Paraphernalia Springs 8.28.22

The year has been flush with a number of high caliber tribute lps traipsing among us. These provide new looks at well trod originals. You can find some chestnuts. Let’s start with the line drawing adorning the cover.

How can so little ink say so much? Maybe like Leonard’s work. Emerson said: “In works of true genius we find our own rejected thoughts. They return to us with a certain alienated majesty.”

Just a piece yet weaned out from the pack to freshly entice the masses.

James Taylor w/ Bill Frisell guitar

Brazilian vocal empress covers works of Worcester born poet Elizabeth Bishop

Mr. Lee’s House from Margaret Morton’s book “Fragile Dwellings,” 1992

From the record “the Cocktail Combos, Capitol Records 1996

“The Incredible String Band (ISB)
“U”
Fillmore East April 1970

Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Robin Williamson (born 1943) and Mike Heron born (1942) were not Lennon/McCartney. They were always credited as separate writers, with their contributions to each album being roughly equal. They were quite popular in the late sixties, capable of filling large theatres, as they did at the Fillmore East numerous times.

In 1969 the band became influenced by Scientology and some have said that this contributed to the decline of the group. While it can be challenging to determine the influence of Scientology on their lyrics, Changing Horses and U show evidence of it. Robin Williamson described “U” as “a surreal parable in dance and song”. It combined the band’s music with dancing by the Stone Monkey troupe, the letter U representing a transition from a high level of spiritual awareness to a low, then returning to a final peak of awareness and communication. Although the performance was ambitious, critical response was mixed, with some harsh reviews from critics who had in some cases acclaimed their earlier work. It fared little better in New York, and a planned US tour of “U” had to be cancelled after a few performances at the Fillmore East. Joe Boyd, their producer described the show as “a disaster.” (Wikipedia) In an effort to recoup some of the losses from the U tour, a double LP was recorded in the summer of 1970 and released in October of that year. It did little to stem those losses.

I attended one of those U Fillmore shows and the performance was rambling and not their best. I had seen them in the intimate space of the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania over a year earlier and that was truly memorable. Both men were strong singers and musicians and complemented one another quite well. Their prime years and recordings would be from November 1966 through early 1970 when they released five very strong recordings:
The 500 Spirits of the Layers of the Onion 7/67
The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter 3/68
Wee Tam and The Big Huge (2LP in UK – single LPs in US) 11/68
Changing Horses 11/69

The Mike Heron song “This Moment,” from their seventh album April 1970’s “I Looked Up,” whose lyrics are below, was evidence that Mindfulness (Ram Dass’s spiritual guide, Be Here Now would become very popular upon it’s 1971 release) was at the center of some of their work.

This moment
is different
from any
before it
and this moment
is different
it’s now

And if I
don’t kiss you
That kiss is
untasted
I’ll never
no never
get it back

But why should
I want to
I’ll be in
the next moment
Sweet moment
Sweet lover
Sweet now

The walls of this room
are different from any before them
They are now
They are now
The air that you breathe
is different from any before it
It is now
It is now

You may think that life is repeating
Repeating (Repeat 4x)

You may think that life is repeating
Oh no (Repeat 5x)

Each moment
is different
from any before it
Each moment
is different
it’s now

The band broke up in 1974 though Williamson and Heron reunited briefly in 1999, but couldn’t”

— Alan West