This one came as a total surprise package to this reviewer. On reading
their unexpectedly extensive Wikipedia entry I found that they’d played
at Woodstock despite being an unrecorded act; that they were a popular
regional attraction around Boston and the northeast; and that virtually
all of them were multi-instrumentalists with a penchant for swapping the
instruments around onstage: guitarists and keyboardists switching to
horns, woodwind or cellos at the drop of a setlist.
The Woodstock slot came courtesy of a well-received appearance in NYC,
and on hearing of their impending festival appearance with its film and
live album potential, Ahmet Ertegun signed Quill to Atlantic’s Cotillion
subsidiary in the summer of ’69.
The non-appearance of the band’s set in the Woodstock movie contributed
to the label losing interest and the band’s insistence on producing the
debut album themselves didn’t particularly help their cause with Ertegun
either. Although it was released the following year it received next to
no corporate support and quickly stiffed. Like many another
unsuccessful opus of the period it lay doggo for decades until
resuscitated for CD reissue by the excellent Wounded Bird imprint in
2010.
The music itself is also surprising, distinctively and wilfully strange,
somewhere between the Doors and early British prog-rock. The band
members are all credited under wigged-out pseudonyms, Beefheart-style,
and the compositions themselves have similarly wacky titles. Sonically,
it’s sparsely realised despite the multifarious talents of the
musicians, populated by barely-audible organs and pianos and mixed-back
guitars and drums – the most prominent instrument is often the bass
guitar.
The arrangements are of the apparently loose, adlibbed type that can
only result from the most meticulous orchestration and rehearsal. The
lyrics are far from the usual hippie abandon of the day, laden with
social commentary, and the backings are full of irregular chord
sequences and modulations. There’s no telling where it’s going from one
track to the next, or sometimes within any given track.
After an unpromising raggedy-ass intro, the opening “Thumbnail
Screwdriver” builds around a catchy Hendrixoid guitar riff and features a
chiming solo by harmonised guitars. The nine-minute “They Live The
Life” is a minimalist shuffle with warped Moody Blues harmonies and a
sparse drum solo which builds into a collapsing cacophony of chanting
and percussion, apparently a favourite concert closer.
“BBY” showcases the alternative horn skills of the players and comes
over like Zappa bowdlerising Chicago, while “Yellow Butterfly” uses only
flanged, wah-ed guitar and sparse bass and has ghostly vocals redolent
of Syd Barrett. The closing “Shrieking Finally” opens with a droll mock
Gregorian chant which leads into a fragmented prog workout with
distinctive piano trimmings. Although all the musicianship is excellent,
it’s probably Roger North’s inventive and technically adroit drumming
that stays longest in the memory.
It’s all wacky and it all works. You won’t whistle the melodies as you
walk down the street, but without doubt this is another rarity that
deserves its rediscovery.
by Len Liechti
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