Reviews of Fictional Albums Thread

Van Goghs 'Starry Love Beach' is an abysmal effort. Very weird backbeats and ear splitting fret melting riffs cannot save this catastrophy. Every track is poorly executed and the production is flat. For example 'Slice my earlobe' is tasteless and has no melody at all. The musicianship is well below average and the violins sound too screechy and the harmonica is as out of place as the didgeridoo on the instrumental break. It was inappropriate to mention the dog in track 3, "Who is at it again?' and the thunder effects were very weak. Don mcLean as special guest was as out of place as Pink on track 4 'Get this Party Farted'. The lead giuitar on track 5 was the best thing onthe album because the guitarist was Eric Clapton, but what he is doing on this is anybodys guess. The concept theme of a man in a corn field thinking about suicide was lame and should never have been considered. This is a sad album with little to recommend. Overall this is one to avoid and hopefully Van Gogh will never produce the like of this tripe again.   

If possible should include album cover and should be serious in form if not in content 

Mine:

Stars (1972)
Stars



Syd Barrett _____ Guitar, Vocals
Jack Monck_____Bass
Twink__________Drums

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Napster recently made Stars available for download. Having never been a huge fan of Syd Barrett's solo output (The Madcap Laughs, Barrett, both 1970), I did not feel compelled to buy the CD. I wasn't sure what to expect after the chaotic and psychologically disturbed work on Syd's two albums and was curious to see if it was true that Barrett had "rebounded" as All Music put it. Listening to the album, I was ironically filled with a yearning for the eccentric unpredictability of his earlier work. Even by 1972 standards the album is recorded quite primitively but the music itself is largely smooth folky pop and professional sounding, which also happens to be its downfall; smooth, but featureless, professional, but formulaic. The lyrics are certainly "saner" than anything from earlier Syd, but they are inexcusably boring  love songs that come off quite cold and uninspired. On the other hand, it is a joy to hear Syd's voice recover from its unsteady (if haunting) lows of 1970 and back to the standard of Pink Floyd's first year. While Stars was reportedly playing Piper-era Pink Floyd material in concert earlier in the year (1972), this album hints at little psychedelic influence. Although Syd is a reasonable guitarist, the band clearly does not have the musical chops to dabble in much experimentation: It is hard to recall a moment where Syd lets loose on the guitar during the entire album and the drumming and bass lines are subdued. Some of the material is outright inconsequential, such as the "Cambridge Blues," which is very traditional sounding but little else. A few tracks do stand out, such as "Move" which reminds of "Gigolo Aunt" from the Barrett album. Overall, a dissapointment for those seeking either a product like Pink Floyd's contemporary work, Pink Floyd's Barrett-era work, or even Syd Barrett's prior solo work. The rating is clearly 2/5, collectors/fans only.

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