Культуры и искусствы

REVIEW: Changes -- Fire of Life (1996, Hau Ruk!/TESCO)

This collection of archive recordings by an American duo
dating from period of 1969-1974 begs comparison with a
certain British band Venom. Both either predated or
accidentally created (depending on your choice of the
lore) a music genre which made the originators pale in
comparison in every aspect if their art. Reportedly,
Albin Julius of Der Blutharsch was so impressed with these
recordings that he reissued the material on his imprint
Hau Ruk! which is not typically associated with material
like this. Several other zines praised the album as
"truly deserving the name 'apocalyptic folk'".

One thing that I would admit that comparison with Venom
is perhaps, a little bit stretched and does the disservice
to Changes. Venom, at least in their earliest incarnation
(as well as the majority of the first wave black metal
acts) plainly sucked at their performing and songwrighting
abilities. Changes, however, did not suck, they were decent
and competitive enough not to be dismissed from the array
of better known psychedelic folk acts, but hardly more
than just that. Sure, the story of the duo interleaves
with certain philosophical, metaphysical an religious
movements, such as The Process, Church of the Final
Judgement, however, late 60's produced prophets, visionaries,
cults, sects and plain nutcases in quantities unseen by
any other period of time in the modern history, many of whom
explored borderline states of mind. Most, if not all
Woodstock generation did that, not to mention characters
like Charlie Manson or Jim Baker a.k.a. Father Yod.

While it is common for people to confuse "the influential"
and "the great", it is not entirely clear why these songs were
even considered influential in the first place, aside from
rather remote factors. From the commentary to the album
by authors themselves it follows that less than half of the
songs even touch upon the apocalyptic themes, and some of
those do so laterally, e.g. not by actual content
but rather by what was going behind the scenes when the
song was penned. Nobody calls Arthur Brown apocalyptic
rock despite his first record, written several years
earlier than this was more apocalyptic than anything in
"Fire of Life".

This is not to say that this record is a waste. As I mentioned
above, it is quite decent album, which mostly does sound
like Simon and Garfunkel, at times indeed getting slightly
more delicate and transcending. However, it is not difficult
to find more impressive records from music prospective
originating from that era.

To form your own opinion of this album proceed here.

Current Music: Changes -- Fire of Life