If you haven’t heard of this Chicago “neo-psych master painters” as the press release rightly calls them quoting a Record Collector magazine review, then please check them out. I was so taken with this group that I pre-ordered their excellent 2016 LP “The Acceleration of Time” (I think it was crowd funded as I remember) and got not only the album, but two rather fetching T-shirts gratis. Sadly, The Luck of Eden Hall are defunct, but Curvey continues scoring films, playing his band Custard Flux and appearing on albums in the prog/ psych genre. I hope to speak to the group’s spokesperson Curvey soon to engage in some reflection.
So, what do we have here? Well, it is mostly taken from EPs recorded for the FRUITS DE MER RECORDS label (See Link at the foot of our Home Page). ‘Love is only Sleeping’ is a worthy song to resuscitate. Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil it was originally recorded by The Monkees and has also been recorded by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. The classic ‘Never My Love’ by The Association is another good choice. ‘Something in the Air’ misses the barrelhouse piano thumping of Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman of course, but it’s still a great cover. There is also a solid cover of ‘S.F. Sorrow is Born’ from the classic Pretty Things’ classic concept album, and the cover of Lennon/ McCartney’s ‘Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and my Monkey’ surpasses even The Feelies’ version.
The Doors ‘The Crystal Ship’ is an intriguing choice. Count Five’s ‘Psychotic Reaction’ gets a similar respectful treatment, while a version of ‘Starship Trooper’ by Yes is audacious to say the least. Most intriguing of all perhaps is a cover of a 1968 number ‘Black Sheep’ by Detroit psych-rockers SRC; it’s a spacey number about the prophet Ishmael, a descendant of Noah and Abraham, but disinherited. He carried on regardless apparently living until 137 and having 12 sons! In this version there is a hyperactive bass solo, thrashing drums and a neat guitar solo, depicting turbulent times I must suppose.
There are some great originals as well from a L.O.E.H. EP from 2012 including ‘Bangalore’ (with sitar!) and the classic ‘This is Strange’.
Comments