Look at the title, and particularly the cover art that features Jim and Geoff
with candy-striped blazers, canes and straw bashers doing a vaudeville-like
prance down what looks like Brighton pier ... so you know what to expect on this
record, right? Wrong.
Okay hangonasec - Leverton and Richardson are long-standing stalwarts of the
timeless Cantebury progressive band Caravan ... so now you know what to
expect, right? Wrong.
This is folksy and very English music - imagine a cross between Donovan and
Strawbs's more straightforward numbers, with - perhaps - an occasional peppering
of Lou Reed. These are laid back songs featuring acoustic guitar, Richardson's
viola, as well as a flute, saxophone, and hedge clippers. No, really, hedge
clippers! The opening track is called "Rhapsody For Hedgeclippers", and despite
its odd title, it's an all instrumental piece with an upbeat rhythm that
includes the sound of clippers. Actually - it sounds more like your barber's
scissors. As the piece builds up there's a long flute solo, mournful notes
from the acoustic guitar and the electric viola, and sound clips of birds
(doves, waterbirds and fish eagles). And closing track "Rhapsody Reprise"
bookends the album with another minute or so of the same basic instrumental -
birds and clippers and all. This description may make it sound cheesy, but it's
a strong piece and sets the mood for the rest of the record. There's a serious
mood to the songs - not dark in any way, but somber in spots, and serious
throughout.
In a conversation with Geoff Richardson and Jim Leverton in 2004 Richardson
quipped that when he was young, a cheap viola sounded better than a cheap violin
- which was how he settled on that instrument. It certainly sounds good on this
album - a more gutsy sound than a violin, and it complements the tonality of the
relaxed , vocals delivered in the a strong mid range
There's a mix of cover tunes and original material and one of the standouts
is the cover of "Ride On" by Christy Moore (of Planxty). You've probably heard
the song before - it's an easy-on-the-ear staple on so many Celtic music
compilations, a serious ballad that benefits from the viola, that takes on a
sort of French cafe meets Celtic style here. "BlueFin" is the duo's nod to
American musical influences - another all-instrumental piece that features
powerful bluesy acoustic guitar work, with an equally powerful electric viola
over the top.
This is a song-oriented record with fairly fairly linear pieces, and
certainly a departure from Geoffrey's work with Penguin Café Orchestra, and from
Jim's bass work with , Juicy Lucy, Fat Mattress, Blodwyn Pig, Joe Brown and
Steve Marriott; and of course, from both of their contributions to Caravan. It's
only 45 minutes long - and although more content would have been nice, the short
span of the album has you reaching over for the replay button to hear more.
Track Listing:
1. Rhapsody For Hedgeclippers
2. I Can Disappear
3. Marble Feet
4. Only Human
5. BlueFin
6. Say It Ain't So Joe
7. Ordinary Man
8. Ride On
9. Everytime It Rains
10.Rhapsody Reprise
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