PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

No!!!!! I am not suggesting that I have priority over the rest of you.......

In the folk rock realm , these guys (well mainly Tom Rapp - no bad puns you, punks) were really something. I have recently picked from the library their first four albums (I think there will be a few € penalty because of the due-back date is well past) and I could not believe my ears.

A Nation Underground (68), Balaklava (69), The Use Of Ashes (70) are simply superb , truly beautyful albums (the fourth is a bit less interesting and is aptly named These Things Too (70) ) somehow close to Tim Buckley , Nick Drake, Jacques Brel but also it seems to me fairly progressive (at least in Spirit) songwriting , a lot of classical influences and gorgeous string  arrangements.

Balaklava even has a Cohen cover of Suzanne (not his best tune IMHO), but some of the ambiances developped are incredible: somber yet majestic, beautyful and spine-tingling! Best of of those albums mentioned is The Use Of Ashes  where his Raconteur-Troubadour is taking a special turn towards more "rock" instrumentations. Astounding moments and from far my favorite.

Raconteur-Troubadours of the 60's were the truer folk version of Singer-Songwriters of the 70's, mostly due to the fact that more and more S/S were switching to elerctric instrumentation, which is why the name changed.

So, P B S!!!!! prog or not?

 

A call to the older generation: After Pearls Before Swine retired , Tom Rapp retired from the music scene to become a lawyer. I know he made some solo albums, but which one would be the obvious one to get?

 

Next on my Folk Rock Quest ............ HOLLY MODAL ROUNDERS!!!!!!!........mmmmmmmmh!!!!! Intriguing stuff!!!!! can't wait

Album titles like Indian War Whoops and Moray Eels Eats Holy Modal Rounders are very appealling to this cat!!!!

And curiosity never killed this cat!!!

Edited by Sean Trane

We're all scared to post in a topic destined to be moved!  '

Actually, I dunno about the other 39 blokes, but seeing as the band's not in the archives, I was hoping for an MP3 sample or to for a good listen. 

Sean Trane wrote: So far 40 members have viewed this but none gave a comment. Try to elevate the level of the forum , and this is what you get!!! Ignored!!!! Or maybe is it about ignorance?

Happens to me all the time. I suggest something I am pretty sure no-one has ever heard about, and what do I get? No response. Example: I posted SEVERAL messages mentioning Mother Gong's excellent album "Fairy Tales", of which I am pretty sure it is an unknown gem, but no reaction (except one from Certified). Mother Gong are not even listed in the archives!!!
The collaborators are no better, by the way. I suggested to add "Nik Turner's Sphynx" and their excellent album "Xitintoday" to the archives, supplied a list of musicians playing on it (apart from Nik Turner an illustrious list consisting of Steve Hillage, Mike Howlett, Tim Blake, Miquette Giraudy, Morris Pert, Alan Powell) and even offered to write a review for it, but did I get any reaction? None at all. It was neither added to the archives nor was there any reason supplied why it wasn't.
My wife and I even offered our help as collaborators almost two weeks ago. No reaction to that either. Sometimes I am really fed up with this site. My wife and I really want to help, but getting no reaction at all is not really encouraging.

'nuff said.

Edited by BaldJean

I think sometimes the problem is finding just the right band to talk about ... Balancing between the overkill of Yes, Genesis etc and some relatively unknown (or at least little-discussed) outfit like The Enid, England, Quartermass, Tonton Macoute, T2, Marsupillami ... etc

I've never heard PBS or Mother Gong ... heard lots of good things about PBS ... but somehow got the impression they were more baroque-pop like the 60s Nirvana and the Left Bank ... I've also got a few Gong albums and they're great ...

I'm sure both bands are good, and I'm interested to hear what you guys have to say ... but have very little to give back if I've never heard the band ...

Hey Sean - I just saw this post. I am a big PBS fan, but I would not necessarily say they fall within the definition of prog as I understand it here at the archives.

There have been some arguments about Giles, Giles and Fripp belonging here, and quite a few people do not believe they should be included. PBS material is similar to GGF in tone and execution.

Tom Rapp is a criminally underrated songwriter, and Pearls Before Swine are one of my favorite bands.

Ihave The Nation Underground by PBS. I got the reissue on vinyl on Get Back records. A beautiful repackaging job on 180 gramm vinyl. Sadly I find the musi therein to be twee in the extreme. But hey ho, I only paid £5 for it, so I ca always use as a frizbee.