MID-TERM REPORT CARD

B-Minus

The laudable vigour with which subjects are tackled is compromised by a penchant for cloying hyperbole and over-use of inverted commas. A career in lower-level civil service now seems unavoidable.

(COMING SOON - THE BEACH BOYS/BRIAN WILSON!!!)

KRAUTROCK IN BRIEF

I always find myself cringing slightly when i use that term. Sure, it's widely recognised, but it's pretty self-defeating at the same time. Then you find yourself struggling for replacements. 'German prog'? Way off. 'German space-rock' feels a bit closer, but this stuff by nature doesn't lend itself to pigeon-holing. So OK, as a compromise, 'Krautrock' will suffice for the sake of this post.

There will undoubtedly be a whole bunch of people out there with a clearer insight into all things 'Kosmische' than your host today - especially those visiting from Julian Cope's Head Heritage site. In fact, the great man himself wrote a superb guide entitled 'Krautrocksampler' which should be treated as a set text. At least it would be if it was still in print. I have a copy as a PDF (and would happily fork out if it was available) and can affirm that its lofty reputation is justified. His Top 50 album selections are nicely summarised here by, if i'm not mistaken, a HH regular (unfortunately most of the links within that page seem to be down).

My love of (grits teeth) Krautrock has always been at odds with some of my other musical obsessions. On one hand, i can't get enough of 'Pet Sounds'-type ornate arrangements - my OCD has always given me something of a perfectionist streak when it comes to my own recording (often leaving it sounding woefully short on feel and looseness as a consequence). If only i could channel some of the liberated, explorative feel that characterises most of the finest 70's German fare!

One of my main qualms about the wider interpretation of Krautrock is the way in which the 'motorik' beat is identified as its defining characteristic. Sure, there's a fair bit of 'dom-dom-tish-dom-dom-dom-tish-dom' goin' on(?!), but it's a mere chapter in a pretty convoluted story. The truth is that it was virtually whatever it wanted to be, from the frequently-freeform acid psych of Amon Duul II to the towering, expansive electronic sounds of Tangerine Dream.

There has been a tendency in recent years for middling indie artists to adopt said 'motorik' beat for a couple of songs and then go on in the press about their new, 'experimental' direction (i'm thinking lairy lad-rockers Kasabian for starters). This stuff can be channelled to genuinely interesting effect (Deerhunter for example), but i've grown to be pretty weary of artists flaunting their new Neu! albums a bit too openly. In fact, i've actively avoided such influences in my own recording in recent years as a consequence.

The sheer impact of the bands huddled together under this unfortunate umbrella term is mind-boggling, the depth and breadth of material out there more than a bit daunting. As a consequence, i've just picked out a handful of personal favourites, trying to limit myself to one-album-per-artist and one-track-per-artist. I imagine most readers will be pretty well clued-up on the best known of all the German superheroes, electronic revolutionaries Kraftwerk, so i've specifically avoided any selections from them (although their early work is less well-known and may surprise those expecting another 'Computer World').

On a side-note, there was a BBC4 documentary recently which provided an insight into the scene. It's only an introduction, but it helps to put things into a bit more of an historical perspective. Here's part one from YouTube (part six has lost its audio due to some petty copyright complaints on account of a Bowie clip).




TOP 5 ALBUMS

1. Neu! - Neu! '75 (1975)

A stone-cold classic and one of my favourite albums full stop, this, along with maybe Can's 'Ege Bamyasi', is a great place to begin for a Krautrock neophyte. You get the gentle majesty of 'Isi', the bucolic, expansive wonders of 'Seeland' and 'Leb Wohl', the prescient, heroic pre-punk of, um, 'Hero' and 'After Eight' and the trance-inducing 'E-Musik'. And that's it. There's yer album. Glorious.



'Hero' from Neu! '75. Friends of mine will be all too aware of the extent to which i ripped this off for a Sinbad's Unbelievable Revolution song. Or, if they weren't, they are now!


2. Can - Tago Mago (1971)

Although they started out as a Velvets-influenced snarling rock oddity and even laid down the groundwork for the 'endlose'/'motorik' beat with 'Mother Sky' and 'Father Cannot Yell', Can have become synonymous with the funkier, more groove-based end of the scene. Don't go expecting anything traditionally soulful, though - this is much weirder than that. When i first heard the album, bits of it were borderline terrifying (Damo's yelping, the spooky collage 'Aumgn'). Now, though, i can fully appreciate it for the innovative work it is.





3. Popol Vuh - Hosianna Mantra (1972)

Here's one to test those Kraut pre-conceptions - nothing much in the way of beats at all, just fluid, organic, heartbreaking beauty. Popol Vuh himself was Florian Fricke, a keyboard player better known for more synth-orientated music. To be honest, i don't know a great deal else about them! To quote Julian in 'Krautrocksampler', "utterly ascending, devotional and heavenly... like nothing else i've heard".



Ascend into orbit with 'Kyrie' from Hosianna Mantra.


4. Faust - IV (1973)

Ostensibly the jokers in the pack, Faust, created by producer and Beach Boys fan Uwe Nettelbeck, were also capable of some pretty mind-demolishing stuff (see 'The Faust Tapes' in particular). This effort might be seen as their 'pop' album, and was dismissed by many as such upon its release. It's really stood the test of time though, featuring classics like the opening colossus 'Krautrock', the agitated skank of 'The Sad Skinhead' and the otherworldly psych of 'Jennifer'.



The unassuming artwork for Faust IV.


5. Harmonia - Musik Von Harmonia (1974)

Much loved by contrary genius Brian Ego, sorry Eno, these guys are from the more electronic, mechanical end of things. For those missing our old friend the 'motorik' beat, he makes a return here, albeit in a mutated, dreamlike form on tracks like 'Dino' and the extraordinary 'Watussi'. Features head Neu! genius Michael Rother for those who still need convincing.



The merciless 'Watussi' from Musik Von Harmonia.



TOP 5 TRACKS

1. Neu! - Hallogallo (From 'Neu!', 1972)

An honest-to-god life-changer, this one. I'd been introduced to the Neu! groove on Primal Scream's 2000 album 'Exterminator' and was inspired to follow it to its source. What a lot of the rip-off merchants (including myself!) tend to forget is that all this 'open road'/'mechanical' talk doesn't quite capture the true essence of the 'Hallogallo' experience. The missing ingredient is the pastoral beauty underneath the gliding rhythm. Sure, there's a road, but turn your head and there's also a fast-flowing river on one side, not to mention breathtaking stretches of arable land on the other. If you catch my drift. When i first heard it, i was in the process of starting up a Stone Roses/La's/Ocean Colour Scene(!!!) inspired Britpop bore of a band. You can only imagine how confusing this thing was! One of the finest pieces of music i've ever heard.



'Hallogallo' - a life-changer?!? Let's see... (don't mean to be pedantic, but that's the wrong sleeve).


2. Can - Halleluhwah (From 'Tago Mago', 1971)

The other timeless Krautrock beat. Basically what we get here is The Happy Mondays nigh on twenty years early with twice the imagination and without the homophobic thuggery. Julian once again describes it best as "like the Meters playing avant garde music". It may be pieced together from several seperate jams, but the feel is so engrossing that you barely notice.



An astounding live take on 'Halleluhwah'.


3. Ash Ra Tempel - Suche & Liebe (From 'Schwingungen', 1972)

These guys originate from the farthest, most explorative reaches of the improv galaxy, probably the loosest of all the Krautrock bands (except maybe for The Cosmic Jokers, although they weren't actually aware that they were a band at the time!). Upon first hearing this, you may be a bit baffled as to why i've included it, as the first 14 mintues consist primarily of atmospheric noise - but then comes THAT chord sequence and the whole thing goes sky-high on graceful drums and ghostly cooing.



The second half of 'Suche & Liebe'. Wait for it...


4. Faust - Läuft...Heißt Das Es Läuft Oder Es Kommt Bald...Läuft (From 'Faust IV', 1973)

Another classic from 'Faust IV'. About as delicate and ornate as Krautrock gets, this finger pickin' beauty still confounds with its labyrinthine 13/4 arrangement of acoustic guitar, handclapping, flute and fidgety violin (i think).



See above for title. Also known as 'Psalter' for the sake of brevity.


5. Walter Wegmuller - Die Welt (From 'Tarot', 1973)

Backed by an army of cosmic German heroes such as Klaus Schulze, Wegmuller unleashed the wildly varied double album 'Tarot'. I was going to choose the touching 'Der Weise', but i thought we should go out on a suitably unhinged note. I always thought that this sounded like Funkadelic performing at the end of the world. Just me? Unfortunately, there's no sample on YouTube, but here's a link with a bit more info on the guy.

... and breathe.

Well that's that for the 2008 epics! Though intrinsically flawed/floored, hopefully they've been diverting enough to wade through. Quite often opinion seems to have been mistaken for fact - just so you know, i'm aware that not everyone thinks just like me! Oh, and for some reason The Flaming Lips and XTC posts switched places, but it's not terribly important.

Thank you very much for the comments (both here and elsewhere) and keep them coming! That way i know people are still reading! Hitherto i've been flogging my wares on message boards for fans of the artists i've been discussing, which is all well and good and nice for everyone, though i am essentially preaching to the converted. Ideally though, some random bod might type 'Julian Cope reviews' into Google and, hey presto, come across me rhapsodizing about the guy and be inspired to pick up something new. Then, he might notice the 'Scott Walker' post and fall in love all over again.

I might be getting ahead of myself, though.

Anyway, i'll try to keep this going for a little while at least - i've got a few things in the pipeline which i'll post as and when they're fully cooked. Don't worry though - they won't all be Ulysses-length efforts (though i've got my eye on a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson post which undeniably lends itself to extended ramblings). There might even be the odd break from music, let us wait and see.

Right now, i'm off for a lie down. Just resting my eyes...

(Falls off chair).

XTC (2008 REPRINT)

Drums And Wires - ***1/2
Black Sea - ****
English Settlement - ***1/2
Mummer - ****
The Big Express - ****
(Chips From The Chocolate Fireball - *****)
Skylarking - *****
Oranges And Lemons - ***1/2
Nonsuch - ****
Apple Venus - *****
Wasp Star - **1/2
(Fuzzy Warbles Box Set - ****)
(Chalkhills And Children Book - ****)

Swindon's XTC managed to achieve a fair bit of commercial success and press intrigue, if not necessarily adulation, during the late 1970's. In true 'me' fashion, i don't actually own the first two albums, but from the odd single that's passed my way and the gist of the reviews i've seen, 'White Music' is cartoony, melodic punk with some fun tracks but not one that's gonna stick around on your turntable. Follow-up 'Go 2' is generally seen as a mis-step, its forays away from the tried-and-tested formula falling flat on account of weaker songs and most people by now getting a bit sick of Barry Andrews' unusual but rather tiresome screeching Bontempi organ. From what i've read anyway - should really hear the damn things for myself!

'Drums And Wires' from 1979, however, got things back on track, being strengthened by the presence of David Gregory, a new guitarist and musical foil for main songwriter Andy Partridge. Oddly enough, it's the songs by bassist Colin Moulding which hit hardest here - the classic 'Making Plans For Nigel' with its radio-friendly melody and innovative drumming approach from resident jack-the-lad Terry Chambers, and the Motown stomp and (again) immediate melody of 'Life Begins At The Hop'. The Partridge songs, whilst generally more melodically adventurous, do have a tendency to grate at this point, although i must confess to a soft spot for the awkward 'When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty'.



Iconic artwork for 'Drums And Wires'.



Splendid TOTP performance of 'Making Plans For Nigel'.


Things tighten up and toughen up generally on the following year's 'Black Sea' (trust me, these guys were pretty prolific during their early period). Although the guitars carry a bit more weight, the sheer classicism of Partridge and Moulding's songs, along with smart production from a young Steve Lillywhite, keep it all very focussed. Although the writing would get more adventurous in later years, this stands as one of the most consistent XTC albums, from the witty 'Respectable Street' to the skittering 'Generals And Majors' and 'Love At First Sight'. Actually, this might be a pretty good starting point for more rock-oriented newcomers.



Black Sea - "a pretty good starting point" apparently. Great artwork too.


The next album, 'English Settlement', has often been hailed as the group's finest early achievement. Personally, i actually consider it a rather less consistent affair than 'Black Sea', being an album dotted with some glorious compositions but a victim of its own diversity. I'm all in favour of bands stretching out a bit and trying new things, but for me, the songs don't quite manage to back up these dalliances. The strongest material seems to appear at the two ends of the album, the first few songs being among XTC's very best. 'Senses Working Overtime', for instance, should be played to the likes of Coldplay and U2 as an example of how to write a song that can be truly life-affirming without ramming its self-importance down our throats with empty gestures. 'Runaways', 'Ball And Chain' and 'Jason And The Argonauts' all display a band fully capable of using traditional 60's pop songcraft to genuinely unique ends. Closing double-shot 'English Roundabout' and 'Snowman' stand as the best of the more stylistically ambitious tracks, seamlessly adopting ska/reggae influenced rhythms. There are a couple of other winners, but there's are vast swathes of this double-album which pass me by pleasantly but fail to be truly involving. Perhaps a concise single album would have been a wiser bet.



More impeccable pop with 'Senses Working Overtime'.


Fans will be all too familiar with what happened next. Andy developed severe stage fright, resulting in an end to XTC as a live entity and eventually the departure of Terry Chambers. Partridge's recovery is captured on 1983's transitional 'Mummer'. Now, some fans will want me arrested for saying something so absurd, but i actually prefer this to 'English Settlement'. I'm fully aware that the best songs are on that album, but as a complete listening experience, i just find this more... welcoming seems appropriate. It feels very 'small', whatever that means, possibly due to the low-key production. Having said that, both songwriters contribute some truly lovely melodies here. 'Love On A Farmboy's Wages', 'Great Fire' and 'In Loving Memory Of A Name' all just scream out 'XTC' with their intricate sturctures, engaging chord changes and unpretentiously evocative instrumentation (is it just me or does the bass on 'Farmboy' imitate a cow at one point?!). Admittedly, there's the small matter of the dire 'Me And The Wind' to get past, but the closing 'Funk Pop A Roll' pulls things back with exhilirating style and passion.



Don't want to seem gratuitous, but here are the final moments of XTC as a touring band.


Another oft-dismissed member of the XTC family is 1984's 'The Big Express'. I'm not going to argue for a second with accusations that the production is distinctly overcooked at times. On the other hand, i must declare this to be one of the finest albums in terms of lyrical content that i have ever heard. Partridge is simply on fire, with the likes of 'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her' (think the Beach Boys relocating to a drizzly Bognor Regis), the Kinks-with kazoos 'Everyday Story Of Smalltown' and moving cautionary tale of 'This World Over' not just packing considerable melodic punch, but also saying so much more with breathtaking eloquence than virtually any other artist at the time or since. To be honest, i'll never be able to get on board with the ridiculous 'Shake Your Donkey Up' or 'Reign Of Blows', but some of the other more overblown moments, such as the sea-faring 'All You Pretty Girls', can't help but pull you in with their audacious charm. Another impressive closing one-two win over any doubts, Moulding's 'I Remember The Sun' displaying a disarming wistfulness and Partridge's 'Train Running Low On Soul Coal' making fascinating use of locomotive metaphors and a previously largely-concealed Captain Beefheart fixation.



'Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her' from the under-rated Big Express, 1984.



Another Big Express number, this time a mimed performance of 'This World Over'. Seemingly on a rather misty day.


Yes, 'Mummer' and 'The Big Express' are well worth sticking with, but if you want something that's going to grab you by the shoulders and whisk you away, back to a world that possibly never quite existed, 'Chips From The Chocolate Frireball' is indispensible. Compiling two John Leckie-produced EPs recorded under the pseudonym The Dukes Of Stratosphear, this album is both a total novelty and a total gem, openly paying tribute to psychedelic classics by, for example, The Beatles, Syd-era Pink Floyd, The Hollies and The Beach Boys. The plaigirism is shameless, the enthusiasm and deftness of touch almost unbearably convincing. I honestly can't think of another album that's so much fun to listen to. 'Bike Ride To The Moon', for instance, takes the Barrett template and sends it into surreal singalong hyperspace, whilst 'The Mole From The Ministry' openly yet triumphantly mimicks 'I Am The Walrus', right down to the joyous video (try YouTube). The real reason this works so magically, though, is the sheer quality of the songs and clarity of vision. I mean, the space-rock mid-section on '25 O'Clock' - well, for me, that groove's pretty damn close to genius. 'Vanishing Girl' stands as one of the most melodic songs in the enitre back catalogue of a band that trades very heavily in melody. Things get hard to believe by the end on 'Pale And Precious', a mid-to-late-60's Beach Boys replica which not only rivals a lot of the subsequent, admittedly wonderful Wilson and Co. efforts, but even gives the transcendent beauty of 'Pet Sounds' and 'SMiLE' a serious run for its money. Tellingly, there are a lot of people out there who don't really rate XTC but can't help but appreciate what they managed to achieve as The Dukes.



The acceptable face of pastiche - collage for the first Dukes Of Stratosphear EP. You just can't go wrong with their artwork can you?



The exquisite 'Pale And Precious' - just a taste of the fun to be had with the Dukes.


So after all that wonderful mucking about, what happened with the next album proper? Well, Todd Rundgren was brought in to produce, which may sound like a serendipitous meeting between masters of the form, but the relationship was extremely strained, Rundgren's uncommunicative approach baffling the band and Andy's by now notoriously uncompromising attitude towards production leading to a virtual impasse (Partridge brilliantly comparing the situation to having "two Hitlers in the same bunker"). When 'Skylarking' emerged in 1986, though, such controversies took a back seat. Although commercially it initially failed to build upon the weak performance of the last two LPs (at least until the infamous 'Dear God' single came out), crtitcs and loyal devotees were stunned by the childlike wonder contained within. From the evocative splendour of 'Summer's Cauldron' to the aquatic dream world of 'Mermaid Smiled' (criminally left off some pressings), from the spy-theme jazzy meander of 'The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul' to the plain-astonishing pop hook-a-thon of 'Earn Enough For Us', the album seemed to combine the finest elements of their two previous attempts at a pastorally-themed work, 'English Settlement' and 'Mummer', whilst simultaneously taking the songwriting to a whole new level. As ever, some tracks may seem a little over-eager at first, but they should work their way into your heart soon enough!



Skylarking - maybe their finest album, undoubtedly their dullest cover art!



Skylarking's euphonic opening - 'Summer's Cauldron'.


Could they keep this run going? In my opinion, no, they didn't quite manage it. 1989's 'Oranges And Lemons' is another album heavily praised in some quarters, but part of me thinks some listeners have been overly distracted by the awe-inspiring technicolour artwork. All of XTC's production over-indulgences across the years are swiftly put into perspective by the absolute mess that greets you on this double LP. Don't get me wrong, there are several great songs hiding under all the creaking chandeliers and buttresses, but you'd think the band didn't want you to find them! The unashamedly sugary pop of Moulding's 'King For A Day', the satirical fanfares of 'Here Comes President Kill Again', the winding chords and sycnopations of 'Scarecrow People'... these are all great XTC songs, but any flow the album hopes to build up is scuppered by such offenders as 'Merely A Man' and 'The Loving'. I mean, SERIOUSLY, did these sound like a good idea in the studio? Personally, i simply can't listen to them. Maybe if i heard an acoustic version or something, but in this form, they're pretty much unbearable to my ears. It's all a bit of a shame, especially when the closing song is so wonderful. 'Chalkhills And Children' rivals 'Pale And Precious' in the Beach-Boys-come-to-Wiltshire stakes, almost recalling (remarkably) that Scott Walker beauty 'Plastic Palace People' in its "floating over strange lands" metaphors and elegiac atmosphere. Here, though, such poetic images are used to effortlessly describe the "fickle fire" of fame. Seriously, it's really beautiful and makes sitting through the rambling chaos which precedes it all worthwhile.



'Chalkhills And Children' - the clear highlight of maybe the most over-produced album in history. Still, the artwork was back on track!


Perversely, 'Oranges And Lemons' was their biggest commercial success for years (especially in the US), so the pressure was on for follow-up 'Nonsuch'. Of course, as living proof of the cautionary tale behind 'Chalkhills And Children', the album flopped, although it now stands today as a significant improvement from its predecessor. I've just realised that i've barely mentioned Dave Gregory in all of this. Well, he'd always been a more-than-capable decorator for the lavish fantasies of Partridge and Moulding's songs, but here he really excels himself, especially in his wonderfully delicate piano and organ contributions. Two songs stand out from the rest - the haunting, mournful, yet impossibly heavenly 'Rook' and the latest, overwhelmingly successful attempt to superglue together all the gorgeous bits of peak-period Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach, 'Wrapped In Grey'. How Andy constructed these toweringly beautiful edifices of sound and emotion is frankly beyond me, some of the harmonic and lyrical twists (especially on the chorus of 'Rook') proving almost too much for this poor sap. Away from these masterpieces, there's plenty of more standard XTC fare, with several songs creating an almost medieval feel to complement the sleeve art. 'Humble Daisy' touches the emotions in a way only Partridge can, 'Omnibus' clatters through your synapses with a thrillingly lolloping groove, and Moulding's 'My Bird Performs' and 'Bungalow' find the band's second songwriter reaching new levels of eloquence and creativity. Yeah, there's a few duds in there ('War Dance' being the weakest on offer), but there's enough prime pop cuts like The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead' and 'The Disappointed' to compensate.



Partridge surpasses himself with 'Wrapped In Grey' from Nonsuch.



The other truly GREAT Nonsuch track, 'Rook'. Apparently a sudden breakthrough following an extended period of writer's block.


Now we reach a real crossroads, as XTC effectively go on strike in response to the raw deal they're getting from label Virgin, having to wait over five years to be fully released from their obligations. During this time, though, Partridge (as well as embarking upon numerous collaborations) managed to take what he'd learnt on songs like 'Rook' and 'Wrapped In Grey' and gather all the messy emotions he was experiencing at this time (he was also going through a divorce), resulting in a set of songs which occassionally dwarfed even 'Skylarking' once they were finally able to record them. It wasn't easy though. During by all accounts one of the most laborious, painful recording processes in rock history (at least among those not fuelled by hard drugs), Dave Gregory finally tired of Andy's incessant demands. He still contributed the odd bit of varnish here and there, but overall, 1999's 'Apple Venus', once finally completed, was the work of a songwriting duo. And it's absolutely glorious. I've no idea why it's not more widely praised, or why it doesn't regularly pop up in all those '100 Greatest Albums' pieces in Q and Mojo. OK, so for an all-time classic, it's a little inconsistent ('Your Dictionary' doesn't quite hold together, 'Green Man' goes on a bit too long and Moulding's songs are fun but not quite up to the standards of his partner's), but that definitely shouldn't stop anyone unaware of its hidden glories from jumping in feet first. Some may be put off initially by the uncomfortable honesty of the lyrics, but you soon realise that Andy has opened up to the listener in an almost incomparable gesture of faith and, on balance, probably gratitude for sticking with the bad for so long. The orchestral flourishes dusted over recent albums give way to full string arrangements, from the cascading pizzicato treasure of 'River Of Orchids' to the tearful, heartbroken swells of 'I Can't Own Her'. It's a very English record which, at its best, transcends all those silly musical boundaries and joins that exalted group of timeless works of art. One song, 'Easter Theatre', genuinely defies any form of categorization. What on earth is going on with those chords, the sawing, building strings, the fragile poetry of the lyrics (a pitch-perfect depiction of the frantic pleasures of Spring)? It's quite simply one of the finest pieces of music i've had the pleasure to hear. Sure, it won't blow your mind in the same way after you've heard it a few times, but that goes for all other revolutionary moments in art. I could go through the rest of the songs in great detail, but frankly, i'm sure i wouldn't do them justice. Just go and buy the damn thing!



The tasteful Apple Venus artwork, 1999.



'Easter Theatre' - Andy's masterpiece?


My introduction to 'Apple Venus' came via the recent 'Apple Box' set, which combines that album with its demos, as well as featuring its follow-up sister album (along with its demos), 'Wasp Star'. Anyone expecting another life-changing epic will be disappointed though. In fact, it's probably my least favourite XTC album. Which is a real shame, given the roll these guys were on. It's the material... it's just not quite up to the usual standard. There's little inherently wrong with it, but it just feels very forced, making it almost impossible to fall in love with. Abandoning the orchestral graces of the previous LP, here we find a very ordinary sounding production, all nice-but-uninvolving guitar riffs and intricate-but-sterile percussion. Yeah, it's listenable - 'Playground', 'You And The Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful' and Colin's 'Standing In For Joe' and 'In Another Life' are all attractive enough - but it sure won't stick around in your memory for long. There's next to no feel, which hurts all the more given the massively empathetic production and songwriting of 'Apple Venus'. Plus there are a few truly appalling songs, 'My Brown Guitar' and 'Wounded Horse' not deserving a place in the XTC discography. It hurts to be like this, but the (seemingly) final album from the Partridge/Moulding world of pop is a whole heap of... average.

Let's not finish on such a bleak note, though. Over seven years down the line, with the band all but consigned to the history books and the odd ill-founded comparison in reviews of the latest posey, new-wave-influenced quartet, out came the 'Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album'. I realise that i was slightly behind most devotees, who will have gathered the numerous slices of demo heaven from the Partridge archives unleashed sporadically over the years. Still, i found the eight-disc behemoth (plus obligatory bonus disc) going cheap and took the plunge... and what a thoroughly involving insight into the processes of an eccentirc pop mastermind it is too! Although by nature inconsistent (some of this material had very little hope of reaching a proper XTC album), you end up loving it for its wild, careering strangeness. Accompanied by wonderfully warm sleeve notes, we get demos of XTC classics, bizarre experiments and genuinely hilarious pastiches/bits of studio nonsense. Then there's a whole bunch of unreleased/rare material. Like i said, it's not all album-quality, but it's never less than charming, and occassionally revelatory (try 'Dame Fortune', 'Wonder Annual', 'Tiny Circus Of Life', 'Rocket', 'Goosey Goosey' and 'Prince Of Orange' for size). Obviously not a starting point, this is still a great investment for those true XTC obsessives who still lurk in their semi-detatched houses out in the darkest corners of some grotty English suburb (?!).



Advert for the Fuzzy Warbles boxset (featuring 'Dame Fortune').


As for extra-curricular material, there aren't any official DVDs out there at the moment, but some super fellas have thrown a whole bunch of rare footage and TV appearances onto YouTube, so get searching! There is a book though, 'Chalkhills And Children' by Chris Twomey, a fine attempt at distilling the band's sprawling history into one, relatively brief read. Although i'm still hoping (perhaps in vain) for a Partridge autobiography, this will more than suffice for the time being.


*******************************

2010 UPDATE

Not much to report i'm afraid. Colin seems to have scarpered for good. Andy joined up with Barry Andrews again for an album of Can-esque experimental improvisation as Monstrance (which i haven't heard but am quite intrigued by). Even more enticing is the prospect of an album-length collaboration with another personal favourite Robyn Hitchcock, although that might be some way from fruition.

In my original excitement, i seem to have omitted the 'Rag 'N' Bone Buffet' rarities compilation (***1/2). As with all such venutres, there's some expendable baggage (a censored version of 'Respectable Street', a few dodgy early B-sides) but you also get a number of non-album tracks which could easily made the cut, such as Andy's 'Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass' and Colin's 'Blame The Weather'. Then there's harmless fun in the form of two Christmas songs and a great closing summary of the 'History Of Rock And Roll' in 20 seconds.

Another interesting XTC-related discovery i made since pouring this lot out was an album by lo-fi pop specialist (and one-time poet for The Independent) Martin Newell. 'The Greatest Living Englishman' (***1/2) was recorded in Andy Partridge's shed (much like many of the Fuzzy Warbles tracks) and features our man as producer and multi-instrumentalist - being in such close confines probably meant he had to be kept busy. Newell trades primarily in Beatles/Byrds-type melodic jangle, which can get a bit predictable at times, but he's undoubtedly a gifted songwriter with an unsurprising knack for an evocative lyric. Also there are traces of Partridge-instigated experiments with synthesised strings (much better than that sounds) which hint at what was to come on 'Apple Venus'. A very interesting album for fans, and an artist well-worth exploring ('The Wayward Genius Of Martin Newell' (****), though a bit of a misnomer, is a great starting point).



Martin Newell's 'Before The Hurricane'. Shades of Apple Venus?


XTC were always a band who traded more on their charm and good-ole honest songcraft than on any real ties to fashionable scenes or passing fads. If that makes them sound like prosaic dullards then don't be fooled - Andy Partridge deserves to go down as one of the finest pop writers full stop.

PS - In hindsight, i'm not sure why i was quite so harsh on 'Oranges And Lemons'. The production wasn't THAT bad, was it?!

THE FLAMING LIPS (2008 REPRINT)

(NB - THIS IS ANOTHER MORE DEMENTED ONE I FEEL. PLUS THERE ARE A FEW OPINIONS WHICH MIGHT GET A FEW MORE FERVENT FANS A BIT PISSED OFF - IN ADVANCE, I APOLOGIZE IF I SEEM A BIT DISMISSIVE OF SOME WORKS, MAYBE I'LL GROW INTO THEM, OR IN THE CASE OF THE 80'S STUFF, MAKE AN INFORMED JUDGEMENT ONCE I'VE HEARD IT PROPERLY. ANYWAY, OVER TO MY FORMER SELF...)








In A Priest Driven Ambulance - ***1/2
Hit To Death In The Future Head - ****
Transmissions From The Satellite Heart - ****
Clouds Taste Metallic - ****1/2
Zaireeka - ****1/2
The Soft Bulletin - *****
Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots - ****
Ego Tripping EP - ***1/2
(Fearless Freaks Movie - *****)
(VOID DVD - ****)
At War With The Mystics - **1/2

Now we cross the Atlantic and land in the bible belt of the American Midwest. Oklahoma's Flaming Lips started out way back in 1983, dismissed by many who saw them as noisy no-hopers, trading in a brand of Who-meets-Led-Zep psychedelic punk rich in volume but lacking in much subtlety. The two remaining members from that time, vocalist and songwriter Wayne Coyne and bassist/tech wizard Michael Ivins, pretty much admit to that. It seems that they weren't really out to make any great musical statements, just have a good time and piss off a few punters. Shamefully, i haven't actually bothered to purchase any of the 1980's albums - although 'Oh My Gawd!' is meant have its moments, most people outside of the purist fanbase seem to use them as negative points of comparison (i.e. "Jaysus, can you believe the guys who made 'The Soft Bulletin' made THIS?!"). Maybe i'll pick up the wonderfully titled 'Finally The Punk Rockers Are Taking Acid' at some point for the sake of completism, but the few songs i've heard haven't really set my world on fire.

So i join the party with 1990's 'In A Priest Driven Ambulence', now available as part of the 'Day They Shot A Hole In The Jesus Egg' compliation (ridiculous titles are par for the course with the Lips). It seems to represent the crossing-over point from seemingly cynical slacker-noise to their mid-period explosive psych-pop. So there's elements of both in here. One thing you notice is that Coyne, who even today seems to struggle with pitch, has relatively little concern for whether or not he's in tune most of the time. Notably, the second guitarist here is future Mercury Rev poser Jonathan Donahue, perhaps a factor in the shift towards a more accessible sound. Things get surprisingly poppy at times, as on the crystalline 'Rainin' Babies', but aggressive arrangements are still the main order of the day, as on the churning 'Mountainside' and thrilling 'God Walks Among Us Now'. They've definitely branched out though, as can be heard on 'Take Meta Mars', which exhibits a clear 'Tago Mago'-era Can influence, and the intense, atmospheric acoustic songs 'Five Stop Mother Superior Rain' and 'There You Are'. I tend to prefer the band's more disciplined experiments, but on the rare occassions i put this album on, i find a lot to enjoy.



The Lips in their early, psychedelic slacker phase. Michael's hair is looking relatively staid.



'Take Meta Mars' live, just at the start of the Steven/Ronald era.


There are still traces of noise terrorism on follow-up 'Hit To Death In The Future Head', mainly on the frankly silly bonus track consisting of 30 minutes of industrial screeching. On the whole, Wayne's songs get more melodic again, whether they be murky pysch-punk ('Talkin' 'Bout The Smiling Deathporn Immortality Blues') or ambitiously-produced bliss-outs ('The Sun', 'Hold Your Head'). A few songs never quite manage to lift their heads above the waves of distortion, but there is one important advance in the shape of 'You Have To Be Joking (Autopsy Of The Devil's Brain)'. This is the first truly brilliant Lips song, touching in a way that can be easily traced through all the great songs they would write in the coming years. The simple acoustic-guitars-plus-bongos arrangement works wonders, with a controversial yet beautifully sampled orchestral excerpt from Michael Kamen's 'Brazil' score sending things stratospheric.



'You Have To Be Joking (Autopsy Of The Devil's Brain)', 1992. For me, the first truly GREAT Lips song.


Things nearly fell apart when Donahue and drummer Nathan Roberts departed whilst that Kamen sample was being cleared for use. When Coyne and Ivins finally found their two replacements though, they discovered two musicians who would send their music in fascinatingly original directions. Ronald Jones was a shy, experimental guitarist with more pedals than can be reasonably expected and a great sonic attraction during live shows. Drummer Steven Drozd joined from local band Janus 18, and in the first instance added a whole new dimension and rock-solid groove to the Flaming Lips sound. Drozd would also work his way into playing pretty much anything else on record, being an absurdly gifted multi-instrumentalist and composer. On 1993's 'Transmissions From The Satellite Heart', both of the new guys excel themselves, immaculately-distorted drums and an overwhelming-yet-delicate wall of vaguely Kevin Shields-esque guitar bringing Coyne's songs into a new world of possibilities. Things take a bit of time to settle, and as a consequence this is kind of inconsistent, but the high points make the album more than worthwhile. Surprise hit 'She Don't Use Jelly' is ridiculous yet irresistable, guitars soar magically on 'Pilot Can At The Queer Of God' and 'When Yer Twenty Two', 'Be My Head' and 'Turn It On' are bursting with simple pop charm and 'Chewin' The Apple Of Your Eye' proves to be another ace acoustic number. The best is, as they say, saved until last with 'Slow Nerve Action', a swirling, alarmingly original psychedelic groove from the mind of Drozd built from blisteringly funky drums, a simple yet devastating distorted guitar motif and a mind-altering lyric from Coyne.



The Transmissions sleeve. Much more than a novelty hit.



A Soft Bulletin-era live take of 'Slow Nerve Action'. Steven goes stratospheric during the middle section!


As good as the highlights were on 'Transmissions', 1995's 'Clouds Taste Metallic' manages a more consistent quality and the best pop moments move from 'charming' to 'heart-bursting bubblegum heaven'. The band have consistently downplayed a Brian Wilson influence, but such comparisons are understandable when you're going to get this melodically joyous. Annoyingly, there's still the odd pointless wall of noise ('Kim's Watermelon Gun', 'Guy Who Got A Headache And Accidentally Saved The World'), but these so-so moments don't matter once you get to the likes of 'This Here Giraffe', 'When You Smile', 'Bad Days' and 'Christmas At The Zoo', all showing that clarity of vision which was previously missing and therefore holding the guys back from greatness. The more aggressive moments bring oodles of melody to the table too, as on the crawling groove of 'Lightning Strikes The Postman' and the mind-boggling 'Psychiatric Explorations Of The Fetus With Needles'. This line-up has also managed to perfect its approach to the slower tracks, as on the building 'Abandoned Hospital Ship' and the bittersweet 'Evil Will Prevail'. For anyone looking beyond the recent stuff for the first time, start with this minor classic.



A chaotic Ronald-period live version of 'Psychiatric Exploration Of The Fetus With Needles'.



Another Soft-Bulletin-era performance, this time Clouds Taste Metallic's 'Lightning Strikes The Postman'.


As is always the way with these things, the story gets a little messed up during the mid-90's, with Jones leaving due to personality differences despite some astonishing live sets towards the end of his tenure. Now a three piece, the Lips were also dealing with some serious problems with remaining band members, specifically a growing heroin habit in the case of Drozd and a near-fatal car accident for Ivins. Such chaos didn't stop them putting everything into their art, though, as can be heard on 1997's 'Zaireeka'. Now this is a tricky one. I have to confess that i've never actually heard this 4-disc 'sonic experience' as it was intended (i.e. all discs playing simultaneously from different sources). Some critics got very pissy about this idea of Wayne's (the petty Pitchfork Media website giving the album a rare 0.0 out of 10.0), but i personally admire its audacity and willingness to think outside the normal pop-rock boundaries. At least i would if i heard the bloody thing! For now, i'll had to make do with various stereo mixdowns i've discovered on the web. Some tracks do end up sounding rather cluttered in this format, but there are official stereo versions of a couple of tracks released as subsequent B-sides. What's clear from all of this is that the Lips (especially Steven Drozd) took a massive leap into difficult territory and succeeded triumphantly. I wasn't especially struck by a couple of the eight compositions ('Future Crashendos' with its pointlessly unpleasant high and low frequencies, the slightly uneventful 'A Machine In India'). Everything else, though, seems to challenge every rule in the book, Drozd's exhilirating, insanely funky drumming powering the likes of 'Okay I'll Admit That I Really Don't Understand', 'The Big Ol' Bug Is The New Baby Now' and 'March Of The Rotten Vegetables' towards a very new kind of space-rock. 'The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed By The Gnat' sends your heart fluttering with its underwater atmosphere, spiritual organ and heartbreaking vocal harmonies (an army of Drozds no less). One of the officially issued stereo tracks, 'Thirty Five Thousand Feet Of Despair' is a desperately bleak yet fascinating tale of a pilot who dramatically commits suicide mid-flight. The other, 'Riding To Work In The Year 2025 (Your Invisible Now)', can only be described as... actually, no, i won't even shame myself by trying. Suffice to say, it's one of the Lips' greatest compositions, an impossibly haunting sci-fi orchestral psych-prog epic, and one of my favourite pieces of music of all time. And STILL i haven't heard it properly yet!!!!! Some fans may understandably feel that i'm not really in a proper position to review this album, which is why i've stopped short of giving it a full five stars. I'm sure i will eventually pop my 'Zaireeka' cherry, but even in the compromised circumstances under which i've heard the album, i can honestly declare its indelible mark on my psyche.



Artwork for the quadrophonic (or stereo in my case) sound experience that is Zaireeka.



Just can't get enough of these Soft Bulletin-era performances, eh? This time it's the astonishing 'Riding To Work...'.


All this wondrous music seems to have been feeding off a huge wave of emotional uncertainty. Publicly-acknowledged explanations included the death of Coyne's father and a near fatal spiderbite sustained by Drozd when clearing out his garage. We now know that the 'spiderbite', along with a whole lot of other dark feelings, were in fact caused by Steven's by-now-raging heroin addiction. Of course, it wasn't mentioned in interviews at the time, but Wayne and Michael have since stated that living in the knowledge that Drozd could very easily die on account of his habit and that the Flaming Lips could disappear overnight led them to push ever onwards in remarkable ways, culminating in 1999's 'The Soft Bulletin'. You may see that earlier in this blog i have picked this as my favourite album of all time. It's probably a pretty controversial choice (not least given some of the classics left languishing behind it), but for now at least, i stand wholeheartedly by it. Beyond being, on some levels, a heroin album and a death album, it's just an immensely human album. Coyne's lyrics lose any last traces of his old cynical self, as well as moving on from the more outwardly psychedelic imagery of recent albums. Here he deals almost exclusively with love, loss, depression, the human spirit... basically all that big stuff that so many bands pretend to be tapping into when they're really just passing off empty gestures as "really deep and meaningful and... erm... stuff like that...". The sense of humour still comes through, but these guys had done a whole lot of growing up in a few short years. So far, so good. But it's probably not Wayne's lyrical contributions, for all their virtues, which make this such an important album for a lot of people. Wayne and Michael obviously have a hand in the musical side of things, the former still playing a significant role in the early stages of the development of many songs. Somehow though, it's Steven, supposedly on his way out, who pulls it together and, under the guidance of producer and Mercury Rev bassist Dave Fridmann, creates some of the most enthralling musical landscapes in pop history. His towering Bonham-esque drums are still a key element, especially on the beautifully unhinged march-of-the-damned 'The Gash'. On top of this rhythmic bedrock, there are luxurious swathes of strings, harps, horns and pianos, all cascading between your ears to heart-melting effect. Importantly, as heard most clearly on the magnificent singles 'Race For The Prize' and 'Waitin' For A Superman', the inimitable Coyne-Drozd Inc. take on pop melody never gets lost under the wall of sound. The entire album is a staggering success, but special mention has to go to the big-hearted, autobiographical 'Spiderbite Song', the multi-sectioned futuristic masterpiece 'The Spark That Bled', the wonderful use of dynamics on the yearning 'A Spoonful Weighs A Ton' and the desperately melancholy majesty of the closing 'Feeling Youself Disintegrate/Sleeping On The Roof'. The single remixes added at the end are a distraction, but remember to program the pop heroics of 'Buggin'' into the running order. There's really nothing more to say other than anyone who hasn't got this album needs it, and anyone who doesn't get it... well, fair play to ya for your honesty, but are you sure you were listenin' right?!

Of course, an album this good couldn't stay underground for long, and the Lips, having tasted mainstream success briefly during the mid 90's, were given the opportunity to bask in a more substantial, and possibly more rewarding, share of the rock limelight. The live shows which accompanied the album release were just as groundbreaking, by all accounts an intense mix of emotions and experiences. Although i was a bit too young to catch any of these performances, i've seen several videos showing a three-piece Lips, accompanied by backing tapes, supported viusally by a full-size gong and massive video screen, alternating between footage of Steven drumming at home, disconcerting close-ups of a fake blood-soaked Wayne, playing with various props, via a mic-mounted camera and an endless array of assembled images all adding to the synapse-shattering nature of it all. Apparently creating a totally unique concert experience on a relatively low budget, the Lips were blowing minds all over again. In short, i wish i'd been there.



Artwork for The Soft Bulletin. My favourite album ever?!? The debate (in my head) continues...



A very ragged live take of US-only track 'The Spiderbite Song', featuring entertaining mid-song commentary from Wayne.



Rare live outing for the wistful 'Suddenly Everything Has Changed', followed by the rumbling lunacy of 'The Gash'. Last SB-era clip. Honest.


In the midst of all this touring and adulation, the band was still dealing with its secret yet potentially disastrous difficulties. In 2001, the band began filming their own sci-fi movie 'Christmas On Mars' (only very recently released), but Steven's heroin problem had, after years of barely interfering with his band obligations, left him almost unable to work or function and close to death. Miraculously, an album was assembled during this time, entitled 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots'. Eventually released in 2002, the record wasn't quite on the same level as 'The Soft Bulletin' (hell, what is?), but still proved to be a significant feat under such desperate circumstances. Interviews around the time revealed Steven's troubles, but also brought the better news that he'd managed to kick drugs towards the end of the sessions for the album. This overlap may help to explain the odd mix of emotions contained within the songs - like its predecessor, there's an almost tangible layer of existential melancholy covering this album, but there's also a more playful element, perhaps an indication of real hope for a happy ending. For instance, alongside the mournful, futuristic ballads 'One More Robot' and 'All We Have Is Now', you get the irresistably poppy groove of the title track, but even in these moments of apparent frivolity there's a darker subtext (the seemingly joyous singalong 'Do You Realize???' being a classic example of the power of mixed emotions). There aren't really any weak tracks (OK, maybe the odd languid passage), making it harder to pinpoint why this doesn't quite match the glory of its predecessor. The melodies and arrangements are airtight throughout, the advances into a more electronic feel a welcome change. Maybe the relative lack of booming, heartstopping drums in preference for twitchy drum machines lends a unwanted sterility at times. I'm really just guessing though - this is still a great album, totally worth your money, just not as earth-shatteringly potent as its deified predecessor.

The band's profile stepped up even further with this album, as did the grandiosity of the stage shows. The absence of a live drummer (which had been criticised by a minority on the 'Soft Bulletin' tours) was resolved by the induction of roadie and local musician Kliph Scurlock, allowing Steven even freer reign as multi-instrumentalist. Lucky fans were invited to dance with the band onstage, but only if they dressed up as one of a variety of animals and cartoon characters (the band, with the exception of Wayne, followed suit). Confetti, huge multi-coloured balloons and all manner of good-natured lunacy were present in abundance, the Flaming Lips live experience fast becoming one of the most talked-about in the rock world. Oh, and Wayne took to opening shows by crawling over the audience in a giant 'space bubble'. As you do. Again, there are quite a few videos of performances around this time available on YouTube, a Radiohead warm-up set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2003 being particularly spectacular.



Our heroes during the troubled filming of 'Christmas On Mars' in 2001.



Possibly my personal favourite from 2002's Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, 'One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21'.


Coinciding with all this goodwill were a couple of EPs. I don't own the 'Fight Test' EP, but the one for 'Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell' is surprisingly strong. There are four unreleased originals, all of which seem to be outtakes from the album judging by their very similar feel (i could be wrong though). Despite the lack of any major new sonic advances, they're very good songs, occassionally displaying a reflective Miles Davis jazz feel in the chord changes (especially instrumental 'I'm A Fly In A Sunbeam'). If forced to criticise, the drum machines are starting to wear a bit thin by this point out of over-familiarity more than anything else, whilst the lyrics (especially on the otherwise lovely Christmas song) are showing a worrying propensity towards banality, a theme which will reappear i'm afraid. Oh, and there are three remixes, none of which do a great deal for me to be blunt, although they're not exactly offensive, just a bit pointless. Still, pick this EP up if you find it.

Touring for 'Yoshimi' seemed to go on forever, meaning that the next album wouldn't be completed until 2006. In the interim, two DVDs were released, 'VOID' being a welcome reminder of the band's modest origins, following their video history back from immaculately-produced story-based clips like 'Waitin' For A Superman' through to chaotically lo-fi collages like 'When You Smile' and 'Be My Head'. The other release was a documentary directed by the man behind these promos, Bradley Beesley. 'The Fearless Freaks' is not for the faint hearted or easily offended, providing surely one of the most in-depth explorations of a still-operational band ever caught on film. It manages to capture all those emotions that have accompanied the musical journey these guys have been on for over two decades, providing an unparalleled insight into what makes a group of people stick together through whatever fate throws at them. It's sad, hilarious, shocking (especially a scene from 2001 featuring Drozd cooking up a shot of heroin in his old flat), and uplifting in the same, delirious way a great Lips song is. I doubt a newcomer would get that much out of it, but for the growing army of Lips loyalists, it's an absolute must.



The Fearless Freaks documentary. I think 'warts 'n' all' is the befitting bromide.


So what about that new album then? Did they make it three gems in a row? Well, i don't mean to burst the space bubble, but no, and that's a fairly emphatic no. 'At War With The Mystics' took the Lips from a position of total strength and now leaves them looking very fragile creatively. Inevitably, it was the biggest chart hit yet, but a large number of fans got concerned pretty quickly. The album was a mess. Not in the charming way the mid 90's albums were, mind - it seemed positively directionless. There was some sort of vague political underbelly to the whole thing, especially in Wayne's lyrics on the likes of the self-explanatory 'Free Radicals' and 'The WAND'. But this wasn't really backed up with any of the genuine insight that seemed to underpin the sincerity of 'The Soft Bulletin' - i mean, anyone can get pissed off about Bush and let's face it, most right-thinking people do. I realise i've been pretty harsh so far, and it's worth noting that i don't actually hate this album, it's just that it feels so disposable. Where there was bold, experimental production and great musical beauty, we now find aimless electronic meandering and a few good riffs not really going anywhere. Sure, the singles ('Yeah Yeah Yeah Song', 'The WAND') are catchy and exciting in a live setting, but listen to them anywhere else and you'll start getting impatient pretty quickly. At least i do. There ARE good moments though, which provide hope for the band's recording future. 'Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung' is prog-influenced in the very best way possible, possessing a rolling, exhilarating groove, poetic lyrics and wistful chord changes. 'My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion' and 'Vein Of Stars' don't really do anything lyrically, but the music is quite lovely and a reminder of what these guys are capable of. Actually, there it is, the main problem. The lyrics. Wayne seems to have (hopefully on a temporary basis) lost it. I simply refuse to believe that he's really trying to say something or put across some interesting ideas with the lightweight nonsense which renders the likes of 'It Overtakes Me', 'Goin' On' and 'Haven't Got A Clue' so cruelly incapable of taking off. He's fallen into the traps set by guys like Coldplay and U2 - tapping into cliched ideas and images of importance and meaning as a style rather than out of some kind of desire to express something real. Worse still, for the most part, they're merely functional. Steven i'm less worried about - you really get the feeling that these songs would be much better (if still not classic) if Wayne had gotten his act together with the words. There are interesting ideas hidden away all over the place, but they've bafflingly decided to draw attention to all the weakest ones. I still believe in you guys, but come on, you know you can do a hell of a lot better than 'At War With The Mystics'.



At War With The Mystics. A bit of a mess, then.


Despite my extremely mixed feelings towards the album, i finally got to see the Lips live in Manchester in late 2006. As expected, the sense of occassion overwhelmed the critic in me and i really got into the whole experience. The main change from the Yoshimi tour seemed to be in the outfits of the dancers, who now sported either Father Christmas outfits or alien suits. Wayne was dressed like some vaguely flamboyant after-dinner speaker, Steven wore some kind of grey spacesuit, Michael was sporting a funky, if slightly unoriginal, skeleton suit and drummer Kliph appeared in a red 'Cymru' t-shirt (apparently he's a massive SFA and Gorky's fan). Sure, the luminous yellow beach balls covering the audience got a bit distracting after a while, but they just added to the whole kids-party-gone-wrong feel of the thing. 'Race For The Prize' was a wave of good feeling, perhaps the best opener imaginable, whilst the likes of 'Fight Test' and 'A Spoonful Weighs A Ton' provided similarly euphoric moments. The stuff from the new album was more forgivable, even enjoyable, in person, although they didn't bring highlight 'Pompeii' into the set until the next year. So, on the whole, great fun, but not the same emotional upheaval i could imagine the late 90's/early 00's shows to have been. Maybe a few more older songs would have helped (but hey, every fanboy on the planet says that at some point!)? Having occassionally visited the Lips official forum, i've noticed how some fans have grown rather tired of the repetitious nature of the current shows, certain elements which were once a breath of fresh air in the gig world now feeling a bit too stale and gimmicky to have any real impact. As a case in point, Wayne's endless speeches on the injustices of the admittedly disgraceful US Republican administration and the power of hope etc. have become too repetitious to come across with any real impact. Bigger shows have seen the band enter and leave the stage in a Funkadelic/Parliament style UFO, a nice, if distinctly Spinal Tap-esque idea. It will be very interesting to see what happens to The Flaming Lips next, but if anything's certain, it's that you should always be open to the unexpected. Which is fine by me.

*************************

2010 UPDATE

I might have descended into hysterics momentarily there, but i stand by the general sentiments. 'At War With The Mystics' still stubbornly refuses to seduce me with its debatable charms.

As i briefly touched upon, there was the small issue of 2007's 'UFOs At The Zoo' DVD (***1/2), which does pretty much what it says on the box. It features a fun, frolicking performance from Oklahoma City (which leans a bit too heavily on the new material for my liking), but the whole thing is just overwhelmed by the stage show. It feels like a logical conclusion to the grandstanding approach the band had taken to live work since about 2003. After having a UFO the size of a house descend onto the stage to open the show, there seemed to be only one direction they could take things. On the other hand, if anyone was going to have to do it...



'The Spark That Bled' from UFO's At The Zoo.


Whilst they took time off to rethink their strategy, presumably aware of the arched eyebrows provoked by their recent activities, there was the other small matter of getting 'Christmas On Mars' out of the way in 2008. OK, so 'Avatar' took a bit longer, but seven years was surely too long to spend on the plain-crazy sci-fi nonsense that constituted The Flaming Lips' debut (and surely final) motion picture (**1/2). Sitting down to watch it at 9pm on Christmas Day that year, i was undeniably taken with the unsettling, grainy atmosphere created on such a low budget and it was also kind of fun to see the band 'treading the boards'. Beyond that, though, the story was feather-light, the dialogue lead-footed and the acting often shocking. Now - i'm hardly an expert when it comes to sci-fi, and i'm aware that there is an entire sub-culture out there of 'so-bad-they're-good' movies ('Plan 9 From Outer Space' springs to mind), but i find it hard to lackadaisically throw 'Christmas On Mars' on the heap with such efforts. This is largely because Wayne's intent seems to have been so honest and genuine from the beginning (just read his sleeve notes), but also due to the fact that the potentially magical atmosphere created didn't deserve to be let down by everything else. It's not a pleasure to say this, but 'Christmas On Mars' has to be classified as a failure.

But hang on. What was all that about a 'magical atmosphere'? Well, Wayne's co-directors Bradley Beesley and George Salisbury can take some of the credit for that. The rest, though, has to go to, you've guessed it, Mr. Drozd, who managed to pull off something quite wonderful with the soundtrack (****). A long-standing admirer of composers such as Bernard Herrmann and Igor Stravinsky, as well as electronic pioneers like Brian Eno and Aphex Twin, Steven pooled all these resources, combined them with his own inimitably expansive sense of melody and harmony and came up with some hauntingly beautiful themes and evocatively bleak incidental music. It's no surprise to hear that much of it originated from sessions which took place in between the 'Soft Bulletin' and 'Yoshimi' albums, as it draws on the indescribable moods which made those albums so unique and personal. Walls of despairing strings, cascading harps (making a welcome return), ethereal harmonies and skittering, uneasy synths all congeal to instantly convincing and moving effect. Unsurprisingly, Drozd has garnered significant interest in his scoring abilites thanks to his work here. So yes, get out there and buy 'Christmas On Mars', but don't be surprised if you end up getting much more use out of the CD than the DVD.


(Christmas On Mars trailer - unfortunately it won't let me embed)


So there was life in the old dog after all! Late 2008 and early 2009 saw the Lips holed up in Steven's old home (it wasn't selling due to the financial crisis), trying to figure out a new way of putting an album together. As is often the way with these things, a bit of jamming got things loosened up and the band soon decided that their next album, tentatively titled 'Embryonic' (****), would be a double album populated by... well, whatever came out of their jamming sessions. Admittedly, there are several tracks which can be appropriately described as songs in the more traditional sense, but vast swathes of the album are taken up with explorative, sometimes pretty experimental improvisation. Now, this COULD have been an embarrassing disaster - after all, it was an obvious volte face following its slightly characterless 2006 predecessor and was at risk of becoming a victim of severe overkill. Thankfully, most of it sounds to my ears like a risk taken valiantly and with great success. The Krautrock influence has been somewhat overplayed in some reviews, but the likes of 'Convinced By The Hex' and 'The Sparrow Looks Up At The Machine' do quite openly make use of classic Can grooves (not to mention the influence of early 70's Miles Davis which looms large over the whole album), much like 'Take Meta Mars' over 15 years earlier. The loosest moments are the jams with titles derived from signs of the Zodiac, the finest for me being the thrilling noise-blitz of 'Aquarius Sabotage', which wonderfully combines the mayhem with hints of classic Lips melancholy. 'Gemini Syringes' is almost as good, channelling Spacemen 3 to mind-expanding effect. The contrast in tone is handled brilliantly. One minute tracks like the staggering 'Evil' and opinion-splitting vocoder jewel 'The Impulse' are evoking the deep vein of sadness that seems to run through all of the great Flaming Lips music. The next we're lolloping along to bass-heavy acid rock like 'Worm Mountain' and barnstorming closer 'Watching The Planets'. You may recall my gripes about Wayne's lyrical decline - well, he may not be quite back to his former self, but there's been a definite improvement, plus you can barely hear them half the time anyway for all the wonderful racket. My personal pick of a diverse bunch is 'Silver Trembling Hands', which utilises a thunderous groove and patented Drozd screams to thrillingly odd effect. In summary, back on track. Or rather, abandoning the track and ploughing through the fields regardless.



Embryonic sleeve. I sensed that something pretty special was coming when i saw this.



'Silver Trembling Hands' - "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"


The welcome return-to-form presented by the guileless oddity 'Embryonic' made my second live Lips experience in November 2009 all the more keenly anticipated. This time playing the smaller Manchester Academy, things had been toned down a bit. Just a fraction, mind. Wayne still had his space bubble, the strobes still freaked us all out and there were still unruly gangs of monsters dancing either side of the stage. They'd calmed it down some on the confetti and giant balloons though. A wonderful, humourous peak was reached when Wayne sang 'Silver Trembling Hands' whilst perched on the back of a roadie dressed as a Yeti (see below). 'Evil', positioned as it was amongst the party atmosphere of joyous standards like 'Jelly' and 'Do You Realize???', gained a strange, unsettling power in a live setting, whilst album tracks like 'Pompeii' and 'In The Morning Of The Magicians' went down very nicely. The singalongs which irritated somewhat during the 2006 gig had been streamlined a little, making them a bit more palatable. The main complaint has to be Wayne's incessant pleas for us to "come on, Motherfuckers!!!" - he seems to have forgotten that it's possible to get a lot out of a gig without caterwauling your head off (although his political rants were less intrusive and more heartfelt this time around). Oh, and i could live without hearing 'The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song' ever again. On the whole, a better night than the first, partly due to the superior setlist. I won't bother trying to describe the intro, just watch it below!



The Yeti moment.



The band arrive at Manchester Academy, November 2009. The space bubble may be old hat, but it's something else entirely in person.


Back in my 2008 post i left it with the Lips in a pretty precarious position. Having demonstrated that their ability to surprise is still very much alive with 'Embryonic', it's clear that, although they may not produce another life-changer like 'The Soft Bulletin', they're still one of the most adventurous and unique bands out there. If you were to ask me for a suggestion, maybe they could bring a similar spirit of change to their live show as they have to their recording outlook. I suppose that's just nit-picking, though.