RICHARD WALLS
SPLEEN - The Sound of Feeling Limelight - LS 86063 Hurdy Gurdy Man; Hex; Up into Silence; The Time Has Come For Silence; Along Came Sam (The Morning of the Mutations); The Sound of Silence; Spleen; Mixolydian Mode (From the Microcosmos, Book II.
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RICHARD WALLS
SPLEEN - The Sound of Feeling Limelight - LS 86063
Hurdy Gurdy Man; Hex; Up into Silence; The Time Has Come For Silence; Along Came Sam (The Morning of the Mutations); The Sound of Silence; Spleen; Mixolydian Mode (From the Microcosmos, Book II.
Gary David, voice, piano, arranger; Alyce Andrece and Rhal Andrece, voice, arranger; Ray Neapolitan, Dave Parlato, bass; Joe Roccisano, soprano sax, alto sax, flute, percussion; Fred Katz, cello; Gayle Levant, harp; Emil Richards, microtonal vibes and percussion; Maurice Miller, drums; Paul Beaver, Movy Synthesizer.
The Sound of Feeling is a vocal trio consisting of the Andrece twins (two chjcks) and Gary David. The twins use their voices like instruments - that’s been said a hundred times about a hundred singers, but here its’ not only in reference to phrasing or seating but to sound - a sound like wind through a horn, the best way to express feelings where words become inadequate - or harmful.
The group draws from many areas of music and as a result of this freedom they are alternately very good and very bad - yet they are definitely a strong argument against categorizing music, relating to Donovan and Bartok with equal alacrity, while maintaining their own identity.
The wordless vocalizing is the best part of the record - the instrumental function is submerged in musical theory and seems a bit chilly - the exception is “The Time Has Come For Silence” which has some good ol’ free form improvisation - but not nearly enough - and for some reason the voices are excluded from the foray.
The Bartok piece, “Mixolydian Mode”, exudes dark beauty and seems best fitted to the wordless concept. When its good its exciting and when its bad its a pure soprano, dirge.
Richard C. Walls
LEIGH STEPHENS - Red Weather Philips PHS 600-294
Another Dose o/ Life; Drifting; Indians; f Grow Higher; Red Weather; If You Choose Too; Joannie Mann; Chicken Pot Pie.
The Blue Cheer may suck but Leigh Stephens new album just blows a little. The songs are all very melodic, delivered with varying degrees of forcefulness, all very forgetable (though the melody of “If You Choose Too” has stayed with me). The songs are all based on repetition, causing the conscious mind to leave the sound behind - if you’re going to be repetitious put more feeling in it - the MC - 5 are repetitious but they register their feeling in the marrow of your bones, not the periphery of your mind.
But I like this album - this is psychedelic background music, one of the newest most important developments of our generation, to be dutifully pumped into hip dentists offices throughout the land. Unlike the background music of previous generations which encouraged small talk, this music drives .you inward, unaware of being driven, then follows you on your meditative journey through the small talk of your mind. Or, if your’re not the kind that likes to sit around turning your eyes inward, you could always take this record with you when you go to the hop. Good bent. Coca-Cola!!!
Concerning the music as an entity. in itself, isolated from the above mentioned social phenomena, there’s nothing to say.
Richard C. Walls.
