CONTRASTS

BLONDE ON BLONDE were a British Psychedelic Rock band from Newport in South Wales, who were named after the 1966 album of the same name by Bob Dylan. There was also a short-lived Pop duo of the same name in the late 1970's, featuring two well-known British glamour models, so they're unlikely to be confused with the four hippyish male musicians in the Welsh psychedelic band. Blonde on Blonde released three far-out albums during their brief moment in the spotlight:- "Contrasts" (1969); "Rebirth" (1970); and "Reflections on a Life" (1971). The CD reissue of the first album "Contrasts" - with its creepy arachnophobic image of a huge spider crawling up the back of a naked girl - added two bonus tracks to the original twelve songs on the album. It's time to check out Blonde on Blonde's first album now, so light a joss stick and prepare to take a psychedelic trip back in time to those incense and peppermint flower-power days of the late 1960's.

It's all aboard the magic bus for a "Ride with Captain Max", and what a wild psychedelic ride it is! This song is a veritable potpourri of acid-drenched guitar leads, gloriously combined with gentle acoustic guitar passages. This absolutely fabulous groovy sixties song is flying as high as a kite as these uplifting lyrics reveal:- "How can you fly so high? So high up in the sky, I wish I could fly so high, Up there with you in the sky." ..... There's no need for any illegal substances though when you can just get high by listening to great music like this. It's time to get back on board the magic bus again for the next stop on our magical musical mystery tour: "Spinning Wheel". This guitar and sitar song sounds as Indian as curry and poppadoms, but it's still Quintessentially English (or Welsh) at heart, featuring a simply stunning sitar solo that radiates 1960's flower-power like a bright ray of sunshine. This is sonic nirvana for the soul! If you've ever suffered from insomnia, then you'll be able to relate to the next song: "No Sleep Blues". It's a jingly-jangly, country-tinged 1960's Pop song that barrels along relentlessly at a brisk pace, sounding like an express train rattling rhythmically down the tracks. Despite the title, the song has a buoyant feel-good groove to it, so you're unlikely to sleep through this bright and lively number. It's time to say "Goodbye" now, because that's the title of our next song, even though we're not yet halfway through the album. As you can probably guess from the title, "Goodbye" is a bittersweet ballad where the broken-hearted vocalist sounds like he's nearly in tears, having just been dumped by his sweetheart. proving that all is NOT fair in love and war. Oh dear! The best songs are often written as the result of broken relationships though, and that's the case here as this is a lovely 1960's melody from the Golden Age of Pop. When love goes sour, you need friends, and our broken-hearted singer is reaching out now with "I Need My Friend", another wild psychedelic excursion along the hippy trail onboard the magic bus. It's back to nature for the heartfelt plea of "Mother Earth", a gently charming Folk-Rock song to close out Side One in fine style, in an album that really IS turning out to be a wondrous album full of "Contrasts".

The next song will sound VERY familiar, because it's a very accomplished version of the Beatles' classic "Eleanor Rigby", given the Blonde on Blonde jangling guitar treatment. There's also the sonorous sound of a trumpet to be heard throughout the song, although one suspects it's a cleverly-disguised keyboard "voice". Either way, it's a rousing good way to open Side Two. This particular rendition of "Eleanor Rigby" has an altogether happier vibe to it than the original melancholy Beatles' version though. When it comes to great Rock albums, this long-lost treasure chest full of good solid songs really makes the grade, and "Conversationally Making the Grade" is the title of our next song. It's another rip-roaring sonic boom of keyboard prog with some wild psychedelic guitar riffing thrown in too. This music is a blast! We're in the "Regency" suite next for a brief neo- classical harpsichord piece which J.S. Bach would have been proud of. This leads us gently into "Island on an Island", a lovely nautical-sounding Folk song that dances merrily along on a wave of flutes, acoustic guitars and gorgeous multi-part harmonies. There's a beautiful ballad on the way with "Don't Be Too Long", which is a complete contrast to the heavier psychedelic numbers on Side One, and it's a welcome diversion too, featuring a vibrant acoustic guitar and with the singer in appealingly fine voice. This is probably one of the best 1960's Pop songs that no one's ever heard of, and if you're lucky enough to rediscover this long-lost hidden gem from the tail-end of the 1960's, then I'm sure you'll agree. We're off to meet the beautiful "Jeanette Isabella" now for the final song on this marvellous album that's a constant Liquorice Allsorts box of contrasts. And what a gloriously uplifting piece of music it is too, featuring scintillating sitars and acid-soaked electric guitars. The song does have a slight melancholy air to it, but the music is just sublime!

"Contrasts" is exactly what it says on the label. The album is a whole kaleidoscope of constantly changing psychedelic rainbow colours, featuring mainly Psychedelic Rock songs on Side One and with a whole psychedelicatessen of musical styles to select from on Side Two. There's something here to suit everyone's tastes in this veritable smorgasbord of great music, and there's a pleasant surprise in store too with nearly every song when you never quite know what's coming up next. They say that blondes have more fun, and Blonde on Blonde definitely sounded like they had fun making this magnificent album of "Contrasts".