This Review and 100s of Others Like It Are Available In My e-Book:
"…Coloured Rain…"
"Walrus" by Walrus
was released in late 1970 on Deram in the UK (their lone album on the label).
Like so many LPs on Deram (Decca's progressive rock label imprint) - it sold
precious little at the time but in hindsight has become something of a
sought-after rarity.
I've seen "Walrus" command sums way into three figures
sterling - much more than its guide price - and the two 7" singles that
surrounded the release are impossibly rare and hard to get too.
So this superb July 2008 UK-released CD of "Walrus" by WALRUS on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2071 (Barcode 5013929717121) giving you
the whole - is a welcome reissue (44:20 minutes). Here are the giant-sized
blubbery entrails…
1. Who Can I Trust [Side 1]
2. (a) Rags And Old Iron (b)
Blind Man (c) Roadside
3. Why?
4. (a) Turning (b) Woman (c)
Turning Reprise [Side 2]
5. Sunshine Needs Me
6. (a) Coloured Rain (b)
Mother's Dead Face In Memorium (c) Coloured Rain (Reprise)
7. Tomorrow Never Comes
Tracks 1 to 7 make up the
album "Walrus" - issued December 1970 on Deram SML 1072 in the UK only
(there is another Walrus by Walrus in the USA but it's not the same band).
BONUS TRACK:
8. Never Let My Body Touch
The Ground - a non-album A-side to a UK 7” single issued on Deram DM 323 in
January 1971 with "Why" as its 7" B-side (Track 3 off the
album). The first and only other UK single issued around the album was
"Who Can I Trust" b/w "Tomorrow Never Comes" (Tracks 1 and
7 on the LP) - released December 1970 on Deram DM 308.
The 8-man band consisted of:
STEVE HAWTHORN on Bass Guitar
(founder member)
JOHN SCATES on Lead &
Rhythm Guitar
BARRY PARFITT on Piano and
Organ
NICK GARB and ROGER HARRISON
on Drums
NOEL GREENAWAY on Vocals
DON RICHARDS on Trumpet, ROY
VACE on Tenor Sax and BILL HOAD on Alto & Baritone Saxophones and Flutes
Most deep progressive rock
actually bores me rigid, but this album is different. An Irish collector friend
of mine who actively seeks out rock bands with a soulful/funky tint put me onto
it - or more specifically the single he owned, which was "Who Can I
Trust". It's a cracking good rock tune with a funky almost brassy edge to
it. If I was to describe Walrus musically, think BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS meets
CHICAGO meets SPIRIT meets the rocking side of Britain's BLODWYN PIG and
especially the Blods 1969 Island masterpiece "Ahead Rings Out". If
anything, given the quality and reasonably commercial nature of the singles,
it's odd that they never did the business chart wise.
The booklet reproduces the
front and rear sleeve and there's informative sleeve notes by MARK POWELL. The
remastering by PASCHAL BYRNE at the Audio Archiving Company from the original
Deram analogue master tapes is FANTASTIC - great drums, muscular brass center
stage, rocking guitars in the left with piano and organ on the right - clear
vocals - all of it - really good.
The tunes are sometimes a
little over complicated for their own good and the lyrics to "Why"
are cringingly awful hippy lore, but I just love the Blood, Sweat & Tears
feel on almost all of the tracks which they combine with that Mick
Abrahams/Blodwyn Pig background of sound. A particular highlight is
"Coloured Rain", a seven-minute Traffic cover version done
instrumental style in three parts - it's had customers coming to the counter of
our second-hand record shop asking "whose this?"
There’s even a
piano-pounding jazz improv section. Speaking of Jazz - the Oscar Brown, Jr.
cover of “Rags And Old Iron” sounds like Dr. John fronting a Prog band who
think they’re Jethro Tull. Things get CBS Rock Buster heavy with the brilliant
bonus track “Never Let My Body Touch The Ground” where Noel Greenaway’s
growling vocal gets his teeth into a really great Rock/Drums groove – a real
discovery.
Cherry Red's Esoteric
Recordings have been putting out brilliant CD Remasters like this for years now
– Bands and Artists like Juicy Lucy, Mellow Candle, Keef Hartley, Decameron,
Roger Ruskin Spear (of The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band), Man, Marc Brierley, Ellis,
Fruupp, Help Yourself, Tir na N'Og, Spooky Tooth and East Of Eden (I’ve
reviewed the lot) – people worth remembering and deserving of a second shot at
affection.
A very cool CD re-issue really...
