My Dad indoctrinated me to this album when I was about 3 years old, and I finally bought it for him on CD for Christmas.
Ah, what a fantastic pleasure. Christ, just the first side alone: the "El Wool Suite"---> "The Juggler's Song" ---> that horrible cowgirl tune. The lull of Likky's shrill voice on "Bridge Song". And "Cutting the Strings" still has the best fucking opening vocals for a song on a major-label recording I think I have ever heard, bar none.
And then...man, those lyrics. "Adam will pull the knife from his brow/Eve will lick the salt from his wound".
So: The White Album of folk-prog? Or massive surrealist turkey, rightfully suppressed from a curious public?
― Joe (Joe), Saturday, 4 January 2003 05:40 (twenty-two years ago)
― Amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 7 January 2003 04:25 (twenty-two years ago)
come in Amateurist - your time is up.
― Bob Six, Sunday, 8 July 2007 10:48 (eighteen years ago)
Amateurist prolly forgot to listen to the the damn thing!
― t**t, Sunday, 8 July 2007 15:48 (eighteen years ago)
...at at at aallll!
I like some of the stuff on later '60s albums like Changing Horses and I Looked Up, but I don't know about this thing. Been a while since I've heard it, though.
― Tim Ellison, Sunday, 8 July 2007 16:06 (eighteen years ago)
There's at least one excellent instrumental vehicle for Williams on it, I haven't listened to my copy in a few years. Better than Liquid Acrobat, for sure.
― sleeve, Sunday, 8 July 2007 16:07 (eighteen years ago)
Beautiful Girl: To the South a brightness It is not the moon, deep dreams unfurling It is not the starlight, far but near I feel in my heart bright joy stirring Look yonder love, see it comes more clear
Seeker: Beloved how I love, how I love To see things through the magic of your eyes To share things that make your spirit rise up But try as I might, and try as I may I can't see anything...
Beautiful Girl: To the South a brightness City of light unfolds its glory How it calls me on through the night Pinnacles of gold, towers of the silver bright And the soul of the city calls, Come, be my bride tonight
Seeker: Beloved how I love, how I love To see things through the magic of your eyes To share things that make your spirit rise up But try as I might, and try as I may I can't see anything
Beautiful Girl: To the South a brightness And I must go The bridge opens its arms and bends low And you my love, must go where you will.... See you.........
― Joe, Monday, 9 July 2007 03:16 (eighteen years ago)
This is the only ISB album I have never heard and I bought it today for ten bucks.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Monday, 12 September 2011 23:34 (fourteen years ago)
listening to this today for the first time in almost 10 years. It's really a lot to take. I can totally empathize with anyone who throws the thing into a storm drain halfway through the cowgirl song. Robin is really, really strong on this album though. Fantastic sounding recording. IDK I feel like this is a better record than Changing Horses or I Looked Up though its lows are abysmal. Owing to a total inability to know what the ISB are on about here, i don't know whether this is more CoS-infused than those records or not...
― shameless pureyors of slop-on-plate (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 11 June 2014 17:25 (eleven years ago)
"Invocation" is absolutely breathtaking, totally top-shelf ISB. Proto-Current 93 as well.
ugh "robot blues"
― shameless pureyors of slop-on-plate (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 11 June 2014 18:23 (eleven years ago)
haha "invocation" and "robot blues" are perfect arguments for and against ISBDown in Robot City, you might think it's play play playDown in Robot City, you might think it's play play playBut a Number 5 Robot he must work in all the night and day
― tylerw, Wednesday, 11 June 2014 18:36 (eleven years ago)
is there any video of the shows that U's music comes from? is that in Be Glad For The Song Has No Ending? I can't remember. would be interesting to see though.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 11 June 2014 18:40 (eleven years ago)
i would totally watch that though I know it would ruin any appreciation I do have of this record. I am getting by pretty well with listening to it as a plain collection of songs rather than a ~happening~
― shameless pureyors of slop-on-plate (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 11 June 2014 19:41 (eleven years ago)