SUPERSTARSHINE VOL. 3

Compilation-album of A and B-sides. Tracks "A Girl Named You" and "No Tree Will Grow" are single- versions. "Girl" is a new recording; "Tree" is edited. Unfortunately, those two songs are not included on the CD-version.

The other stuff on this record is good and even funny. Most of the songs are jokes (really!) but the music is well played and typical Supersister. (check out the Elvis-imitations on "Fancy Nancy" and "Gonna Take Easy ;)")

SUPERSISTER were a wildly creative band who managed to record a number of fantastic albums one of which is in review here. "Superstarshine" is a pure musical adventure offering everything from a CAMEL'esque 12 min epic live track "WOW" to "Gonna Take Easy" a pure out and out Elvis-like tribute. Absolutely 100% quirky, like all their albums but still maintains a huge sound and clever abstract approach to music.

On this compilation there a tracks which were released on previous albums, but there are also some tracks that were released as singles and didn't end up on an album. The first of these tracks is She was naked. In fact it was there first single released in 1970. And it is a great and typical Supersister track and it really defines their sound. Beautiful piano work, fuzz bass and strange lyrics (and this time also vocals, like the "choral" donna nobis pacem, give us peace). Missing link was released in 1971 as the b-side of the single A girl named you. It is an al instrumental track and sounds a lot like early Soft Machine. The next track, Fancy nancy, is the a-side of a single released in 1970 and is a strange Elvis Presley kind of a song. The long Wow (including a long introduction by Stips, who tells this is an intelligent song with intelligent lyrics) is a sort of a cabaretesque jam and was a live favorite. The groupies of the band is the b-side of a 1971 release (the a-side was No tree will grow). The funny thing about this track is that there is a clip of Frere Jacques, where Stips sings about "She has no head, she is my mother". This is a clear reference to the song Mother No-head by Groep 1850, which they released as a single in 1968 an can be found on the CD release of the album Agemo's Trip To Mother Earth (1968). The spiral staircase is the b-side of the 1970 release She was naked. In 1974 the album Spiral Staircase was released under the name Sweet Okay Supersister which include more of this strange music. The last of the "new" tunes is Gonna take easy. Released in 1970 as the b-side to Fancy nancy.

This weird and bizarre object is actually a compilation of many single only tracks, live recordings and odd bits. What is really unsettling is that the artwork seems to come out of a real cheapie series where among others, you'd find Cream second live album with similar cover. Actually this compilation presents many fine Supersister moments to make it worthy of being a full album.

The first two tracks are excellent examples of what Supersister can do best, great Canterbury-like fusion, but unfortunately right after it comes a spoof RnR number (excellent made, but ruining the feeling built up so far. With such compilation, it might have been easier to put such out of context odd bits at the end, so they can be easily skipped (vinyl-wise). After a lengthy introduction (and not-so-intelligent no matter what the group says), comes a great no-less-lengthy Wow (live) track owing as much to Zappa than to Caravan or Soft Machine. Weird vocal parts, great instrumental interplay are the main feature of this high-mark of this compilation even if there are uneven passages.

The next (also live) Groupies is again another spoof-goof track, which is impeccably played, borrowing from every kind of popular ditties, but again, this all-out bizarrerie is rather unnerving: Maybe I accept more of this stuff from Zappa than from these crazy Dutchmen, but I have problems coming to grip with this kind of silliness. The following tracks are from their respective album's sessions and are your "typical" - as in "original" (as in "whacko") - SS track.

Please note that the cheapie (for real this time) 2 for 1 compilation of this present album (linked with the Pudding album) only gives partially the tracks as there is a lack of space. No way to treat an album, even if a compilation.

First a note: I haven't heard the last two tracks of this compilation because the two-in- one CD excludes them. I presume this draws from the two first Supersister albums plus a live recording of 'Wow'. Mostly the pros and cons I talked about Pudding en Gisteren concern this album too. Great, innovative music and silliness thrown in the same basket, well shaken. This time the humouresque ingredient is given bigger share. Some of it appeals to me, some don't. And the lack of longer artistic pieces drop a couple of stars for me. 'Gonna Take Easy' is an irritating song lasting rightfully under two minutes. 'Groupies of the Band' is very amusing track with a girl group singing a fast refrain, but in the 4 and half minutes Supersister have stirred in some irritating moments of rockshow mockery. And the 12-minute live jamming of 'Wow' has also those silly silly repetitions. "Wowwowwowwowwowwow" in a dirty voice. Hmph! Some more dignity and concentration into the musical talent you have, please, lads!

'She Was Naked' is a nice opener song. Peacefulness interrupted with a guitar riff, a parallel track of 'Radio' on Pudding album. 'Spiral Staircase' isn't musically so superb, trying and failing to catch the surreal atmosphere of the odd lyrics, where some tea is being drunk with a "Schizophrenic Staircase Gnome". (Had they been listening to GONG?) Two shortish tracks are showing the way into the more mature musicality of Pudding en Gisteren. But clearly this album is the lesser part of my 2-on-1 CD.

I have already mentioned that I really loved their first single release. "She Was Naked" is my absolute fave from the band.

It starts as the sweetest Canterbury style type of song full of tact, flute, acoustic work. And all of sudden, it switches to the heaviest rock. Furious riff, strange vocals but combined with delicate moments as well. This song should have been developed much more IMO. The final keyboarding part is just devastating. A masterpiece. I still enjoy this one very much. Thirty seven years after the purchase of this great single.

Its B-side, "Spiral Staircase" features awfully Dutch accented vocals. I never liked this song very much. Just funny but not memorable at all.

It is also the occasion to hear the band live in a very enjoyable "WOW" which highlights their humour while on stage.

In the introduction (in Dutch) of this long live song, it is obvious that had smoked a bit while you listen to these words. This song starts really well. A great rocking performance combined with some excellent fluting. This "Intelligent Song" is a strange piece of music. Baroque, decadent, weird. A great document of an early live representation. Some passages are almost grotesque - again the link with "Grobschnitt" is inevitable.

The band remains in the grotesque style with "The Groupies Of The Band". Some notes of "Brother Jacob" ("Frère Jacques"), and "Gloria" (In Excelsis Deo") all mixed with some "groupies" of the band in a fake live representation ending in "Power To The People"! Totally disjointed, chaotic.

Their second single "Fancy Nancy" b/w "I'm Gonna Take Easy" (flirting with the doo-wop and ridiculous style) is also featured; but it is far from being on par with the great "She Was Naked".

Their third one is also fully included, "A Girl Named You" (edited to a mere three minutes while the album version was over ten minutes) b/w "Missing Link" which is a good and almost Crimsonesque instrumental.

This compilation is an excellent opportunity to discover their singles and some rare tracks. More than just a collector work. Three stars.

Odds and ends, emphasis on the odd

Though it might appear to be some kind of "best of" package by the look of the cover it is not. Supersister's "Superstarshine" is a collection of odds and ends that apparently couldn't find their way onto earlier releases. The album covers the band's bases fairly well but is a bit weaker than the first three and decidedly a "for fans" affair. It contains many short tracks of the circus freakshow variety, this album packing much more of the Supersister sense of humor than the previous album. Even the 13 minute live track "Wow" which flashes moments of greatness mostly succumbs to obnoxious throwaway vocals. One place where the silliness actually worked very well for me was the outstanding "The Groupies in the Band." It sounds more like a Monty Python sketch than a Dutch prog band but the surreal blending of various traditional melodies with clever lyrical bits was charming enough. "Spiral Staircase" is so bizarre that it begins to sound like parody but by this point nothing surprises me. It's all good fun but for hard core fans.for those who don't have unlimited disposable income, you may wish to find something a bit more consistent. 5/10