- Western Electric:
Western Electric (Munich, MRCD 199)
- Expect the unexpected, when you first play this
new album! This is not a Coal Porters release,
nor is it a Sid Griffin solo effort. The truth
lies somewhere in-between. Western Electric is
The Coal Porters line-up, but the music you'll
hear on this release is of another style. This is
if anything an experimental album with the band
stripping down the sound to almost a bare minimum
in places. Some of what you'll hear will be
familiar to most fans - Emily In Ginger and When
I'm Out Walking With You have both appeared on
previous releases, whilst Whirlwind has been in
the live set on numerous occasions over the last
year or two. The rest of the material here is
more or less unheard of outside the studio.
-
- It kicks off with Theme From Western
Electric which begins with what sounds
like the band singing until a haunting melody and
some harmonies and vocal soundbites act as a
short intro to Western Electric the album. Emily
In Ginger sounds no different to me than
the version which appears on EP Roulette, though
it may have been remixed.(This is of course
nonsense, as the track is a clear 4 minutes
longer than the earlier version -ed.!) The pace
and style of this track is actually pretty close
to the whole approach on the album, so laid back
it's almost horizontal!
-
- The next track was a bit of a surprise. 10-4,
written by Pat McGarvey initially sounds strange
not least because Pat sings it himself, and
whilst he is an accomplished vocalist, this even
sounds different from other vocals Pat has
delivered. However it quickly grows and is one of
the more upbeat tracks with some great banjo in
there from Mr McGarvey himself. The version of When
I'm Out Walking With You is perhaps the
closest thing here to a 'normal' Coal Porters
track. Whilst this is different to the Little
Victories track, it is not too dissimilar to the
version the band have played live. Bob Stone's
keyboards are there, as is the pedal steel of I
presume Rob Childs. It says something for the
overall pace and style of Western Electric that
this is probably the most lively and upbeat track
here.
-
- The Power Of Glory intrigued me
not least because it is listed as being over 4
minutes long, yet has no lyrics in the CD
booklet. Prefaced by the words "I challenge
you to do more for God" from what sounds
like a minister's sermon, it proceeds with
Byrds-like harmonies, percussion and some great
guitar work, interspersed with more religious
soundbites about the contents of The Bible, King
Herod and the route of all evil. Continuing with
the religious theme is Faithless Disciple.
Again the song is stripped to the bones. A gentle
bass line accompanies acoustic guitar and
percussion with the occasional burst of pedal
steel, which livens it up. Sid's vocals are
effortless and this is one of the highlights of
the album.
-
- Whirlwind initially disappointed
me. I was expecting great things of this track.
The version here has a simple vocal and guitar
until the bass and keyboard come in. In the past
this has been put across in a very heavy way, but
even when the chorus is sung there is restraint.
The effect is more akin to Ain't No Way I'll Be
Your Cowboy rather than Help Me. Pat's vocals mid
way through add a different dimension, and though
the track still fails to fully burst into life,
it retains a poignancy that a heavier version
would doubtless have lacked. A largely acoustic
affair, Love You Down has the
vocal talents of Sid and Pat combining well and
again there are some great three part harmonies
here which are very reminiscent of The Byrds.
There's also a hint of that haunting theme from
Twin Peaks as well on this.
-
- Carousel Days also features both
Sid and Pat putting together an unusual vocal
delivery, against a bare drum and keyboard
background. When they sing the refrain the music
immediately reminds you of the carousel or
fairground of younger days. Vocally this is one
of the strongest songs the band has ever put out.
It ends with the sounds of playing children
mixing with Sid's harmonica. The other song which
initially disappoints slightly is the Gene Clark
cover Straight From The Heart.
The vocals are again at the forefront, with a
single drumbeat offering the only constant
musical accompaniment. When all the instruments
finally do come together the song momentarily
springs to life but soon lapses into a laid back
style as it brings the album to a close.
-
- The US release on Gadfly Records has a slightly
different track order and adds 2 tracks at the
expense of Theme From Western Electric and Love
You Down. It opens with Everything,
remixed from the EP Roulette and arguably better,
it is perhaps a stronger opening to the album but
is not typical of what follows. The other track
is the wonderful Memory Captures Time.
This is again more akin to what you might expect
from "The Coal Porters" with some great
Byrds-like guitar and a sure favourite on the
live circuit for the future. The only surprise
given all this is that it is written and sung not
by Sid himself, but by Pat McGarvey, and this is
certainly his finest effort yet.
-
- I'd love to hear how these tracks come across
live. Whilst the overall pace is reserved you get
the feeling that the songs will have another
dimension to them in a live environment. After
the first play, to be honest I was dumbfounded
and not a little disappointed. By the second I
was hooked. It's all about expectations, and
there is plenty to reward the listener here.
There's also much more of Pat McGarvey's
influence here. Of the 12 tracks included on the
US and European versions, Pat has writing credits
on 7 of them, with Sid having just one more. The
more you hear it, the more it all fits together
and personally I love the way the soundbites are
interspersed into the songs. There's a strong
religious imagery to these songs, not just in the
soundbites, but references to Glory, disciples,
Christian soldiers and resurrection amongst the
lyrics perhaps suggest that the band have
undergone some kind of rebirth. Billboard
magazine in the US described this as
"Griffin's best, most assured, most
experimental, and most ambitious work by a long
shot" - I think they got it in one.
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