THE PRIME MOVING LUMPS

The turn of the new decade, the eighties, marked the end of the glory days for Canterbury scene. However, the influence that the sub-genre had on many generations to come is undeniable. Stubbs were an incredibly obscure Japanese band, which recorded only one official album, Prime Moving Lumps before completely disappearing into the underground. The band's name is a clear inspiration of a piece by Hatfield and the North, "The Stubbs Effect". There is proof that the band members sent their album to the legendary keyboard virtuoso, Dave Stewart (who played in Hatfield and the North), who explained the history of the name "Stubbs". It was allegedly the last name of his schoolmate, who could not sing and when the tune got higher, his voice would get louder. Stewart called it "The Stubbs Effect".

The music of Prime Moving Lumps would not be out of place on a Canterbury scene album released circa 1975 or so. The inspiration of Hatfield and the North, National Health, and even Gilgamesh is evident. Stubb's material is entirely instrumental and their pieces rely strongly on showcasing the band members' musical skills. The recording quality is really a big downside of the album, which often makes it really unpleasant. In addition to gloomy and "blurry" sound, some very odd effects appear, sounding a bit like the introduction to a Soviet TV show in the early 80's. The album cover seems to share affinity with Caravan's In the Land Of Grey and Pink.

Yama[&*!#]a Kojiro, the Stubbs' mastermind, is definitely a very good keyboardist with a strong influence of the previously mentioned Dave Stewart as well as Mike Ratledge. He often uses the fuzz organ sound that Ratledge pioneered as well as synthesizers and an electric piano. Kasai Ken's guitar tone and playing influences can be traced to those of Phil Miller of Hatfield and the North and National Health and Phil Lee of Gilgamesh with their fuzz guitar timbre that seems to sustain for days. The rhythm section of Kamon Ryo on bass and Konno Kazuhiko does not seem to stand out in any way, but makes time signatures seem very smooth and natural. All things considered, all of the basic Canterbury ingredients are there.

The album consists of six tracks. Side A consists of shorter ones, while Side B includes two longer pieces, both above eight minutes. The tunes do not have a lot of variety and diversity between one another. They often follow a simple structure of presenting the main theme and falling into improvisational madness.

All in all, Prime Moving Lumps is a very decent effort. It is very hard to be the first reviewer of any work by the band. We can only wonder what Stubbs would have been able to do if they had found themselves in a more favorable environment. Although it does not emerge in any way whatsoever, it should be an enjoyable listen for fans of the jazzy side of Canterbury scene. Three stars!

1. "The Prime Ultimate" (6:16) nothing special. Poor sound gets in the way of listening enjoyment. (7.75/10)

2. "Jean Frazier" (6:54) for the first 2:15, this is just fuzz guitar and Fender Rhodes playing as if they are in their own separate universes. Then drums and bass join in, bringing some cohesion, though also somehow loosely connected to the others. Until 5:15, I find the drums the most compelling object of my attentions. Then it all goes downhill. (11/15)

3. "The Land Of Yellow Leaves" (4:55) opens as a 60s rocker with 80s techno drum effects before transitioning to a more rudimentary tongue-in-cheek Hatfleld-ish song. Quite humorous! (8.5/10)

4. "Pondes Ete" (3:48) Double-tracked guitar opens this before vuvuzela organ and drums and bass come rushing in. The song proceeds as a KING CRIMSON "Discipline"-like exercise or étude with a few familiar riffs and melodic hooks thrown in for good measure. (8.5/10)

5. "Under Pebble Wood" (9:56) nice slow pace allows sounds to shine in this EGG-like song. My favorite song on the album. (19/20)

6. "Eternity Is Infinity" (14:09) opens with a full minute of distant operatic soprano vocalise before band joins in. Techno-treated drums (machine?) and other cheap, toy-like instrumental sounds give this a rather Robert Fripp League of Gentlemen. At 4:15 there is a dramatic shift into an entirely new movement--one that is definitely in the HATFIELD universe (despite the CAN-like drum machine sounds). Great drum sound and play before the keyboard artist let's loose with some great vintage Canterburian sounds and displays. The crazy 8th minute sounds like SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET gone punk turning CAN crazy the further we go along. Interesting stretch from about 9:30 to 11:00 before some prime David Sinclair contemplative playing shines through. Got to admit: I love those final four minutes. (25.75/30)

Total time 45:58

While I love the keyboard work and am quite impressed with the bass play and Jaki Liebezeit drumming , the overall sound of this recording leaves much to be desired.

B-/3.5 stars; an interesting homage to the 1970-74 era of Canterbury sound.