The Legendary Pink Dots, "From Here You'll Watch the World Go By"

Within the last nine months The Legendary Pink Dots have completed three CD's worth of new music, released it all within the space of around four weeks, quit the record company they had been with for ten years, made their piece with them again, set up their own record company, organized a world tour, dismantled into a myriad of solo projects, reassembled, argued with each other, laughed together. The result is "From Here You'll Watch The World Go By", the album which The Pink Dots presented to Staalplaat and Soleilmoon at the end of July with the request that it should be released within the space of around four weeks because they were committed to a 60 date tour covering the World from Czech Republic to Mexico.

It's maybe the 19th album of the Pink Dots, but who's counting anyhow? After 15 years, there are still some encyclopedias of popular music that don't even acknowledge the existence of the Dots although nearly half a million pieces of plastic bearing the band's name are now floating around this sad planet.

The Pink Dots have followings in places like Colombia, Taiwan, Macao ... teenage girls ask them what they eat for breakfast from places like Moscow and Buenos Aires. As the press release is being prepared, books are being written about the Dots in English, French and Czech. The Band has seen around 20 people pass through it. It's witnessed birth, death, glory, sold out well known venues in the States, but also played before audiences of 9 or 10 in Sweden. Film makers have frequently used Pink Dots music in their movies, though they have failed to credit them or (of course) pay them. The Pink Dots have attracted the interest of major labels, minor labels, hobbyists, charlatans, bezerkers, Mansonists, worshippers at the temple of the dark demon, Wurggalmiah who all wanted to release their records. Sometimes the band agreed. But 'officially' the Pink Dots do not exist. That's what the statisticians say anyhow. It's great to be "really" underground, maaaaaaaan.

Clockwise

Brave Sir Henry swims the Serpentine in 16 seconds flat. We applaud him from the plimsoll line; Sir Henry lifts his hat... We drink some wine. We hold up signs. We give him 9 point 87 every time. Every time! That's just the way things are in heaven here.

Sweet Katrina preens in six way mirrors under triple moons. I have seen her glide along the river murmuring this tune. Here.

A little bird just told me that my time is nearly through and soon I must forget this place and crawl right back to you. Childhood ends and "sense" descends, and I'll believe in you. I'll be leaving you.

Citadel

In blacklight corridors of power, we were lost without a map. We skipped the tripwires and searched for hours. We tiptoed through the traps. We slid through empty rooms with white walls and crystal chandeliers? they had carpets you could drown in. Bells were ringing in our ears. We slipped through borders, skipped the lasers murmuring a code. We'd wade coals. We climbed the scaffold - Hell, they even left the rope. We watched our spinning friends descend? choked. Through passages we danced? we glanced at fat men smoking fat cigars who spun their webs on screens and threw telegrams in trays. Candy soldiers raised the table. Wearing labels, muttering curses under sheeps' heads. They were naked from their collars to their cotton socks. And every handshake gave a shock, a buzz, a charge? we saw them star with stars with sugar knives, then they fell into vats of lard. We watched but kept on moving higher? through the hall of two way mirrors. I spied a boy scout shackled to a chair and heard the whip crack "in the mood" as it made a parting in his hair. But still he dared to bait his master until the red wheels rolled from room to room to room. We padded past his tomb and kicked a door down. It was the door that said 'no entry'. We took the lift and flew to floor 666666666666? but no -one stood there waiting. No guard blocked our path. There was just an empty room with the window wide open and a note pinned to a chair. It said, "welcome friends! You passed the test? and I'm glad you could make it. From here you watch the world go by? and doesn't it look sad? And, like me before you, I'm quite sure that you'll also take a dive so?"

Friend

I have a friend who only I can see. He stays discreet but that doesn't mean he's hiding? indeed he's here right now and I believe that he likes you very much because he's smiling! But, my friend will never advertise? He stays inside and whispers secrets that should stay that way. Sometimes he will take to a place where everyone accepts me and I'm happy. I rip this metal mask off my face, I hold my head up high and no -one slaps me. But they always come and take me down, and my friend steps back and won't make a sound? and I fall back again.

A Velvet Resurrection

I want to believe in the nobility of the human spirit. I want to believe that mankind is essentially good and that the horror I see and the horrors I hear about are simply the last crisis of a dying spectre that has haunted our fragile globe for just to long. I want to believe that we are about to peel off the mask with which this spiteful god has been frightening us. I want to believe that we will not dance on his defeated rotting body for that would grant him victory in death. I want to believe that we will peel away the masks with which we frighten each other. I want to believe that no new spectre will replace the one that died and that we can stand alone and respect one another love one another? respect and cherish life in all its shapes and sizes while continuing to evolve. I want to believe that mankind will never be too arrogant to abandon it's quest for the ultimate answer. I want to believe that even I could answer this question. I want to believe all of these things? But you caught me at a bad moment and I can't.

1001 Commandments (transcribed by GubXFook)

I'll never shout you down I'll never shut you in I'll never lock you out I'll never smash your things if your're ever out ever out with him I'll never share my doubts I'll keep them all within I'll never shop around I'll keep the shop within I'll keep it squeaky clean I'll never listen in when you are phoning in I'll always let you win in your forbidden games (*) I shall take the blame I shall sit outside in the pouring rain If you shout my name If you shout my name If you shout my name If you shout my name and if you shout my name I'll crawl into you

When I'm watching out watch the cat creep in I'll just go walk about when you're upstairs with him & when he goes away & you cry out your pain but here I am again here I am again I'm on my hands & knees & you can cling to me & pin some wings on me & I will ride the breeze I'm only here to please it's my philosophy & I submit to thee yes I submit to she I submit to thee yes I submit to she I submit to thee yes I submit to she I'll crawl into you I submit to thee yes I submit to she (repeat til end)

Remember Me This Way

What's past is past. It has its value and I'm content I played a part. The Scent of you remains and there will always be a corner of my heart that's yours? It's only yours. Believe me! Believe me! But you wouldn't want to see me now - I have changed beyond all recognition, but, with your permission, may I ask you to keep this photograph and remember me this way.

This One-eyed Man Is King

Calling spirits of the trees? it's pushing 98 degrees? the mountain's ash, the river is steam. I'm walking through a desert that stretched halfway across the globe. I'm mounting bodies, bouncing bones? I'm coughing candy, sucking stones. I'm kicking cans. I'm bleeding sand. If I'm the final man to raise a glove and fight your master plan then I just throw my hand in. Calling! Falling! I don't need a bandage around my eyes. You cannot? you shall not steal these eyes?

Straight On 'Til Morning

Out here, nothing matters? there is a road on my right and the wall on my left and I walk slowly, backwards. My arm stretched out in the hope that someone will stop and carry me to a place that simply isn't here. But, although the highway is full of lights. I might as well be transparent. I think it's been days, months? this road is my past, it's my now and I'm out here and nothing matters. Sometimes I close my eyes and I see a face, but it's not a face that I know and it's always different. I know nothing except this road and it's endless, backwards. I'm trying to attract the light to me and it comes to me, but it blinds me and it flashes past my shoulders again and again. 1.000 times in a single night. An endless night. Blazing impatient lights flying past me as the night presses down on my tired body? but there is no place to rest and there is no time to stop. Nothing exists except this lonely road and it's endless. It's backwards and I'd like to turn around - but I can't? but, out

Damien

Seven seas he sailed on with cannons blazing in the night. He had shiny medals for his eyes in kryptonite (with lasers!) . With every nail he hammered came the rush of flying hands. They pasted flyers and planted flags and we watched him hover higher? higher. Cruifix and lyrics. Holy holy sensurround? Lord, he never touched the ground. From state to state he wandered. He could have been the boy next door. You could feel the patriotic roar come pouring through the cracks of our existence. He took the fear away with whitewash and scorched earth. Majorettes and cool disciples, cigarettes and red hot bibles. And the buses ran on time. Slaves of Kali Hari-karied on bayonets in poison ivy. We raised the torch of freedom. Can you see? Can you see? This is for all the girls he never had and all the boys who stood and laughed and all the dopes and all the dealers, the peelers, sheilas, feelers, squealers, come? watch me fall, watch me drown? I'm kneeling in your mirror. See me cower in the corner of your room. Watch me desecrate the contents of your tomb.

This Hollowed Ground

We turn the tide. We hide the clock. We cradle the moon is case it stops. We stroke the gentle hand that stretches down to feed us on this Hollowed Ground. We ride the lamb. We break the cross. No hollow symbol fills our loss, but at least we have each other and we need no-one to lead us from this Hollowed Ground. We shall push and we shall pull and we shall rise above it all.

Arty psych/experimental/cabaret/gloom/dance/ambient pop...with a lisp...and it's actually great! The Legendary Pink Dots, like cognac or port, are an acquired caste, and no matter how good the bottle or album, it's certainly not going to appeal to everyone. If you're already a fan of Syd Barrett, Nurse With Wound and Brecht/Weill, if you're bold enough to take a chance on music that some might call precious, melodramatic, pretentious, and fey, then the Pink Dots are ripe for your palate. The Legendary Pink Dots (Brit vocalist/keyboardist Edward Ka-Spel and friends living in Amsterdam) have been making music since the late `70s, and have only been getting better and better with age. Like Bevis Frond, Tall Dwarfs and R. Stevie Moore, Kaspel's an underground pop genius who's probably destined (and perhaps happy) to remain underground forever, From Here you'll Watch The World Go By is perhaps both his most diverse and accessible album yes, chock full of good tunes as well as adventurous wandering in complex textures and styles - he attempts a lot of different approaches, and succeeds with each. The Pink Floyd-ish "Citadel" and "This One-Eyed Man Is King." "A Velvet Resurrection" and "1001 Commandments" (techno experiments), "Kollusim" (ambient electronics) "Clockwise" and "This Hollowed Ground," (a la Television Personalities) are a few starting points, among many good tracks. - Eric Watford, CMJ