From here You'll Watch The World Go By (Legendary Pink Dots)

gclow@smtpgate.octrf.on.ca.octrf.on.ca

This past Friday was probably the musical highlight of my *year*. I got the
new Lisa Gerrard disc (the promotional digipack version, even!), which is
absolutely beautiful. I received in the mail a couple of tapes from an
Internet trade - one full of a bunch of early Orbital singles that I've
been wanting for a while, and another containing (amongst other things)
demo tracks for the upcoming Coil album, "Backwards". And, best of all, I
received from Soleilmoon a promotional copy of the upcoming LPD release
"From here you'll watch the world go by".

After 4 or 5 listens over the weekend, my overall impression is that this
is a release that is very different from anything else the LPDs have done -
and considering the number of styles they've touched on in the past, that's
saying a lot! It's generally quiet and acoustic, with very little in the
way of prominent electronic or "experimental" sounds. Like the previous
album, "9 Lives To Wonder", it's a very pretty and melodic release, but
even more so. Dare I say that this is probably the band's most accessible
work to date? But that's not necessarily a bad thing...

Here's a track by track rundown:

"Clockwise" - opens with a folky sounding acoustic guitar, joined after the
first verse by a simple drumbeat and piano riffs that float through the
right channel. A few sound effects and washes come in briefly just before a
horn and clarinet break and fade-out.

"Citadel" - the opening spooky keyboard sounds remind me a lot of
Portishead for some reason. This leads into another simple song, based
around a drums and piano. Very quiet and pretty. As the song progresses,
more sounds join in - acoustic and electric guitar, 60's sounding organ,
echoing vocals - building to a noisy climax followed by feedback and
footsteps.

"Friend" - a short (2:30) piece with only an acoustic guitar and Edward
singing about "a friend that only I can see". Soothing but mildly
disturbing.

"A Velvet Resurrection" - One of the few electronic oriented tracks, and
totally killer! Swirling orchestral keyboard washes provide a backdrop to
Edward's spoken word lament on the many good things about the world that he
wants to believe, but that he can't because we've "caught (him) at a bad
moment". (Reminds me of my favourite New Order lyric - "You've caught me at
a bad time, so why don't you piss off.") As the name suggests, it would've
fit in nicely next to much of the material on "The Crushed Velvet
Apocalypse". Gorgeous.

"Kollusim" - another short piece, this one an ambient bit that sounds like
an excerpt from the Silverman's solo disc.

"1001 Commandments" - sound to me like Pink Floyd goes dub... which means
it reminds me of the later Tear Garden material. A bit repetitive, but it
ends great.

"Remember Me This Way" - The Pink Dots do a three minute rock song! Who
woulda thunk it? Honestly, if it wasn't for Edward's vocals and the bit of
keyboard and horn weirdness at the end, I would never peg this as a Pink
Dots song. Reminds me of... uh, R.E.M. or something. This might frighten
some of you :-), but it's really a nice little song. I'm curious to hear
what they'll do with it for the EP release.

"This One-Eyed Man is King" - A nice instrumental piece that has some great
tribal-esque drumming. This is another one that would've fit nicely on
"Dream Cell".

"Straight On 'Til Morning" - a moody, meandering work built around a
looping tabla soundbite and a Ka-Spel story about someone who is, well, not
all there if ya know what I mean. Spooky.

"Damien" - a very prog-rockish track with some especially Floyd-like
keyboard washes. It might not sit well with those who don't like the Dots
prog undertones, but as someone who grew up listening to "Dark Side of The
Moon", I think it's pretty spiffy!

"This Hollowed Ground" - An absolutely beautiful closing number complete
with acoustic guitar and chirping birds(!), joined halfway through by bass
and clarinet. Edward's final words: "We shall push, we shall pull, we shall
fly above it all".

And my final words: I really like this album. It feels like a new beginning
for the Dots, as if they've shed much more than just their contract with
Play It Again Sam. Some may find it too quiet, too folky, too "normal", but
I likes it just fine, thanks. And I can't wait to see them so some of this
stuff live... :-)

Greg
gclow@octrf.on.ca

biosmd@luxor.latrobe.edu.au

This is a draft of a short review I've written for the
Australian zine "Vivisect". If anyone has any comments
I'd be interested to here them.

Sean

*The Legendary Pink Dots
From here you'll watch the world go by
Staaltape 1995

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS are something
of an acquired taste - so why not acquire this
CD and develop the taste? From what I
know and hear, this CD seems to be fairly
representative of the many LEGENDARY
PINK DOTS releases, except perhaps for the
first song which is a bit of a surprise, being
entirely acoustic. The other tracks are more
typical: Edward Ka-Spels captivating voice
shining through a hallucinogenic haze of
subtle electronics, acoustic guitar, drums,
saxophone and flute.

To fans of THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS, the
lyrics are an essential component: often
dream-like and introspective, they have a
child-like quality, but tinged with the sadness
of adult awareness. To illustrate, one of the
tracks which appeals to me is "A Velvet
Ressurrection", in which, through a
psychadelic mist and over a pulsing bass
synth, Edward tells us of the things he'd like
to believe in: that "mankind is essentially
good, and that the horror I see, and the
horrors I hear about are simply the last cries
of a dying spectre that haunted our fragile
globe for just too long...".

This CD is well worth getting if you're
musical interests extend beyond 4/4
industrial-rock rhythms and synths-singer-
drum-machine bands.

Sean Davidson

nytmeyr@castillo.wariat.org (i end in shadow)

i agree, i really like lpd's dynamic quality, their iconoclastic
attitude, and their freedom to explore wherever their intuitions lead
them to.

that's definately the case with the new album.

it's a lot more (ahem) normal then the usual schtick, but god if it isn't
awesome. it's definately not the darkest they've done but it's got
quality. i really dig the kind of jazzy feel that sometimes pops up.
even the lyrics which aren't as powerful on all songs are still strong.
on 'a velvet resurrection' for example (i think that's the song; i would
check but i'm busy listening to pressurehed and stubborn, too), edward
speaks of how he'd like to believe all-these-said-good-things-about-humani
ty which seems pretty lame but he wraps it up really really well, almost
sarcastically. redeems the whole song lyrically.

i have found some lpd albums less enjoyable than others but i don't think
i have ever found one i didn't like. not to get back to the pink floyd
(ah, so inevitable) but even though 'animals' was a lot lot lot different
than 'the final cut' (probably my favourite) it still had it's merit.

all i can say is give the album some time and surely it will grow on you.
sometimes i find i get in these moods where i don't want to hear a
particular type of music, so i avoid it. it may be the case here.

and besides, the album may be a little more typical but i'm not hearing
either pink floyd NOR tangerine dream here, so why worry?

s.

i forgot. here's the review i did of the album for cleveland zine us
rocker. it'll be out in the next issue, so i don't know what kind of
editing (if any) it's going to be subjected to..

anyways:

The Legendary Pink Dots : From here you'll watch the world go by
Soleilmoon (pob 83296 Portland OR 97283-0296

The Legendary Pink Dots have been around forever, and they've had
this great capacity to weld together all sorts of styles of music
to create their own little niche which seems mostly unexplored
territory. See, LPD is kind of, well psychadelic. Not in the sense
of the Door or Pink Floyd. Perhaps I could see a progressed Pink
Floyd. But these are incredible soundscapes not limited to just
guitar, bass, and keys. There's everything in here from tribal
musics to jazz elements to rock elements to ambient to plain old-
school psychadelia, to near frightening sounds and samples worthy
of Skinny Puppy (or the Tear Garden which is basically LPD + Dwayne
and cEvin from SP), and it's all mixed together with the amazing
acid-incfluenced lyrics as sung by Edward Ka-Spel who seems a very
delicate cross between Genesis P-Orridge (Throbbing Gristle) and
Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) This is pretty trippy music but it's not
simple. I mean, it's strange how even the sad songs are so incredible
as to put one in a good mood, even happy. The new album is a bit
different from their more frightening work in the Tear Garden or
the nightmares of 'Crushed Velvet Apocalypse,' but it's distinctive
LPD. Beautiful, dense, soundscapes that make you open up your eyes
at night and see all the stars shining, the night wearing velvet
and satin, feeling like you're almost touching forever.

excuse all the pink floyd allusions. it's so difficult to avoid. :)

watch out he's got the shockneck
got a face like a microwave
if he catches up with you
hi voltage makes you behave
so watch out

s.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

sweet dreams are made ov this:thee nyghtmeyr:nytmeyr@castillo.wariat.org
'Night begins to gather between her breasts' - g.s.

nihilistic.vortex@multicom.org

After reading such "praise" (of FHYWTWGB) in response
to my abstract comments-- I feel its time to dissect the
sordid mess of this disappointing album.

First off, its obvious that what is lacking is something
which "I" feel makes the Dots the Dots. (One person
mentioned this album as a link between Tear Garden and
Dots- I agree... but we have the Dots, and we have
Tear Garden. We don't need two TGS-- especially
with a new album on the way early next year). I listen
to music for purely aesthetic reasons; the LPD are perhaps
(in some ways) the most pop oriented band I listen too,
but it is their creativity and their exploration which
make them also on of my most loved bands. I don't
think they have run out of ground-- infact they have
only opened up more doors-- but this new album, in
in depressing simplety and repetitious sequencing is a
fear harbinger of perhaps a drought.

If I want to dance (which is never) I can listen to
dance music- if I want to do mindless NA tasks
I can listen to American radio- I listen to music
only for the experiences, the aesthetic phenonomeon of
"art work".

Track 1: Nice song (and lyrics)... acoustic (progish?),
not bad by itself. This song is very mainstreamish but
if we're going to have a drum kit, it belongs here.

Track 2: Lyrics seaming good enough, its the uninspired
drum track and the over amped guitar- the music is soo
boxed that I just hit the button for the next track
(that's right this music is being played by my computer
as I type-- Amiga:multitasking since 1985:).

Track 3: Simple acoustic... Nice enough son
to an old song on Klien Krieg.
(at least it has the same invisible friend, my little
"dotty" dune-bug.)

Track 4: And then there was a rave... and all the stations
could play a track, and an album could sell (if the track
was just a minute shorter) and Sunev Dna Sulumor was
back masked again, and its time to listen to Textures
of Illumina and regain some {in}sanity- is this the same
year?

Track 5: Not the most interesting minimal acustic-ambience,
but by this time- I'm not complaining.

Track 6: Some time during the recording season for FHYWTWGB
Genesis P Orridge and the dancing PT "OV" EYE" ravers attacked
the Dots- made them sing "pagan power" and made the bass
track loop forever... that or- purhaps this is an old
track from the "Apocyolpse Disco" days. Terrible!

Track 7: Genesis had to go make another car commercial, so
in steped the newest studio replacements- "Weazer"!
Just what the world needs- another "alternative" track.

Track 8: A great creative track (of course this is old
material from Silvermans first LP)- some nice additions
to the original sequence.

Track 9: A nice track for my next deprivation tank experiment.
Can be monotonous- but a great song for the right mood.
Some great writing on the lyrics- Ed's poetry reading.

Track 10: Prog Prog Prog Prog Prog Prog Prog Prog
and then the guitars and my long curly hair afros,
and then in the gleaming guitars I see pink discoball.

Track 11: Reminds me of some past tracks- some interesting vocal
experimenting... and Ed whistles for us.

I still haven't made it through a solid listening but there you
go. I've never had a Dots alblum I didn't like- this includes
all the tapes (not that I have all of them) and all the
early CDS. As far as a meca of creativity- check out the year
all the first tapes came out- I think some 7 releases in
82 alone! (Reminds me of this year!) Infact, the first 3
CDS had there back bones created on tapes like Klien Krieg
and Only Dreaming. I like some of these early versions
better than the studio tracks. Infact, the first Dots songs
were philosophically the most experimental.

Finally, I'm glad the Anne Rice stuff has stopped- Rice is
not only not literature- she is not much of a writer. You
need more than just an imagination to write (you need talent)
and she is just a genera writer. I could think of several
thousand writers which could be recommended, but she is
not one of them. Try reading some Patchen (for a good comparison
to KaSpel- Kenneth Patchen "novels" not his poetry"), just as an
example.

Its been a great year for the Dots- except for the official Dots.
At least we have a dozen solo projects.

Tommarrows I'll be posting part 5 of the Melody Maker archives,
so all you veterains "sorry it took so long" and I hope all
the "newer" crowd will enjoy this one.

NV

"-Would you like to take communion before you die, my son...
- You're gonna take communion befor you die, buddy...
- Okay, hit him...
- Take communion, you shit!"- Ignacio De Loyola Brandao

----------------------------------------------------------------------

howard s goodman <H.S.Goodman@cs.bham.ac.uk>

Here's my 2p's worth ...

I was always under the impression that so-called progressive rock was
characterised by `clever' musical structures, whacky chord sequences and
time signatures and the like. There is none of this on FHYWTWGB. I
don't think it's prog-rock: I was as put off as anyone can be by what
people on cloud-zero had said, but now I have the disc, and I love it.

There _are_ throwbacks to distasteful musical styles of the 1960s/70s,
however. It sounds to me like a `concept album', the concept here being
the terminal kaleidoscope. It sounds to me like the Pink Dots'
_Sergeant Pepper_. It sounds to me like a final statement, the sort of
record that a band might produce just prior to all being killed in some
'plane crash or something. There is a weird feel about the whole LP, a
very philosophical (or pseudo-philosophical), spiritual (or pseudo-
spiritual), fatalistic feel. It's kind of geeky -- I can understand
people finding the current lyrical preoccupations cringe-worthy,
although I don't myself -- but I'm drawn in by it.

Pink Dots LPs usually start with a very strong song, but FHYWTWGB
doesn't. Rather, the first track, `Clockwise', is a bit feeble; the
second track, `Citadel', isn't much better, although it does have that
gloomy downward-spiralling chord sequence (oops -- getting a bit prog-
rock here); the third track, `Friend', reminds me of that Pink Floyd
song about knowing a mouse who doesn't have a house and that being why
he's called Gerald.

It is only when we reach track four that the disc really begins. The
action is centred around the three tracks which sound the weirdest --
ironically, the three that sound the most conventional to us Dots
afficionados. I don't know what to say about these three -- `A velvet
resurrection', `1001 commandments' and `Straight on 'til morning' --
other than that I regard them as classic Dots. Lurking among these are
the short instrumental `Kollusim', which I never notice, the short rock
song `Remember me this way' and the anthemic declaration `This one-eyed
man is king'.

After `Straight on 'til morning', which, at 8.44, is the longest track,
we are led out with the long rock song `Damien' and the final word,
`This hollowed ground'. Still the fatalistic feel continues.

I understand people's disappointment with the rock feel of some of the
songs. The sound reminds me of 1970s David Bowie, and I'm sure I'd hate
it if it wasn't for the surroundings and all the past history of the
Dots. Indeed, I like this disc less than _9 Lives_ or _Shadow Weaver_.
But I admire the progression (bands like In The Nursery and Pram bore me
as all their LPs are exactly the same), although I hope that it leads
somewhere different -- somewhere more exciting in itself -- for the next
record.

The packaging is crap: we get a measly little scrap of paper instead of
a booklet, and the usual hideous geeky artwork, this time with a geeky
sci-fi typeface as well. It's even packaged in a particularly flimsy
jewel case.

But the atmosphere draws me in, especially to the hypnotic, non-rock,
tracks in the middle, and I find that I can't stop listening to this
disc.
... howard.

(Trivial point: there's a reference somewhere to `holy sensurround' --
compare with `cola sensurround' on CVA.)

JOHN MARSHALL

THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS' latest CD, From Here You'll
Watch The World Go By, cannot be pigeon-holed into any single
category as it consists of many different styles. The opening track,
'Clockwise', is very poppy as is 'Remember me this way', but the Pink
Dots are not the next Blur yet, as these pop tunes have a dark, warped
edge.

Speaking of dark, 'Citadel' is just that with its creepy footsteps, slamming
doors and Ka-Spel's sinister vocals. 'Friend', which is the shortest of the
11 tracks, reminds me of the solo Syd Barret stuff: folky and acoustic
and nursery-rhyme-style lyrics.

'A Velvet Resurrection' is a weird psychedelic synth tune, over which
Edward talks about wanting to believe certain impossible things. This is
quickly followed by 'Kollusim', an instrumental, weird, ambient piece. This
fades into the quite dancy '1001 Commandments'. This is pretty tribal and
funky but still has a weird feel to it so the Pink Dots will not be the next
Jamiroquai either!

'Remember Me This Way', which I've already mentioned, is very poppy
and by far the most outstanding track on this CD. It's also to be remixed
as a single which I'm eager to hear. But what we have here is a flowing
pop song with sax drifting in here and there to give it that lazy feel.
Towards the end it gets a bit psychedelic, then fades out and leaves you
wanting more.

'This One-Eyed Man is King' has to be one of my favourite titles for a
song! It has a dark, space-age synth style which builds up to get pretty
angry. The vocals end halfway through. The music continues to be
pounding and energetic, but ends with a strange whirling sound which
leads on to 'Straight On Till Morning', which sounds very haunting and
black. Keep the lights on if you get scared easily...keep them on anyway
just to be safe!

'Damien', which is also remixed on the single, has that 'piano easy-listening
feel' to it, but don't expect things to be too easy, as the vocals are as
chilling and sinister as ever. This track also features the lazy sax sound and
all in all is a pretty lazy sounding song, but I'd be a bit cautious of sleep if I
were you.

Finally, 'This Hallowed Ground' is another Barrett-style song: just vocals,
bird noises and acoustic guitar to begin with, and a flute which comes in
for the middle.

All in all it's a very satisfying CD. With all its different styles nothing drags,
and the Legendary Pink Dots remain as interesting as they've always
been.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jon Whitney (calyxx@brainwashed.com)

Clockwise, a slow tune which opens with acoustic guitar sounds
almost pop-like, with a catchy horn riff in the middle, but I
highly doubt this band will ever be considered pop music. Citadel
reminds us however that this is in fact the Legendary Pink Dots,
equipped with their classic arrangement of noises and Edward
Ka-Spel's own screams. Ka-Spel's storytelling abilities have
never faltered over the years and from album to album, he can
make up some of the best tales. Friend is a sweet story with only
acoustic guitar backing the vocals, the subject being a friend, yet it
seems Ka-Spel is telling a story about himself. The Tear Garden
projects have had their influence on Pink Dots albums, A Velvet
Resurrection is an example of this with a sequencer underlying
the main beat with acoustic drums and other non-mechanic
instruments layered over it. The sounds flow and move beautifully
while Ka-Spel describes his Utopian vision of the world and the
human race. Kollusim provides a nice break with a short quiet
instrumental soundscaped piece, while 1001 Commandments
picks up the pace again with a repetitiveness quite like many songs
from the band, while the music itself sounds a bit like an early
Pink Floyd jam session. This One-Eyed Man... and Straight on
'Til Morning remind me how difficult it is to write a review of
something this original without anything to compare it to other
than itself. This One Eyed Man is another great soundscaped
piece of work, with the music laying the foundation for Ka-Spel's
emotional vocals, as his words reach the climax in a screaming,
they end with the pulsating eerie music continuing on, enveloping
the listener in immense sound, bleeding right into Straight On
'Til Morning. This piece like the last has an eerie feel
backdropping the vocals, this one being a story of a personal
journey, lots of observation, and reflection. At this point I just
want to stop talking about this and give up and say, "just listen to
it." Damien, with its usage of piano, saxophone and guitar solos
sounds like a dead-ringer for the alternative station crossover,
but this notion is easily laid to rest as the music progression is just
too original for the public consumption. It's great that bands like
this exist who don't use the typical chord-progressions overused
by the overwhelming majority of musical artists. This Hollowed
Ground provides an excellent finish to the album with chirping
birds underscoring the acoustic guitar and flute tune, ending on a
pleasant note, something artists described in this type of category
are never known for doing.

Remember Me This Way doesn't grab me as the best track on this
disc, but it does make sense that this one be the single release.
With the standard rock-format of guitars and a driving beat and
progression, albeit atypical rock music. The lyrics aren't anything
spectacular on this cut, and are quite sparse, while the music is
allowed to take a center stage for a good portion of the song. I
can't help but be reminded of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd though.
This is not a bad thing. Both Beautiful Machine and Anastasia
are quite remeniscent of the older Dots' whimsical-style songs,
short and simple with sweet melodies. Day Zero is another
Ka-Spel style story, this one about kings and peasants in a
mystical land, set to the same style of music as the previous two
songs.
Overall, a great recommendation for anyone looking for
something out of the ordinary but not too weird to listen to.

_-*-noiSe frOm tHe spleeNs Of spaCe_-*-

LPD and Mr. Ka-Spel have had more releases and re-issues in the
past year than in the previous few years combined it seems, but
this is the first album of completely new material from them in
several years. It's also the best thing they have put out in a
long time, exploring their influences and experimenting with some
new sounds. The first three songs are a perfect triad of
60s-psyche inspired dreamy reveries. "Citadel" in particular is
one of my favourite LPD songs ever, even after just a few listens.
Ed sounds more like Syd Barrett than ever and creates a carnival of
sound and noise matched to a sinisterly playful tune. Yes, these
are real songs, not meandering experimental symphonies, but are
perfect examples of how the psychedelic tradition should be kept
alive. Other songs like "A Velvet Resurrection" return to a more
liberal use of modern equipment and sounds that reminds me more of
Teargarden than previous LPD releases and includes some more of
Ed's wisdom on the superiority of dolphins. "1001 Commandments" is
practically danceable in contrast to the opening trio of 60s-style
sounds, but following it is an almost conventional song, "Remember
Me This Way" where guitar is more present than keyboard...with
liberal helpings of alien-squirming-spacesounds. The rest of the
album becomes much more quietly ambient, delving back into the
wilderness of inner space that the pink dots colour in so nicely in
their little spaceships. "Damien" especiaalyl strikes me as a song
that belongs on the soundtrack to an apocalyptic psychedelic sci-fi
cartoon. More animators should listen to the LPDs. This is perhaps
one of the finest LPD releases, particularly for anyone who likes
experimental spacey music of the late 60s/early 70s or who needs a
soundtrack to the animation in their head. [sarada]

Rex <richwill@xsite.net>