Various Artists: Extremes (Film Soundtrack) (DVD/CD)

Extremes is a 1971 film documentary by Tony Klinger and Michael Lytton. It has now been released on DVD for the first time. The film is an examination of the youth culture in London at the time taking a close look at hippies, drug addicts, punks, skinheads, gangs, etc. It is an interesting document of the past especially when considering the scenes were as they happened with no set up and the 'acting' is the real deal. Suffice to say this is a gritty piece of art that portrays a youth counterculture that is as raw and gruff as you would expect it to be. The kids are being brutally honest which is both refreshing and just a bit unnerving. It's a good watch and will be of particular interest to those who are interested in the period of the early '70s.

Also included is the soundtrack which has never been released on CD until now. I gotta say listening to this disc was like stepping back in a time warp and I mean that in a good way. There are some real treasures of the '70s here including titles by the bands Crucible, Arc, Supertramp and Mark McCann. Arc opens the disc with two tracks; "An Ear Ago" and "Great Lager Street", the former featuring wonderfully folk-like chiming psychedelic guitar tone and laidback vocals while the latter is slightly heavier psych infused progressive rock with wonderful backing vocals and lilting melodies. I love the melding of mellow and heavy rock. "Box Man" by Crucible is another early '70s nugget with excellent vocals and riffs. Crucible's "Elvish Queen" is a beautiful mostly guitar based track as is the supremely catchy "We Gotta Watch Out" with the guitar riffs and piano reminding us why the '70s were so important from a musical perspective. There are also three tracks from Supertramp taken from their self-titled debut. While this isn't Crime of the Century material, the beginnings of a great band are there even if it's a little rough around the edges.

While I enjoyed the film, I enjoyed the soundtrack even more. Put them both together and you have a four star release. Brought to you by the good folks at Gonzo Multimedia.

Track Listing:
1. An Ear Ago (Arc)
2. Great Lager Street (Arc)
3. Box Man (Crucible)
4. Black Rose (Mark McCann)
5. Refrigerated Warmth (Mark McCann)
6. Let Your Love Run Through (Arc)
7. Hit It (Crucible)
8. Surely (Supertramp)
9. Am I Not Like Other Birds Of Prey (Supertramp)
10. I'm A Perfectly Happy Man (Arc)
11. Words Unspoken (Supertramp)
12. Elvish Queen (Crucible)
13. We Gotta Watch Out (Crucible)

Added: January 24th 2018
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Label's Official Site
Hits: 1208
Language: english

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