Log #61 - Grounded in the Sands of Time

More raw americana from Green on Red this week including a solo effort from their guitarist Mr Chuck Prophet, local loveliness from acoustic duo Scott and Maria, an early album from the ever consistent Beck, a psychedelic classic from space rockers Hawkwind, and a frankly bonkers album of clicks and beats from electronic veterans Autechre!

1. Green on Red - Here Come The Snakes
2. Chuck Prophet - Homemade Blood
3. Scott and Maria - Bright Star
4. Hawkwind - In the Hall of the Mountain Grill
5. Beck - Mutations
6. Autechre - Untilted

Chuck on Red

Unfortunately following the roaring success of Here Come The Snakes last week my filing system has failed to uncover any further Green on Red albums (so far) but consolation arrives in the form of one of their guitarist's solo albums - Chuck Prophet's Homemade Blood released in 1997. A cool title, a cool cover, and by the way a cool name Mr Prophet too.

Green on Red guitarist Chuck Prophet on vocals

A good solid rock guitar album which could be Green on Red, except, of course, the vocals aren't the same. If a Green on Red hadn't come before, Prophet's smoother voice would not suffer from comparison with Dan Stuart's compelling bark.

Those Psychedelic Warlords

Here we have a mid 70s Lemmy infused Hawkwind demonstrable through the heavy distorted bass and most obviously where Lemmy takes lead vocals - Lost Johnny a case in point and a clear sign post to Motorhead who actually went on to cover this very track.

Classic track is the opener The Psychedelic Warlords (Disappear in Smoke) - this title pretty much sums up what Hawkwind were all about and could have been their calling card if it hadn't have been for the single success of Silver Machine. Dave Brock's driving rhythm guitar riffs on two chords over Lemmy's three note bass (this period Hawkwind seemed to be almost entirely devoid of electric lead guitar with melodic breaks provided by synthesizers, sax or flute).

The longer guitar driven tracks are interspersed with some beautiful instrumental passages courtesy new member Simon House excelling on violin and keyboards.

Early Hawkwind with Lemmy on location with Game of Thrones

The title is an obvious riff on Greig's famous classical piece of similar name - the Mountain Grill was apparently a West London cafe frequented by the band. The image couldn't be further from the brilliant album art work by Barney Bubbles depicting a crashed spaceship grounded in the sands of time.

275 Portobello Road

Beck Mutates

Beck's albums are consistently good. They draw on various styles, usually between albums rather than within the albums themselves. Was n't he another one of those hailed as a new Hendrix or Dylan when he burst upon the scene with Odelay (the one with the shaggy dog doing the high jump) in 1996? Mutations came just two years after that breakthrough and reminds me of the Beatles - mostly the more psychedelic John Lennon stuff like Tomorrow Never Knows. Great melodies and even some harpsichord! Take the very 60s feel of Lazy Flies as an example.

Golden Boy Beck

The Yes of Techno

After listening to Autechre I feel a bit like I did with Yes last week where I wrote:

What to make of them? Are they musical geniuses or just random noodlers? Does their music have structure and form or is it all over the place without any context or continuity? 

That statement can pretty much apply to their Untilted album. It is pretty full on. Very industrial techno recorded at a breakneck bpm.

It's rather like being locked in a cold dark shipping container whilst being repeatedly hit over the head with a metal baseball bat. 

So like Yes the music is seemingly random on first hearing but all the more interesting for that. And like all interesting music it does something odd to your mind. I would start with small doses though - the whole album in one sitting is quite a challenge.

Autechre's Anti Criminal Justice and Public Order Act EP

Remarkably the apparent randomness has a deliberate provenance. In 1994 Autechre released the track Flutter as part of their Anti EP in protest against the new Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of that year. The Act prohibited "raves" which were defined as gatherings of 9 or more people where music characterized by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats was played. Autechre responded with the notice that Flutter had been programmed in such a way that no bars contain identical beats and can therefore be played under the new law. However they also advised DJs to have a lawyer and musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment!

Rochdale duo Booth and Brown of Autechre

There are quite a lot of duo electronic artists out there - Boards of Canada, Kruder and Dorfmeister, Chemical Brothers etc. I don't suppose they necessarily need two to record the music, but maybe an extra pair of hands is necessary to "play" it "live"?

Acoustic Lovelies

Scott and Maria

Now for something completely different. Thank the lord for that. I've been released from the shipping container and am now lying on a hillside on the Downs soaking up the sunshine of Scott and Maria who offer a gentle and soothing antidote to my Autechre headache.  Their website says their music is a medicine for our times and I would add it is certainly medicine for Autechre (isn't random play a marvellous invention!).

For a real flavour of their lush celtic tinged harmonies check out their anti fracking and deforestation anthem This Land beautifully filmed in the Sussex countryside.

New album Bright Star sees Maria's soaring voice fronting Scott's acoustic guitar strummings with occasional extra flavours of violin and percussion thrown in to provide a heady mix of catchy Kings of Convenience / Simon and Garfunkel gorgeousness.

Timeless Goldie

Finally a quick word on a bonus gig I attended last week. Drum 'n' bass artist Goldie is touring with the Heritage Orchestra. Not knowing much about Goldie and taking the name of his backing band literally, I could barely imagine what to expect. In the event I was impressed - not so much by some of the jazzy soulful song numbers which don't always seem to suit the rhythms of drum 'n' bass, but certainly by the banging instrumentals played live with two frenetic drummers! I had assumed all drum 'n' bass was electronically recorded so was taken aback by the use of real drummers. I found this short film about the reworking of Goldie's classic Timeless album for live band.

Goldie directs live band

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Log #60 - Can Anyone Be Bothered To Listen To Yes?

Two new entries this week - Green on Red and Yes.

I first heard Green on Red when a music journalist (it may have been someone like Andy Kershaw or Mark Ellen) played some to Neil Young who mistook them for Crazy Horse. That was enough to warrant further investigation - I obtained No Free Lunch which was their album at the time. Actually had it on cassette and the majority of one side was taken up with an extended version of the Howlin' Wolf standard Smokestack Lightning. I was impressed and proceeded to obtain all their albums.

Sadly Here Come The Snakes and a Greatest Hits album (I think, or was it Scapegoats?) are the only LPs that have survived the transformation to CD in my collection. I must admit I haven't seen my second Green on Red CD for ages (assuming I did have it - sometimes I forget whether I had or have an album on vinyl, cassette, CD, or not at all - I don't count dreaded mp3s at all as part of my collection!). But thinking back now they were all excellent and I must reacquaint  myself forthwith!

Do you sometimes go into a music shop (those of us that still buy physical music) and ponder over an album not remembering if you have it already or not?

The core of the band was essentially made up of the songwriters, singer Dan Stuart and guitarist Chuck Prophet, plus full band which started out slightly more organ/keyboard orientated in the early days before becoming full on guitar driven.

Prophet is now fronting his own band with relative success (think he is on tour in the UK right now). No idea what happened to Dan Stuart - his stage persona was one of a heavy drinking angry rocker living life on the edge - hang on, let's look...

Here you go - still going as a solo artist too https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Stuart

I saw Green on Red live at that venue (wasn't it a church or something?) now called The Venue in New Cross, South East London. They were super good - heavy rocking americana/country before it became really popular. Whenever it was must have been when the LA's had their hit There She Goes (1990) as Stuart mimicked them mercilessly.

Full album discography:

Green on Red 1982
Gravity Talks 1983
No Free Lunch 1985
Gas Food Lodging 1985
The Killer Inside Me 1987
Live at the Town and Country Club 1989
Here Come the Snakes 1989
This Time Around 1989
Scapegoats 1991

Not a huge catalogue but quality over quantity.

So the early albums started out a little bit more new wave with organ. Here Comes the Snakes on the other hand is dirty blues of the Exile on Main Street variety. The very 80s production by Jim Dickinson mixes the thump of the damped snare high and the low bass is distorted which gives the record a massively ponderous sound but it actually suits the doom laden music and doesn't sound as dated as you'd expect. Zombie For Love is one of the dirtiest blues I've ever heard - so down and heavy it sounds like a car that just can't get started. Tenderloin is another song of failed relationships and urban decay straight out of a Louis Theroux documentary filmed in the underbelly of the failed American Dream:

After five years, four apartments, three abortions, two cities and a dog she left me.

Green on Red, early days, Chuck Prophet and Dan Stuart looking cheerful right

1. Green on Red - Here Come The Snakes
2. Scott and Maria - Bright Star
3. 4Hero - Creating Patterns
4. Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
5. Hidden Orchestra - Archipelago
6. Yes - Close to the Edge

Yes, like Soft Machine from log #58, are another curious affair. What to make of them? Were they musical geniuses or just random noodlers? Does their music have structure and form or is it all over the place without any context or continuity? How do they remember what notes to play or when to switch tempos or time signatures? How on earth did they even write this stuff?

Given all that it is not surprising that their music takes a lot of listening, and to be fair, like a very challenging novel or piece of art, doesn't make a lot of sense to begin with, but eventually with perseverance reveals hidden depth. Not to be too snobby about it (as I do like the straight forward riffage of a band like AC/DC just as much and no judgement is intended) this music is complicated (probably some of the most complex in the whole prog. canon). It's like comparing Abba with Mozart - both excellent in what they do but completely different. Each to their time and place. 

Can you be bothered? Is life too short?

Ok, I admit it, I love it. It's amazing music. And the more you listen the more you get out of it. But it's not for everyone, and not all the time. You've got to be in the mood. 

Close to the Edge is one of their best and what about that Roger Dean cover too? That centre fold is a teenage wet dream!

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