Goat "Live Ballroom Ritual" Review

Reviewed by Grey Malkin (The Hare & The Moon)

Goat exploded onto the psych scene almost from nowhere in 2012 with their debut album ‘World Music’ and blistering live sets at both Glastonbury and Roadburn. An apparently revolving cast of musicians that always appear masked and in costume, their live shows have quickly become legendary. The Swedes now follow up their subsequent ’Stonegoat’ 7”with a recording from the Camden Ballroom that ably showcases their aptitude for dynamic and memorable performance.
When they emerged Goat appeared as a fully formed act; there were no initial faltering steps or misfires. ‘World Music’ was as accomplished an album as you would find at any point in a band’s career, melding Afrobeat rhythms to full blown psyched out acid jams and chanted vocals. Freeform yet incredibly tight, ‘World Music’ was startling in its ambition and scope. It sounded like it came from an earlier age, one inhabited by a particularly full on and frazzled The Grateful Dead or some kind of Hendrix/Sly Stone hybrid. In short, it didn’t sound remotely how you would expect a modern day Swedish rock band to sound.
This live artifact gathers all the tracks from their debut and adds ‘Stonegoat’ and its B-side ‘Dreambuilding’. However this is no retread; these songs are twisted and pulled in unfamiliar and unexpected directions –they come to life in frantic and often jazz influenced discordancy and improvisation, as in the version here of ‘Let it Bleed’. The guitars sound massive and move like clockwork; Goat can work a groove and they are as tight a band as they come. ‘Dreambuilding’, with both its Isaac Hayes styled heavy funk and glittering psychedelic guitar, should be an uncomfortable combination of styles but Goat are master alchemists; they brew their influences and sounds into something altogether new and more than the sum of its parts. The Goat trilogy (‘Goatman’, Goathead’ and ‘Goatlord’) are featured with added apocalyptic fuzz guitar wig out splendour and venom. This writers personal favourite ‘Det Som Aldrig Forandras’ is an explosion of colour and sound, the guitars swaggering like the theme from a 70s cop show. With this live recording you may be missing out on the sheer spectacle of Goat live but the excitement bleeds through nonetheless.
Essential, not just as a stop gap until their new album but as a solid album in its own right, ‘Live Ballroom Ritual’ joins the ranks of classic live albums that capture a band at its finest, most inventive and most exploratory. Get your Goat.

Available on limited edition Vinyl, Digitaland CD.

Neil Young "Live at the Cellar Door" Review

Reviewed by Chris Sherman

The latest volume of the perpetually in the making (and perpetually delayed) Neil Young Archives Series has been released, and it is quite the chapter in Young’s long and storied career. Labeled as volume 2.5 in the performance series, this was seemingly discovered after the release of the Archives Volume 1 box a few years back, and hence the odd numbering (which allows this to stay chronological, and sit between 1970’s Fillmore and 1971’s Massey Hall shows in the series). As a quick aside, I am coincidentally reading the Young biography Shakey at the moment, and he is quoted as saying that the archives series is meant to show “how scared I was and how great I was[…]show the real picture, not a product. Everything [will be there]- the good, the bad, the ugly…” I find this quite interesting on many levels, particularly as someone who owns everything that has been released so far in the series. Besides the haphazard nature of the archives project, it seems there is censoring happening, what with many key album tracks being left off the main box, and his resistance to release material from the 73-74 ditch trilogy era. That said, this is not to impugn his vision and the nature of this massive project; we should be lucky that anything is coming out, but that quote stuck with me since this set is a compilation rather than one full show, and it seemed poignant to mention here.
Live at the Cellar Door was recorded during a six-show stand at Washington DC’s Cellar Door club between November 30 and December 6, 1970, which would be the first performances after the release of After the Gold Rush. Featuring the live debut of many of the songs on the set list, this series of shows was merely a warm-up for a pair of high profile gigs at Carnegie Hall in New York a few days later. From what I understand, the Cellar Door was a tiny club, and immediately, the listener will gather not only the warm ambiance of the venue, but the intimacy of the performances; it feels like Neil is playing in your home for you. I love the readings of the material here, and right off the bat, prefer “Tell Me Why” to the familiar LP version; the absence of harmony vocals (and key change) actually alters the song for the better. Likewise for “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, “Old Man” and “Birds.”
Throughout the set, Neil juggles between an acoustic guitar and a piano, the latter on which an interesting rendition of “Cinnamon Girl” is played, although this arrangement would soon be abandoned from his set, probably for the best. “Expecting To Fly”, while choppy at the start, finds its way and Neil manages to bring out the delicate emotion that the symphony somehow subtracts from on the album version. “See the Sky About To Rain” is also notable as it would be another four years before properly recorded for release. “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” has always been my favorite Young song, and this performance does not disappoint in any way. The closing song though might stand as what has kept me coming back to this show. While never the biggest Buffalo Springfield fan, Neil’s contributions to their albums were the high points, but unfortunately, the vocals would typically be sung by others in that group (“Clancy”, “On the Way Home” etc.). With that, getting to hear his voice on this restrained version of “Flying On The Ground is Wrong” (which has an extended introduction here where it is explained that it is a grass song) is beyond rewarding. One wonders if it was merely turned into a more upbeat “pop song” because of the nature of that group and the times, as this solo piano rendition suits it way more, and it would not be out of place on, say Harvest.
Now, I know what you’re thinking- another solo acoustic set? Where does this rank with the others, because not everyone can be a completest..? Good question! Live at Canterbury House ’68 is an inexperienced Young playing mostly Buffalo Springfield cuts and a few new songs from his debut LP, with silly audience banter between; this is his solo beginnings and it shows. Live at Riverboat ’69 picks right up where that leaves off, albeit slightly more polished, drawing from similar material. Massey Hall is Young at his solo peak- a lengthy set list, drawing on four albums plus Springfield material, most of which would subsequently be briefly retired as he went on the Stray Gators and then the Santa Monica Flyers tours in ’73, and then the disastrous CSNY reunion tour in ’74. It is played in front of a greatly enthusiast and appreciative Toronto audience watching their native son, and it is here his confidence shows; Young captivates the audience and is more than just a performer. As awesome as that is, I think Cellar Door gains the edge, due to the intimacy between performer and crowd and the relative freshness of the songs (although I am not a fan of using the best takes from each night- I prefer a full night’s performance, warts and all, as Neil alluded to wanting once upon a time…). Anyhow, let’s hope that the series continues to move forward and more treasures are released, such as this album!

Available here on CD and vinyl.
 

Death & Vanilla "Vampyr" Review

Reviewed by Jason Simpson (Forestpunk)

Enter the town of Courtempierre, a silver nitrate village in the shadow of a crumbling manor. People are going missing, and you just remembered the wrapped paper parcel the stranger gave to you earlier. It had about the dimensions and heft of an old book. You might have to shed some blood before the night is through; some of it might be your own. You might be digging up graves before the dawn.
“Vampyr” is a live score for the 1932 German vampire film, directed by Carl Theodor Dryer. It’s the most recent release from Malmö, Sweden’s stereophonic electropop surrealists Death And Vanilla, released just before Halloween on the crackling tape label Moon Glyph. For the occasion, the usual duo bulked up to a five piece, to become a chorale of moogs and spooky organs, sneaky vibes, guitars, basses, and wind. Some of it was improvised, but it sure as hell seems tightly put together, weaving a narrative in the dark, casting you into the world of Vampyr.
Death & Vanilla are exquisite recreationists. They rehearsed for 5 weeks with the footage of the film, in preparation for this performance. The rehearsal made the band tight and in control, really getting a chance to set the mood, and let something special happen. They play like a real band together, like people who have written parts and memorized them. Like people that play in a room together once or twice a week. We loved their first record, and they just seem to be getting better all the time. For lovers of soundtracks, of ’60s pop and lounge and the idea of what the future used to be, get on board.
Every element is dipped in warm tube reverb that pets your ears, that soothes and sedates you, that lures you into the trance and lets the chronicles unfold in yr chilled brain. It’s the perfect antidote to the passive stimulation of visual entertainment. It lets you supply yr own visions, and actually exercises the imagination. I’ve never seen Vampyr (although i have to now), and I totally loved letting the music supply my imagery of snowy village courtyards, of graveyards and stealing through the night.
One thing you can say for hauntologists, they always have great keyboard sounds. It really casts a classic ‘Hammer-in-the-60s’ vibe, (even though this movie was made in ’32). It makes me think of vampires in cardboard crypts.
The moods on “Vampyr” range from ’70s baroque melancholic (pianos and flutes), to sneaky and mysterious (vibes and surf guitar), to ritualistic (thundering drums) to pitch black ambiance (wind). It’s a real journey, that places you inside the film. Or transforms your life into one.
Death & Vanilla stand for something. They believe in something. They love something; the past. Knowledge. They are scholars, and have exceptional taste. It is difficult to talk about Death & Vanilla without Stereolab or Broadcast being brought up. It’s not because this Swedish duo are overtly trying to sound like Trish Keenan or Laetitia Sadler, but because all of them share a love for ’60s and ’70s culture. For funky, quirky British movies and National Film Boards Of Canada information films. For all things blurry and kodachrome, for those bright red splashes of blood and the last days of dystopian black & whites.
There’s been a lot of acid from the post-punk cognoscenti over the retrofixation of this present generation, and I would like to counter. Because you can’t always Rip it up and start again. You’ve got to start from somewhere, and that somewhere is usually yourself. We all like things, and have interests, have our own particular vibes that give us gooseflesh. If one has a love of learning, and can still one’s self and find the eye of the hurricane, you can totally excel at your chosen craft, in this case, making bitching movie soundtracks.
Because the band took their time. Because they love what they are doing. They took the time to rehearse and write parts. They took the time to get to know one another as musicians. To find authentic (or authentic sounding) instruments and amps, and tune and upkeep those instruments. This is what I call MASTERY, and it’s one of the things I’m most interested in.
Because we have it all at our fingertips. We could make anything we want. We could make the most astounding artwork in history, every single day, and we are, and we should be. It’s also an antidote to the ‘Things Used To Be Better’ poison. Things used to be different. The main trade off, for me, these days, is I have every opportunity and resource, I’m pulled in a hundred directions, and my attention span is flayed to bloody ribbons.
That’s why we have to learn FOCUS. Let Death & Vanilla be an example of what could be done. Loving recreation, that makes new worlds, that sets people’s imagination on fire. O, and as a side benefit, this also transmits a love of these old things that you’ve been so inspired by, and the old forms do not die, but grow and evolve. In this way, we are keeping the past alive. ALIVE, as in the present. The past is alive, in the present, which is a far cry from it being dead in the dust, lost in yesterday.
In this same way, the future is still alive and well, and Death And Vanilla are pointing the way towards it.
Moon Glyph still has some copies (where you can also hear more samples), so you’d be advised to locate one and then go out and watch Vampyr.

Originally published at Forestpunk.

Stream a sample below (please hit refresh if Soundcloud embed does not appear).

Neils Children "The Highs & Lows" / "You" 7" Review

Reviewed by Tom Sandford

"At a Gentle Place", from this year’s superb "Dimly Lit", turned me into an avowed child of Neils Children. It’s the sort of tune that grabs you by the lapels, slaps you upside the head and demands your attention – but in the most delicate, darkly fanciful way. Eerie keyboard passages and ominous, insistent bass (somebody’s been listening to a lot of Carol Kaye!) subvert the melody’s almost childlike charms – an impression that is accentuated by flourishes of primal, post-punk drumming. The perfect blend of dark and bright. The rest of "Dimly Lit" follows a similar pattern: clicking, plectrum-heavy bass riffs (straight outta the "SMiLE" playbook) establish a mood that is subsequently embellished by ghostly keys, all of which is reshaped and redefined – in some cases undercut – by choppy, no-nonsense drumming. It is a fascinating formula, one that led Dimly Lit’s place in not only my top 10 of 2013, but our esteemed Active Listener's as well.
Formed in 1999, Neils Children eventually disbanded in 2010, only to announce their reformation late 2012. With "Dimly Lit", the first fruits of this rebirth, NC have pulled off the most improbable of feats in rock: they created a reunion album that not only justifies reformation – it demands an encore. And so to cap off a triumphant year comes a single that decisively puts the lie to the idea that soufflés can’t be reheated.
"The Highs and Lows", the longer and more strident of the two, juxtaposes heavy and soft sounds against a rock-solid rhythm and a chorus that pulses with despair ("The world looks bad to me…"). Gloom never sounded this haunting and hypnotic…or this catchy. Clocking in at a whopping five and a half minutes, however, the track feels a little on the long side, but that’s a structural criticism that shouldn’t matter to anyone who likes the track in the first place.
Although both tracks impress, it is the B-side that is the real gem here. Beguiling and mysterious, "You" features wistful vocals over a lilting, summery backing that advances and recedes like waves on a dreamy, lysergic beach. Add to this peaceful seaside scene an unexpected – and truly welcome – blast of fuzz guitar that buzzes above it all like a bird circling its unwitting prey, and you have a bright summer on the dark side. And therein lies the essence of Neils Children’s brilliance.

Available as a limited edition 7" or download here:

Wolf People "When The Fire is Dead in the Grate" Review

Reviewed by Chris Sherman

The new EP "When the Fire Is Dead In Grate" from Wolf People comes on the heels of their successful and highly praised 2013 LP "Fain". The EP is named after the song of the same title, which is the opening track here. For those unfamiliar with it, “Grate” is one of the standout songs from Fain; as I noted earlier this year in a review of their live show, it is “a cornucopia full of heavy riffery that had heads bobbing and made this guitarist just want to go home and practice his chops”. A band that loves the quiet/ loud dynamics, this effect is used exquisitely here, with a heavy opening riff followed by gentle guitar strums under softly sung vocals. The real treat though is in the coda, where the band gets into a funky yet propelling groove not unlike something one of their idols Mecki Mark Men might have utilized in their time, with a slithery guitar workout building, leading to a reprise of the intro riff.
The new material here is what the fans will come for, and these aren’t just typical b-sides. In fact, I want to venture the guess that these are completely brand new recordings and not leftovers from the LP sessions, as there is a slight difference in the sound of these recordings (then again, one can do quite the job while mixing). With that in mind, “All Returns Part 2” picks up right where the first one leaves off (try playing them back to back!), as the original’s fade-out fades back up over a loose groove. This quickly picks up in tempo though, as the drums begin to race, and we are treated to a vaguely Dungen-esque portion before coming to an abrupt halt.
The final song, “Become the Ground”, begins as a tender acoustic ballad before changing gears and an electric guitar call and response battle begins. I am particularly fond of this one, in that it reminds me of Wolf People’s first proper LP Steeple, yet in an evolutionary way, which is something all good bands should be striving for. A nifty little EP for both new listeners and their established fan base alike.

12" Vinyl Available Here.
 
You can stream the whole E.P through the Soundcloud embed below - please hit refresh if not visible.

Hi-Fiction Science Announce New Album "Curious Yellow" / Premiere New Track

Active Listener favorites Hi-Fiction Science have supplied us with details on their upcoming sophomore release.
Since their debut guitarist James McKeown has released several excellent solo albums, and teamed up with HFS drummer Aidan Searle, appearing on Fruits de Mer Records offshoot Strange Fish series as Dead Pylons.
Hi-Fiction Science reappeared earlier this year, with their version of "King Midas In Reverse" being a highlight of Fruits De Mers Hollies tribute "Re-Evolution".
Now streaming below we have "Magpies" an alternative mix of one of the tracks that will appear on their new album, which we're looking forward to immensely.
From the band:
Hi-Fiction Science return in 2014 with their second album 'Curious Yellow' . The self-produced album was recorded in Geoff Barrow's (Portishead) State of Art studio with Stuart Matthews, overdubbed at Pilgrims Way, Bristol and mixed with Jim Barr (Portishead/Get The Blessing) at J&J Studios, Bristol.
The 10 track album of original material see’s the band further define their unique sound that explores a variety of genres including; Psych –Folk, Art- rock, Kosmiche and a minimalist electronica element.
The band have commissioned Johnny ‘O’ of Rocket Recordings to create the cover artwork.
Release Date: Spring 2014
Tentative tracklisting:
1.Digitalis, 2. Circles in Halftone, 3.Magpies (Against the Sun) 4. Vapour 5. Curious Yellow 6. Komorebi 7. 1000 Years 8. Collapsed Group 9. Fragmenting Sons 10. Squaretaker.

Follow Hi-Fiction Science on Facebook here.

Stream "Magpies" below (hit refresh if Soundcloud embed isn't visible).

"Kontroversial Kovers - 32 Original Kinky 60s Mod/Garage/Freakbeat Kovers From The Six Kontinents Of Planet Daviesland" Review

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Here's an underground title that deserves a widespread release - I could only find two mentions of it online at all, one an expired eBay option, and another listing for it at Chicago's excellent Permanent Records.
The concept is simple - why not put together a Nuggets style compilation of Kinks covers? Why not indeed. So here we have 32 tracks recorded between 1965 and 1969, all written by Mr Raymond Douglas Davies, and recorded by 32 different bands of the era with varying degrees of obscurity, but a remarkable level of consistency.
Coming from the time period it does, the earlier raw r&b Kinks tunes dominate with only the odd diversion into "Face to Face" and beyond, especially noteworthy in this field being Mexican band Los Angeles (confusing I know) who tackle Waterloo Sunset in their native tongue, putting a strangely exotic spin on a song as British as buttered crumpets.
It's not all obscurities either - the Human Instinct conquer all with their raucous version of "You Really Got Me" with it's ascending backing vocals souding like a rough blueprint for T.Rex's chart conquering glam rock stomp, and Lemmy's first band of note, the Rockin' Vicker's making an appearance with their final single, "Dandy" - although those expecting a louder than anything else Motorhead style rocker will be setting themselves up for disappointment in that department.
Garage jangle is the dominant sound on display here, with plenty of Yardbirds style rave-ups but there's also room for diversions into exotic psych-pop (Los Cincos' "Most Exclusive Residence For Sale") and most impressive of all perhaps, The Blue Orchids lovely girl-group take on "I've Got That Feeling" (actually released before the Kinks version), an unexpected inversion of the Motown girl group covers strewn amongst the Kinks early recordings.
Lovingly remastered over two slabs of red and blue vinyl, this is a thoroughly entertaining diversion that every Kinks or vintage garage fan NEEDS in their collection.

Available here.

Volage "Maddie" EP Review

Reviewed by Amanda Votta

Hailing from France, yet with something distinctly American in their sound, Volage play incredibly infectious, poppy yet noisy garage rock. There are hints of surf rock in their harmonies and a swirl of something London psychedelic as well.
“I’m a Fool” is a perfect example of their ability to take cues from a variety of genres and make them work together perfectly, creating a sound that’s distinctly their own. It’s what you might expect if the Beach Boys and the Beatles got together in a studio and in wandered Jefferson Airplane with T. Rex in tow. The fuzzed out guitars, swirly harmonies, and infectiously boppy beat epitomize Volage’s sound and stated band interests of fuzz and flowers.
Their blend of the trashy and the shimmery is what makes them distinct from other bands attempting a similar sound right now—it’s what makes them more memorable, their songs more engaging and infectious. Even on a track like “Bob is Alive,” which has a darker and more menacing overtone than their other songs, they manage to keep that balance. The distorted vocals, fuzzed up even more guitars and more prominent bass line are complimented by an acoustic guitar that weaves in and out of the ever-so-slightly-calmer moments in the song. Its soft tones come and go at just the right moments, serving to keep that hint of a flowery 60’s pop sound alive much like the proverbial street light in the middle of an otherwise dark road.
This balance is also reflected not just in the distortion/brightness contrast, but also in the sound quality itself. This is not an album recorded, mixed and mastered in a top flight studio by over-priced engineers. What it is though is an album that was recorded, mixed and mastered in such a way as to leave the life in the songs, to make them more immediate and therefore more human. The sound is much closer to that heard on a recording from the 60’s than is otherwise heard today, which is a decidedly good thing. There wouldn’t be any grit left to even the bright - that menacing vibe wouldn’t survive intact or come across so well otherwise.
With "Maddie" Volage have concocted a collection of brightly dirty surf and psych tunes that keep that grit front and center, demonstrating that they know the importance of not just a well-structured song, but of a ragged, trashy sound.

Volage on Facebook.

Stream or buy "Maddie" on 10" Vinyl here.

John's Children "A Strange Affair - The Sixties Recordings" Review

Reviewed by Nathan Ford

Managed by Yardbirds Manager Simon Napier-Bell (who named the band after bass player John Hewlett in the hope that it would keep the rest of the band from sacking him), John's Children managed to build a sizeable legacy and a fearsome reputation that collectors, mod fans and primitive psychedelicists alike are still cherishing today.
This exhaustive new two disc collection from Grapefruit Recordings (which includes all known recorded output from 1966-1970) is the perfect balancer to test whether their reputation rests solely on their purposefully outrageous onstage / offstage antics (they were kicked off of their support slot for the Who's 1967 tour for being (in Pete Townshend's words) "too loud and violent"), or on their own musical credentials.
Most well known to the general public (if at all) as Marc Bolan's first band, it's really Andy Ellison who's the star of the show here, taking lead vocals on most tracks (including "Desdemona" and "Midsummer's Night's Scene", the two Bolan penned shoulda been hits) and guiding the band through it's many ups and downs. Bolan himself was only a member for around four months and took a bit of time to acclimatise to his role as a primal electric guitarist rather than the whimsical wyrd-folk that was his more natural disposition at the time.
Disc One begins by collecting their various singles and B-Sides - largely the stuff their reputation was built on, and it's material that has aged exceptionally well with a punchy, primitive mod edge that straddles early Who and Pretty Things, lashings of psychedelia and on "Remember Thomas A. Beckett" a memorable falsetto vocal and distinctly odd verse melody that makes it a highlight of the era.
All very impressive so far then. Following on from this we have a raft of much more ornate studio recordings credited to Andy Ellison solo. These are much less raunchy but nonetheworse for it, and show a subtlety that one wouldn't expect to flower from those early singles. There are even a couple of Beatles covers that sound like Andy singing over backing tracks from early Dusty Springfield records - very classy, totally unexpected, and hugely rewarding.
Disc Two continues with the infamous "Orgasm" album - a fake live album, recorded in studio with overdubbed crowd noise "borrowed" from the Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" and mixed at twice the volume of the music itself. It's nowhere near as much of a brow furrower as you've been lead to believe though and is thoroughly enjoyable once you've acclimatised to the excessive background noise. Round this out with a batch of sundry outtakes and alternative takes and you've got a diverse mixture of uniformly strong material that deserves more attention than footnote status among Bolan fans and proves that there was much more potential here to be tapped.

52 track double CD available here.

Robert Wyatt '68 Review

Reviewed by Chris Sherman (Sky Picnic)

Earlier this fall saw the release of Canterbury prog rock legend Robert Wyatt’s album ’68, a series of demos and previously thought lost recordings he made (mostly) solo in the fall of 1968 in America. This of course occurred after the Soft Machine toured as openers for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and briefly disbanded (re-uniting early in 1969 Kevin Ayers-less). Wyatt spent this alone time getting these songs committed to tape.
As with all archival releases, there tends to be some unpolished portions and a slightly rougher sound, but really, that is part of the charm; albums as such are what keeps the thirst us hardcore fans have for alternate takes and demos satiated. What we have on this album shows just how talented the multi-instrumental Wyatt was. To me, he was the Soft Machine, and upon leaving the group, their subsequent output was spotty at most. In all honesty, one could even argue this change happened around the time of their masterpiece double LP Third, as by 1971’s Fourth, Robert was no longer singing nor composing for the Softs. But that’s a discussion for another time…
Opening up this collection is the organ- centric “Chelsa”, a song that would be developed further a few years later on the first Matching Mole album. This leads to “Rivmic Melodies”, as most would recognize as the basis for side one of Soft Machine’s Volume Two. The first minute or so could actually pass as the final version (I guess Robert played piano on the master as well?), before the “Precise British Alphabet” section deviates into a “meandering British alphabet”, full of free form alphabet reciting over a series of drum patterns and fills. Quintessential Wyatt. From there, he begins singing in mostly broken Spanish as a piano melody re-enters, before returning to more familiar grounds of “Hulloder” and “Dada Was Here”. This builds into some casual, yet frantic, jam territory, before returning to a calmer lyrical coda that winds this piece down. Pay special attention to the thank you message in said lyrics to Jimi and the rest of the Experience for the exposure the Softs received on tour.
Speaking of Mr. Hendrix, he contributes the bass part to the bouncy “Slow Walkin Talk”. It definitely has the feel of something he helped inspire, with a swinging shuffle tempo, and a rather straightforward lyric. Rounding this out is “Moon In June”, which is widely considered Robert’s masterpiece Soft Machine composition. It is already in a finalized form here, albeit much slower, although I almost prefer the barren looseness of this take (note: for the ultimate version, please check out the BBC Radio 67-71 album). Already in place are the stream-of-conscious lyrics and now it all makes sense when he gets to the New York state lyrics (the site of this demo recording). The first section continues its build before reaching an appearance by the full band (Ratledge on organ and Hopper on bass) performing the second section with tight precision for an early take (also, listen closely and you can hear where perhaps the Crimson guys got their inspiration from, or is it just me?), and then crescendos before dropping to the spacy final section.
All in all, a great album, although for those unfamiliar with Wyatt’s work, I am not sure I would make this my starting place. But having this added to his legendary body of work is quite the treat and something for both SM and Wyatt fans to cherish.

Available on CD, Vinyl, or digital.