Shawn Phillips - "Spaced" (1977)

Shawn Phillips is described as "the most well kept secret in music business" and "one the most fascinating and enigmatic musicians to come out of the early -70s singer / songwriter boom." I'm therefore forgiven for not knowing who he was until this album landed in my home a couple of months ago. If you read about him on the net, you notice collaborations with names like Donovan, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood. He sings on the Beatles' Lovely Rita and was assigned the lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar (but withdrew). In total, he has released about 20 albums. So it's still kind of strange that this man has passed unnoticed in my life.

Shawn Phillips was the son of a writer and spent his childhood on almost every continent on Earth, which made him meet lots of different kinds of music. He started playing guitar at the age of seven and is considered a very accomplished musician, he masters various forms of guitars and also plays the sitar. His voice reportedly covers three octaves.

Spaced consists mostly of songs that were deselected from previous albums, often due to an album's limited time frame (according to the text on the cover). The oldest song is from 1969 and was featured on an intended trilogy of albums that never was to be (but was compressed to one record). There are also a few songs from 1977 which I assume were recorded new to Spaced.

I have to my knowledge never heard Shawn Phillips before so I have nothing to compare with, but I like this album. It has really grown from the first listening. I came across the record via a friendly partner in my job, who I was going to lose contact with. It turned out she had a large number of vinyl records she had no use for, and as a farewell gift she offered me to look through the albums and pick the ones I wanted. Such kindness makes you happy.

The music is difficult to define. There is jazz, prog, psychedelia, rock and the album ends with a 16 minute long funk jam. Shawn Phillips' music is described on various sites as folk rock, jazz rock, singer / songwriter, psychedelia, garage, soft rock, etc. Eclectic, to say the least. Apparently you should thank his travelings while growing up for this, since he, in meeting all the different kinds of music, didn't get trapped in the usual musical boundaries. Spaced has the traditional rock instruments like guitar, bass, drums, some saxophone, keyboard / piano of various kinds. No sitar this time. When I hear this album I sometimes get vibes of Tim Buckley. I don't know, maybe it's the voice.

Today, Shawn lives in South Africa and continues to write music. He also works as an emergency medical technician, a firefighter and navigator in South Africa's Sea rescue.

Overall it's an OK album, one thing that bothers me a little, though, is Shawn's words on the inside cover: "Today it appears that almost anyone who puts on a cowboy hat and / or has played an instrument for two or three years can be designated as a musician. All of the people who have played on my albums are musicians who have dedicated the majority of their lives to music. "
In my world it smells a little snobbery, disdain and superiority towards all the hobby musicians who find joy in creating, which darkens the image of Shawn bit. Or is it just me as a half mediocre bassist and a drummer rookie with dreams that feel insulted. But at least I don't wear a cowboy hat. Yet.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Rant 3:25
2. Italian Phases 2:22
3. The Light From Between Your Eyes 4:33
4. Stranded 4:48
5. From All Of Us 3:42

Side B
1. Parisian Plight I 3:42
2. Prelude To A Leaving 2:37
3. All Our Love 1:32
4. I Don't Want To Leave You, I Just Came To Say Good-Bye 16:08

Ravi Shankar - "Inde"

When Ravi Shankar a short time ago ended his earthly life, one must say that it was a legend that left us. Many people associate him with the Beatles and his influence on popular western music through this connection has been great. All psychedelic songs, both contemporary and ancient, where a sitar is included we have Mr. Shankar to thank (and George Harrison who was the man who welcomed this instrument). Yes, even non-psychedelia can actually include a sitar to beautify the experience.

But of course Ravi Shankar had a life before the Beatles and a long and successful career afterwards. You may correct me if I'm wrong, but he is probably the practitioner of traditional non-Western music that has reached out to the most and whose name almost everyone knows. He received the Polar Music Prize in 1998.

I'm no great knower of either Ravi Shankar or the music from India in general. In my collection there are a few titles with traditional Indian music of various kinds, of which today's theme is one. The reason I got these albums were initially simply because I thought it was pretty druggy and fuzzy music. The tones of the sitar and rhythms the tabla created a cozy and mysterious atmosphere. Throw in a nice flute to add some variety and the dish was complete.

On Inde we hear Ravi Shankar play sitar and Chatur Lal on tabla. I don't know what year the album was released, but I guess somewhere in the 60's. The label is Fontana and Inde was part of a French serie of releases with music from different parts of the world, as I understand it. We hear Ravi Shankar play the sitar relatively quickly. It's not an album if you want to lie down, close your eyes and fly away on a floaty Indian sound carpet. Some songs may start at a lower pace, but soon Ravi has increased the speed and his fingers seem to fly over the sitar. Perhaps India's answer to Yngwie Malmsteen? Accompanied only by a tabla, the sitar is in the center of the music.

I think the album is OK. Generally, I like the calmer and slower Indian music better, so sometimes it is a little too fast for me at Inde. But there is no doubt Ravi mastered the sitar to the fullest, it is a dazzling display given. At times one wonders how it's possible to play so many notes in such a short time.

Do I recommend this album? In general I find it difficult to give recommendations on traditional music, just because it's so different. It's more than usual a question of individual taste. But if you like Indian music this is surely an album as good as any other. And in general, I encourage people to explore other continents traditional music as there are lots of exciting discoveries to make.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Kafi-Holi

2. Dhun

3. Mishra Piloo

Side B

1. Raga Puriya Dhanashri

2. Raga Charu Keshi

Darxtar – "Aged To Perfection" (2012)

To get in the right mood for this album the right company is probably a magic mushroom omelette, combined with a well-filled bong. Now, the album ends after about 40 minutes, while the effect of the omelette lasts all day. So I guess you’ll have to listen to the record from the beginning again. Or put on some Hawkwind.

Space rock is a genre I'm not completely familiar with, except a number of albums with Hawkwind my record collection is pretty empty when it comes to this art form. I guess you should be careful to define music too rigid, but I think I have now increased my space rock collection. Darxtar offers music that bears clear similarities with bands like the already mentioned Hawkwind with long druggy space jams, blipping syntheizer sounds, half psychotic violin and fuzzy text themes. A few pinches of psychedelia and the dish is complete. Or is it called neo-psychedelia when a modern band plays "psychedelic" music? And isn’t space rock in itself very psychedelic? Definitions ...

Darxtar is a Swedish band formed in the late 80's by Sören Bengtsson. They have over the years released a number of albums, Aged To Perfection seems to be their eighth, including an obscure live album that was made in 100 copies. Today the band consists of Sören Bengtsson (vocals, guitar), Patric Danielsson (vocals, drums), Marcus Pehrsson (vocals, bass), Fredrik Sundkvist (violin) and Per Hillbom (Synth / Keyboard). They have collaborated a few times with Nik Turner, so the Hawkwind connection is not entirely wrong.

However, there are not only long space jams on the album, there are also more acoustic tracks (with vocals) which is nice as it would become tiresome and boring with only spacey, drawn out jams / sound collages. But I must honestly say that this isn’t really my kind of music today, 20 years ago I would certainly have appreciated it more. I have some issues with songs that continues for 10 minutes and sounds about the same all the time. No matter how good and / or druggy the song is, I get bored. Long songs (usually) need a greater variety to work. Maybe I need a clearer structure in music today. Darxtar’s songs that are more "normal" and not long jams / sound sculptures / sound collages are OK, but not more.
This is what I also think of Hawkwind, in the context a well-known and successful band, and in my ears Darxtar reaches at least the same level of quality as Nik Turner & Co. So seen in its own genre, Darxtar is a good band.

Although this isn’t really my kind of music, I have the deepest respect for Darxtar. This is a genre that doesn’t reach the masses, which was probably bigger in the 70's and now exists in the shadows. 2012 some would even call the genre a relic. Darxtar choose nonetheless to continue to walk this path. I like that. And a song title like Fiska På Gräsmattan (Go Fishing On The Lawn) is fun, makes you wonder. What do they really mean? Surely has something to do with psychedelic drugs, what else?

For people who like to pause from reality with bands like Hawkwind, or Moose Heart Faith Stellar Groove Band (yes, I managed to name drop the other modern space / psych band I know of), Darxtar certainly is a nice trip. Put on your spacesuit, launch the rocket, Saturn - here we come! One way ticket, please.

Tracklist

Side A
1. Aged To Perfection 3:34
2. In Green Heat 5:05
3. Mörkret 2 2:26
4. Tired Nature 8:39

Side B
1. Some Things 3:46
2. In A Time 6:56
3. Moving Along 5:02
4. Fiska På Gräsmattan 11:36

Caravan – ”In The Land  Of Grey And Pink” (1971/2011) 

 2011 was the 40th anniversary of the release of the excellent album In The Land Of Grey And Pink, Caravan's third album. To really celebrate this they released a limited edition of 500 copies of the vinyl. Not only the limited number of albums, each disc had a unique pattern in pink and gray! Can you resist such a thing? Some might call me a victim of vanity or an easy-to-fool consumer, but obviously this was a record I immediately had to own.

I've owned the CD for a long time, but to own this limited edition vinyl made me feel very special. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that 144,000 people will end up in heaven. 500 selected people on the planet own this vinyl. I belong to an extremely rare group.

Caravan belongs to the so-called Canterbury scene that gave us bands like Gong, Camel, Hatfield and the North, Soft Machine, Egg and many more during the years around 1970. What all these bands have in common is that they are from the city of Canterbury in England (or nearby). Canterbury was at the time apparently a very conservative town, the music these bands created was not conservative, though. Rather the opposite.

Caravan is regarded as a progressive band which might scare some people. Fear not, the music they created was really groovy and not at all difficult. In The Land Of Grey And Pink is considered by many to be their best album, which yours truly is prepared to agree on. Who can not love a song like Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly)? Pop prog which makes even the most stiff-legged stamp their feet and take a spin on the dance floor in the living room.

The limited edition vinyl is a double album. The first disc is the original music while the second disc has some of the songs in alternative recordings / mixes / demos and some previously unreleased tracks.
The A-side consists of four tracks, all really great. When you mention progressive music some people frown and think it's difficult music primarily created for other musicians. Caravan's version of progressive music is not so. Many of the songs on this album have a clear pop touch and is fairly gentle music. But be sure, it's not a safe, sun-soaked, clearly mapped path to walk on. The listener is offered interesting challenges, in just the right dose. The songs on side A are all strong cards, with both half silly pop prog and more melancholic moods.

The B-side consists of the almost 23 minute long song Nine Feet Underground. Now again someone may frown and think that 23 minute songs aren't anything that should be on an album. But think again. As usual with songs like these, it's divided into a number of shorter pieces woven together into a whole. The B-side is also a great creation and ends with the really heavy part 100% Proof of that same song.

The second disc contains the already mentioned alternative recordings of some of the songs, as well as some previously unreleased tracks. These songs are also of high quality and don't feel like just some sort of time fillers. It's none other than Porcupine Tree's singer Steven Wilson, who has made these new mixes, which is possibly a guarantee of quality. Although the other disc is also really good and interesting, it is problably the original version I will listen to mostly.

Obviously, I recommend this beautiful album. Now I understand that you are all dying to get this limited edition vinyl, and that feelings of extreme jealousy fill your insides. But if you realise that the feelings that fill my body is extreme pride, joy and superiority, you might feel better.

By the way, it is said that the lower number you have on a numbered vinyl, the better. I've got number 491.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Golf Girl 5:01

2. Winter Time 7:36

3. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) 3:04

4. In The Land  Of Grey And Pink 5:00

Side B

1. Nine Feet Underground 22:44

Side C

1. Aristocracy 3:15

2. It’s Likely To Have A Name Nxt Week (’Winter Wine’ Instrumental Demo) 7:48

3. Love To Love You (And Tonight Pigs Will Fly) (First Version) 3:26

4. Frozen Rose (I Don’t Know Its Name Alias The World) 6:08

Side D

1. Nine Feet Underground (Alternate Mix) 22:40