A Left-Wing Rock Oratorio
Glen1975 | London | 10/16/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was released at a times when rock concept albums were in full bloom. There were rock operas, rock synphonies, rock this and that. This album was an anti-dote. The Broughtons had a huge following in the following in the UK. The music was loud and boy did it rock. Their image was bearded hippies - completely unappealing. They invoke a world of cockroach infested squats, burst sofas, bottles of sour milk, dirty socks and grimy buidings.
I got this album in 1973, I was fascinated by its Chinese Wallet gatefold sleeve, one side opened out to photos of band members under motorway flyovers and the other opened out to rural and coastal idylls. The lyrics were reproduced in felt-tip, and boy did these guys work hard. These were words of protest, emotion, feelings, politics, alienation, sex.
"Get out of bed" is a medley of songs that segue with great ease - political references are made to Black Power Activists Angela Davis and George Davis in "Sister Angela" remarkable for its melodic beauty. Protest songs abound "I got mad"; "Homes fit for heroes" and then the lovely love song "Chilly Morning Mama" (yes, there is a great deal of sensitivity on this album). Further on, we hit the magnum opus of the album "It's not you", it starts off with a rather funky guitar riff and just booms away for ten minutes, and here we have Edgar ranting, many references are made to the slavery trade and the dreadful passage to the Americas - seeing things from the point of view of the person who had to suffer this dreadful subjugation of being holed up in a ship to the degree that "...you daren't open your eyes in case you see". It's quite powerful stuff.
The musicianship is so tight that they can turn on a full stop. The music ranges from the sensitive to the rough and ready.
Great album, from beginning to end."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1