Led Zeppelin Deluxe Editions

I recently went on a binge and bought most of the new Led Zeppelin remasters in their "Deluxe" versions featuring one extra CD of demos and outtakes per album. I only left out my least favourite ones "Presence" and "In Through The Out Door", so I now only have them twice while I have everything else 3 times: In the vinyl LP's, as part of the Remastered Led Zeppelin Box Set (4CD) and Led Zeppelin Box Set Vol. 2 (2CD) - and, now, the Deluxe 2015 remasters. The two boxsets mentioned combined all of Zeppelin's studio material plus a few bonus tracks, and were remastered and resequenced by Jimmy Page back in 1990. The sound is so vibrant and dynamic that a new remastering did not initially appeal to me. As for the bonus tracks, according to all reviews these are mostly works in progress, and far from essential. After a first listening, I have to admit that Page worked wonders again: All instruments come alive and the slightest nuance is heard loud and clear - I actually wondered if there such a thing as too much hi-fi. A couple of times I discovered details that I'd prefer to stay hidden in the background - but then again, the good stuff (which is, of course, the majority) sounds even better now. As for the bonus tracks, a real verdict would require a lot of listening, but for the time being this should be enough: It's Led Zeppelin shaping some of Rock music's greatest albums in the studio. Wouldn't you like to be in a corner listening? This is as close as you'll get to that. More details later. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to review the LP's and Deluxe CD's together or separately, but eventually all will appear in this blog.

P.S. these are the back covers of the Deluxe Editions, the front covers are replicas of the original vinyls - down to the gimmicks in III and Physical Graffiti. I'm not crazy about the paper cases though, as the CD's are bound to get scratches and finger marks going in and out, plus the glue is already coming off. They'll tell you they use paper to enhance the "vinyl replica" effect, but that's bollocks, they're just being cheap. You want to do it right, use inner sleeves like the original LP's came in, and like proper reissues (e.g. The Beatles in Mono box). Carelessness regarding such small details will eventually spell the end for the CD era. It reminds me of the LP covers (cheap paper, bad print jobs, incomplete artwork) and low quality vinyl and we bought in the late 80's and 90's - in Europe at least. No relation to modern-day 180 gram vinyl LPs. They got easily scratched and warped and were often mastered so quietly that to really listen to the music we had to crank up the volume and got a lot of surface noise and clicks. The first generation of CD's may have sounded a bit flat, but compared to mass-produced vinyl played in affordable everyday stereos it was an improvement, don't let them tell you otherwise...

Locomondo "New Day Rising" 2013****

Today just happens to be Greek Independence Day, so I felt I should present a Greek CD, albeit one with an international mix of sounds ranging from Greek folk to ska, reggae and hip hop. Tradition of course dictates celebrating this day with dimotika, the music of the kleftes and armatoloi rebels who won the country's freedom from the Ottoman Empire. But that's one step too far, so I'll just content myself with eating the traditional bakaliaro skordalia and presenting a band which embraces its Greek identity while being open to other cultures and absorving what they have to offer. I remember first seeing Locomondo live on New Years Day, 2005. It was at a small, packed, bar in Exarchia called "After Dark". I used to think that "good vibes" was a figure of speech, but on that gig one could really feel the club vibrating to their good-time reggae and ska rhythm, warmth and good humour emanating from the band to the festive crowd and back at them. The, virtually unknown at the time, band also treated us to their (then still unpublished) reggae version of classic rembetiko Fragkosyriani. This mix of folk elements with reggae and ska was at the time quite radical, though we'd later get used to it as it became a Locomondo specialty. Nowadays they are a household name in Greece thanks to their incessant touring and great performances, while another reason for their success was a novelty song that became a huge youtube hit: "Pino Mpafous Kai Pezo Pro" was about slacker youths smoking hash and playing Playstation all day. The band were worried they might be seen as endorsing this lifestyle and didn't officially release it until long after it became a party staple - and then only with a remark that the song is "a description, not an endorsement". Yeah, right... because whoever could have guessed that a reggae band (or their fans) may smoke marijuana? But Locomondo also have this conservative streak in them: next to the party anthems and the rebel songs crying for social justice, there are many yearning for a return to tradition, an idealised Greece of the past with honest hard working folk of the kind that feels uncomfortable with Internet and reality TV and would naturally be shocked by any reference to drugs.

Meanwhile, Locomondo also broke out of Greece as their version of "Fragkosyriani" was prominently featured in the German comedy "Soul Kitchen" and its popular soundtrack.  Which is how this CD came to be: It is published by a German company, discovered and bought by me while on a trip to Barcelona. About half of the album is the same with their concurrent Greek CD "Odysseia" but there are also a couple of older songs as well as some exclusive to this compilation. It kicks off with "Odysseia" a fast ska/rap/cumbia tune recounting all the stops of their tour around Greece - including, of course, the original Odysseus/Ulysses' homeland Ithaca. It is my favourite track here, along with the Manu Chao-like "Mala Onda" and the typical roots reggae songs: "Dromos Tis Kardias", "Athens City Nights", "New Day Rising" and "Crossroads". "Chthes" (χθες=yesterday, looks very weird in latin characters, doesn't it?) is a nostalgia themed tune mixing ska with the Balkan sounds popular in Greek mountain villages. Bouzouki instrumental "Diploreggies", "Marigoula Mantalena" and "San Apokliros Gyrizo" (a classic immigrant's lament) put a reggae beat behind quasi-oriental rembetiko melodies first heard a century ago in the taverns and opium dens of the cities' seediest neighboorhoods. To round up the virtual tour of Greece, there are two songs in the jaunty style popular in the islands: instrumental dance tune "Ikariotikos" and "To Tragoudi Den Xehno" featuring Greek folk singer Pantelis Thalassinos as a guest vocalist. "Ekei Pou 'Cho Taksidepsi" is a ballad with Andean pan pipes, "Edo" is 80's-sounding ska/new wave, and "Hände" a live German-language version of an older Locomondo ballad. The album ends with a ska instrumental based on children's song "Alle Vögel Sind Schon Da - Hänschen Klein". Though I don't recognise the German title, the melody was familiar from my kindergarten days (albeit with Greek lyrics), probably yours too. In any case, despite being sewn together from a variety of sources and missing most of the hits (you'd probably have to buy their "Best Of" for those), this CD makes for a good introduction to the feel-good world of Locomondo, displaying all their various sides and throwing in some rarities for those -like me- who already own their official Greek discography.

***** for Odysseia, Mala Onda

**** for Dromos Tis Kardias, Chthes, Athens City Nights, San Apokliros Gyrizo, New Day Rising, Crossroads, Ekei Pou 'Cho Taksidepsi, Edo

*** for Diploreggies, Marigoula Mantalena, To Tragoudi Den Ksehno, Ikariotikos

** for Hände, Alle Vögel Sind Schon Da-Hänschen Klein

Rapalje "♠" a.k.a. "Spades" 2004***

I had seen St. Patrick's Day festivals and parades in films and TV many years before I actually had the chance to attend one. I've always thought they seemed like good fun: lots of alcohol, music, booze, Guiness, dancing, whiskey and beer is always a good idea, isn't it? I suspect the Saint wouldn't mind either, because after all what is a feast without alcohol? You can't celebrate the arrival of Christianity to Ireland with tea, the Irish wouldn't be too thankful to the Saint for bringing it to them. Anyway, the feast quickly transcended its religious character to become a celebration of Irish culture, one that the Irish diaspora carried with them and gained many fans around the world. Which is how I came to be at the Grote Markt in The Hague last Friday on March 17, wearing a leprechaun hat, pint of Guiness in hand, dancing to the sounds of Celtic music played mostly by Dutch groups - albeit ones that have a really good grasp of the music involved. Some would say that the music (and the feast) should remain Irish, but these questions have been settled in my mind: White people can play the blues, and Dutch (or Greek or Mexican or whatever) bands can play Celtic music as long as they feel it in their bones and don't try to fake it. And, just for one day, we can all join in and be Irish together - except for the sober ones, that is. They're just hopeless.

I guess I'd be at Grote Markt celebrating St Patrick's anyway, but what really made it an unresistable proposition for me was that Rapalje would be playing there. I saw these guys a couple of times back in their home town of Groningen when I was living there, and they're just one of the wilder live bands ever. Playing medieval instruments and attired in traditional kilts, they really know how to put on a fiery show - and by "fiery" I'm being literal as one of the guys has a helmet and set of bagpipes that shoot flames when he's blowing in them. The crowd went wild, but it was the band's playing and demeanor that won them over, far and above their stage tricks. So when I returned I took out my Rapalje CD's to listen to again and to present here. "♠" is one of a four mini-CD's series - the other 3 being (surprise!) "♣", "♦", and "♥". Like all Rapalje albums, it is self-released and only sold at gigs or on the band website. They use the following instuments (copy/paste here):  Dieb (vocals, fiddle, tin whistle, accordion), William (vocals, gitouki, mandolin, bodhrán, tea-chest bass), Maceál (vocals, harmonica, accordion, gitouki, bodhrán, tea-chest bass), David (bagpipes, tin whistle). As you may have guessed from this list, their sound is straight traditional Celtic folk. The album opens with an instrumental - as usual in Celtic music, a collection of jigs- ("Glen Coe/The Pumpkin's Fancy/Crossing The Minch") before the first vocal track "Are Ye Sleeping Maggie". This is followed by a surprise, a traditional folk cover of Manowar's "The Crown And The Ring" (last Friday they treated us to another Manowar cover "Heart of Steel"). It starts off as a somber ballad, later segueing in to the lively "Morrison's Jig" a lively fiddle tune. Another instrumental later ("Sally Garens/The Congress Reel") is followed by the ballad "The Leaving Of Mullingar" and the traditional Flemish tune "Jan De Mulder". The Dutch text blends perfectly naturally with the Celtic melody. 

The short album ends with a stark version of the traditional Scotish ballad "Loch Lomond", mostly chorus vocals and a bagpipe outro. Given that it's made by a Central European (rather than Irish) band, this album is a surprisingly faithful slice of well-played traditional Celtic music. The production is very good and the quality of the packaging (embossed cover, collectable playing cards) much higher than your standard CD. One more reason, then, to buy the CD straight from the band's website: you get a beautiful collector's item and eliminate the record company middlemen. The only possible complaint would be that (at almost 30 minutes) the album's duration is rather short but it makes up for it with the consistent quality of the material and reduced price (€8). Get it - but above all, go and see the band play live - that's their natural element!   **** for Are Ye Sleeping Maggie, The Crown And The Ring/ Morrison's Jig, Jan De Mulder/   Zeemanshorlepiep/Blauw Garen En Koperdraad/The Congress Reel, Loch Lomond                                         *** for Glen Coe/ The Pumpkin's Fancy/ Crossing The Minch, Sally Garens/ The Congress Reel, The Leaving Of Mullingar

Various Artists "Enjoy The Greeks II" 2006****

The second instalment of "Enjoy The Greeks" was released as a promo with Greece's most popular and historic music magazine Pop+Rock (1978-2012). Contrary to the first one which aimed to introduce Greek rock to international audiences, this freebie is aimed at the local market and also features mainly (but not exclusively) bands related to Thessaloniki's On Stage Records. Now these bands are virtually unknown even in Greece outside a small circle of garage and rockabilly aficionados, so the magazine tried to include at least a couple of names its readers would recognise. One of them must have made many people happy: Last Drive's debut EP "Midnite Hop" was the scene's first circulation ever (1985) as well as one of the most coveted vinyls of Greek alternative rock. This rockabilly gem has since been re-released but at the time was very rare, and the magazine used a vinyl copy as source. Another relatively known in the circuit band is Purple Overdose, represented here by a previously released demo of the 1993 B-side "2008 Old View" (probably influenced by The Doors and early Pink Floyd). The 3rd veteran band here is Alexandros Perros & The Lone Stars, a legend in his native Thessaloniki but less familiar to Athenean audiences. They're adept at playing in many different styles, and resort here to slow, Cramps-like, psychobilly. With the exception of the 3 abovementioned tracks, all others are previously unreleased. The Ducky Boyz play psychobilly in The Meteors vein, while there's a wealth of retro 50's sounds, including Gene Vincent/Brian Setzer rockabilly from The Rockets and Breathless, Buddy Holly-style pop (The Bullets' "Little Angel", great backing vocals and harmonica) and crooner pop by George & The Hustlers. The Frantic V offer vintage garage pop with "Treat Me Kind", while another pure 60's-sounding band are the all-girl Meanie Genies (Here with their version of Sam The Sham's "Little Red Riding Hood"). 

These girls have been around for a long time and were fantastic live. Great stage presence and playing, it's such a pitty they only left a measly couple of 7' singles behind. The Teardrops' "I Cry" is an enjoyable  Seeds/13th Floor Elevators pastiche, while another 60's style band Yesterday's Thoughts offer a heavier garage/psych song. The darker side of psychedelia (Fuzztones-like) is also invoked by Mod Factor, Unknown Passage and Teddy Boys From The Crypt. Lastly, there are two instrumentals here, a heavy fuzzed-out one by The Psykicks and a good surf version of the oft-covered "The Bag I'm In" by The Overtones. All in all, and despite being a freebie, this compilation is the equal of the first one. The absence of any info on the bands is a big minus, since even in the Google era, most of them are completely obscure. At least our superhero Ouzoman makes a triumphant return on the album cover, carrying in his arms the two loves of his life, miss Garage and miss Rockabilly.

**** for Midnite Hop (Last Drive), Treat Me Kind (The Frantic V), Little Angel (The Bullets), Because (The Rockets), I Cry (The Teardrops), Really Killing Me (The Ducky Boyz), Lil' Red Ridin' Hood (The Meanie Geanies), Betty Page (Al. Perros & The Lone Stars), The Bag We're In (The Overtones)

*** for I Don't Love You (Yesterday's Thoughts), Thoughts Of Regret (George & The Hustlers),  What To Do (Breathless), Why ? (Teddy Boys From The Crypt), Shame On You (Unknown Passage), 2008 Old View (Purple Overdose)

** for  Dark Side (The Psykicks), Polymorphously Perverted  (Mod Factor)

Various Artists "Enjoy The Greeks" 2004****

Not much is known internationally when it comes to Greek rock music. Chances are you know Aphrodites Child who had a UK/European hit in '68 with ballad "Rain And Tears" and released cult prog album "666" (Uncut's 15th weirdest album of all time, btw). But there's also a burgeoning indie scene that's worth your attention as well as one of the best Garage/Psych scenes in the world. The first and most famous of the garage revival bands were Last Drive who released albums and toured internationally But during the late 80's and 90's I saw lots of other great rockin' bands in small clubs - so good I often wondered what's the fuss with some of the more famous US/international bands, which weren't any better than the local talent. Most of them didn't get the chance to record in a proper studio and put an album out, but in the next decade there were many releases from small Greek indie labels. Thessaloniki's On Stage Records was one of them, and with this compilation they make a great job of presenting some of the scene's top bands circa 2004. 

First mention should go to Alexandros Perros & the Lone Stars, a Thessaloniki rock'n'roll institution since the mid-80's. He offers two 50's style surf/rockabilly sides. Another veteran band from the same city The Frantic V are represented by "I'm Asking Why" with swinging farfisa organ in pure 60's style - a specialty of Greek garage bands. The Teardrops and female-fronted Strange Brew offer more in the same style,  Unknown Passage offer a moody psych ballad and Marry Me Mary 60's-style garage pop. 5*Hotel combine garage with indie pop, T4 are more R&B, the Overtones play sax-driven surf and The Bullets offer retro surf and rokabilly. Moving on to the dirtier side of garage the Teddy Boys From The Crypt with the trashy "The Fuzzman" and mid tempo "Mini Dress" and The Ducky Boyz with the surf/psychobilly "Waitin' For Yesterday" (just like early Last Drive) and "Not My Day". The Psykicks are another noisy garage band with touches of punk and psychobilly, while The Crazed offer more psychobilly and The Hydes a punk soul cover of Martha Reeves and The Vandellas' "Heatwave". All the songs first appeared on this comp but not all are exclusive to it as the bands brought forward some of their best compositions for inclusion, so naturally a few songs appear on later releases. The music is a heady cocktail of garage, surf and rockabilly, every bit as strong as the Greek superhero of the cover, Ouzo-man. As a child, he was inadvertently left to spend the night at an ouzo factory and inhaled the fumes of that drink's undiluted secret ingredient. As a result, he's stronger than Superman, twice as fast as the Silver Surfer and a meaner guitarist than Dick Dale, but tends to lose control and have occasional memory lapses. Thank God for the antidote Cafe Frappe, which you can see him holding on the fold-out CD insert. Well, even he couldn't get the world interested in the Greek alternative/garage scene, which is too bad because stuff this good deserves to be heard. On the plus side, this means there are still enough copies of this comp kicking around, and you can get one from the record label website or discogs sellers for a nice price. Buy it, pop it in your car's CD player, crank it up real loud, take a few sips of ouzo and drive off to... no, wait! On second thought, that's not good advice! Ouzo and driving don't go well together, just play loud at home!

**** for I'm Asking Why (The Frantic V), Waiting For Yesterday (Ducky Boyz), Coming Home(The Teardrops), Cruisin' Mean (Alexandros Perros & the Lone Stars), What I'm Gonna Do(Strange Brew), I Want You (5*Hotel),  My Foolish Friends (Unknown Passage), I'm Leaving You(Strange Brew), Not My Day (Ducky Boyz)

*** for Out Of Gaz (The Bullets), Minidress (Teddy Boys From The Crypt), Hitwave (The Hydes), I Shot My Baby (The Psykicks), Thank You Johnny Carroll (The Bullets),  Mr. Myster (The Overtones), Travel High (The Teardrops), No Time To Waste (Alexandros Perros & the Lone Stars), Lunatic (The Psykicks), Spy's Girl (Marry Me Mary),  The Fuzzman (Teddy Boys From The Crypt), Trouble Im Not Strong (T4)

** for Kiss Eternal Life (The Crazed)

Various Artists "Psychedelia at Abbey Road: 1965-1969" 1998(comp)****

According to the album liner notes "the sound and atmosphere (of psychedelia) is something peculiarly English, with light, whimsical melodies, child-like or surreal images, and production techniques bubbling with innovation". As a definition this leaves a lot be desired (let's start with the fact that psychedelic rock was mainly an American phenomenon), but as a description of the music in this CD, it's spot-on. The compilation wisely gathers both famous and unknown psychedelic gems recorded at London's Abbey Road studios between 1965 and 1969. The most famous bands that would fit the description (The Beatles and Pink Floyd) are absent, though we do get a solo recording by Syd Barrett (the fragile ballad "Golden Hair") and a proto-prog cover of The Fab Four's "Hey Bulldog" by The Gods (featuring future members of Uriah Heep). Among the best known tracks here are Donovan's folk/sunshine pop masterpieces "Sunshine Superman" and "Sunny South Kensington" (and they say that England is a rainy place!). The Hollies are the second big name here, and from them we get the psych-pop single "King Midas in Reverse" with bright harmonies and Sgt.Pepper-like instrumentation, as well the lesser known sitar ballad "The Maker". Tomorrow were a more convincingly psychedelic band of the time."My White Bicycle" a song similar to early Floyd singles in its mix of pop melody and weird psychedelic effects, as well as a previously unreleased cover of The Byrds' "Why" featuring a great solo by future Yes guitarist Steve Howe. Post break-up, Tomorrow's rhythm section Twink and Junior released single "10,000 Words On A Cardboard Box". It was suitably psychedelic, if somewhat overproduced by Mark Wirtz who also appears here leading his own band on "Weatherman". "10,000 Years Behind My Mind" by the Focus Three has a soul lead vocal and a chorus straight from the musical "Hair" - speaking of musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber produced 1967 single "Monday Morning" by the Tales Of Justine, a nice piece of acid-folk. Generally the compilation focuses on the lighter/orchestral side of psychedelia which I'd find less interesting if it wasn't for small details like the fast harpsichord solo on The Fingers' "Circus with a Female Clown". Even bona-fide rock bands like The Pretty Things are represented by their poppier songs of the era. "Mr. Armegeddon" (Locomotive) and "Strange Walking Man" (Mandrake Paddlesteamer) are the most interesting (and most experimental) of the rarities, while The N'Betweens' previously unreleased "Delighted to See You" is notable mainly because the band would go on to become 70's hitmakers Slade. Simon Dupree & the Big Sound's "Kites" is the height of orchestral psychedelia, featuring mellotron and romantic vocals as well as spoken word interlude by actress Jacqui Chan in Chinese. The Big Sound's Shulman brothers would go on to form prog band Gentle Giant, though not before releasing a single (included here) mixing psychedelic guitars and effects with folk shanties under the moniker of The Moles. At 22 tracks and 77 minutes, this CD offers a good mix of British pop psychedelic sounds, including classics and rarities. I realise now that many of the tracks also feature on an LP I have called "The British Psychedelic Trip vol.2". Probably a more interesting proposition for those who love psychedelia. I hope I'll get around to present that one, too, in time...

***** for Sunshine Superman (Donovan), My White Bicycle (Tomorrow), King Midas in Reverse (The Hollies), Kites (Simon Dupree & the Big Sound), Hey Bulldog (The Gods)

**** for Sunny South Kensington (Donovan), Circus with a Female Clown (Fingers), Why (Tomorrow), Maker (The Hollies), Walking Through My Dreams (The Pretty Things), 10,000 Words in a Cardboard Box (Aquarian Age), We Are the Moles Pt. 1 (The Moles), Mr. Armegeddon (Locomotive), Strange Walking Man  (Mandrake Paddlesteamer), Golden Hair (Syd Barrett)

*** for Delighted to See You (N'Between), 10,000 Years Behind My Mind (Focus 3), Monday Morning (Tales of Justine), Talkin' About the Good Times (The Pretty Things) , Carpet Man (The Nocturnes), Barricades (The Koobas)

** for [He's Our Dear Old] Weatherman (Mark Wirtz)

The Brazda Brothers "The Brazda Brothers" 1973****

The cycle is by now familiar: from hopeful new circulation, straight to the cutout bins, then to being a much-coveted collectors' item and, finally, CD reissue and cult recognition. It finally found its way into my collection a few weeks ago. I saw the CD at a 2nd hand store and remembered reading about it in some blog. I asked the clerk to play it a little for me, and was convinced upon listening to a few seconds of the opener "Walking In The Sun". Its gentle and melodic psychedelic folk is reminiscent of late 60's English acid-folk, of early Tim Buckley and the other folk-rock Tims (Rose and Hardin). The instrumentation achieves the perfect balance between "sparse" and "rich". There's light percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, as well as a keyboard identified as Cordovox. Bystrik Brazda's voice is, of course, no match for Tim Buckley (whose is?) but it's warm and pensive, if slightly accented - did I mention that the Brazda brothers were immigrants from Slovakia? Their lyrics and liner notes are full of love for their new homeland of Canada, especially for its vast natural landscapes. Real hippies, these guys. Just check these titles: walking in the sun, blooming flowers, calm river, nature, share with love etc. Better yet, check out those shirts on the cover. It's as if they never heard of Altamont and the death of the hippie dream, or felt the earth shake from the decibels produced across the Atlantic by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath - one of the perks of living in the Canadian countryside, I guess. They just continued mixing folk and psychedelia like they're still in 1967 and the Summer of Love. "20th Century" reminds me of The Byrds, with its harmony vocals and jazz/country stylings, also sporting some chiming electric guitar solos. The whistling intro to "Blooming Flowers" is one of the many charming moments in this album, while Andy Brazda's lead guitar licks often remind me of the great and (relatively unsung) Underwood - for the TV addicts who think they recognize the name, that's Lee Underwood, not Frank! From time to time ("Share With Love", "Gemini") they take a detour into melodic garage rock, with excellent Farfisa-style organ and fuzz guitar. Additionally to being great as standalone tracks, these rockier numbers provide a welcome variation to the main body of introspective folk songs, the best of which is arguably "Lonely Time", a beautiful ballad with rain-like keyboard effects. Being at odds with the prevailing styles of the time (heavy rock, glam, prog) and released by a small label with no promotion capabilities, the album predictably didn't sell, but later became a cult favourite, with the original LPs fetching upwards of $600 at the collectors market. Thankfully it has been re-released on both CD (in 2001) and LP (in 2003) form, and there are still some copies circulating. Get one, and you won't be disappointed...

**** for Walking In The Sun, 20th Century, Share With Love, Gemini, Lonely Time

*** for Blooming Flowers, My Little Girl, Calm River, Nature, Civilization, Soldier In A Battleground, Your Kingdom

De Gema's "Veen, Jenever en Achterdocht" 1980***

Another LP bought solely on the strength(?) of its cover art, because how often does a record cover make you laugh out loud? Particularly one that wasn't designed with comedy in mind... But you gotta love it: the haystacks, the three guys wearing what looks like their school uniform, and of course the shepherd and his sheep which steal the show. The bucolic scene reminds me of my first years in The Netherlands working in a rural area at the east of Groningen, and all those Dutch cowboys visiting my practice in their work clothes. Rarely visited by tourists and/or other foreigners, the northern provinces stick closer to tradition than the densely populated West where I now live. I'll hazard a guess that these guys also come from the North, particularly Drenthe. One of the reasons is the song "Mien Mooie Drenthe"/my beautiful Drenthe. Then you have "I Kom Út Norg"/I'm from Norg (a village in Drenthe). "Ik Kom Út Veen" is a bit confusing (and so is the spelling throughout, which is I guess a local idiom or an older form of Dutch). Maybe they mean Hoogeveen? the word veen literally means turfland, or swamp, as for the Jenever of the title it's the traditional strong Dutch drink, of which English Gin is a descendant. It's served in a small tulip-shaped glass filled to the brim, so you have to drink the first sip on the counter before you can raise it in your hand. Next time you visit Holland, just ignore the coffeeshops (as if you can't get drugs at home), step in the nearest kroeg and order yourself a few shots of jenever. That'll grow hairs on your chest boy, marijuana is for sissies. That's the stuff that the Dutch sailors drank when they built their global commercial empire of the 17th century. Beer too, of course, but that was mostly used as a healthier substitute for water - even children drank litres of it. Regarding the actual music, if I had to use one phrase to describe it, I believe "Hank Williams at the Oktoberfest" would come close enough. Opener "Veen, Jenever en Achterdocht" (Turf, jenever and suspicion) is typical, a country-ish throwback to the "good ole times". I say country-ish, because probably these old European tunes influenced American country rather the other way round. The following "Een Muzikant" (in similar style) tells a universal tale irrespective of genre, nationality and time period: "My grandpa was a musician, like my father and myself...a musician's life is booze and women", etc. It's one of many jaunty folk tunes ("Mien Mooie Drenthe", "Ik Kom Út Norg", "Als Een Meisje Je Laat Staan", "Ik Kom Út Veen"), while there are also a lot of old-timey ballads ("Isabelle", "Mijn Moeder Wil Me Niet"), polkas and waltzes ("De Rooie Koe", "Angelina", "Marian", "Als Ik Rijk Was"). Overall, I really liked the music in this record. It's quaint enough to keep you smiling (just like with the album cover) and played with enough gusto to carry you along, the work of authentic traditional musicians rather than revivalists. Not that I hate it when music scholars revive traditional folk, it has yielded on occasion great results. The worst crimes against tradition are committed by real folk musicians trying to modernize their sound - go to a Greek panigyri (village festival) to see it in action. The LP has never been re-released and the band has never made another album, though a couple of songs were included in CD compilations of traditional Dutch music. I say if you ever come across a copy, get it. If for some strangereason you don't like the music, you can always frame the cover and get transported to the bucolic Holland of old every time you look at it. And use the vinyl as a serving tray for jenever.

**** for Veen, Jenever en Achterdocht, Een Muzikant, Ik Kom Út Norg, Ik Kom Út Veen 

*** for Mien Mooie Drenthe, Isabelle, Mijn Moeder Wil Me Niet, Als Een Meisje Je Laat Staan, Angelina, Als Ik Rijk Was

** for De Rooie Koe, Marian