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Nirvana - Songs Of Love And Praise CD (album) cover

SONGS OF LOVE AND PRAISE

Nirvana

Proto-Prog


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Easy Livin
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin
2 stars Chasing shadows

"Songs of love and praise" sees Patrick Campbell-Lyons continuing to trade under the Nirvana name as a solo performer, bringing in session musicians as required. After the radical new direction of "Local Anaesthetic", he decided to revisit a couple of the band's early songs, while reverting to a generally simpler musical style.

The classic "Rainbow chaser" opens the album, but be warned, this is not the definitive recording of that song. This version is a much more prosaic and vastly inferior recording, devoid of the pioneering production which graced the original. The version of "Pentecost hotel" is similar to that on Nirvana's first album. The impression is that these two tracks have been included to give the album a more familiar feel for those who know the band. This may in part be due to another change of label, this time to Philips, and the consequent desire for the album to perform.

The rest of the songs are also short, with pleasant soft, pop based melodies. They are largely undistinguished, and understated. There is sometimes a slight folk feel, but always an overriding singer-songwriter type atmosphere, with sparse instrumentation.

The final track "Stadium" breaks the mould to some extent. It runs to over 7 minutes, and includes more upfront orchestration. After a regal introduction, Jade Warrior's percussion leads a looser jazz tinged piano recital. The track's finale is also the high point of the album.

In all, a disappointing release which sees Campbell-Lyons neither exploiting his new direction, or capturing the magic of his former days. In particular, do not judge "Rainbow chaser" by the comparatively poor rendition here.

Nice sleeve though.

Report this review (#114887)
Posted Monday, March 12, 2007 | Review Permalink
Ivan_Melgar_M
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars Have been listening of NIRVANA (UK) as the real deal in comparison with the Kurt Cobain band for years, but never had the chance to listen anything from them, at last a friend sold me a copy of Songs of Love and Praise in 2 bucks, knowing that the guy doesn't care about Prog too much, bought it without any verification, sure that I had made a good business.....I was scammed, the album is terrible....well, maybe not terrible if you like soft POP, but surely boring and anodyne.

In first place, the album is centuries behind any UK Proto Prog band of the late 60's, something not so terrible if you are in 1967, being that most of this bands were pretty advanced for the era, but this album is from 1972, when real Prog bands were releasing masterpieces, so now we are having real problems.

Then come the vocals, Patrick Campbell-Lyons sounds like a Paul Mc'Cartney wannabe, without the class or charisma. The arrangements are so simple that many POP albums of the era sound much more elaborate than Songs of Love and Praise

At last, I simply can't guess what this guy had in mind, because the album is one of the most irrelevant mixture of styles I have ever heard, by moments is simple POP from the pre-British Invasion era, in some, just a couple of boring love ballads with no interest, but the worst comes when some winds are added, it becomes a boring POP-Motown-Muzak hybrid.

This is the first time in a review that I can't comment at least a good song (had a bit of faith in the opening of Stadium, but it was a mirage, the band managed to destroy it after a few seconds), because I disliked each and every moment of the album, If it was at least good POP I would give no less than three stars (respecting the guidelines), but no, it's boring from start to end.

Two stars for one of the most irrelevant albums I have ever heard, and only because there are worst albums.

Report this review (#206090)
Posted Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | Review Permalink
ClemofNazareth
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Prog Folk Researcher
3 stars I think this album got a bad rap when it was first released, and hasn't fared much better over the years. Granted, it isn't the same band that delivered a trio of solid mellow acid folk albums in the late sixties as a trio of Patrick Campbell-Lyons, Alex Spyropoulos and Sylvia Schuster (Schuster leaving before the second album was completed but returning to appear on this one). And the sounds here are much closer to glossy pop with Donavon and Beach Boys-like undertones that also owe a heavy debt to the Beatles.

But that's okay in my mind, especially since the band as it was originally known became no more after Spyropoulos departed not long after the 70s began. What else was Campbell- Lyons supposed to do? No band, plenty of original tunes at his disposal, studio savvy, and no shortage of musical and record business connections. It would frankly have been more of a shame had he hung it up and focused solely on producing other people's music.

'Songs of Love & Praise' represents the last of an era for Nirvana, and really the first Campbell-Lyons solo record, although like I said he did have Schuster back to provide strings and backing vocals to solid effect. There are a couple of recognizable early songs as well, with mixed results. "Rainbow Chaser" is probably the best-known Nirvana song, and the rendition here is decent enough but a bit too studio-glossed for my tastes. "Pentecost Hotel" on the other hand from 'The Story of Simon Simopath' is as good or better than the original and benefits from choral backing and more pronounced piano without losing any of its mellow trippy magic.

The rest of these songs are also pretty good, and though some have panned the sometimes over-the-top string arrangements I personally find them to be soothing and pleasant when they are employed, beginning with "Please Believe Me" and the "It's Too Late" Carole King piano ripoff from her megalithic 1971 album 'Tapestry'. "Lord up Above" also emphasizes strings with some soaring cello to augment the delicate piano and guitar work along with Schuster's harmonic backing.

Campbell-Lyons does manage to throw in at least some vestiges of the band's acid folk days with a Dylan-like vocal performance set to hand percussion, strident jazzy piano and a funky bass line on "She's Lost It" and again on the brief "Nova Sketch". He also throws in some trippy fuzzed guitar on "I Need Your Love Tonight" that falls just this side of pop but manages to recall the best of his early guitar work. And "Will There Be Me" is a clear blend of late-sixties West Coast pop and poetic post-beat glib prose. Reminds me of bands like The Comfortable Chair and Blossom Toes.

The producers pull out all the stops on the lengthy "Stadium" with smooth tempo shifts, plenty of strings that give way to improvisational jazz piano, horns, and crisp percussion as well as an extended instrumentation bridge to a hazy and somewhat abstract, swirling crescendo. Fans of the more ethereal Klaatu and Alan Parsons work will appreciate this one.

The CD reissue includes "On the Road", a bonus track that apparently dates to the late sixties with carefree lyrics of endless summer set to a distinct pop folk groove. Randy California would have approved (and maybe he did).

While this is certainly not the most progressive album from a band that was not the most progressive to begin with, it is a solid and enjoyable collection of tunes that are all worth spinning a few times for those who enjoy tastefully arranged compositions that have noticeable connections to the heyday of acid folk. I can't quite go to four stars but don't have any problem rating this as a very high three star record, and would recommend it to most any acid folk, folk rock or late sixties hippie pop music fans.

peace

Report this review (#455451)
Posted Tuesday, May 31, 2011 | Review Permalink

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