Michael James "Runaway World" 1978***

As I entered my house returning from work yesterday, the first thing I did was to reach blindly for the psychedelia record shelves and pick a random CD to play. I then stared at it with incomprehension: what is this? I thought. The cover looked familiar from Ed Wood's infamous movie Plan 9 From Outer Space, but I couldn't remember buying it, or ever seeing it in a record store. The name of Michael James also didn't ring any bells - and that doesn't happen very often to me. I must have found it very cheaply and placed my trust on Radioactive Records, a bootleg label that reissues rare psychedelic LPs. This is a very rare record indeed - the original was self-released in 1978, and apparently at some point commanded prices above $500, although one can get it now on discogs for half that amount. James is supposed to have had a long career stretching from the 60's to today(ish). But discogs only lists this one LP, so I don't feel too bad for not knowing him. There's one name I do recognize here: drummer Paul Lagos, ex-Kaleidoscope. James supposedly recorded the album at his home studio with musician friends who happened to be around, he must have been one. Sound-wise the music gives no indication it could be from 1978, more like late 60's - early 70's. It's also interspersed with pseudo-ads for marijuana and sci-fi spoken word pieces (from the future world of...1988) that belong to the same questionable aesthetic as the flying saucer on the cover. The most charming elements are some acid-folk ballads with beautiful acoustic guitar and dreamy vocals: "I Remember", "Runaway World", "Listen, Freedom Is At Hand", and the more mid-tempo "All The Way". Instrumental "Thank you Ted" reminded me of an old Deep Purple B-side called "Coconarias Redig". "She's Got You (The World)" and "Have You Heard?" are spacey hard rock boogie, and "Sleepers" a trippy rocker. "You Don't Walk On My Street" combines the two styles, with a long folky intro followed by a fuzz garage part. It's the album's highlight, together with "Quest", a mini-song suite divided in three parts: folk ballad "Earth", acoustic guitar instrumental "Mind" and electric "Spirit". Excellent guitarwork here, both on the acoustic and electric parts. Nevertheless, I'm not surprised I had forgotten all about this album. There's some nice and understated guitar playing and a couple of pleasant hippy ballads, but nothing that sticks out. It also flows rather badly, what with the disruptive pseudo-ads and all. If one removed them and balanced the acoustic and electric pieces better, it'd be a much better album. Still not worth $500 though - or even half that.

**** for You Don't Walk On My Street, Quest a.Earth b.Mind c.Spirit

*** for All The Way, I Remember (We Would Change The World), Runaway World, She's Got You (The World), Have You Heard? (You Got Pain And You Ought Not), Listen Freedom Is At Hand

** for Thank you Ted, Sleepers 

* for Guatamalan Strange, Guatamalan Radio 1988, Electronic Silver, Stark Raven