UK label FRUITS DE MER RECORDS have launched their fair share of ambitious projects in the handful of years they’ve been an ongoing concern, but the one they launched in the late fall of 2014 was certainly a daring one: A set of 10 flexi-singles, each in their own housing. Postcard style according to description. That the art of making flexi singles is one that hasn’t been in demand for some timer making this project a daring one on multiple levels. In addition to the uncertainty you will have for potential buyers of such a package. It was made and launched anyhow, and to save the flexi singles from too much wear and tear a CD with the songs from the flexi-singles was included too. Although with quite a few alternate and extended versions from the songs on the flexi singles according to the label description, as this wasn’t a part of the promo package I’ll just have to forward that information from the label description without further comment.
Still, while the package itself is perhaps the major selling point for this production, the music does of course matter too. And as always the good folks at Fruits de Mer have managed to assemble contents that is quite tasteful indeed also from a musical point of view.
The Luck of Eden Hall opens with a cover of Count Five’s Psychotic Reaction, in this version a song that sounds like a meeting of the minds between Hawkwind and The Beatles around 1970. The Loons continue with their take on Dragonfly’s Celestial Empire, with a driving bass line that reminds me of early UFO (while they were still exploring psychedelic rock) as a vibrant foundation for a cosmic laced garage rock affair. The Crawlin’ Hex version of Calico Wall’s I’m a Living Sickness is more of a dark, psychedelic drenched krautrock affair with spaghetti western soundtrack details, and a brilliant one at that, while The Thanes run through The Pretty Things LSD features energetic garage rock riffs and sitar combined in a vibrant, firm arrangement.
The Blue Giant Zeta Puppies covers Satori’s Time Machine is more of a punky, tight garage rock affair with organ coating, while The Past Tense version of The Hippies’ Soul Fiction is more of a pop oriented take on psychedelic, lo-fi garage rock in style. Schizo Fun Addict continues the fun with an alternative version of The Sorrows’ Take a Heart, in this version a dark and lo-fi garage rock tinged affair that reminded me ever so slightly of Aussie band The Lime Spiders.
Crystal Jaqueline covers Donovan’s You Just Gotta Know My Mind in her typical psychedelic pop mode, brilliant vocals as always even if the song as such isn’t quite as compelling as the general atmosphere. Astralasia’s take on Brainticket (by Brainticket) pretty much comes across as an analogue techno affair with a subtly dominant organ initially, the guitars given more room and transforming the song in the final phase. Icarus Peel concludes this production with a run through Laurie Johnson’s The Avengers’ Theme in a vibrant, bass pumping and fairly wacky psychedelic coating.
How many people that find flexi discs to be charming is the essential question for a package of this kind I guess, but those who do find them to be treasured items and also have a fascination for vintage oriented psychedelic rock should find this package to be a worthwhile purchase. The addition of a CD that collects the music is a nice bonus, as all of us who recall what flexi discs were really like will remember that they aren’t actually all that suited to be played all that much. Back in the day they were promotional items, popular because they were cheap to produce and because they had a limited lifespan, forcing you to buy the LP or cassette (or CD) when the flexi was worn out. As the promotion package is one geared towards the music, limiting the real package details to descriptions, the rating for this production goes towards the music alone.
My rating: 86/100
