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Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to dcTalk's "Jesus Freak" (2006, 60.10) **½/0 |
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| The Showdown: So Help Me God The Gotee Brothers with Ayiesha Woods & John Reuben: Colored People 4th Avenue Jones: Jesus Freak Sarah Kelly: What if I Stumble? House of Heroes: Day By Day |
Grant Harrison: Mr. Tobin Relient K: Between You and Me Fighting Instinct: Like it, Love it, Need it John Reuben & the Gotee Choir: Jesus Freak Reprise Storyside:B: In the Light |
Liquid: What Have We Become? Family Force 5: Mind's Eye The Gotee Brothers: The Gotee Brothers Interlude Paul Wright & Ayiesha Woods: Between You and Me Chasing Victory: Jesus Freak |
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For an outfit dubbed 'the most popular overtly Christian act of all time', I have to say, I've never heard of DC Talk/dc Talk/dcTalk. It seems they were a Christian hip-hop trio who slipped into a more pop/rock sound towards the end of their career. 2006's Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to dcTalk's "Jesus Freak" is what it says on the tin, a track-by-track reinterpretation of the original album, although not having actually, y'know, heard said opus, it's difficult for me to meaningfully compare the two. Actually, I have to say, going by not just the performances, but the songs themselves, I suspect it might be quite listenable, at least within its genre, although at an hour, it's considerably too long. The best tracks on the tribute disc are probably The Showdown's opener, So Help Me God, Fighting Instinct's Like It, Love It, Need It and, above all, Grant Harrison's amusing Mr. Tobin, a spoken-word piece standing in for the original album's Mrs. Morgan.
Relient K's Matthew Thiesen allegedly adds Mellotron to their take on Between You And Me, although I have no idea in what role, as it's completely inaudible. This isn't the most exciting tribute album you'll ever hear, but, despite its overtly Christian lyrics, it's actually very listenable in places, in a pop/rock kind of way. Not that good, but not awful, either, which is a nice surprise.
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Freezone (Seven is Seven is) (2001, 125.32) **/T |
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| DJ Venom: Neon Dawn Cibelle: Álcool Fauna Flash: Coast to Coast Sonar Lodge feat. Max 404: Celsius Bigga Bush: Soulsisters Landslide feat. Victor Davies: Tumbling (Land Mark mix) Quant: Mahbah Baby Mammoth: Frank's Angels (Tetris remix) |
Juryman: East of Here Sebo K vs. Kosma: El Niño Robert Hood: And We Build Kid Koala: Prelude and the Kiss World of Apples: Prairie Oyster Audiomontage vs. Shur-I-Kan: The Freezone Ananda Project feat. Terrance Downs: Justice, Mercy dZihan & Kamien: Nargileh |
Detroit Escalator Company: Stitch Tim "Love" Lee: Big Love Hunter Companion feat. Nicola Hitchcock: All or Nothing Burnt Friedman: Obscured By 5 Earthbound: Sleight of Hand Nubian Mindz vs. Nu Era: Meeting of Mindz Supadread: Smile |
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I believe 2001's Freezone (Seven is Seven is) is a 'mix album', a genre wholly unto itself, meaningless to most outsiders, consisting of mixes, remixes, re-remixes... Why not simply produce a new piece of music, guys? In fairness, I get the impression that a lot of this two-disc set is actually original material, while its twenty-plus tracks cover a lot of stylistic ground within the electronica field, almost certainly making this a good listen for genre fans.
Brazil's Apollo Nove doe his usual Mellotron thing on Cibelle's Álcool, further persuading me that he actually owns a real machine, although the strings on Juryman's East Of Here are presumably sampled. But do you actually need to hear this? Probably not, no.
See: Cibelle | Apollo Nove
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Gainsnord: Serge's Songs Revisited By Bands From the Lowlands (2009, 56.17) ***/T |
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| Juicebox: Chatterton Suarez: Sensuelle et Sans Suite Eddy De Clercq Quartet: Sea, Sex and Sun (bossa 2009 mix) Tom Barman & Guy Van Nueten: Le Poinçonneur des Lilas Yaso: Requiem pour un Con Leine: Ford Mustang |
Liquid Spirits: Couleur Café Marine Boréale: Une Chose Entre Autres Zeker Weten: Hoe Moet Dat Nu (Shush Shush Charlotte) Monsieur Dubois: Pauvre Lola Saule: La Chanson de Prévert Sioen: Initials BB |
The Spinshots: Qui Est "in", Qui est "Out" Benjamin Herman: Indian Hay Lilli Mono: Comment Te Dire Adieu/Metra Tutino (Barbarella mix) Janne Schra: Les Amours Perdues Flux: Jane B. West Hell 5: Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus |
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Serge Gainsbourg is yet another 'iconic' artist of whose work I am largely ignorant, mostly because it operates with a pre-rock'n'roll sensibility, which doesn't sit comfortably with my taste. Anyway, everyone says he's brilliant, so I'll have to take their word for it. 2009's Gainsnord: Serge's Songs Revisited By Bands From the Lowlands is pretty much what it says: Gainsbourg as played by Dutchmen. Any good? Well, the bulk of the material here probably doesn't sound too wildly different from the originals, so anyone expecting a Belgian gabba version of Melody Nelson should probably head elsewhere, although to where, I'm not entirely sure. More obviously listenable versions herein include Zeker Weten's reggae Hoe Moet Dat Nu (Shush Shush Charlotte), the all-out dub of Monsieur Dubois' Pauvre Lola and West Hell 5's Dylanesque take on the infamous Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus.
Of all people, Paul Weller plays Mellotron on Benjamin Herman's Indian Hay, with background flutes and occasional upfront strings, although you can also hear the flutes on the following track, Lilli Mono's Comment Te Dire Adieu/Metra Tutino (Barbarella Mix); whether or not Weller's responsible can only be a matter for conjecture, however. Anyway, one for Serge fans who'd like to hear a slightly different slant on their hero's work or Wellerites who have to have everything.
See: Paul Weller
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Great Jewish Music: Burt Bacharach (1997, 86.26) ***/T |
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| Wayne Horvitz: Close to You Marc Ribot: Don't Go Breaking My Heart Dave Douglas: Wives and Lovers Guy Klucevsek: Who Gets the Guy?/This Guy's in Love With You Kramer: Walk on By Erik Friedlander: Promises, Promises Joey Baron: Alfie |
Zeena Parkins: Freefall Marc Ribot Ensemble: Don't Go Breaking My Heart Fred Frith: Trains and Boats and Planes Medeski Martin & Wood: Do You Know the Way to San Jose Elliott Sharp: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Marie McAuliffe: I Say a Little Prayer Mike Patton: She's Gone Away |
Lloyd Cole & Robert Quine: I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself Anthony Coleman/Selfhaters: A House is Not a Home Yuka Honda & Sean Lennon: The Look of Love Shelley Hirsch: What's New Pussycat Bill Frisell: What the World Needs Now is Love Eyvind Kang: I Took My Strength From You (I Had None) |
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Great Jewish Music: Jacob do Bandolim (2004, 52.37) ***½/½ |
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| Cyro Baptista: Noites Cariocas Ben Perowsky: Perolas Rob Burger, Mauro Refosco: Assanhado Rashanim: Reminiscenscias Anat Cohen: Migalhas de Amor Pharoah's Daughter: Sapeca |
Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz: Santa Morena Davka: Receita de Samba 2 Foot Yard: Falta-Me-Voce Tim Sparks: Sempre Teu Carol Emanuel: Mimosa Jamie Saft: Ciumento |
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Avant-gardener John Zorn's NYC-based Tzadik Records are chiefly dedicated to releasing experimental music in a variety of hues, which isn't to say that everything they release is in the avant-garde line. A subset of their Radical Jewish Culture series, Great Jewish Music, seeks to reinterpret the catalogues of various famous Jewish musicians, alive and dead, artists covered to date including Serge Gainsbourg and Marc Bolan.
1997's two-disc Burt Bacharach targets a fairly obvious recipient of the honour, in, to be blunt, a fairly obvious manner, most of the twenty versions of Saint Burt's work here being deconstructions of his trademark style. Erik Friedlander's almost-avant take on Promises, Promises is fairly low-key compared to some of the tracks to come, not least Joey Baron's Alfie, reinterpreted as a drum solo, for reasons known only to himself. I don't like to be down on inventive covers, but a good few of the contributions are simply hard work. One Mellotron track, with Medeski Martin & Wood's John Medeski's typically skronky, distorted string and flute parts on Do You Know The Way To San Jose.
A less widely-known recipient of Tzadik's patronage is Brazil's Jacob do Bandolim, "Mandolin Jacob", born Jacob Pick Bittencourt. Bandolim (who died in 1969) was a master of the indigenous choro style, a Brazilian form of jazz, which might not, you might think, immediately lend itself to the radical New York treatment, but Great Jewish Music: Jacob do Bandolim actually works rather well, although most of the participants stick fairly closely to Bandolim's original template. The two glaring exceptions are Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz' avant-metal take on Santa Morena and Jamie Saft's detuned upright piano take on Ciumento that closes the album. Perversely, Blumenkranz' piece is one of my favourite tracks here, along with the gentle Sapeca (beautiful tonalities) and Tim Sparks' guitar piece, Sempre Teu. Rob Burger adds Chamberlin flutes to his and Mauro Refosco's Assanhado, although that seems to be it on the tape-replay front. Overall, this is less an album for fans of Tzadik's approach and more one for those looking to expand their knowledge of South American music, without wishing to dive straight into hearing the originals (there are plenty of Bandolim titles available on CD). Good, yet strangely inessential.
See: Marc Ribot | Kramer | Zeena Parkins | Fred Frith | Medeski Martin & Wood | Cibo Matto | Sean Lennon | Cyro Baptista | Rob Burger | Jamie Saft
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Hampshire Jam Preserved (2002, 136.22) ***½/T½ |
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| Under the Dome: Launch Drift Hell (excerpt) Solar Gravity Free System Projekt: Siren Headshock: Phone Home Twilight |
Darkness Slow Bong Radio Massacre International: Pipe Let Me Hear You Say Yeah Roxette Lost in Liphook AirSculpture: Red Symmetry Machine |
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The Hampshire Jam is a roughly annual EM festival, held in the village of Liphook, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border. Why Liphook? Why not? I presume it has a suitable venue (it does: the Millennium Hall) and is convenient for the organisers. See: Lydney (Summer's End), Whitchurch (Whitchurch Festival) etc. 2002's double-disc Hampshire Jam Preserved features parts of five act's sets from the previous year, including Planet Mellotron (semi-) regulars Free System Projekt, AirSculpture and Radio Massacre International. Interestingly, though, Under the Dome's exceptionally powerful and melodic Solar Gravity just might be the lengthy set's highlight, over the better-known names here. Of the other four outfits, Free System Projekt provide a decent enough piece, Headshock are largely forgettable (sorry, guys), r.m.i. utilise guitar, bass and drums, sometimes all at once and AirSculpture provide the set's obligatory album-length track.
r.m.i. are the only band to use real Mellotron, with various flute and string parts on Pipe and the amusingly-titled Let Me Hear You Say Yeah, while Roxette Lost In Liphook is a brief space-rock jam, with no room for Mellotrons. Free System Projekt also use samples on their Siren. Do you buy this for its Mellotron use? No, not really. Do you buy it for the 'Berlin School' performances? If you just can't get enough burbling sequencers and the like, this is easily as good as any average single-artist EM album I could name, with the bonus of more artistic variety.
See: Free System Projekt | Radio Massacre International | AirSculpture
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I Killed the Monster: 21 Artists Performing the Songs of Daniel Johnston (2006, 71.03) ***/T½ |
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| Dot Allison: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grievances Daniel Smith & Sufjan Stevens: Worried Shoes Joy Zipper: Held the Hand Kramer: Bloody Rainbow R. Stevie Moore: Cathy Cline Kimya Dawson: Follow That Dream Lumberob: Honey I Sure Miss You |
Jad Fair & Kramer: True Love Will Find You in the End Rope, Inc: Tears Stupid Tears The Electric Ghosts: Blue Skies Will Haunt You From Now on Chris Harford: Going Down Mad Francis: Rowboat Jeffrey Lewis: The Adventures of God as a Young Boy Major Matt Mason USA: Mind Contorted |
Toby Goodshank: Now The Dick Panthers: Go Fast and Go Some More The Sutcliffe's: Foxy Girl Kickstand: Cosmic Kid Emily Zuzik: Love Wheel Mike Watt: Walking the Cow Tess: It's Over |
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2006's I Killed the Monster: 21 Artists Performing the Songs of Daniel Johnston, curated by his first real champion, Kramer, is pretty much what it says: twenty-one of Johnston's haunted, childlike compositions tackled by the good and the great, or, it would seem in most cases here, the relatively unknown. Better-known contributing names, aside from Kramer himself, include Dot Allison, the ubiquitous Sufjan Stevens, Joy Zipper and Minutemen/fIREHOSE (sic) alumni Mike Watt, but I'm afraid I know little about most of these artists. The material's pretty much what you'd expect if you've heard any of Johnston's work, Allison's opening Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Your Grievances being possibly the best thing here.
Our old pal Kramer plays Mellotron for four of the artists featured here, with nothing obvious on Dot Allison's contribution, faint flutes (and background choirs?) on Daniel Smith and Sufjan Stevens' Worried Shoes, muted choirs on Rope, Inc's Tears Stupid Tears, flutes and choirs again on The Electric Ghosts' Blue Skies Will Haunt You From Now On and uncredited strings on Tess' closing It's Over, the most overt use on the whole set. If you have any interest in Daniel Johnston's work, this is an essential adjunct to his extensive discography, although those into a more orthodox form of mainstream rawk'n'rawl may be less impressed. Not that much Mellotron either, to be honest, all things considered, but a decent enough collection.
See: Daniel Johnston | Kramer | Dot Allison | Joy Zipper
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Indelible Grace IV: Beams of Heaven (2005, 65.38) *½/T |
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| Matthew Perryman Jones: Come and Welcome Matthew Smith: More Love to Thee Emily DeLoach: I Asked the Lord Derek Webb: His Love Can Never Fail Sandra McCracken: Who is This? |
Matthew Perryman Jones: Jesus, Lover of My Soul Taylor Sorensen: Lead on O King Eternal Jason Feller: Begone Unbelief Rachel Briggs: Come Ye Disconsolate Matthew Smith: Father Long Before Creation |
Laura Taylor: To Christ the Lord Andrew Osenga: Lift Up Thy Bleeding Hand Jeremy Casella: Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah Sandra McCracken: Jesus the Lord My Savior is Dan Haseltine: Beams of Heaven |
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Indelible Grace are a Nashville-based Christian artistic community, who have apparently 'restored the historic practice of writing new melodies to old hymn texts' (Wikipedia, I love you). Volume IV, Beams of Heaven, contains a selection of the usual bland CCM, less bad efforts including Derek Webb's His Love Can Never Fail (well, Webb does have some previous) and Dan Haseltine's Beams of Heaven, but that's really scraping the barrel, frankly.
Jeff Pardo plays Mellotron flutes (which may even possibly be real) on Rachel Briggs' Come Ye Disconsolate, although I can't say they improve matters any. Why write crappy, pop/rock tunes to old hymns when the originals worked perfectly well? Pointless. Incidentally, in a proper 'couldn't make it up' turn of events, the community were originally led by a minister going by the name of Kevin Twit. Priceless.
See: Derek Webb
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Lounge-a-Palooza (1997, 57.00) **½/½ |
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| Combustible Edison & Esquivel: Miniskirt Fastball: This Guy's in Love With You Ben Folds Five: She Don't Use Jelly Poe: A Rose is a Rose Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé: Black Hole Sun |
Pizzicato Five: The Girl From Ipanema P.J. Harvey & Eric Drew Feldman: Zaz Turned Blue Fun Lovin' Criminals: I'm Not in Love Glen Campbell & Michelle Shocked: Wichita Lineman Edwyn Collins: Witchcraft |
Jimmy Scott & Flea: Love Will Keep Us Together The James Taylor Quartet: Music to Watch Girls By Cassandra Wilson: The Good Life Chris Ballew: Robert Goulet (on the River Nile) |
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As other online reviewers have noted, Lounge-a-Palooza manages to combine several irritating late '90s musical fashions into one neat, tidy package, not least the brief 'lounge' craze, leapt upon by bored fashionistas before they tired of it, too. The album's not even entirely sure what it's trying to do, with lounge versions of recent hits (Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé's ridiculous Black Hole Sun, The Ben Folds Five's She Don't Use Jelly) rubbing shoulders with the likes of Edwyn Collins' Witchcraft or The Pizzicato Five's tired The Girl From Ipanema. P.J. Harvey & Eric Drew Feldman's Mel Torme-by-way-of Was (Not Was)' Zaz Turned Blue is actually halfway decent, bringing real drama to the track, Glen Campbell & Michelle Shocked's Wichita Lineman isn't that different to Campbell's original and The James Taylor Quartet's Music To Watch Girls By is actually pretty cool. However, the always-terrible Fun Lovin' Criminals' dreadful take on 10cc's I'm Not in Love is seriously misguided and the aforementioned Black Hole Sun isn't even funny.
Kim Bullard is credited with Mellotron, but without track-by-track credits, it's far from the easiest task to locate it; the flutes at the beginning of Black Hole Sun are the most likely location, so we'll stick with that, I think. Overall, then, a rather dull effort, heavy on the 'humour' and light on anything you might actually want to listen to more than once (or even once, in several cases). Next to no Mellotron, either, so I really wouldn't bother if I were you.
See: Ben Folds | P.J. Harvey | Edwyn Collins | Wilson Phillips
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Lynne Me Your Ears: A Tribute To The Music of Jeff Lynne (2004, 133.23) ***/T½ |
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| Mitch Easter: 10538 Overture Earl Slick: Ma Ma Ma Belle Jeffery Foskett: Telephone Line Jason Falkner: Do Ya Ben Lee: Sweet is the Night Pat Buchanan: Rockaria! Michael Carpenter: Every Little Thing Peter Holsapple: No Time Richard Barone: Showdown Jamie Hoover: Handle With Care Mark Helm: Strange Magic |
Ross Rice: Evil Woman Carl Wayne: Steppin' Out Swag: Don't Bring Me Down Prairie Sons & Daughters: One Summer Dream Doug Powell: Can't Get it Out of My Head The Shazam: Twilight Tony Visconti (with Kristeen Young & Richard Barone): Mr. Blue Sky The Heavy Blinkers: You Took My Breath Away The Balls of France: Message From the Country Ferenzik: The Minister |
Neilson Hubbard & Venus Hum: Xanadu Bill Lloyd: When Time Stood Still Sparkle Jets UK: Above The Clouds Walter Clevenger & the Dairy Kings: Rock and Roll is King Jeremy: Morning Sunshine Rick Altizer: Boy Blue PFR: Living Thing Sixpence None the Richer: On the Run Todd Rundgren: Bluebird is Dead Roger Klug: Turn to Stone Fleming & John: Eldorado |
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I suppose ELO are an obvious case for tributing, due to their massive late '70s popularity and influence, although I'm not sure if that makes 2004's appallingly-punning Lynne Me Your Ears: A Tribute To The Music of Jeff Lynne any more listenable. In fairness, it's not purely an ELO tribute, anything Lynne was involved with being fair game, including The Move and the dadrock of The Traveling Wilburys, although the bulk of its content is light, electrical and orchestral. Several of the artists involved twist the malleable material to suit their own style (Ross Rice, Tony Visconti, Todd Rundgren), highlights including Peter Holsapple's weird-folk take on No Time and Prairie Prince's Prairie Sons & Daughters' bonkers One Summer Dream. Probably unsurprisingly, quite a few power-popsters turn up (Mitch Easter, Jason Falkner, Jeremy), generally offering up fairly straight takes on the material, albeit usually less cheesy than the originals (you can tell I'm not a fan, can't you?). Other Planet Mellotronsters here include Richard Barone and the insipid Sixpence None the Richer, plus a couple of others waiting in the wings.
Several musicians are credited with various tape-replay devices, with Tony Visconti, Doug Powell and Scott Baggett (misspelled Bagget here) on Mellotron and Mitch Easter on Chamberlin, although going by his other recent 'Mellotron' credits, I think we have to take anything involving Tony Visconti and Mellotrons with a largish bucket of salt. Anyway, Easter adds occasional Chamby strings to the real cellos on his set opener, 10538 Overture, someone plays flutes on Jason Falkner's propulsive Do Ya, there's a few string chords on Michael Carpenter's Every Little Thing and someone adds flutes and choirs to The Balls of France's version of The Move's Message From The Country. However, the 'Mellotron' choirs on Tony Visconti, Kristeen Young and Richard Barone's Mr. Blue Sky are quite clearly sampled, and not very well at that (good version, though), and since Doug Powell's already had an album stuck in Samples, I'd imagine the flutes on Can't Get It Out Of My Head are, too, especially as they don't even sound much like a 'Tron.
All in all, then, another tribute album that Lynne/ELO fans will probably want, while the rest of us yawn and start fidgeting. A few surprise efforts, a few really good tracks that transcend the gloopy material and a whole load of clones. Pretty much as you'd expect, then. Not much tape-replay, either, so not really worth it on that front.
See: ELO | Richard Barone | Doug Powell | Shazam | Sixpence None the Richer | Todd Rundgren
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Miniatures 2 [edited by Morgan Fisher] (2000, 68.02) ***/½ |
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| Jean Houston: Jump Time John Paul Jones: It's Coming (a Fanfare for the Millennium) Linton Kwesi Johnson: Beacon of Hope Talitha Mackenzie: Chakras Hugh Cornwell: 2000 Lights Piero Milesi: Minute Quartet Howard Jones: Atoms and Stars Kazufumi Miyazawa: One Minute Blackout Klaus Trabitsch: Jodler B J Cole: Newgrange Aeon Fragment Terry Riley: A Dog Barks at Midnight Michael Nyman: Here's to the Next One Meredith Monk: Panda Chant II Sainkho Namtchylak: Last Christmas Jill Purce: The Healing Voice |
Dagmar Andrtová: Little Orchestra of Disaster and Hope Wolfgang Mitterer: Solo No.3 Phillip K.Bimstein: Garland Hirschi's Cows Piano Circus: Red Robert Fripp & Trey Gunn: Blast Isao Osada & Takuro: A un David Cunningham: Oxalis Penguin Cafe Orchestra: A Pythagorean Roll Sizzle Ohtaka: One Cell Hermeto Pascoal: Feira de Asakusa Chris Hughes: Shaka Shaka Shaka Dissidenten: Light of Love Christos Hatzis: Hunter's Dream Baka Beyond: Timeless Ottmar Liebert: Freedom (Universal Mix) |
Mamadou Doumbia: Qui Sait? Tananas: Ashtanga Koto Vortex: Sae Michael Shrieve & Jeff Greinke: Invisible Guides Gavin Bryars: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet Jane Siberry: The Narrow Bridge Laurie Spiegel: Soundtrack for Sandin Chéng Gongliang: Ghu Zu Jun John Fiddler: Another 21st Century Day Nastya: Islands Geoffrey Richardson: The Lighthouse Thomas de Hartmann: Gurdjieff/de Hartmann Music Peadar Óriada: Seascad Siocand I Dtreo Millennium Daniel Figgis: Fail Better The Deep Season: Theme for the Peaceful Revolution |
Heat Wave: Takeda No Komori Uta Woof Woof: Passion Sauce The Minus 5: Came Saw Stayed Morgan Fisher: Flowers of Silence Komitas Vardapet: Gutan Yerg David Darling: Introspection Lol Coxhill: Six to Four Trans Global Underground: Dead Dog of Kairouan The Levellers: Hope street (Rain Chant Remix) Chris Butler: Have a Nice Century! Moondog (Louis Hardin): Cosmicode Ashik Peter Lynch: Snow Tokiko Kato: Toorina Jane Campion: Passionless Moments Milladoiro: Alal á das Mariñas |
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2000's Miniatures 2 is the successor to Morgan Fisher's 1980 release, er, Miniatures, which followed hot on the heels of the previous year's Hybrid Kids, frankly, one of the most bizarre musical experiments on which you are ever likely to lay your hands. And I know one of the album's backing singers, fact fans. Anyway, Miniatures 2 works in the same format as its predecessor: persuade loads of 'name' artists to record very brief pieces, in any style that takes their fancy, stick 'em all together and Bob's yer uncle. Of course, Fisher is more curator than artist (although he contributes one track), although, without his concept and guidance, this album would never have happened.
So, er, what's it like? More normal than The Hybrid Kids, but that isn't saying much. Actually, most of its sixty tracks (average length: just over a minute) aren't that weird, Klaus Trabitsch's guitar piece Jodler being a case in point. Does any of it actually catch the ear? Led Zep's John Paul Jones channels Brian May on It's Coming (A Fanfare For The Millennium), Wolfgang Mitterer's atonal Solo No.3, Fripp and Gunn's Blast typically late-Crimsoid Blast... There's definitely some decent and/or weird stuff on here, but too much of it seems to be exactly what you'd expect of the artist in question, only shorter.
And, er, the Mellotron? Ireland's Daniel Figgis adds flutes (although they may be sampled) to his Fail Better, but we're not exactly talking major stuff here. So; do you buy this album? It's probably worth it more for its curiosity value than for most of the actual music, although an EP of its best tracks would be worth the effort. For the Mellotron? I don't think so.
See: Morgan Fisher | Hugh Cornwell | King Crimson | Trey Gunn | Minus 5 | Lol Coxhill
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Night Time Music: The BT Puppy Story (2004, recorded 1966-68, 48.09) **½/TT |
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| Sundae Train: Love Affair of Two Happy People Sing Sweet Barbara Scene: Scenes We Ugly Dogs: First Spring Rain Sundae Train: I Wanna Be Margo, Margo, Medress & Siegel: Mister Snail Sundae Train: Wake Up (Sleepy Girl) |
Canterbury Music Festival: Poor Man Amanda Ambrose: Amanda's Man Rock Garden: Sweet Pajamas Randy & the Rainbows: Oh to Get Away Steeple People: Green Plant Oh Kathy Bob Miranda: Girl on a Swing |
Majic Ship: Night Time Music The Tokens: I Could Be Beverly Warren: So Glad Randy & the Rainbows: I'll Be Seeing You Rock Garden: Perhaps the Joy of Giving Lollipop Tree: Peace |
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The B.T. Puppy label was owned by The Tokens, 2004's Night Time Music: The BT Puppy Story collecting together a run of 45s issued by them between 1966 and '68. Most of the material's in that awkward pre-psych mode, neither one thing nor the other, although I'm well aware that the style has its fans. The best things here are probably the acts (assuming any of them were proper bands, not just studio creations) that veer nearest to psych, Sundae Train and Majic Ship, although I can't honestly say there's anything too exciting to be found on the disc.
Unknown studio musicians added Chamberlin to (surprise, surprise) the Sundae Train and Majic Ship tracks, with flutes on the former's Love Affair Of Two Happy People and I Wanna Be, plus strings on Sing Sweet Barbara (although the flutes on Wake Up (Sleepy Girl) sound real) and cellos, flutes and strings on Magic Ship's Night Time Music. So; one for 'sunshine pop' and early US psych/pop fans, though I'm not sure there's much here for the rest of us, a handful of Chamby tracks notwithstanding.
See: The Tokens
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One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen (1997, 117.21) ***/0 |
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| Aram: Something in the Night Smithereens: Downbound Train Kurt Neumann: Atlantic City John Wesley Harding: Jackson Cage Nils Lofgren: Wreck on the Highway John Hiatt: Johnny 99 Dave Alvin: Seeds Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers: Light of Day Martin Zellar: Darkness on the Edge of Town Mrs. Fun, Tina & the B-Side Movement: Janey, Don't You Lose Heart |
Marshall Crenshaw: All or Nothin' at All Syd Straw: Meeting Across the River Ben E. King: 4th of July, Asbury Park [Sandy] Paul Cebar: One Step Up The Knack: Don't Look Back Donna Summer: Protection Joe Cocker: Human Touch Elliott Murphy: Stolen Car David Bowie: It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City |
Rocking Chairs: Restless Nights Robbin Thompson: Guilty Sonny Burgess: Tiger Rose Gary "U.S." Bonds: Love's on the Line Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank: Savin' Up Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes: The Fever Little Bob Story: Seaside Bar Song Allan Clarke: If I Was the Priest Richie Havens: Streets of Philadelphia |
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1997's One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen is one of the 'most versions sound just like the originals'-type tribute albums, although you would've thought at least some of Bruce's songs would respond positively to rearrangement. Sadly, it's all a bit ordinary, to be honest, few of the takes here stepping too far from the sheet music, leaving it up to individual performances to stand out, as so few of the arrangements take any real chances.
Plenty of Planet Mellotron artists present here, including The Smithereens, Joe Cocker, Elliott Murphy, David Bowie and Allan Clarke, plus several more who will hopefully find their way to these pages eventually and a whole load who almost certainly never will, not least Ben E. King, Nils Lofgren and the missing-presumed-dead Little Bob Story. The contributors' collective unwillingness to stand out from the crowd means there are no real stinkers, but also no stand-outs, although John Hiatt and sometime Bruce guitarist Nils Lofgren perform particularly impassioned takes on Johnny 99 and Wreck On The Highway respectively and, maybe surprisingly, Bowie's string-driven It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City impresses.
Mellotronically speaking, Wesley "John Wesley Harding" Stace allegedly plays the thing on his take on Jackson Cage, but all I can hear is a couple of real violins. As far as the album's content's concerned, I'm personally surprised there's so little from the iconic Born to Run (only Syd Straw's lesser-known Meeting Across The River), with a good few newer selections. Maybe that should be taken as Springsteen's contemporaries' faith in his later material, or at least its suitability for reinterpretation, not that very much here is especially reinterpreted. Anyway, probably essential for the Bruce-fan-with-everything, though not for the rest of us, and certainly not for anyone hoping to hear some Hot Mellotron Action.
See: Bruce Springsteen | Smithereens | John Wesley Harding | John Hiatt | Marshall Crenshaw | The Knack | Joe Cocker | Elliott Murphy | David Bowie | Allan Clarke
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Il Paese è Reale (2009, 72.52) **½/½ |
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| Afterhours: Il Paese è Reale Paolo Benvegnù: Io e il Mio Amore Marco Parente: Da un Momento All'Altro Dente: Beato Me Cesare Basile: Le Canzoni Dei Cani ...A Toys Orchestra: What You Said Reverendo: California |
Calibro 35: L'Uomo Dagli Occhi di Ghiaccio Il Teatro degli Orrori: Refusenik Roberto Angelini: Tempo e Pace Beatrice Antolini: Venetian Hautboy Zu: Maledetto Sedicesimo Zen Circus: Gente di Merda |
Marco Iacampo: Che Bella Carovana Mariposa: Le Cose Come Stanno Settlefish: Catastrophy Liars Disco Drive: The Giant Marta Sui Tubi: Mercoledi Amerigo Verardi & Marco Ancona: Mano Nella Mano |
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2009's Il Paese è Reale (nice sleeve art) is a compilation of current Italian indie outfits, curated by Afterhours, although I'm not sure whether or not all of its contents are exclusive to the set. While not the most exciting effort ever, several of its tracks are gutsier than just about anything you'll encounter in the British and/or American scenes, although I wouldn't take that as too much of a recommendation.
Andrea Allulli adds Mellotron strings and flutes to Marco Parente's Da Un Momento All'Altro, to reasonable effect, although it's over all too quickly. I couldn't realistically recommend this to you, either for the music or the Mellotron, but it's a passable enough effort of its type and could've been so, so much worse.
See: Afterhours | ...A Toys Orchestra | Zu
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Past, Present, Future (1990, 85.58) ****½/T½ |
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| Lift: Perspectives Happy the Man: Leave That Kitten Alone, Armone Yezda Urfa: The Basis Of Dubenglazy (While Dirk Does the Dance) Netherworld: Cumulo Nimbus Part I - The Approaching Storm Part II - In the Mist Part III - Among the Clouds |
Djam Karet: Swamp of Dreams Episode: Edge of the Sky Now: Shroomer Consumer Kalaban: Sleepless |
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Although now seemingly largely forgotten, Syn-phonic's Past, Present, Future compilation was instrumental in helping to kickstart the '90s resurgence in progressive rock, distinctly different from the '80s resurgence in its two-pronged attack: new releases, sometimes even by genuinely good bands and CD issues of lost classics from around the world, making many titles available internationally for the first time. The double album covers these bases admirably, disc one consisting of unheard masters from (mostly) little-known US bands from the '70s (Happy the Man being the exception, having released two albums on a major), while disc two features then-unavailable tracks by current bands signed to the label, although Kalaban's Sleepless turned up (in the same version?) on their last album, 1993's Resistance is Useless and Episode's Edge Of The Sky similarly appeared on their lone CD release, 1993's Starlight Tales.
It's a sad fact (OK, OK, opinion) that the '70s material outweighs the late '80s, Lift's fabulous Perspectives (now available on their Moments of Hearing archive disc) and Netherworld's three-part Cumulo Nimbus (now available on the expanded version of their In the Following Half-Light) being particular highlights, although, in truth, there's nothing here that isn't worth hearing for the dedicated proghead, Kalaban's Sleepless being an unexpected gem. Upon researching the matter, it would seem that a good five of the set's eight tracks are now available elsewhere, although, as mentioned above, some could be as re-recordings.
Mellotronically speaking, Lift's track seems to be 'Tron-free, although Yezda Urfa's, surprisingly, has choir, church organ and strings all over it, given that there isn't a jot to be heard on either of their albums, while Netherworld's Cumulo Nimbus features choirs all over its last part, Among The Clouds. To my knowledge, this is still available from Syn-phonic (presumably, the original pressing never sold out), although I can't see it ever being reissued on CD for several reasons, including copyright and expense, as it would have to be a double.
See: Lift | Netherworld | Djam Karet
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Picnic: A Breath of Fresh Air (1970, 77.04) ***/½ |
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| Deep Purple: Into the Fire Barclay James Harvest: Mother Dear Pink Floyd: Embryo Battered Ornaments: Twisted Track Shirley & Dolly Collins: Glenlogie Pretty Things: The Good Mr Square Roy Harper: Song of the Ages |
Bakerloo: This Worried Feeling Kevin Ayers: Eleanor's Cake Which Ate Her Greatest Show on Earth: Again & Again Third Ear Band: Water Syd Barrett: Terrapin Forest: A Glade Somewhere |
Pete Brown: Golden Country Kingdom Panama Ltd: Round & Round Quatermass: Black Sheep of the Family Michael Chapman: Postcards of Scarborough Tea & Symphony: Maybe My Mind Edgar Broughton Band: Old Gopher |
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Harvest's early label sampler, 1970's Picnic: A Breath of Fresh Air, is a classic example of the genre, a budget-priced double giving the listener the probably already familiar (Deep Purple, Barclay James Harvest) with the probably not (Bakerloo, Panama Ltd.) and at least one 'otherwise unavailable' track (they learnt quickly, these labels). I'll admit to not be fully conversant with every band on the compilation, which sounds like most similar efforts (Atlantic's The New Age of Atlantic, also the recipient of a major band rarity in the shape of Zeppelin's Hey Hey What Can I Do, Island's punning El Pea) in being a most mixed bag, both of styles and qualities. Ignoring the familiar (Deep Purple's Into The Fire, BJH's Mother Dear, to an extent, Syd Barrett's Terrapin), stronger tracks here include Shirley & Dolly Collins' Glenlogie, the drumless folk-rock of Forest's A Glade Somewhere and Quatermass' rocking Black Sheep Of The Family, considered good enough by Ritchie Blackmore to cover on the first Rainbow album, five years hence.
There are two Mellotron tracks on the set, The Pretty Things' The Good Mr Square being available on 1970's Parachute, leaving the reason this is here at all: Pink Floyd's Embryo. The tale behind the track goes something like this: a live favourite at the time, for some odd reason, it never found its way onto any studio album, although the band had recorded (but not finished) most of a version of the track, maybe for inclusion on Atom Heart Mother. It's possible that, having got it onto tape, they realised it was a bit of a throwback to their psychedelic past (which it was) and out of step with their progressive future. Whatever actually happened, Harvest got hold of the allegedly unfinished master and stuck it onto Picnic, probably less as a representative sample of the band's work (they were one of the label's best known outfits, of course) and more as a teaser, drawing in Floyd fans who might not otherwise have bothered. The band were apparently most unhappy at its inclusion, although unable to insist upon its removal.
Upon listening to it again, I'm trying to work out what they might have added to the dreamy piece, actually more in line with the previous year's More soundtrack than the band's then-current work. It sounds finished, at least to my ears, making it one of several rarities from the era (single Point Me At The Sky is particularly hard to find); bizarre, for such a major band. Anyway, it turned up years later on 1983 Floyd compilation Works (again, unsanctioned by the band), which also found its way onto CD, making the track more available that some of their other obscurities. Oh yes - the Mellotron: in one of their black-and-gold MkII's last outings, it provides the flute line running through the song.
So; not on CD and most unlikely ever to be reissued for various reasons, not least the labyrinthine contractural issues involved and the availability of most of its contents. Floyd fans can probably track down their contribution on Works more easily, making this, at best, a curio from the dawn of the progressive era, although it makes for an interesting listen for fans of the time, forty years on, sampling what one of the leading labels of the day considered worth hearing from its catalogue.
See: Deep Purple | Barclay James Harvest | Pink Floyd | Pretty Things | Kevin Ayers | Syd Barrett | Pete Brown
