I've already written about the formation of Bevis Frond in a previous post about their debut proper, Miasma. Fast forward a dozen years, and Nick Saloman isn't playing everything himself; he's fronting a real band instead (i.e. himself on vocals and guitar, Andy Ward on drums and Adrian Shaw on bass). Being a big garage/neo-psychedelia fan at the time I was very excited to see them play when they first came to Athens (1998 at the AN Club) and was incredibly bummed to miss that gig due to high fever (mine, not Saloman's). Thankfully I got another chance next year, when he appeared at the (bigger) Rodon Club. To me, this was one of the year's major concerts, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw there were hardly 50 people present in what was then the city's biggest indoors live rock venue. It was nevertheless a great gig, Saloman displaying excellent musicianship as well as a lack of showmanship - just an affable guy who looked nothing like a rock star, and who wasn't dismayed by the empty club, happy to chat with his few loyal fans and to play his heart out for more than 2 hours. I seriously have never seen Rodon that empty during its two-decade existence; local bands could at least count on friends and family showing up. So long into one's career, and to still remain a cult artist - others would have given up, yet another 25 years went by since then, and here I read once more glowing reviews for his latest album in the pages of Mojo and Uncut. It brought that night at Rodon to mind, and made me pick up this CD for a new listen; it was recorded only a few months before the Rodon concert, at the other end of the world: San Francisco, USA. The album preserves the aural part of the concert as it was - no overdubs or tweaking of any sort, so I expect this must be similar to what I heard at the time. I can't say whether the setlist was also similar; I do remember hearing some tracks from New River Head which was among my favorite albums at the time, but not "Signed D.C." the track which closes this CD. The sole cover here (from Love's 1966 debut), this bluesy tune soon turns into a 10-minute psychedelic freakout jam reminiscent of Bevis' earlier experimental work - which is all good and fine but there's something he (I just decided that from now on I will use "Bevis Frond" to describe both Nick Saloman the man, and his band) is even better in, and that's composing great rock songs that sound rooted to the late 60s/early 70's. Opener "Hole Song #2" from the sprawling North Circular LP (1997) is a grungy number, followed by a Neil Young & Crazy Horse-like rocker from Miasma (1987). Two more songs come from (his then latest album) North Circular: Floydian ballad "Love Is" and fantastic rocker "The Wind Blew All Around Me" with its fine guitar solo and memorable chorus. From 1988's Triptych we get the Byrdsian "Lights are Changing" while the same influences are evident on "He'd Be A Diamond" from 1991's New River Head. Other tracks from that LP here include the title track (somewhat reminiscent of Screaming Trees) and atmospheric "Stain On The Sun". Then it's forward to 1992's London Stone and noisy "Well Out of It", and blues rocker "Stoned Train Driver" (Superseeder, 1995). Lastly, from Son Of Walter (1996) we get the mid tempo "Red Hair". The power trio format is a perfect fit for these songs: Bevis' inventive guitar playing (think Jimi Hendrix meets J. Mascis) is perfectly complemented by the veteran rhythm section (by members of such 70s stalwarts as Hawkwind and Camel) while the arrangements generally stick close to the originals. To tell the truth I'm not a huge fan of the audio vérité sound (hence the 3* rating) even though the label is obviously proud of it. Given the tracklist and quality of performance, and in the absence of any Best-Of compilations, this live CD might make the perfect introduction to Bevis' work - if only it was a bit better recorded and produced. Never mind; any one of Bevis' countless records is a testament to his criminally underrated songwriting genius. Judging by the reviews of his latest album, half a century later the world is beginning to catch on.
**** for Maybe, New River Head, Stoned Train Driver, Lights are Changing, He'd Be A Diamond, Stain On The Sun, The Wind Blew All Around Me
*** for Hole Song #2, Love Is, Red Hair, Well Out Of It, Signed DC
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