditionally it is the drummer?.." This is just a small section of the contents of the booklet (written by Deke Leonard), and shows the frame of mind of the Welsh version of The Grateful Dead.

My first introduction to these nutters was over twenty-five years ago, and I have had a sort spot for them ever since. In their normal organised manner it took them five years and two line-ups to record this mostly acoustic album, and of course the results are very pleasing indeed. Songs such as "I Always Thought The Walrus Was Protected" and "Listen To Me, Sister" work extremely well, and even the few covers take on a new life. Martin Ace and Deke Leonard have been playing together for nearly thirty years and they have a definite understanding of what they are trying to achieve.

Just because they are not as popular as they used to be, this is no reason for the band to stop playing great music and this albums shows that they have a real empathy. "Georgia On My Mind" is full of power and emotion and should be required listening for all Pop Idol wannabes.

Originally appeared in Feedback #67, Jun 02