AND NOT OR

This record definitely sounds like "Green", but it is more structured, tidy and repetitive. The guitars are really sequenced here, even if there are good solos. The sound of the guitars are really impressive! It seems there are some programmed drums: they were only 2 musicians here: Miquette Giraudy and Steve HILLAGE. The keyboards are not as space as on "Green": They participate more to the sequenced rythm, even if they can be quite floating.

Originally, "For To Next" and "And Not Or" were 2 separate LP's; here are the songs on "And Not Or":

1. Before the storm (7:08) 2. Rad admiral (6:14) 3. Serotonin (5:35) 4. And not or (6:25) 5. Knights templar (4:35) 6. Still golden (5:52)

The better half of the For To Next And Not Or original release. The names (or terms really) used for these albums were taken from computer programming commands - not that I am a programmer, but a friend that is one has pointed it out. System 7 was also a computing system wasnt it?. Anyway, I digress (sorry).

And Not Or is an instrumental album whilst For To Next has vocals on every track. Both are heavily influenced by early 80s synth pop and do feature computerised drumming (theres that field again) with some rather monotonous parts. However, the pop song format is absent or subdued here compared to For To Next and most tracks feature excellent wall of sound musicianship from Hillage and Giraudy, dominated by superb guitar - especially echoing layers of sound.

At the time this came out it had been many years since he had released anything (nearly five years i think) although he had been involved in some production work for contemporary bands. The double album was a disappointment for many fans of his 1970s output, especially so if, like me, they had just missed out on being there when he was so active in 1978/9. Very much the product of its time and, possibly, an attempt to go in a more mainstream direction. It could (or should) have succeeded for its musicianship compared to what was around at the time. However, as it was almost certainly written off by the music press upon its release, only a few slightly disappointed fans ever heard it.

This is a MEGA collection of instrumental tracks featuring some out of this world guitar work from Steve Hillage. It reminds me of the very early Ozric Tentacles with the moody synth sounds & broody bass lines & of course that supersonic guitar work. By all accounts 'For To Next' was not the album fans had hoped for although the track 'Alone' features some great fret work from Steve & isn't really a bad track. The rest aren't that good & in my opinion Steve was spending too much time trying to be a recognised 'vocalist' rather than being what he was-a superb guitar player! The tracks on 'And Not Or' prove this.No vocals to get in the way,just close your eyes & listen to these brilliant tracks. 'Before The Storm' could easily of been an Ozric track on 'Pungent Effulgent' & i'm sure this is one of the tracks that influenced Ed Wynne's guitar style. Very simple drum beats & bass lines lay the path for Steve's guitar to weave in & out of with those dark synths & echos always in the background. On the 4 minute mark the guitar gets savage with untold bends & soaring crisp notes. Even on the fade out Steve is still wringing the neck out of instrument & really the track should of gone on for another 2 or 3 minutes at least! 'Still Golden' is a real 'Up & at-um' track which i reckon would of been a brilliant live track,its one of those that you carnt help jiggin' too! Again real simple drum pattern with Steve walling in between the bass lines & synth sound effects,another stormer! From the middle of the track Steve changes direction with a more staccato guitar vibe before real-ling it all back in for the fade out,once again the jiggy beat & spacey soloing takes us to fade. Best of all is the title track 'And Not Or' this tune is superb-fantastic-brilliant!!! Like the rest of the tracks on this album the production is crystal clear-pin sharp. The track opens with a broody synth & bass line with Steve gently picking his notes in the background. As the track goes on once again the simple drum beat comes in with Steves lead guitar int winding with the infectious bass line. Its a stormer of a track,the guitar work is immense & in my opinion some of the best & most moving that ive ever heard,pure class! Again though sadly the track fades out on 6 minutes with Steve still shredding those notes,really it should of been a 10 minute track this! The three tracks ive mentioned are worth buying the album for alone but the others aren't bad either. The sad thing is Steve didn't really produce anything else like these tracks. OPEN wasnt a bad album but again some of the vocals spoit it for me. And Not Or?.....Yes please.

This is the instrumental and somewhat more prog-oriented side (though still with heavy influences from New Wave and synthpop) of what Hillage and his longstanding partner Miquette Giraudy were tinkering with on For To Next. Leaving vocals behind and abandoning any pretence of offering pop hooks, this is a set of languid, spacey instrumentals. Nothing to spark a major space rock revival or anything, but still not half bad. By and large these tracks have been appended as bonuses on CD releases of For To Next (generally relabelled as For To Next/And Not Or to denote the fact), but I'd say this was actually the more interesting of the two records.