A little over twenty years ago, Arjen Anthony Lucassen anonymously released an album named, STRANGE HOBBY. The artist spot on the CD was left as a “?” A love letter to the psychedelic-pop era of music, 1965-1970, STRANGE HOBBY was recorded in Abbey Road studio and contained a total of eighteen covers.
It came out at roughly the same time that his ACTUAL FANTASY did. A totally different style, though, one that allows the perfectionist to let loose.
A personal journey, Part I.
Twenty-five years ago this fall, progarchist editor Craig Breaden and I were in Waterloo Records, Austin, Texas. There it was on the shelves—the final Talk Talk album, LAUGHING STOCK, in all of its James Marsh-esque glory. Of course, I purchased it as quickly as possible. After all, it had just come out, and Craig and I were living in pre-internet days in northern Utah. We had a music store nearby, but however good it was—and, frankly, it was pretty good—it wouldn’t have dreamt of carrying anything by a band so strange as Talk Talk.
So fortunate we were at a history conference in Texas at the same moment as LAUGHING STOCK’s release.
Craig and I were not only officemates and apartment mates, but we were best friends and music mates. How many hours flew by with Craig and I devouring music—old and new—and then discussing and analyzing every bit of it. I still cherish these nights and even weekend-days as some of the best of my life. Though I’d grown up in a house that respected nearly every form of music, I had never been introduced to some of the great psychedelic and experimental rock acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Unless it was by Yes, Genesis, or Jethro Tull, I really didn’t know it. Craig played Procol Harum, Soft Machine, Spooky Tooth, and Traffic for me. I fell in love with each. As the time Craig and I (and another close friend, Joel) were spending so much time together, the music scene itself was going through a bit of a psychedelic revival—with World Party, Charlatans, and others—and this only added to our excitement.
As soon as we returned from Austin, I recorded the full album of LAUGHING STOCK on each side of a double-sided TDK cassette and enthusiastically played this tape over and over and over and over. . . . Even though Craig and I had shared many enthusiasms with each other, this obsession with Talk Talk seemed more than a bit too enthusiastic to Craig.
Understandably so.
By sheer force of will, I fear, Craig had to accept this or our friendship would suffer! Of course, here we are, a quarter of a century later, still very close friends and co-editors of progarchy. . . . You know the story ended well.
For nearly thirty years, I instantly answered the question of “what is your favorite band” with Talk Talk and Rush. If pushed a bit more, I would add Tears for Fears and, depending on my mood, Genesis or Yes or XTC. This rote answer became almost proudly knee-jerk on my part.
When challenged about this opinion, I rather haughtily pointed to THE COLOUR OF SPRING, SPIRIT OF EDEN, and LAUGHING STOCK. After all, who could top fourteen months a shot, recording in dark, deserted churches, challenging every single bit of corporate conformity in the music business.
Mark Hollis, Tim-Friese-Green, and Phill Brown were not just three more musicians in the industry, they lingered as demi-gods at the very edge of Valhalla itself, ready to release Ragnoräk at any moment. And, power to them! As far as I was concerned, the music industry needed and deserved a revolution.
Recently, I’ve realized that Talk Talk no longer holds top spot in my mind when it comes to bands (Big Big Train has finally replaced Talk Talk in my mind and in my soul), but it will always be in the top three for me. For too many years, Talk Talk was my go-to band, my comfort and my first love in the world of music. To this day—and, I presume, to the end of my days—the final three albums the band made will always be the three by which I judge every other release in the music world. Few albums or bands, then or now, can measure up to such heights. But, such is my mind and soul.
Part II to come soon. . . . In the meantime, enjoy 19 minutes of Hollis talking about LAUGHING STOCK.
Artist: Spiritual Beggars Album Title: Sunrise To Sundown Label: Inside Out Records Date of Release: 18 March 2016 If you’re looking for a musical experience to surprise you and offer something completely different from what has gone before, I wouldn’t recommend Spiritual Beggars to you. Theirs is not a blueprint that seeks to challenge listeners […]
https://manofmuchmetal.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/spiritual-beggars-sunrise-to-sundown-album-review/
A few days ago, I felt absolutely snarky and thought, “why not write down exactly what I think of music from the 1980s.” In some ways, I feel I have the right to do this in a manner I could never do for any other decade.
After all, I was in seventh grade when a very disturbed fanboy tried to kill the fortieth president, and I was a first-semester senior in college when the Berlin Wall came down.
Yes, I’m very much a man of the 1980s. Reagan, Rush, Blade Runner. . . how I remember the 1980s. I came of age in that rather incredible decade.
Life continued after 1989, however, though I wasn’t so sure at the time that it would.
1990 proved to be one of the most interesting years in my personal life when it came to career choices as well as to music.
The chances are quite good that you’re not reading this post because you want to know my career choices or why I made them. So, I’ll confine myself to the music that I loved that year.
I owe almost all of my good fortune to three very great guys, Ron Strayer (now, a high up with Microsoft), Kevin McCormick (now, justly, a progarchy editor), and Craig Breaden (now, happily, one of progarchy’s editors). Ron introduced me to what would very soon be called “alternative” but was then being called “college rock” or “modern rock.” Kevin sent me recommendations, including the rather insistent demand to purchase cds by World Party and The Sundays. And, finally, Craig introduced me not only to neo-psychedelia but also to psychedelia from its original age. It was Craig who introduced me to Van Morrison, Spooky Tooth, Procol Harum, and Traffic.
I’d loved prog and New Wave all of my 22 years at that point, but my vision was pretty limited to only these genres by the end of 1989. Well, this isn’t quite accurate. I also knew classical and jazz fairly well.
With the help of three friends, 1990 opened up huge musical vistas for me in the non-jazz, non-classic genres.
Richard Thompson, as a part of French Frith Kaiser Thompson, wrote two of the best songs I’ve ever: “Peppermint Rock” and “The Killing Jar.” Folk acid psychedelia by guys who had been there before there was a need for a revival.
Suzanne Vega’s third album, DAYS OF OPEN HAND, came out that year, and it’s still one of my favorite albums. Vega has always produced gorgeous pop and folk in the vein of XTC and others. If this is pop, it’s very high pop. Importantly, she never became political like so many of her counterparts. Rather, she gracefully let the music and lyrics remain art. Her breathy vocals–weird and yet captivating–only add to her appeal.
Echo and the Bunnymen’s almost totally forgotten and (when remembered) maligned album, REVERBERATION, is a slice of pop-rock perfection. Yes, it’s missing Ian McCulloch, but this only lets Will Sergeant soar. Frankly, their sound hit its height with OCEAN RAIN and fell flat on the follow-up album. This one, REVERBERATION, reveals an effective rebirth of the band. The new vocalist, while not possessing the cancerous gravel of McCulloch’s voice, captures the spirit of the lyrics perfectly. Word play and cliché become clever and, indeed, addictive. There’s not a dud song on the album, but the employment of psychedelic Indian musicians really works rather perfectly on “Enlighten Me” and on the Doorish “Flaming Red.” The former is one of the finest songs the band ever wrote.
Mazzy Star. Hardly anyone remembers this California psychedelic folk and navel-gazing band that emerged from the underground band, Opal. Too bad–as 1990’s SHE HANGS BRIGHTLY is a thing of disturbing beauty. Walls of sound, clever lyrics, and earnest production make this album a masterpiece of the neo-psych revival.
“Is it too late, baby?” World Party. What to say about this about that hasn’t been said by a million others? While Karl Wallinger continues to make interesting music (despite severe health problems), he really threw every thing his soul possessed into GOODBYE JUMBO. From the crazy Beatle-sque cover to the basement production, this is a gem. All of the songs work very well, though they rarely reach beyond simple Beatle’s pop. Taken as a whole, however, this is a prog-pop album. Not that the individual songs are prog. They’re not even close. But, imagine a really, really, really clever Paul McCartney reworking side 2 of Abbey Road. Then, you’d have GOODBYE JUMBO. Thank you, world, indeed.
The Sundays. Ok, so the lead singer is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. This doesn’t hurt my opinion of the band. But, really, it’s her voice. That voice. How to describe it? There are no words, really, that could capture it. She’s playful. She’s earnest. She’s flirtatious. She’s so utterly sincere. Oh, Harriet. At one time, you were my Beatrice. Her husband, David Gavurin, knows exactly how to write music to match his wife’s voice. What a team. And, they did the album merely for the fun of it, which makes it even more enjoyable. If you don’t own this or if you’ve never heard of The Sundays, treat yourself. You’ll never regret this purchase. Promise.
Charlatans UK. SOME FRIENDLY. I know next to nothing about this band, but I absolutely dug their sound when Ron introduced them to me. I’d never quite heard drumming like this (though, The Cure would use the exact same style on their 1991 album, WISH). The drums, the keyboards, and the bass make this one of the most interesting albums I’ve ever heard it. While I wouldn’t place it up there with the previous albums I’ve mentioned in terms of outright excellence and staying power, it’s still really good.
House of Love. Album title? I’m not sure, as there’s none listed. Just the band’s name with a butterfly. Some of the album fails, but when it works, it works in a stellar fashion. The album is worth owning for the first two tracks alone—”Hannah” and “Shine On”—which really blend into one continuous 10-minute track. Great build up and perfect execution on these two songs. From what little I know of the band, they were a bunch of really raucous and idiotic druggies. Still, some amazing talent there.
Cocteau Twins, HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS. The best for last? I’m not sure, but, sheesh, do I love this album. Aside from LOVELESS by My Bloody Valentine, no album reaches as close to shoe-gaze perfection as does HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS. This album simply never ages. It’s so weird and yet so continuously captivating. I assume the artsts behind Cocteau Twins wield some special instrument to speed up or delay time, but I can’t verify this. Listening to this album is NEVER a casual experience. It demands full immersion, but you re-emerge not as one drowned but as one baptized.
Is there such a thing as psychedelic children’s television programming? Born in 1967, I loved this show and song more than any other as a child. Is there anyone else in the progarchy audience who watched this as well?
For some one of my age (46), it’s very hard not to trap Echo and the Bunnymen in the best memories of my youth.
From 1980 to 1984, the band produced four classic albums in a row, the best of which was HEAVEN UP HERE. Their self-titled album of 1987 was ok, but nothing spectacular. In 1990, with a new singer, Echo released an album that has stood the test of time rather well. Though it’s simply not Echo and the Bunnymen, REVERBERATION is a really catchy pop-rock album with a lot of neo-psychadelia. REVERBERATION, still, is better than anything else Echo has released post-OCEAN RAIN.
In 1997, Echo reformed with Ian McCulloch once again taking lead vocals. Everything Echo has produced since 1997 has been unsatisfying, an Echo of an Echo with momentary flashes of brilliance.
The new album, METEORITES, slated to come out in four days, is good but not astounding. Maybe this is simply my fault, my failure to appreciate all that is currently Echo. I very much want the Echo of my youth–angry, hard edged, nasty, lush, claustrophobic, and angular.
METERORITES is, as I just noted, good but not astounding. It’s a safe and nice return to the late 1980s without causing any problems and without taking any serious chances. What saddens me, though, is that the album is on the edge of astounding. A different producer, a different engineer, a different some one (as Rush has down with their last several albums) might have made METEORITES spectacular.
As McCulloch has recently said, METEORITES is a concept album. And, so it seems to be. There’s a lot of discussion of religion, especially historical religion. I’m just not sure what it all means. Still, Echo was always best when combining elements of hard rock and prog with pop sensibilities.
McCulloch’s voice is excellent and the same can be said of Sargeant’s guitar work. But, again, it’s all so safe. The bass and the drums are bland, and, thus, an essential part of Echo seems missing.
The Guardian is streaming the entire album, and you can judge for yourself before buying it. After listening, I’ve decided not to purchase it. I know I would only listen to it a few times, but then I would forget about it, relegating it to mere un-accessed space on my hard drive.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/may/19/echo-and-the-bunnymen-meteorites-exclusive-album-stream
If you’re looking for the best of Echo, you must return to the band’s past: CROCODILES (1980); HEAVEN UP HERE (1981); PORCUPINE (1983); and OCEAN RAIN (1984). These four albums rank as four of the best in the rock era. Additionally, as Pete Blum has recently argued, the best modern Echo is to be found in Sergeant and Patterson’s prog band, Poltergeist.
Featuring performances by Pink Floyd, Santana, T.Rex, The Byrds, Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane, Soft Machine, It’s A Beautiful Day, Family, Country Joe, Dr. John & the Night Trippers, Flock and Al Stewart
London, UK – One of the most historic concert events of the early ’70s, the Dutch Woodstock, also called the ‘Holland Pop Festival’, has now been released on a double CD/DVD set by UK’s Gonzo MultiMedia. Featuring rare and exciting performances by Pink Floyd, Santana, T.Rex, The Byrds, Canned Heat, Jefferson Airplane, Soft Machine, It’s A Beautiful Day, Family, Country Joe, Dr. John & The Night Trippers, Flock and Al Stewart, makes this extraordinary release a must for fans of music everywhere! The three-day festival was held in August 1970 at the Kralingse Bos (Kralingse Forest) in Rotterdam, and despite the rain, an estimated 100,000 people attended the astounding event!
Featuring…
Pink Floyd – Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, A Saucerful Of Secrets
Santana – Gumbo, Savor, Jingo
The Byrds – Old Blue
Canned Heat – Human Condition, So Sad
T-Rex – Pavillions Of Sun
Jefferson Airplane – Saturday Afternoon, White Rabbit, Ballad Of You & Me & Pooneil plus interviews with Paul Kanter & Grace Slick
Soft Machine – Esther’s Nose Job
It’s A Beautiful Day – Wasted Union Blues, Open Up Your Hearts
Family – Drowned In Wine
Country Joe – Freedom Is A Constant
Dr. John & The Night Trippers – Mardi Gras Day
Flock – Big Bird
Al Stewart – Zero She Flies
The Dutch Woodstock double CD/DVD set will be released by GONZO MultiMedia UK on March 22, 2013
To Purchase The Dutch Woodstock double CD/DVD set: http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/product_details/15545
Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, glassonyonpr@gmail.com
Progarchy 