Reviews
UXORIA REVIEW
I'm tempted to call this the greatest Psych album ever recorded! OK! I WILL call this the greatest Psych album ever recorded! If this had actually come out in 67/68 it would have influenced every Psych group who came after. Since this is 1999, it should be a blueprint for anyone wishing to re-create those wonderful (in our head,anyway!) late 60s sounds! There really isn't a wrong moment here! I feel a little guilty for not having anything negative to say about it! Most albums are not this perfect!
Oliver, Julian and Biff have been absorbing all those old Psych albums from the 60s (the 70s don't exist here!) for so many years and have now taken (stolen!) all the best parts to create their own masterpiece. Sure, we can round up all the usual suspects: Pink Floyd (with and without Syd), Beatles (Lennon), even the Idle Race (Jeff Lynne) pop up as influences. There are songs here that outshine even these groups!
All the songs are written by Julian and Oliver, who also play all the instruments. They do an amazing job recreating the sounds of the 60s with not only guitars, bass and drums but sitar, cello and amazingly authentic sounding brass parts adding to the illusion! The vocals by both Julian and Oliver are perfect with harmonies that are breathtakingly beautiful! I should be ashamed gushing all over this group like I am! (And using all these exclamation points!!!!)
If you're a fan of British Psych or the Beatles you will not go wrong picking this up! It's out on Twist Records (Big 15) from Germany and hopefully will be stocked by the better record stores and mail order houses here in the States.
Oh! I thought of something negative to say about them! This is only out on LP at the moment and I'm in danger of wearing out the grooves. So when will it be released on CD?
TRACK LISTING:
Side One
1) Frumpy And The Strange Machine (Julian)
- definitely Syd inspired. Also check out the simpler demo
sounding version on their new 45 on Twist (Big 23) which sounds even
more Syd inspired
2) House Of Small (Oliver) - This I believe is the "A" side of their 45 out on Twist (Big 23). This is a different version,though.
3) Glass Room (Julian) - In an alternate (and Better!) universe John Lennon would have wrote this for the WHITE ALBUM. Or maybe Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne would have done it as the Move or early ELO.
4) When She Came Around (Oliver) - These guys really excel at beautiful harmonies and they really make this tune shine.
5) Old Man Arthur (Dragonfly) (Julian) - haunting melody - Arthur seems like a name you would use for a British sounding Psych tune about madness, sorta like Syd!
6) Hey Mary Jane/We Love You (Oliver) - This is either sped up early Floyd or the Chipmunks on acid. It's not nice what they do to poor Mary Jane!
Side Two
7) Sitar Piece (Julian) - exactly what it
says, an instrumental-Why not "Sitar Peace"?
8) Stop (Julian) - The closest influence here may be "Penny Lane" except this tune may be about stalking! After this song is an uncredited short tune with the lyrics "Take Me Back To The Golden Garden" that reminds me of the short bit on side 4 of the White Album by McCartney that goes "Take me back where are people,buddy, won't you take me back".
9) Dr.Centenial (Julian) - Another song about madness. Did you ever wonder if the doctors who take care of mental patients are crazy themselves?
10) Julia (Oliver) - If Lennon had recorded his tune of the same name for SGT. PEPPER'S instead of THE WHITE ALBUM, maybe it would sound similar to this!
11) Icicle Rainbow (Julian) - The background vocals remind me of the Kinks circa SOMETHING ELSE.
12)
Walter Ghoul's Lavender Brigade Is Coming (Julian)
- Thank God Walter Ghoul saved these boys from obscurity!
Let's just hope he gets them to release another LP someday!