jackhammer

Mountain Ash Band was a fantastic listen Comus. I have to be in the mood for it but it is certainly a gem.

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Jason Rivers

A most excellent review, one that Andy Powell would be very impressed with, I say this with some authority, he's my cousin!

Guybrush

Awesome jornal! A lot of great music here and the reviews are all good reads.

If you consider requests, I'd like to see a review on the album "Paternoster" (1972 I think it was) by the group by the same name. It's a curiosity, I hear, so it should fit right in.

Also, I don't know the album and I'm a little curious about it .. :p

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Something Completely Different

Comus

@toretorden: I'll review Paternoster next after I finish the Nick Drake albums hopefully today, I think I'll embark on the next one now.

@jackhammer: Yeah I know what you mean, you do need to be in the mood for the album but it's a huge shame that it's gone by the wayside. On a more positive note there is a pub near ilkley called the Hermit if you're ever in North Yorkshire, it's about the same story but dunno if they know of the album. Never been myself but I'm close enough to want to go soon enough.

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Comus

The aptly named Introduction starts off this beautiful album, which needs a little more context to review. With the lack of success of Five Leaves Left Drake was obviously a bit disillusioned that such a good album, hailed by his peers would fail as it did. This as evident by Hazey Jane II has changed his vocal style quite drastically, no longer the sombre yet youthful tone he has adopted a far more upbeat tone. This attempt at reaching a more mainstream audience is painfully evident, yet the upbeat tone seems to betray a deeper sadness.

The album has several more guest musicians, apart from Fairport Convention Drake is also supported here by Beach Boys' Mike Kowalski and Ed Carter, not to forget John Cale of Velvet Undergound fame, and various other session artists. With all these changes and guests Drake must have been very confident that he could succeed. However there seems to be a lot of holding back on this album, it's clearly not what he wants in my opinion. That doesn't make it any less of an album though, the underlying sadness and anger can still be felt in his voice despite the apparant upbeat and happy tone of the vocals.

At the Chime of a City Clock is a lovely little song supported by a brilliant string arrangement and a aptly played alto saxophone. The song progresses beautifully and does lift the spirit, it is the first on the album to attempt manipulation of the listener, however it doesn't quite reach since it is early in the album still. I'd like to note that it's easier to sing to these songs as well, not sure how significant this is or if it's intentional but the delivery is far easier to follow.

One of These Things First is quite a quirky departure, listing what Drake "could" have been instead of what he is, including a book, a singpost and a clock among others. The absurdity of the lyrics are betrayed by the confident vocal delivery despite the more whimsical music. This being said every time he sings "one of these things first" you can always imagine a smile on his face. This song breaks up the album well, it is a very nice distraction however it does mean that the next songs will be a slightly less effective in the context.

Hazey Jane I continues the feel of the album, I must admit my research isn't as thorough with this album as usual, so I am unaware whether it is a prequel to the earlier song. Either way it's a beautifully delivered song with Drakes vocals returning slightly back to the sombre feel of Five Leaves Left but never quite getting there. Many say this is a very melancholic album but I fail to see that it ever reaches true melancholy without reading extensively between the lines. The title track Bryter Layter is driven by a lovely melody, a second instrumental song with Drake only contributing guitar.

That Drake chose to have more instrumental work on the album is very positive, it shows further progression and a greater maturity, the whole album feels far better constructed than Five Leaves Left. Fly is one of the more confident songs of the album, a short but lyrically and vocally powerful song it works very well within the context. It also marks where I feel the arrangements start to tug on the heart, there is finally starting to be a more true control of emotions so well set up by Bryter Layter.

Poor Boy is the only song on the album to contain Backing vocals from Pat Arnold and Doris Troy, many will remember Troy from Dark Side of the Moon among others. There is a truly intese feel to this song very much supported by some more alto sax and the soulfully delivered backing vocals. Drake's lyrical ability shines here as with the rest of the album, but what really makes this song shine is the sudden intensity of the song. Often upbeat even in contradiction to the backing vocals and lyrics the musicianship here is a step above the rest of the album. The alto sax is absolutely brilliant and lends a truly organic feel to the song.

Northern Sky is a brilliant love song genuinely happy unlike the other songs on the album where a slight hesitation shows a deep set anger and regret. Again beautifully arranged and played, the playing with time on this song makes for a very interesting listen. Sunday marks the end of the album and what better way to end it than with another beautifully melodic instrumental.

This album sits only half a step if that above Five Leaves left, it is most certainly a more mature album, but also a more false album. Despite the fact that a lot of the optimism is forced by Drake he is lifted up by beautiful arrangements and his own undeniable talent.

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Comus

Recorded in 4 hours over two days this album is the culmination of the musical talent that is Nick Drake. Completely solo using only his acoustic guitar and his voice apart from piano on the title track this is what Drake could do alone, and it is breathtaking. His last album before his death is certainly worthy of his name, and it has established his legacy and fame. The title track certainly sets the scene, apart from a small part of piano overdubbed it is simply Drake's beautiful lyrics and his guitar.

The simplicity of it compared to the first two lushly produced and arranged albums creates a stark contrast and it is the end of a tragic trilogy. Drake is now throwing caution to the wind, no longer concerned with his commercial success, he knows he is good and he's going to do what he thinks is his best. The result is astonishing, the guitar shines nearly as much as his vocals and lyrics. Surprisingly the result of this raw sound is a far more accessible album, the vocals are clearer and again more easy to sing along to. This delivery let the lyrics truly shine in a way not before seen on a Drake album.

The balance between guitar and man is met here in no way that can be done better even by the virtuoso guitarists of our age. The natural feel of the playing complements the absolute confidence in Drake's delivery and it is a beauty to behold. Road shows this confidence perfectly, the fact that he can play as he does shows that he has finally accepted that this is what his music should have been. While never exactly being catchy per se this album is the closest Drake ever gets.

This album is hard to review since the songs mainly all possess the lyrical quality and brilliant fingerpicking guitar. It is worth mentioning how well this album was produced by John Wood, I don't suppose he would have had much of a job considering the style of the album. However it could very easily have been ruined by overproduction. The sound is crisp but still raw and I feel that this is how Drake should always have sounded.

I have read reviews which consider this album poor in respect to his earlier work and even going as far as considering it to be less accessible. I very much dissagree with this, even the short instrumental Horn feels more accessible than the more lush instrumental melodies on his earlier albums. I feel the sparesness contributes to the fact that it won't take long to get into and get used to. A much better connection between artist and listener can be felt here, and while it doesn't have that overt emotional control like the other albums have it certainly has an undertone of it.

You have to discover it yourself, but the emotional control this album has in the context of the other two is astonishing. Considering the lush well crafted optimism of Five Leaves Left and the more mature attempt at mainstream that was Bryter Layter both leading into this raw stripped version of what Drak can do. The emotional journey of the three albums is brilliant and it is certainly something that I reccomend trying.

One of my favourite songs on this album is the start of the three strongest songs, Know, Parasite and Free Ride. The humming and vocal conveyance here is perfect for the guitar delivery, ending abrubtly into the more crafted Parasite with a perfect juxtaposition. Parasite is the lyrical strongpoint of Drake's career, and that is no mean feat, the beautiful mournful lyric here is perfect on the position of the album, it's getting near the end and we're finally shown the potential that this great young man had.

This is when the sense of tragedy truly strikes it will tug at your heart strings in a way you can't get from artists that lived and did what they achieved. The tragedy is more that he is well known because he died rather than for his beautiful music. I'm not gonna jump on the bandwagon and say that had he lived he would be the biggest star ever, but he would certainly have gifted us with more great music.

Pink Moon displays drake's true potential, although I have no doubt that if he had lived he would have created more great albums I very much doubt they would in any way be better than Pink Moon. It is a stretching of his talents, and a summation of his greatest writing while I said he reaches his true potential with Parasite I don't think he could ever grow beyond such brilliance. While Drake is no Bob Dylan, he was never political and I don't think he ever should have been, he was very much rooted in the folk era which was well on its way out by the time he started.

Either way Pink Moon is Drake's true masterpiece it finally showcases his musical as well as his lyrical talent. While he plays guitar on his other albums it has not before been thrust to the fore. Regardless of whether he had survived or not it was but a matter of time before this album would be considered a masterpiece.

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Comus

Paternoster - Paternoster (1972)


Starting off with a latin chant and organs this album certainly hits the ground running, er well directly into obscurity. I'd like to comment that this will be my first listen through. The chant turns from Latin to English urging you to be good to your neighbour, the organ and vocals both create a tense feeling of expectation, when will it break and turn back. You're left wondering when the drums will kick in and right from the get go it starts to get a strong hold of you mentally. When it comes it isn't the climax you expect but an effects laden slow start with a lovely little what I hope is a guitar solo.

Strong, it already reminds me a bit of the Doors and "Red" era King Crimson with the guitar. The song fades and launches into Realization which early makes good use of silence, effect and time, continuing with the guitar work which truly shines early into it. The vocals feel a bit stinted, if they were just a tiny bit deeper it they would have the allure of Jim Morrison. Near military stule drumming complements a brilliant guitar solo and some more effects which give a very spacy feel to the album.

There is a sense of something epic slowly building here and the mood of the album already feels well established. Already I can see this is an aquired taste, but it is certainly obscure enough that only those that would like it would ever seek it out. Stop These Lines starts with a slow buildup creating an intense feeling with some fleeting guitar and brilliant layering moving into the return of organs and more synthesised areas as in the title track.

There is a lovely classical organ departure here that simply seems to suspend time before the track once again regains focus. There is certainly a sense of fusion about this yet it never quite gets there fully, everything continues to feel very organic and yet there is a definite sense of direction. Paternoster know where they are going with this even if it has a very improvised feel to it, the playing is very tight with everything but the vocals seeming to be in perfect harmony, even as they play against each other.

The guitar here is incredibly refreshing and uplifting, it has a certain extra quality to it that most definitely adds a lot to the album. Being a guitar man myself it is great to once again witness such brilliant solo's that defined the era yet have mainly been forgotten. There is a heavy tinge of pyschedelia here very much along the same lines as the Doors however much more musically diverse.

Blind Children keeps the organ and the guitars very much alive, and beyond this the vocals finally start warming up to the standard of the rest of the album. Or at least the vocals have grown on me, it is very much worth mentioning here that the rhythm section is incredibly tight in keeping the rambling miasma of guitar and organ in line. There is very much a noxious feeling of intoxication eminating from the album, it very much sucks you directly in. The only sobering influence is the well crafted rhythm secion which sometimes involves the organ if the guitar is trying to fully gain prominence.

Despite the Length of blind Children and Stop These Lines they very much feel short and to the point, even with the musical journeys and somewhat extended jams that emerge. The songs never feel overly long and as a result there is a feeling of loss with the album, much to its credit. You get the feeling that this will end far too soon, which will most definitely make impulsive listening likely. The end of Blind Children is very reminiscent of Pink Floyds' Welcome to the Machine a song which will be released 3 years after this.

Old Danube starts with a fast beat and some more lovely repeating melodies that all add up to a very whimsical psychedelic feel and sound. There is a genuine feeling of fun here which can often be absent, however the song quickly changes pace to allow for the vocals. It has to be said that the lyrics are difficult to follow on a first listen since there is so much more going on musically. Again this adds to the albums allure, making it a larger effort to explore, however for the prog fan that's the fun in music, exploring all the different avenues of the sogns and the lyrics.

The Pope is Wrong starts off doing the exact opposite of the title, it treads forwards carefully, adding some melodies slowly and feels very much in no hurry to start. Suddenly however it develops into each of the musicians playing a completely different song to the other, somehow it comes together well once again supported by brilliant rhythm. The overall effect creates a very intense first half of the song, that like most of the others on the album quickly changes into something completely different.

Apart from the obvious Doors influences this album feels two or three years ahead of its time. Comparisons are to be made with King Crimson with 1974's Red and Pink Floyd with 1975's WYWH, even if the latter comparison is not very substantial. The album then goes towards the final song, aptly titled Mammoth Opus O, starting very much like The Pope is wrong with a slow careful if disjointed start. It builds up and eventually develops a form of identity supported by some quite whimsical melodies that can even be described as childish.

The military style drumming returns here and you suddenly expect the organist to play "pop goes the weasel". That's not to say it doesn't sound great, it strings you along, adding on the context of the previous songs, and it works brilliantly. If you listen to the lyrics here they are brilliantly nonsensical adding a very psychedelic feel which very much sums up the album. It would be apt to mention they're an Austrian band so the English lyrics aren't expected to be the best, but they still do it very well. There are various changes in tempo and direction here that adds to a very disorientating feeling which is exactly what it aims to do.

The album here has been created with several goals in mind I'm sure, and they've succeeded in all of these, however they are somewhat let down by the vocals, a certain lack of flow and most definitely a lack of direction between and during the songs. It is certainly a brilliant album and definitely deserves a listen.

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Guybrush

Great review, Comus Thanks a lot!

I wanted a Paternoster review because I thought I wouldn't have time to listen to it .. but my curiosity got the better of me and I got a hold of it and listened to it on the way back from work. By the time I got back to where I live, I was on the last song.

You are a bit more positive than I was on my first listening. I thought at times, the drums were about as tight as wet toilet paper (for example about 3 minutes an onwards into "Blind Children") and the guitarist seems to mostly improvise randomly on one string throughout most of the album, making the guitar fight a bit for attention with the vocals on some tracks. It makes the guitar slightly annoying at times and makes me think some chords or even riffs should be in order. They paint some nice soundscapes on this album, like on the track "Stop These Lines" where they make some of their instruments sound like wolves and owls in the dark .. or at least, those are associations my mind came up with. However, I miss a richer feel of the sounds, possibly more reverb on the vocals and a chord every now and then on the guitar would do wonders, I think. As a whole, the album feels sombre, dark and a little depressing, maybe also a bit repetitious. Depending on who you are, maybe that's not a bad thing, but I feel a little light (representing here also some diversity in themes) makes the shadows even deeper.

On a more positive note, the album did pull me in quite a few times. As you probably don't know, I'm currently way up in the norwegian arctic where the polar night has set in for full. Walking in the crisp cold in the darkness while listening to Paternoster was at times strangely fitting and even sent some shivers down my spine on one occasion or two. The songs are definetly mood-setters making me think many of them would fit specific use, like music in a film for example. However, the whole album from start to end feels a bit lacking for me, as if Paternoster's ambitions were a bit too high for their abilities. The production is slightly lacking in areas - as I mentioned, some wet-paper drums and annoying guitar (IMO) and nearly fulfiling soundscapes, but not quite. However, a great moodsetter and definetly a fun curiosity to show your friends now and then.

I didn't really mean to write so much, but I guess asking you to review the album made me a bit analytical myself as I was listening to it.

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Something Completely Different

Comus

This album has a huge reputation to live up to, so I go into this review expecting something truly special, and from the start there is already the huge sense of experimentation that I was expecting. It is clearly very ahead of it's time, it sounds fresh even by todays standards. In Kalyani there is already some very interesting effects being put to good use and it makes for a very intense, refreshing listen. The end of the track and the transition into the next track is beautifully crafted and creates a very intense feeling.

You Can't Ever Come Down introduces some well played guitars and some brilliant vocal looping. There is an obvious psychedelic feel that is good enough to even define the genre, however it does it in a way that is so far above that of the normal psychedelic bands that it sets itself very much apart. All the first three songs act as parts of one larger piece "The Sub-Sylvanian Lithanies" it feels like a very concious attempt to create something so different, so fresh and it does just that. It is very obvious already why this album is held in such high regard. The unusual effects and instruments create an incredibly eclectic mix that simply drives the album forwards and makes in incredibly interesting.

Right now I am wishing as must everyone else that has ever heard this album not under the influence that I had some acid or a big fat joint to truly appreciate everything as it was meant to be appreciated, then again I doubt I'd be able to review it as well. As moonsong ends you are thrust into American Bedmusic and Patriot's Lullabye, which is a lushly arranged piece with some beautifully delivered vocals featuring some brilliantly executed effects. The whole feel is very sobering, it brings you back down to earth, and true to it's name relaxes you as any lullaby should.

The album then slowly progresses towards Nighmare Train which features some very confidently arrogan vocals and more unusual instrumentals and a lovely little rhythm. If Lullaby puts you sleep, this track will very aptly give you nightmares, the album has been perfectly crafted to reflect the outward concepts. You can feel this albums effect on progressive rock which at the time was blundering its way into mainstream, this album would certainly have helped that along.

There is a incredible feel of direction in this album, you are most certainly left feeling that everyone knows their part and exactly how it's going to turn out. Whether this can be credited to brilliant production, planning, musicianship or all of the above is unknown. The album feels very genuine yet also mechanical and this juxtaposition makes it an increidbly interesting listen. Invisible Man feels very much like a standard jazz song that has had many added layers added above the guitars and rhtyhm section, including the vocals.

American Bedmusic ends with an old-time ragtime tune Mist 4th of July with all effects, including the record scratching effect that makes it feel very genuine. This brings us into part three of the album, Gospel Music for Abraham Ruddell Byrd III. The instrumental Gospel Music very nicely breaks up the album and presents itself as a very well played, if quite outwardly standard seeming jazz song. The whimsical feel of this song will refresh the listener and adds a further direction to the album before Part IV.

The Southwestern Geriatrics Arts and Crafts Festival stats with the Sing-Along Song, which is a perfect and even more whimsical departure from the rest of the album. With a very upbeat melody and an actual sing-along at the start of the song it sets the scene for a very alternatively psychedelic part of the album. Instead of relying on the standard psychedelic feel of the era it sets the scene by creating something that feels very old yet incredibly refreshing and ahead of its time for the type of album that it is.

The fact that it encompasses early 50's style music as part of the Geriatric concept feels very natural and it shows a form of reverse experimentation that is quite uncommon even today. The Elephant at The Door often feels like standard psychedelia but turns on a penny, there are some lovely uses of silence and time here that make me feel right at home. The extended instrumental jams here can sometimes lose direction but surprisingly it works to it's favour when it is eventually brough back in line.

The whole album feels a lot shorter than it actually is, it controls time perfectly and runs through in a way that makes you want to listen to it again once it finishes. Leisure World contains narration separated by a soft folk song, and ends with what sounds like something either in intense joy or the death throes of an animal. The album ends with the melodic reprise of the sing-along song.

The album as a whole plays like a masterpiece and very much deserves the hype surrounding it, the use of effects and unusual instrumentals works very well as a whole.

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jackhammer

Fantastic review for my favourite Nick Drake track. There is something so quintessentially English about Drake's melancholia.

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