Audience – Lunch 1972
I don't always do what my records
tell me to do. Let's get this straight, I might be crazy but I'm not
THAT crazy. Yet, there was this one day when I was standing by the
door whilst listening to this album, because, frankly the first track
on it is more or less a command to do just that, so I decided to play
along to see what would happen. Well, what happened
was...exactly...nothing. But, another time I was standing by the door
and listening to this album and I saw an incredibly beautiful sunset,
sky all pink and purple and yellow and orange, fluffy stringy clouds
hanging over the mountains, all marshmallowy and then there was the
moon lording over the whole thing and I felt truly blessed that I
had, in fact, stood by the door because this record told me to. That
story has absolutely nothing to do with the record and what it sounds
like and if I think others would enjoy it, or even more importantly,
if I enjoy it. Well, here's the answer to those most important
questions of all....
I enjoy the bejeezus out of this album. No, it is not nearly as
good as "House on the Hill" and it probably isn't as good
as the first two either, but it's a decent album, still light years
beyond alot of other things and at least darn interesting.
See, the problem I have with Audience, that no one ever points out on here or anywhere as far as I can tell, is that this band is not strictly speaking "normal." Well, what do I mean by that? First of all whatever form of this music is, what it was when it came out, to my ears this sounds like a grunge band, think Soundgarden or Mother Love Bone specifically, and that it's very pop and seventies instead of dank and nineties, but the gist of the music is very similar. Which is kind of weird to think since Audience weren't exactly an electric guitar band. I guess this isn't exactly a problem, just one of those other things, like doing what my records tell me, that make me feel a little touched, ya know? THEY DO SOUND VERY GRUNGE! I promise it's not a delusion!
Also, they sound less grunge on this album than on "House on the Hill" which is roughly 3.1415926 times better than this album. Still a good record though, a spin every couple months should be enough to charm the pants off a camel and the toes off a sloth. Works good with substances should also be another disclaimer (raises glass of kool-aid and tokes on a hookah filled with a non tobacco herbal mixture of basil, oregano, sage, and ((sigh)) hair...) Honestly close to a 3.5.
Wishbone Ash – Argus 1972
When finally the world comes to an
end it will surely be a spear holding Darth Vader, obviously deserted
on Earth by his drunken buddies, who will do it. I mean, he must be
irked, look at 'em they're leaving him down here all to himself, poor
rascal, and no one will ever understand anything about the Death Star
even if he sings a beautiful twin guitar song in the hard rock vein
about it, even if he sings loud and proud about kings coming and
warriors coming too, in fact everything on this record is coming or
passing by, or blowing, except Darth Vader who seems to be a little
reticent to come, or go, or blow for that matter, anywhere. In fact
the main character of the second side, Darth Vader, seems to be a
little perturbed about being left here on Earth by his drunken
buddies, and he starts trouble, meditates, starts more trouble,
finally sees the error of his ways, stops being a baddie and just
tosses his sword away, though it would have been better if he threw
the sword into a stream after impaling a leaf, for dramatic purposes,
you must understand.
All Joshing aside, this is a wonderful album filled with neat
hooky songs that flirt with being metal and post Beatles pop goodness
at one time, beautiful and thrilling guitar interplay that falls just
short of Thin Lizzy's heyday and the first works of bands like Judas
Priest and Iron Maiden.
The production is sort of weird, murky and raw. I personally love it with a humming desire, but I do understand many people might not like that level of rawness (or Doobie in their funk, even) and would consider it "tinny" or "something" but, really, if you are into the rawer side of music, "Argus" has a very nice biting sound that can soothe the little soul inside the teacups we call our bodies.
Track by Track: (Side by Side)
The theme of Side 1 is very loose, in fact non-existent. This is not a concept album, though I one time thought it was, but I was in a very literary mood that month. A collection of upbeat wonders for those who want to jiggity jog and bounce all the way through the wormhole.
1. Time Was : Long and interesting, very mellow opening, nice blast of rock after a couple minutes. Overall a very filling song, makes you shake a tail feather in parts.
2. Sometime World: Full on Prog! Total masterpiece of a song, makes the toes curl and the joy spew like pea soup.
3. Blowin' Free: Really good driving music for when you want that whole "I'm in my car, the road goes on forever, the party never ends and each mile of blacktop eaten is like a buffet in Heaven" feeling.
Side 2 has the "Darth Vader left on Earth by his Drunken Buddies" theme.
All the Bruhaha about this album comes mostly from this side (though the first side is fantastic!) and it's oddly peculiar storyline sort about Darth Vader (maybe) that might or might not have something to do with the sterling reputation this album carries around like a sock full of silver bars.
4. The King Will Come: My favorite song on the album, by far. Check out that guitar at the beginning, one of the best riffs ever written by simple mortal humans and a good song too, all apocalyptic, guess Vader's PO'd that he's been abandoned and wants to take his subtle, yet flaming, revenge upon all the unbelievers. Magnitude of ten-thousand as proto-metal as a breadfan and twice as pretty.
5. Leaf and Stream: If we consider this side to tell a "story" or be "thematic" this is either an interlude or Vader is sitting by a stream, mask off, crying into the water as he reminisces about space flight.
6. Warrior: Another great. More proto-metal, very Maiden-y, but not as fast. If there is a complaint about this album it is that there are songs that could have used a little more speed, a bit more heaviness, but heck, this was 1972 we aren't all that far removed from "Goin' up the Country." I guess this song is about Vader being a warrior or something. Wonder if Jedi tricks work on Earth?
7. Throw Down The Sword: Where the hero decides to give up the warring ways, great track, meltingly beautiful guitars and a whole hand basket of pretty other things too. The album ends, Vader accepts his plight and sorta makes peace with himself. Great stuff.
Overall, the truth about this album is that it's wonderful, surprising things happen and it seems much shorter than it really is.
Truly an original record that nothing else in the world sounds much like (not even other WA albums) so do yourself a favor, listen, and if it helps you can pretend that the guy on the cover is a Roman Warrior who saw a space ship instead of Darth Vader...
Birth Control - Count on Dracula 1980
I'm really surprised to see how unwelcome this album seems to be here. Why? Why? I ask as I shake my fists at the heavens and try to remember that there really is no place like home. But really such a low rating for Count on Dracula? I don't understand, but I do have a theory, and that is that very few people actually do the one thing that is required for a pure love bond with this record to occur: I can only assume the average listener doesn't REALLY *trust* the count. I suppose to make such an incredibly assumptive and arrogant statement like this means I must back it up, so I guess I will do that now.
Bullet Point One: This album is given most of it's incredibly heavy weight through the inclusion of three songs. These three songs of heaviness are:
1. Count on Dracula 2. The Rescue (Sometime in the Future) 3. Caterpillar
From the opening moment, the snarling organ, the awesome mixture of hard rock and funk, the absolutely bizarre lyrics that assure you that Bern really does trust the count, all the way through to the very end, this song just plain rocks. And maybe the plainness is what turns off many, I don't know, but I like the rocking rollicking quality of the song and the great vocals. A good opener that will soon be surpassed by probably the best song on the record...
And so the rescue went according to plan/ safe and sound safe and sound....The world is about to be blown up and someone somewhere is doing something to help someone get off it (maybe Ford and Arthur?) but it is a great tune, an excellent rocky almost danceable number that usually shakes my groove thing whether I want it to or not. It is true that the next couple songs are a little less exciting, but are they really? That, my friends, is not for my silly little self to decide because they do all rock nicely, groove ferociously and seem to be pretty wonderful in their own special way. "Pick on Me" was actually the single from the album and that they chose it as their single instead of either "The Rescue" or the (I'm about to talk about and gush all over) wonderful and quite gorgeous in its own way "Caterpillar" is a mystery to me and makes me think that Birth Control's lack of popularity had more to do with bad planning than any lack in the band itself! Because, whoa, what a song "Catepillar" is. Awesome lyrics, great music, a super fantastic better than anything Phil Collins ever made kind of song, that makes people who have never actually thought start smoking (from the ears) and people who have thought too much want to lay down on the ground and hurl donuts at the feet of the Virgin. Or that's what it would be like for me if I ever thought or didn't think.
The last two songs are rather nice if not the epic quality of the three I mentioned earlier. Plus, I mean, really it does have THAT cover...and nothing else really matters.
