Mike McGear "McGear" 1974***

As it so often happens, I was drawn to this album by the cover - in this case, the Gulliver reference. Usually I browse second-hand record shops not looking for something specific but hoping for a new discovery. It may be a striking album cover or a familiar name in the credits that leads me to take a record to the listening station or look for reviews on my mobile. In this case, both tests were positive: I liked what little I heard, and read good things about this album (4,5* stars on allmusic.com). So this guy McGear comes from Liverpool, and he isn't your average singer/songwriter. Instead he used to be part of various collectives (Scaffold, Grimm, McGough & McGear) combining music, poetry, and comedy. This album though is, with the exception of Kinks-like parody "Norton", a straight pop rock affair. It opens with a cover of Roxy Music's "Sea Breezes". As a singer he's no Brian Ferry, indeed his vocals on this album are competent rather than sensational, but it's still a great song beautifully played. "What Do We Really Know?" is a glam rock boogie with a crunchy guitar riff coda. This track was written by McGear's brother Paul, whose imprint is all over the record: as co-writer, backing vocalist and musician, while many members of his band are here providing instrumental backing. Lead single "Leave It" is another of his compositions, an fun upbeat number with nice sax. Side 1 closes with "Have You Got Problems?" a retro number with rockabilly and doo wop elements. Pleasant-sounding, but at 6+ minutes, it overstays its welcome. Side 2 opens with ballad "The Casket", in some respects a Celtic sister melody to "Sea Breezes". "Rainbow Lady" is a sympathetic mid-tempo piece, "Simply Love You" a (probably too) sweet and earnest lovesong, and "Givin' Grease a Ride" a interesting hard rocker with futuristic synths. The album closes with "The Man Who Found God on the Moon", a pretty tune with country and prog influences, somewhat reminiscent of Cockney Rebel. In general, the album displays a lot of variation, which is not necessarily an advantage. Glam, pop, rock, prog, and the English music hall tradition are part of the mix, while the influence of big brother Paul is evident everywhere. But there's also a consistency in quality, with good compositions and performances throughout. As I said previously, the album cover is also nice, featuring McGear as Gulliver, as well as many tiny figures representing friends and band members. So maybe this isn't exactly a lost classic, but it's certainly a good 70's album well worth listening. It nevertheless didn't save McGear's career - he'd never make another solo LP, and would soon retire from music altogether and revert to his original name: Peter Michael McCartney.

**** for Sea Breezes, Leave It, The Casket, Givin' Grease a Ride

*** for What Do We Really Know?, Norton, Rainbow Lady, Simply Love You, The Man Who Found God on the Moon

** for Have You Got Problems

 

Darmozjady "Darmozjady" 1990***

They say you shouldn't judge a record by its cover, but sometimes that's all the info that's available to you. I found this LP in the bargain bin and decided that it must be Polish-language rockabilly, which I'd be interested to listen to, if only for novelty's sake. It turned out slightly different than I expected; more like late 70's pub rock/ new wave - a mix of Chris Spedding, Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello etc. Songs in that style include "Nie Chce Mi Się", "Gdzie Są Panienki", "Było Nas Ze Dwóch", and "Skończ Te Fanaberie". Rockabilly is also part of the mix ("Mój Flipper Gra", "Droga Redakcjo", "Dostaję Cipca"), while there's a punk element too - especially in the nonchalant vocals and prevalent DIY esthetic evident everywhere from the production to the cover artwork. Incidentally, the band name apparently translates as "parasites/freeloaders", I wonder if that's a Polish derogatory term equivalent to the English word "punk". Rounding it up, there are a few slower songs, drunken ballads like "Maleńki Stasio" and "Jest Mi Smutno" as well as the reggae-ish "Afryka Korzenie" and "To Oni". Not the strongest tracks of the album, they highlight the singer's (Dariusz Dusza) deficiencies as a vocalist. On the other hand, I'd be the first to admit that he's an above-average guitarist. In conclusion, this is a rather mediocre record, albeit with a certain lo-fi charm. There are better Polish new wave albums in my collection, which I intend to present soon; stay tuned for my reviews of LPs by Porter Band and, especially, the fantastic Republika.

**** for Nie Chce Mi Się

*** for Mój Flipper Gra, Droga Redakcjo, Gdzie Są Panienki, Było Nas Ze Dwóch, To Oni, Dostaję Cipca

** for Maleńki Stasio, Afryka Korzenie, Jest Mi Smutno, Skończ Te Fanaberie

Porcupine Tree "Warszawa" 2004****

It's been 20 years and a few months since I first saw Porcupine Tree (PT) play live. The place was a huge parking lot next to Ellinikos Kosmos cultural center in Athens. I remember being satisfied by their performance, but they were totally eclipsed by the support band, Love, whose leader Arthur Lee was recently released from prison and making up for a lost decade with a sensational, and very emotional, presence. A few years later, I saw PT again, this time supported by another legend, Van Der Graaf Generator. Which makes last week's show in Amsterdam the 3rd PT concert I've been to. The band were back from a 10-year hiatus and eager to prove they are still relevant. The lineup featured Steven Wilson, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and drummer Gavin Harrison from the old band as well as new members Randy McStine from New York, UK, and Nate Navarro from Texas, UK (according to Wilson, at least). No support band this time - and none was needed, as the show lasted for 3 hours, minus a 20-minute interval. They played their new album in its entirety, as well as a selection of past favorites - mainly from In Absentia and Fear of a Blank Planet. The new songs went down well with the crowd. Hearing them for the first time myself, I got the impression that the new album must be a typical, albeit above average, PT affair. Including many older songs was probably meant as a reward for the fans who had patiently waited for their return, but the result was an over-long show, which can be a bit tiresome for a "band without hit singles" as Steve Wilson himself described PT. That said, the band played impeccably, while some numbers were nicely augmented with visual content on a big screen. The whole show was being filmed for a possible BluRay release - which would make it the second time a Dutch PT show is released officially, after Anesthetize (recorded in Tilburg in 2008). A few times during the concert, Wilson had to ask for a more enthusiastic audience participation, even jokingly threatening to dub audience noise from a Harry Styles DVD. Well, he may be a talented songwriter/musician, but his stage banter needs some work. I wonder if they'll edit these bits out.

Still under the influence of the concert, I decided to present a PT album for my next blog entry. The obvious choice would be their latest release Closure/Continuation, but since I don't have it yet, I chose one of the 3 live CDs in my collection. As it is, none of them had a similar tracklist to the show I just witnessed: Coma Divine (1997) is mostly based on Signify and the band's period on the Delerium label, Warszawa (2004) is mostly based on Lightbulb Sun, and Octane Twisted (2012) contains the entirety of The Incident plus a few extra tracks. I settled on Warszawa as it has some of my favorites on it. This is not a concert recording, but a 2001 session for Polish radio, recorded live in the presence of a small audience. The session was widely bootlegged, prompting the band to release their own, superior, version, remixed from the 32-channel multitrack ADAT tapes. 6 out of the 11 tracks come from the band's then-latest CD Lightbulb Sun (2000), which is the apex of the band's psychedelic/space rock phase. Their later move towards a prog/metal hybrid would prove more successful, but for me PT never bettered Sun. Warszawa opens with "Even Less", a typically Floyd-ish song from the Stupid Dream album, and one of only 2 songs here that also featured in last week's concert. It's followed by another track from the same album, "Slave Called Shiver" featuring a more alt-rock sound with a funky foundation. "Shesmovedon" is among their poppier melodic songs, great guitar and excellent backing vocals reminiscent of 60's folk rock (think CSN&Y). "Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth" (the other track still in their setlist) also starts as an acoustic piece but veers off into space rock territory with spacey guitar and keys, and a weird spoken word excerpt by the leader of a suicide cult. "Lightbulb Sun" brings the electric guitar back to the foreground, followed by 12-minute prog epic "Russia on Ice", and a shorter melodic piece called "Where We Would Be". Next up there's aggressive rocker "Hatesong" and the atmospheric "Stop Swimming". The CD closes with two (even) older tracks. First off is "Voyage 34". In its original form it was a 30-minute electronic/trance track describing a fateful LSD trip. Hearing it re-purposed for live performance is pretty exciting: spacy guitar solos and synths reminiscent of Pink Floyd circa Meddle, while the narration and Dead Can Dance samples from the original are reprised here to provide that other-worldly atmosphere. An excellent showcase of PT's early space rock sound. After that, closing with an instrumental, even one as kinetic and complex as "Signify" seems anticlimactic. A recent (2020) remaster reinstates "Tinto Brass" in its rightful place - it was the only song performed during the session but initially omitted from the CD so that the show could fit into a single disc. Now, as a live band PT are always solid. What they lack in showmanship they make up for with their arrangements and musicianship. One's choice of live PT release would depend on which of their periods they like the best. For myself, I slightly prefer Warszawa to their other live CDs and DVDs, because it draws mostly from Lightbulb Sun and Stupid Dream, two of my favorites. I'd like to see them compile their all-time best songs in a single set some time, instead of focusing on their latest release. They might end up with a great live album for once, instead of another solid one. 

**** for Even Less, Slave Called Shiver, Shesmovedon, Lightbulb Sun, Hatesong, Voyage 34

*** for Last Chance to Evacuate Planet Earth, Russia on Ice, Where We Would Be, Stop Swimming, Signify

The Multicoloured Shades "House Of Wax" 1985****

There was a period during the late 80's - early 90's when I used to collect all the neo-psychedelic LP's I could get my hands on. Especially if they were keyboard-heavy, like The Multicoloured Shades (TMcS) are. Most of them survived The Great Vinyl Purge, too. I sold a ton of (now ultra-rare) 90's vinyl, as well as classic rock LP's because I had stopped listening to the former, and had replaced most of the latter with newly remastered CD's. But most of my garage and psychedelic vinyls got out intact. This is why I now still have, without ever meaning to, a decent collection of German neo-psychedelic vinyl LPs: TMcS, as well as The Dizzy Satellites, Les Black Carnations, CHUD [aka Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers(!)], Clockwork Wizards, The Dukes etc. TMcS were formed in 1984 in a town near Dortmund called Marl. Within a year they had released an (eponymous) mini-LP as well as this album, both on a local indie. At this point they caught the attention of Virgin Records, becoming one of the first German alternative/neo-psychedelic bands to sign with a major label. They released two more LPs, Sundome City Exit (1987) and Ranchero! (1989) having some success with single "Teen Sex Transfusion" off the former album. Due to disappointing sales, they were dropped by the label, and finally disbanded in 1990, while a 2002 reunion was cut short by the death of singer Pete Barany from a (voluntary or not) overdose. A new incarnation of the band, featuring original organist Detlev Bizer, seems to be active right now: a 2021 single called "The Greatest" is available on Spotify, as well as a couple live videos on youtube, but I couldn't dig any more info on them. Regarding House Of Wax now, opener "So Sad" is an organ-dominated garage rocker displaying the expected influences (Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, ? And The Mysterians). "It's Your Life" is another 60's-sounding garage/beat track while "Brain Patrol" is darker and reminiscent of early Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground (VU), and "Witches" has an, of-its-time, Gothic character. Side 1 concludes with "The Special One", another rocker combining psychedelia and new wave. Side 2 is dominated by "Sometimes", a 12-minute psychedelic drone referencing Suicide (the band, not the act). This is followed by "Frozen Hearts", again channeling VU albeit with a bit of Beach Boys-like effervescence. The album closes with the "Bleeding In Jayne Mansfield's Car". The organ takes a back seat for once, allowing acoustic guitar and harmonica to shine; Lou Reed and Bob Dylan come to mind here. For those unfamiliar with the 50's/60's sexbomb's death, she was decapitated in a gruesome automobile accident which also instantly killed the two other adult passengers, but spared the lives of her children, also in the car. Quite a macabre way to close the album, wouldn't you say? I used to play this LP often when I bought it 30+ years ago, but hadn't listened to it for many years before today. I'm less impressed with it now (3,5* would be a more accurate rating, but I decided to be generous because it's an old favorite) but I still love the atmosphere it creates due to its dark organ sound, as well as the theatrical vocals by Pete Barany, who sounds like a German-accented Sky Saxon. The compositions are neither very original nor instantly memorable, but all the right ingredients are here: VU, Electric Prunes, Pink Floyd, The Doors, and 70's Kraut Rock. The striking red-black cover is in contrast to the band's name, but they make up for it with an impressively multicolored marbled red/blue/grey vinyl. Worth spending a few extra €€'s to get the album's initial pressing on Last Chance Records - there are also a few more contemporary (1985/86) editions on regular black vinyl. If you like the samples below, you may want to look for House Of Wax at ebay or discogs. It won't cost you too much, and it's worth every pfennig...

**** for So Sad, Brain Patrol, Witches, The Special One, Frozen Hearts

*** for It's Your Life, Sometimes, Bleeding In Jayne Mansfield's Car