Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

LITTLE RED RECORD

Matching Mole

Canterbury Scene


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Matching Mole Little Red Record album cover
3.91 | 238 ratings | 24 reviews | 24% 5 stars

Excellent addition to any
prog rock music collection

Write a review

Buy MATCHING MOLE Music
from Progarchives.com partners
Studio Album, released in 1972

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Starting in the Middle of the Day, We Can Drink Our Politics Away (2:31)
2. Marchides (8:25)
3. Nan True's Hole (3:36)
4. Righteous Rhumba (2:50)
5. Brandy as in Benj (4:24)
6. Gloria Gloom (8:06)
7. God Song (2:59)
8. Flora Fidgit (3:26)
9. Smoke Signal (6:37)

Total Time 42:54

Bonus CD from 2012 remaster:
1. Instant Pussy / Lithing and Gracing (7:56) *
2. Marchides (10:30) *
3. Part of the Dance / Brandy as in Benj (8:41) *
4. Starting in the Middle of the Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away (take one) (2:51) #
5. Smoke Signal (take four) (6:44) #
6. Flora Fidget (take eight) (6:38) #
7. Mutter (3:23) #

* BBC Radio One "In Concert" session at the Paris Theatre, London on 27 July 1972
# Recorded London, August 1972, previously unreleased

Total Time 46:43

Line-up / Musicians

- Phil Miller / guitars
- Dave McRae / grand piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Hammond organ, (Eno's) synthesizer (8)
- Bill MacCormick / bass
- Robert Wyatt / drums, voice parts

With:
- Robert Fripp / producer
- Brian Eno / VCS3 synth (6)
- Julie "Ruby Crystal" Christie / vocals (3)
- Mike Harding / presenter (1-3 bonus)
- "Der Mütter Korus":
- Dave Gale / choir vocals
- Little Honest Injun / choir vocals
- Julie "Ruby Crystal" Christie / choir vocals

Releases information

LP CBS ‎- 65260 (1972, UK)

CD BGO Records ‎- BGOCD174 (1993, UK) Remastered w/ different running order starting on track 6
2CD Esoteric Recordings ‎- ECLEC 22312 (2012, UK) 24-bit remaster by Paschal Byrne w/ bonus disc

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
Edit this entry

Buy MATCHING MOLE Little Red Record Music



MATCHING MOLE Little Red Record ratings distribution


3.91
(238 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(24%)
24%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(43%)
43%
Good, but non-essential (27%)
27%
Collectors/fans only (6%)
6%
Poor. Only for completionists (1%)
1%

MATCHING MOLE Little Red Record reviews


Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk
4 stars 4.5 stars really!!!

Less than seven months after recording their debut album, having toured constantly recording a few radio sessions throughout Europe, MM entered the studios in July 72 for their second (and last, but they weren't aware of it) album that was produced by Robert Fripp. Armed with an highjacked Chinese propaganda poster, the sleeve (and the album title) leaves little doubt as to their political aspirations, although I suspect that this was probably not shared by everyone in the group, because the ambiance within the group quickly became detestable and two months after its release, the group over, even if the explanation was about gigs not being paid and bankruptcy. So with Sinclair gone just after the debut's release, McRae is alone on keys, but the major difference with their first is Wyatt's songwriting that had filled almost all of the album, was reduced to absolutely none in LRR, if you'll except the lyrics and other vocals, but these holds a big part of creativity.

Starting on one of the most surprising track that Wyatt ever recorded, Drink Our Politics Away is a strange semi-operatic over some McRae keyboards and Eno synth layer. Directly and abruptly segueing into Marchides (much the same way Signed Curtain had given in to Part Of The Dance on their previous album), the group takes its vengeance with a wild and torrid 100MPH jazz-rock that veers a bit dissonant in its middle section, before coming back more relaxed. Some exceptionally inventive drumming from Wyatt on this track that had received much previous rehearsal since it was concert standard, but everyone contributes greatly. Again segueing straight into Nan's True Hole, Robert develops some very strange gossipy vocals with him, wifie Alfie and friendly model Julie just yapping away over Wyatt's jaw-dropping drumming and a Frippian guitar solo, courtesy of .. Phil Miller; the whole thing falling into Righteous Rhumba without really noticing much a change. Closing on the wild Brandy for Benj (a roadie), with McRae on a rare organ part at the start and Miller's brilliant solo.

Being shutout throughout the first half of the album, McCormick scores Gloria's Gloom as the flipside opens with the second centrepiece, which starts nightmarishly percussive and hauntingly spooky with Eno's VCS-3 deranging many listeners and remaining dissonant through a few minutes, until chattering gossipy vocals take the track slowly into the middle section where Wyatt singing his heart out until Eno's Martenot-like synth layers take us back to earth. After the popish God Song (sticking out like a sore thumb), Flora Fidgit (Frigid Flora? Yashure?? ;-)) where McRae's el piano steals the show. The closing Smoke Signal is the third highlight, a slow developing ambient cosmic piece with Wyatt's astounding drumming, and slowly dying in death throes

Although MM's last studio album is generally not as reputed as its debut album, bit it's certainly no worse an album, with this one being more of a group effort. Both MM are absolutely essential to Canterbury fans, but it's not recommended to start with them, if you're a newbie.

Review by Steve Hegede
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars MATCHING MOLE was Robert Wyatt's first project after leaving SOFT MACHINE. The group released two albums with Little Red Record as their second effort. The music here sounds like a quirky combination of SOFT MACHINE, Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom, Brian Eno, with even a bit of KING CRIMSON thrown in (Robert Fripp appears on a couple of tracks). The overall atmosphere is experimental and fun. Most of the album sounds like a group of prog musicians having a great time in a garage and in the studio. The music is complex, yet loose. Whether you enjoy this CD, or not, depends on your opinion of Robert Wyatt's voice. Many people have no problems with it, while others can't stand it. So I recommend this CD to people who are familiar with SOFT MACHINE, and Robert Wyatt's Rock Bottom. If you're not familiar with Robert Wyatt, check out SOFT MACHINE's "Third".

Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Strange brew these guys were sipping when they recorded "Little Red Record" ...right from the opening vocalizations to the final track, we are greeted by some highly inventive instrumentation and clever song writing. For those hunting for the best work of Robert Wyatt I would have to put this in that shared category. MATCHING MOLE played a finely crafted Canterbury'ish styled fusion prog rock which featured the talents of Dave MacRae and Bill MacCormick (QUIET SUN), Robert Wyatt , Phil Miller of HATFIELD AND THE NORTH and even a guest appearance by Brian Eno on synthesizer. With the album being produced by CRIMSON's Robert Fripp you know we might be in for something kind of special. The end result is really a smattering of witty and often thrilling avant-fusion album bringing a slightly more gritty feel to the Canterbury scene... really hear mixes of KING CRIMSON, GENTLE GIANT, CARAVAN and HATFIELD. For me this is a superb album and one you must snang... some deep and wonderful progressive moments.
Review by Alucard
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
5 stars 'Little red record' is Matching Mole's second and last studio record. As you might have noticed there are some political allusions on the cover (and in the lyrics as well: "Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us/How can I pretend that music is more relevant than fighting for a socialist world."'Gloria Gloom'). The cover was originally a propaganda postcard with the title "We are determinated to liberate Taiwan". The heads of the soldiers being replaced by those of the members of Matching Mole. Now, On the first record the majority of compositions was by Robert Wyatt with a little help of his friends. On 'Little red record' there is not one(!) Wyatt composition; he wrote all the lyrics so. Since the release of the first record the band had toured and developped a 'band sound'.Dave Mc Rae, who guested on the first record had become a fulltime member and is very present on 'Little red record' in terms of compositions and sound, it is a keyboard oriented record.The record was produced by Robert Fripp and a part from the band you got the 'Mütter Chorus' (Dave Gale, Robert's wife Alfreda Benge and her friend the actrice Julie Christie), on background vocals and 'occasional smalltalk'. The record is a mixture of Jazz-Rock, tongue in cheek humour and political lyrics. On the first side of the vinyl all tracks were seagued into each other and formed a long suite, with a strong presence of Dave Mc Rae's distorted and treated e-piano. There is a nice equilibrium between the instrumental and vocal passages. Side Two started with 'Gloria Gloom',a Bill Mc Cormick composition and the most openly political statement on the record, followed by a Phil Miller composition 'God's song', a beautiful ballad played on acoustic guitar. The record ends with a beautiful theme by Dave Mc Rae 'Smoke Signal' , a signature tune for Matching Mole and it's swan song. My personal advice would be to listen to this masterpiece from start to beginning to enjoy it as a whole and to discover it's subtilities.
Review by Zac M
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This is the lesser of the two Matching Mole albums IMO. That being said, this is still quite an enjoyable album. The two studio releases only differ by a half star as far as I'm concerned. If I remember correctly, Fripp and Eno both appeared on this album, with Fripp taking the seat as the Producer.

The album opens with "Starting in the Middle of the Day, We Can Drink Our Politics Away," a song just as good as "O Caroline" from the first album. This track bridges into "Marchides," a Mole classic as far as I'm concerned. Among the rest of the album, I also enjoy "Gloria Gloom" and "Smoke Signals," another classic. The longer tracks on this album are for the most part, more enjoyable than the shorter ones. However, I can't say that there is one particularly bad or weak part on the album. I just don't feel that this album deserves more than four stars, since the first and more importamt of the two, gets 4.5.

Great effort from Wyatt's post-Soft Machine group, and definitely worth checking out by all Canterbury fans, although I still say start with the first. 4 stars, excellent sophomore album.

Review by fuxi
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars "How long can I pretend that music's more relevant than fighting for a socialist world?" (Gloria Gloom)

In spite of all of Robert Wyatt's ideological doubts, LITTLE RED RECORD sounds far better than its predecessor. This time it's obvious that Matching Mole deeply care about what they play. On 'Marchides' and 'Flora Fidgit', for example, Phil Miller shines on electric guitar, and Dave McRae produces some memorable phrases on electric piano. 'Righteous Rhumba' equally features a superb guitar solo, accompanied on organ. On 'Brandy as in Benj' McRae gets another chance to shine on piano; his playing is far more subtle than David Sinclair's was on the band's first album, and Miller accompanies him by strumming jazzy chords on guitar: premonitions of Hatfield and the North!

Judging from the album's cover, Matching Mole were firmly in thrall to Maoist ideology. I assume they were blissfully unaware that, had they lived in China, their music and lifestyle would have landed them in a re-education camp, somewhere far away in the countryside. Maybe all that Maoist posturing was meant as a joke? I really don't know what to make of lyrics such as: "My radical cheek is soft and meek / but I'll kill if I must. / I'd rather have the Chinese here than Europe on me thrust"... And then there's the fact that, in the early 1980s, Wyatt started recording songs in praise of father Stalin... Oh well, to tell you the truth, I never bothered with Matching Mole's lyrics until I found them on the Calyx website. (With the exception of 'God Song', Phil Miller's anti-religious diatribe, which always made me think!) The band's playing, at least, is first-rate. Recommended!

Review by Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars MATCHING MOLE's second and final studio album was produced by Robert Fripp and featured a guest appearance from Brian Eno. This is more of a band effort than their debut was and the lone lineup change is David Sinclair going back to CARAVAN to record "For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night" and being replaced by Dave McRae who guested on the debut album.

Rather an awkward opening track in my opinion "Starting In The Middle Of The Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away" is my least favourite song on here. The song features piano and vocal melodies with organ coming in late. "Marchides" and the next three songs all blend together like they are one long suite. "Marchides" opens with someone speaking and laughter before guitar or fuzz organ comes in with an uptempo soundscape. It sounds great ! Some atmosphere 3 1/2 minutes in as the melody stops. For 2 minutes we get different sounds that come and go. We then get a nice melody to conclude the song that is a little slower than the original one. "Nan True's Hole" opens sounding very much like GENTLE GIANT. We then hear a conversation between a supposed prostitute and her 40 year old customer as angular guitar melodies are played. Nice. This sure sounds like Fripp playing. "Righteous Rhumba" features male and female vocals that are spoken. More great guitar in this one as drums pound away.

"Brandy As In Benj" has some amazing drumming from Wyatt. The instrumental middle of this song is very enjoyable, and it ends with organ. "Gloria Gloom" is sort of an odd experimental song. Eno is on synths here. There are conversations going on as the music is playing. The last couple of minutes feature Eno on synths in a calm but dark ending. "God Song" like "Nan True's Hole" would be easy targets of my complaining but this is Canterbury and these lyrics though perhaps offensive to some are silly and not to be taken too seriously. As for the music it's typically beautiful with Wyatt's unique vocals and acoustic guitar. Both songs in question are so good instrumentally but lyrically, well... "Flora Fidgit" features electric piano, guitar, bass and drums. I really like this tune. It blends into the final track "Smoke Signal" that seems like the same melody only slower. The drumming after 4 minutes is incredible. It has a spacey, psychedelic ending.

Tough one to rate really. There is so much great music here reminding me of the middle part of their debut album. It's the talking and conversations, along with the first song that bring it down a little for me. If you want to hear what a great drummer Robert Wyatt was, this is the album to check out.

Review by snobb
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
4 stars Second (and final studio) Matching Mole's album is quite different from its predecessor.Psychedelic naive and beautiful pop/rock songs has gone, and the band stepped to complex experimental jazz fusion area. Being predominantly instrumental, this release contains not much of Wyatt's vocals, but demonstrates one of the best his drumming ever.

Organist David Sinclair, collaborated on band's debut,left the band, and Dave McRae started to use synthesizer. Electronic music guru Brian Eno,being on the peak of his experimental activities at that period, participated in album's recordings as guest musician,he didn't played much physically there, but his electronic sound using ideas did influence album's sound for sure.

Compositions on this album are mostly complex interplay between all musicians,with great drumming,bass structures and plenty of experimental keyboards sounds. Very soon use of synthesizers and electronic effects will become the real nightmare,destroying many musical genres for decades, but there on this album (as on some more Eno's albums of early 70-s) one can hear how interesting and tasteful electronic sounds could be.

Few vocal-oriented songs are presented here,with obvious influence of early Soft Machine's aesthetics, but even them are transformed according to more modern and experimental band's direction. Some compositions sound very close to Soft Machine's Third (just slightly more relaxed) - it's really difficult to avoid comparing Matching Mole with Soft Machine!Better organised than their debut,with structure and direction,this release sounds more mature (even if some naive but so attractive late 60-s spirit has gone). In all - strong experimental jazz fusion album with successful use of early electronic and plenty of artistic ideas on it. In many senses,this album is more attractive than Soft Machine's releases from post-classic period.

Speaking about this album,it's difficult to avoid one more theme - radical leftist Wyatt's ideology. Album's name and cover both refer to Chairman Mao's Little Red Book and Wyatt is openly influenced by Cultural Revolution idea. I can hardly imagine someone attracted by Chinese Cultural Revolution or Stalin's Gulags nowadays, but under all these naive but organic Wyatt's political craziness I see more infantile pose than serious point of view. I spent my childhood and young years in the world Wyatt possibly dreamed about in early 70- s (the world with empty shop shelves,grey clothes and grey faces,the world, where people saw no future and were afraid of any man in uniform, and with small children, dreaming about few mandarins or banana as best New Year's gift (not Christmas gift - Christmas was banned)),and I am sure that leftist heaven from Wyatt would look as real heaven for millions of those, living in Socialist reality. And Wyatt himself with his artistic personality would finish in Siberian concentration camp for sure. So - really attracted by music, I don't care much about ideology of this release: Wyatt just doesn't understand what he is speaking about here, don't hate him for that!

This album became last band's studio release,Wyatt started his real solo career after, and Phil Miller went on to two other Canterbury scene bands, Hatfield & the North and National Health.

My rating is 3,5,rounded to 4.

Review by Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Matching Mole's first album was Robert Wyatt's chance to finally get on record musical concepts developed during his tenure in Soft Machine which, for whatever reason, had been vetoed by the rest of that band. For the second album, the group took a more democratic approach to songwriting, resulting in a more diverse album that isn't quite so dominated by Wyatt's songs - Wyatt perhaps wanting to avoid repeating in his new band the same mistakes that drove him out of his old band.

As a consequence, the album is a bit of a patchy affair, with the band as a whole casting about and trying to decide what sort of music it wants to perform. Opening track Gloria Gloom (on the CD version - Wyatt decided for CD releases to swap around side A and side B from the vinyl since he thought that yielded a better running order) begins with ambient noises - perhaps courtesy of guest synth wizard Brian Eno - that sound like a decades-displaced-in-time Aphex Twin before launching into avant-Canterbury strangeness, whilst other tracks start pointing the way to Phil Miller's later work in Hatfield and the North. (An instrumental version of Nan True's Hole, for example, would be performed live at Hatfield concerts under the anagrammatic title of Oh! Len's Nature.)

Still, as a whole the album lacks focus, and sounds more like experiments towards a band identity rather than the group manifesto the album title suggests. Perhaps a third Matching Mole album would have been more cohesive; unfortunately, that was not to be. Wyatt, worse for wear at a party, would take a startling fall from a balcony a short time after this album was released, paralysing him for life - and whilst Wyatt did thankfully escape an untimely death, the change in his circumstances meant that Matching Mole was not so lucky. Fans of Wyatt's Rock Bottom album or Miller's work with the Hatfields will be interested in the context this album provides for those works, but otherwise this is not an especially essential Canterbury release, and certainly not as gripping as Matching Mole's debut.

Review by BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Robert Wyatt's brief post-SOFT MACHINE project has never really drawn me in. I can appreciate some of the humour, political commentary, and certainly the musicianship, it just never feels like something that I want to come back to. I tire of his tongue-in-cheek approach to singing and of some of the obtuse challenges his music poses to the listener. It's as if he purposely wants to test his fans for their loyalty by, at times, producing grating or cerebral music.

1. "Starting in the Middle of the Day, We Can Drink Our Politics Away" (2:31) opens the album in a very positive, exciting fashion with 'operatic' vocals of M. Wyatt performing some awesome vocalese over Dave McRAE's pretty piano play backed by Brian ENO's synthesizers. (10/10)

2. "Marchides" (8:25) is a funky, fuzzy, fuguy feeling song of avant jazz leanings. The musicianship is excellent; the bass annoys. (10.5/15)

3. "Nan True's Hole" (3:36) psycho-sexual scene played out in the foreground that not even the presence of the guitar of Robert Fripp (7/10)

4. "Righteous Rhumba" (2:50) or the "King Crimson" sound can save these two songs. (8/10)

5. "Brandy as in Benj" (4:24) babeling Robert Wyatt over some solid, good instrumental music that gets better after the babeling stops. (9/10)

6. "Gloria Gloom" (8:06) more psycho-sexuality issues on full display while the music loses its lustre and momentum a bit. (10.5/15)

7. "God Song" (2:59) acoustic guitar and electric bass play behind Robert's plaintive voice. The three sound a bit out of sync and uninspired. (6/10)

8. "Flora Fidgit" (3:26) sounds like a demo or outtake of some excercise that was decided to be used at the last minute to fill space on the final album. The keyboard work in the second minute is nice. I don't like the bass mimicking the lead melodies from guitar and keys. (6/10)

9. "Smoke Signal" (6:37) the album's excellent finale does it's best to save the otherwise mono-focused album. Nice percussion play in the first two minutes, great keyboard-led dreamscape in the middle three, and nice chord base for the finale. (9/10)

Three stars.

Review by ALotOfBottle
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars "We are determined to liberate Taiwan!"

Soon after their eponymous debut, Matching Mole hit the road and toured western Europe, appearing on various TV shows and festivals. It was at that time that David Sinclair left the band to play with Hatfield and the North and later on Caravan's For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night. He was replaced with Dave MacRae, a jazz keyboardist from New Zealand, who was already credited as a guest on Matching Mole's debut album. In July of 1972, about half a year after their first work, the band entered the doors of London's CBS Studios to record Matching Mole's Little Red Record. The release was produced by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. In addition, the band invited Brian Eno, the pioneer synthesist, to guest on their album.

The title of the release is an allusion to Chairman Mao's Little Red Book, known as the Maoist bible of the cultural revolution period. The cover art portrays the band members on what looks like a Chinese communist propaganda poster. The inspiration for the cover painting came from a Chinese postcard with a caption that read "We are determined to liberate Taiwan!" Despite a lot of controversy, the group, in fact, had nothing to do with idea for the album art, as the drawing was designed by CBS' graphic designers. Robert Wyatt even admitted that he did not particularly like the design. Wyatt's lyrics on Little Red Record have also been an object of heated discussion. The artist declares that the fight for the righteous socialist world should also be expressed in music and confesses that his beliefs are closer to the Chinese communist world rather than the degenerated capitalist west.

Musically, Little Red Record is a quintessential Canterbury scene album. Matching Mole's style is notably different from their debut album. The group got rid of the song-oriented ballads almost entirely and introduced an even higher amount of jazz-fueled improvisation to their music. However, showcasing the group's members' musical skill does not seem to be the aim of the numerous improvisational passages that appear so frequently on Little Red Record. The heavy repeating passages, which often do provide a base for instrumental solos, create musical tension, which makes the music on this record incredibly moody and full of distinctive mysticism. The typical tongue-in-cheek, Canterbury-styled arrangements are common. This becomes evident with pre-recorded voices and sounds of various conversations played over the band's music, giving the album an eccentric appearance.

The high amount of jazz influences on Little Red Record compared to Matching Mole might partly be caused by the new keyboard player, Dave MacRae. His extensive use of Fender Rhodes electric piano adds a very fusion-esque element to the band's sound, at times similar to the one of Soft Machine. Similarly to Dave Sinclair, MacRae is extremely proficient in many diverse musical situations ranging from as far as subtle drone touches to accurate rhythm keyboard play to rapid, pronounced solo parts. Robert Wyatt's drumming is very dense. He finds himself comfortable playing heavy, varied rhythms in odd time signatures. His characteristic vocals also appear, but more often in a spoken word scenario. Although it may not seem like it at first, Bill McCormick's basslines play a crucial role in Matching Mole's sound, building a strong musical foundation for other members. David Sinclair's fuzz organ solos are replaced with those on Phil Miller's guitar, which he plays with an astonishingly precise touch. Brian Eno with his VCS3 synthesizer is responsible for ambient, electronic passages, creating striking, mystic soundscapes.

The album opens with "Starting in the Middle of the Day, We Can Drink Our Politics Away", which features a male choir supported by a repeating piano passage. The lush, surrounding organ sound builds up tension, which is discharged with a loud, rapid jazz jam on "Marchides". The next track, "Nah True's Hole" is based around a repeating pattern with a conversation in the background. In fact, the female voice belongs to Julie Christie, a famous English actress, who is credited as Flora Fidgit. The things she says are erotically-charged and work particularly well with the passage in the background. On "Righteous Rhumba", Robert Wyatt's lyrics talk about the utopian socialist vision and his repellence towards the capitalist world. "Brandy as in Benj" is a jazz-based piece, aimed at displaying the instrumental skill of Matching Mole's members. "Gloria Gloom" starts out with Brain Eno's lengthy synthesizer texture and resolves into Robert Wyatt's politically-charged song. Towards the end, Eno's input comes back, closing the song in a dark, agitating manner. "God Song", the only acoustic piece, sounds a bit like song-oriented tracks from Wyatt's solo releases. "Flora Fidgit" is another jazz jam, in ways similar to what Soft Machine were doing at the time. The album is closed with "Smoke Signal". The track features tense ambient soundscapes with Robert Wyatt's drum solo. Towards the end, one is capable of hearing soft melodies, sounding as if trying to break through, which eventually fade way.

Matching Mole's iconic Little Red Record could best be described as an eccentric political jazz statement with great musicianship. The controversy the band caused with its appearance and title may partly be responsible for its success. The concept and performance is very interesting and original. This is a legendary Canterbury scene album and is without a doubt a must-listen! Recommended!

Review by siLLy puPPy
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
5 stars Welcome to Chairman Mao's Canterbury Kraut experience!

The early 70s was a tumultuous time for Robert Wyatt who in just a few short years went from performing in the prime years of Soft Machine to undergoing the tragic accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down but in between these two extremes he generated some of his most ambitious works in a short 11 month timespan from October 1971 to September 1972 in his own whacky Canterbury creation MATCHING MOLE which is perhaps the most experimental and adventurous phase of his entire career. While the eponymous debut album was essentially a solo album allowing Wyatt to exercise complete control over every single aspect of the project, he discovered that he needed a little guidance from his friends who were now his bandmates so the floodgates were opened and the creative juices flowed on overdrive.

This all-star cast which included Caravan keyboardist David Sinclair, Phil Miller of Carol Crimes and Delivery, Bill MacCormick of Quiet Sun and supplemental New Zealand born keyboardist Dave MacRae were instrumental in keeping Wyatt focused and allowing the first album to come to fruition. After Wyatt realized his ideas were better with the contributions of other members, on the second installation of the MATCHING MOLE universe the democratic process was allowed to flourish with the entire band participating and in the process giving the album a much larger and more diverse overall span of ideas than the debut. Sinclair opted to skip a reprise and get back to Caravan but MacRae was more than willing to take over and jumped into the driver's seat with his distinctive Fender Rhodes sound and after many years Wyatt admitted that he was the first choice in the first place as he had been quite impressed with MacRae's adaptable stylistic approaches in the Buddy Rich Band as well as with Ian Carr's Nucleus.

LITTLE RED RECORD's title referred to Chairman Mao's "Little Red Book" published in 1964 with an album cover that mocked the posters that were created during the Chinese Cultural Revolution but the music is for the most part far from a political revolutionary take on the world's politics but rather an experimental mix of much of what had been gestating in the early years of the prog rock scene. In many ways MATCHING MOLE began the classic Canterbury jazz sounds that have become that indescribable jazz-rock sound that binds this nebulous sub-genre into its own category, however on LITTLE RED RECORD the jazz-rock elements are fortified with long experimental psychedelic sequences more reminiscent of the transcendental Krautrock bands from Germany such as the hypnotic bass grooves of Amon Duul II as well as the escape-the-gravitational-pull-of-the-planet trippiness of Can.

Add some avant-prog angularities and LITTLE RED RECORD stands out as one of the early 70s most creative slices of prog tucked away into the Canterbury corner. Also making this album a bit larger than life is the inclusion of King Crimson's Robert Fripp as producer as well as a cameo appearance by Brian Eno who adds some synthesizer wizardry on the album's mega-tripper, the anti- gravity generating "Gloria Gloom." Ruby Crystal, a pseudonym for the British actress Julie Christie also adds some vocals on "Nan True's Hole" which is obviously a nod to Gong's stellar space whisperer Gilli Smyth. All of these players conspired to take MATCHING MOLE beyond the established limits of both rock and jazz and created a veritable smorgasbord of compositional mastery with the embellished improvisation in perfect psychedelic splendor. The album begins with all the whimsical no nonsense humor one could hope for with the opening "Starting in the Middle of the Day We Can Drink Our Politics Away" with a hypnotic vocal performance and repetitive keyboard arpeggios before breaking into the heavy jazz-rocking antics performed on "Marchides" which finds some groovy fuzzy psych guitar riffs, bombastic drumming fury and nice jazzy chord progressions that add a touch of Daevid Allen inspired vocal rants. The extended play finds a nice groovy bass line in looped action with the keys, guitars and drums adding heavenly variations. The tracks blend together seamlessly as it cedes to "Nan True's Hole" displays a nice bass groove, fuzz guitar and female conversations tucked beneath. "Righteous Rhumba" is the most Gong sounding track on the album that adopts the Daevid Allen vocal rants of Gong and superimposes them over the Phil Miller guitar riffs and Wyatt drumming wizardry. "Brandy As In Benj" follows suit.

One of the highlights of the album is the lengthy 8 minute "Gloria Gloom" which is the only track to actually critique Wyatt's reflections on socialism but also takes the world of Canterbury jazz into a more German sounding psychedelic haze of Krautrock. Unlike the majority of the album's tracks that entertain that warm and fuzzy feel that Canterbury Scene elements evoke, this begins as a cold industrial suffocating cloud but after some conversational dialogue the track evolves into a variable jazz-fusion powerhouse that deftly finds the familiar Canterbury sounds trading off with the frigid progressive electronic and Krautrock soundscapes that punctuate the album's run. "God Song" is a tender prognosticator of Wyatt's future solo works beginning with his heart wrenching "Rock Bottom." Both the final two tracks "Flora Flight" and "Smoke Signal" tackle more technically infused Canterbury jazz-rock chops that showcase the band's excellent instrumental interplay.

This one seems to divide the prog world between those who prefer a more straight forward approach and those who love the wild and unrestrained experimental boldness. I fall into the latter as i find this album would sound a little sterile if it weren't for the explorative nature of Krautish escapist portals and extended instrumental improvisations. This is a well balanced album in those regards as things are never allowed to steal the show for an over extended amount of time. Unfortunately MATCHING MOLE was never to record a third album. The band broke up in September 1972 after a tour with Soft Machine as Miller joined Sinclair in forming Hatfield and the North and although Wyatt reformed the band which consisted of MacCormick, ex-Curved Air keyboardist Francis Monkman and jazz saxophonist Gary Windo to record a third album, all of that was quashed when Wyatt fell from a window in June 1973 which changed his life forever as he was unable to continue as a drummer. For my money, LITTLE RED RECORD is one of Wyatt's crowning achievements. The dense complexities require multiple listens for the magic to present itself but i'm personally blown away by this album. One of the highlights in my personal Canterbury Scene

Latest members reviews

4 stars Unique Classic. Close to 5 Stars! This Fripp-produced album is a unique statement. Loosely framed as a quasi-concept album built around the idea of a 'Little Red Record' (like Mao's Little Red Book) this is an album/band that doesn't take itself too seriously, yet like the Softs, was somewhat rev ... (read more)

Report this review (#1698732) | Posted by Walkscore | Saturday, March 4, 2017 | Review Permanlink

4 stars ESOTERIC 2012 Expanded Edition Matching Mole lasted barely a year as a group before Robert Wyatt decided he'd had enough of band leadership, but during this time, they managed to make two albums of which this is the second. While the first was very much Wyatt's own baby, this was more of a de ... (read more)

Report this review (#782679) | Posted by beebfader | Friday, July 6, 2012 | Review Permanlink

3 stars A good record, but IMHO the new structures took a bit of the fun away, and with the exit of the "master of Canterbury organ" Dave Sinclair, and few Wyatt-penned pieces, not much was left to hang onto. But what was left is still worth on it's own. Legend has it that Miller couldn't play properly d ... (read more)

Report this review (#451662) | Posted by JackFloyd | Tuesday, May 24, 2011 | Review Permanlink

3 stars I have some strong moral reservations about even putting my fingers on a record which is dedicated to a book which killed millions of people and ravaged a country. But that aside........ I have made the rule never listen to an album more than ten times before reviewing it for PA or any othe ... (read more)

Report this review (#257186) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Monday, December 21, 2009 | Review Permanlink

5 stars I'm glad that Robert Wyatt left Soft Machine, I believe his work as a drummer shines here more than any of his earlier works. It isn't that his playing is super duper fast, or immediately impressive; but his diversity, his time, it's as if he is keeping track of 40 million different things at on ... (read more)

Report this review (#170244) | Posted by kabright | Thursday, May 8, 2008 | Review Permanlink

4 stars #! Starting In The Middle Of The Day, We Can Drink Our Poly-Ticks Away::::::::: Time after time Wyatt always impresses me with his unusual vocal production using different layers of his voice, to give it a feeling that three or four or more Roberts are singing, this is a good example of that. Th ... (read more)

Report this review (#137042) | Posted by Jake E. | Saturday, September 8, 2007 | Review Permanlink

4 stars I'd love to give the album a full five start....it's prototypically Canterburian - far out compositions and great performances, but the music (like all things) isn't for everyone. Some point out the lack of direction....others dislike Fripp's muddy/muddled production....still others don't d ... (read more)

Report this review (#114596) | Posted by Intruder | Thursday, March 8, 2007 | Review Permanlink

4 stars A Canterbury classic for sure, the second Mole album rocks hard with driving jazz-rock and great musicianship. Brian Eno's electronic intro to Gloria Gloom (a song later covered by Henry Cow) is outstanding, but the 'voiceover' gimmick is simply annoying and what should have been an anthem is rat ... (read more)

Report this review (#114512) | Posted by mixmastermorris | Thursday, March 8, 2007 | Review Permanlink

4 stars Bufff... Like Henry Cow's "LegEnd", this album is amazing for me. Maybe "amazing" is not the word. I want to say I didn't like this type of music in the past. When I heard Soft Machine's "Third" I thought: "What's this", and I decided that music is not my music. But now I've heard this album ... (read more)

Report this review (#101167) | Posted by komun | Thursday, November 30, 2006 | Review Permanlink

4 stars The second work of announcement in 1972 "Matching Mole's little red record". Brian Eno also participates by the guest. Produce is Robert Flipp. By the way, the collaboration of Flipp&Eno started from meeting here. It became a work that instrumental has been enhanced. It is a work that list ... (read more)

Report this review (#43519) | Posted by braindamage | Saturday, August 20, 2005 | Review Permanlink

3 stars It would would of been a good album; as great as their debut! But Robert Fripp's production went a little out of hand! Fripp was an innaprropriate producer for this sort of music. Canterbury is not the way for him! Since Fripp does not have much of a sense of humor! ;) There are still some good high ... (read more)

Report this review (#4801) | Posted by | Wednesday, February 11, 2004 | Review Permanlink

5 stars One of the very best, a prog rock classic, excellent musicianship but with a looseness that lends alot of character, one of the best dozen Canterbury discs, seems like a logical extension of Third by Soft Machine (Machine Mole in French is Soft Machine) for Wyatt. Essential. ... (read more)

Report this review (#4800) | Posted by Gonghobbit | Tuesday, January 27, 2004 | Review Permanlink

Post a review of MATCHING MOLE "Little Red Record"

You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.