3 keepers
keeper avg .429
Once again I've accepted the fool's errand of tackling one of most revered albums in the history of rock music. I'll admit "Tago Mago" went right over my head (my non-comprehending review is on this blog somewhere). Though created with the same band lineup, their third album seemed more accessible to me, at least by side 2. The nine-plus minute "Pinch" and "One More Night" have little going on musically aside from Damo Suzuki's mutterings. The Velvet Underground-like "Sing Swan Song" at least has the virtue of being subtly creepy. Kicking of side 2, "Vitamin C"**** (featured in Paul Thomas Anderson's trippy film Inherent Vice) ebbs and flows over Jaki Liebezeit's distinctive rolling shuffle, while the similar "Soup"**** devolves into an early Pink Floyd-ian soundscape before building to a jarring / mind-melting siren crescendo. And "Spoon"**** (which apparently funded the recording of this album when the single was successful in their native Germany) showcases Liebezeit's innovative use of combined live and electronic percussion with haunting eastern-flavored melodies. "I'm So Green" (which I heard as a hippy dippy "I'm so free") sounds very much of its time - not very distinctive of anybody really - but overall side 2 is highly memorable.
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