This Review and 100s of Others Available in my e-Book:
"...Spaced..."
Including the 1971 Album "Gandharva" on Warner Brothers Records
Including the 1971 Album "Gandharva" on Warner Brothers Records
There aren't many bands or artists who 'don't' make the Record Collector Rare Records Price Guide when they issued albums as far back as 1970, 1971 and 1972 - but the eccentric and frankly noodlesome output of PAUL BEAVER and BERNARD KRAUSE are among that select few.
When I worked as a Rock and Rarities Vinyl Buyer at Reckless Records (a stretch of 20 years penal servitude) - Beaver & Krause albums were like Bach on a Moog or Sitar for your Grannies Bunions - curios that sold for a few quid, usually bought by hipster DJs looking for samples, quirky bits of noise they could use in between spins on the Technics 1200s. And in some respect, not a lot has changed for this dynamic duo of alternate soundscapes.
What you're getting here is three full albums the keyboard bending boys did for Warner Brothers in the early Seventies (they did their first in 1968 "The Nonesuch Guide To Electronic Music" and a second on Limelight Records in 1969 called "Ragnorรถk (Electronic Funk)") – the third having slowly moved away from Ambient Electronics to embrace proper songs (even if they are a bit weepy and let the side down somewhat). Short on playing time but impactful nonetheless, the first and third of these forgotten albums were only released in the USA ("In A Wild Sanctuary" in 1970 and "All Good Men" in 1972) - whilst the more commercially accessible "Gandharva" LP saw both America and Blighty outings and remains the one album most British Rock heads have ever seen by them.
Insider support was impressive too. The first two albums drew in some world class players prepared to bolster up experimental outings - Bud Shank on Flute and Saxophone, Dave Grusin on Keyboards, Gerry Mulligan on Saxophone with Milt Holland on all manner of Percussion. The Electronic Rock of the "Gandharva" album even has the guitar work of Mike Bloomfield and Ronnie Montrose on it with genuine Soulful bonuses being supplied by that trio of classy backing vocalists - Vanetta Fields, Clydie King and Patrice Holloway – Clydie lending "Walkin'" an almost ethereal Rotary Connection feel before the three launch into a full-on see-me-in-church Gospel romp on the very next song (and that's a Nirvana for me I can tell you). Ace Conductor Jimmie Haskell arranged the third platter where the duo did most of the playing – tackling Scott Joplin amongst other things - all forgotten now in a sea of existential bum fluff.
But (and as they say in a Donald Trump shower situation, here comes the big but) - there's much to be getting on with here - goodies due reappraisal - music that is actually moving and even beautiful at times - tunes that have passed many discerning ears by. Beaver & Krause even championed environmental and ecological issues in 1970 on their big label debut "In A Wild Sanctuary" with the full permission of Warner Bros executives - back in the days when hopeful men ran the music business and not disinterested suits. I mean how can you not love a band that has song titles like "Aurora Hominis" and "Walking Green Algae Blues". For sure the third platter lets the side down somewhat...
Anyways, some reissue crowd called 'Righteous' seem determined that we pay attention with this 2019 digital twofer and start yanking on those bare wires again. So as the plugged-in boys said in their original liner notes - let's get to our 'environmental expressions recorded with Moog synthesiser' (I will if you will baby)...
UK released Friday, 29 March 2019 (5 April 2019 in the USA) - "In A Wild Sanctuary/Gandharva/All Good Men" by BEAVER and KRAUSE on Righteous PSALM23:93D (Barcode 5013929989320) offers 3 albums from 1970, 1971 and 1972 (originally on Warner Brother Records) Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:
Disc 1 (46:30 minutes):
1. Another Part Of Time [Side 1]
2. And There Was Morning
3. Spaced
4. So Long As The Waters Flow
5. Aurora Hominis [Side 2]
6. Salute To The Vanishing Bald Eagle
7. People's Park
8. Walking Green Algae Blues
9. Sanctuary
Tracks 1 to 9 are their third studio album "In A Wild Sanctuary" - released June 1970 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1850 (no UK release).
10. Soft White [Side 1]
11. Saga Of The Blue Beaver
12. Nine Moons In Alaska
13. Walkin'
14. Walkin' By The River
Tracks 10 to 14 are Side 1 of their fourth studio album "Gandharva" - released May 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1909 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46130.
Disc 2 (55:49 minutes):
1. Gandharva [Side 2]
2. By Your Grace
3. Good Places
4. Short Film For David
5. Bright Shadows
Tracks 1 to 5 are Side 2 of their fourth studio album "Gandharva" - released May 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1909 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46130.
6. A Real Slow Drag [Side 1]
7. Legend Days Are Over
8. Love Of Col. Evol
9. Sweet William
10. Bluebird Canyon Stomp
11. Looking Back Now
12. Prelude
13. Child Of The Morning Sun
14. Between The Sun And The Rain
15. All Good Men
16. Waltz Me Around Again Willie/Real Slow Drag
Tracks 6 to 16 are their fifth and final studio album "All Good Men" - released September 1972 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2624 (no UK release).
The liner notes by DAVE HENDERSON are witty and suitably eclectic (given the two involved) – but there is precious little by way of actual album credits (the guest musicians I’ve mentioned above) and he barely touches the actual music. For instance the third LP has songwriter Adrienne Anderson giving it some ‘love you’ soulful vocals on Side 1’s "Sweet William" and US Folky Cris Williamson getting all Jimmy Webb on "Looking Back Now" – ballads that are more Dionne Warwick than Karlheinz Stockhausen. There’s an Native Indian voice attributed to Elizabeth Watson in the LP credits on the repeated spoken lyrics in "Legend Days Are Over" – but again no background as to who or why – when it would have been cool to know after all these decades.
ALAN WILSON has done the mastering - the 8-page booklet peppered with snaps of those WB master tapes. "Gandharva" was done digitally in 1994 with Lee Herschberg on the Warner Archives Series while two ok Collector’s Choice CDs came out in 2006 for "In A Wild Sanctuary" and "All Good Men" and I suspect that all three of these have been used (licensed from WEA). The audio is good – at times great – but at other times just a tad low and wanting. Overall I’d say four out of five stars. To the sounds...
Patters of a Tabla Drum are quickly joined by cool synth notes and a hip organ melody on "Another Part Of Time" – the first LP’s opener. It’s a tune that acts like its Ramsey Lewis on Cadet Records in 1968 instead of 1970. The instrumental "And There Was Morning" has huge dawn-of-man notes and apes an ELP moment. The quiet "Spaced" has surprisingly little hiss as the synth notes trickle like water dripping on a sidewalk – while "So Long As The Water Flows" forgoes dribbles in space and gives us the full storm – crashes and bangs and static sounding like lashing rain – synth notes rising above- all majestic for five minutes. There is even an "Obscured By Clouds" Pink Floyd feel to "Salute To The Vanishing Bald Eagle" – the whole flowery album plea ending with one and half minutes of the peaceful "Sanctuary".
While the first LP is undoubtedly interesting, things pick up steam considerably with "Gandharva". The Bluesy Guitar picking of Mike Bloomfield follows a huge synth swish at the beginning of "Saga Of The Blue Beaver" – an instrumental that thereafter chugs along in a Funky fashion to a point where you feel you’ve stumbled on a Shuggie Otis LP over on Epic Records. That’s followed by a droning synth instrumental called "Nine Moons In Alaska" that sounds not unlike "Electro Lux Imbroglio" on Steve Miller’s "Book Of Dreams" album in 1977. But this is only a prelude to my fave – Clydie King scatting echoed vocals on the fabulous "Walkin'" – a trippy Soulful moment that acts as a lead in to the full-on Gospel of "Walkin' By The River". Perhaps even better is Gerry Mulligan playing on his own "By Your Grace" over on Side 2 followed strongly by another pretty floating Sax moment in "Good Places".
Minus the big names and with almost every instrument played by the duo only – unfortunately the third album is a very mixed bag (worst of the three) coming across at times like some bad Paul Williams schlock and not the wired experimentalism of the groovy first and second platters. Beaver unwisely sings with his twee voice of a child running in meadows and the sun shining and la-la-laing his way through saccharine flutes. The intro synth drone of "Between The Sun And The Rain" quickly gives way to bopping Salsa rhythms that is frankly way too close to some bad lounge band taking the Michael. The Scott Joplin covers just feel out of place too. There are other better moments on "All Good Men", but they’re not the Side 2 Flute and Sax instrumentals of "Gandharva'".
So musically it’s a bit of mishmash then, the first two offering genuinely surprising moments of grandeur and vibe whilst number three loses its way without those big name helps.
Still, a timely reminder and a cool little reissue into the Moogy bargain...
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