Vicious Sloth Rec.
Extradition : Hush (AUS,1971)****°
Extradition, literally "ex-tradition", reacted against the folk purists to show the 'true folk spirit', and, equal to its intention, also succeeded in becoming a trademark with a legendary status, to show subtle inspiration and an honest direction of what was inspired from the heart. Partly it was stimulated by the music from people like Shirley Collins, Annie Briggs and Sandy Denny, and groups like Incredible String Band, Pentangle and Fairport Convention. Another drive was the group's free experiment with some odd and exotic instruments, like the Indian vina, a sitar with pedal, organ, harmonium and chimes, and with Asian rhythms.
Closely in history to Extradition stood the band Tully, who showed some creative and progressive expression within the pop genre.
During the short existence of Extradition, a part of the history of Tully was melted. When Tully's second album, "Sea of Joy", came out for instance, the two remaining non-Tully members were driven into this group, while Extradition dissolved into Tully. One theme of Extradition received a different version on "Sea of Joy", namely "I Feel the Sun", and, on the LP "Loving is hard", another track, "Ice" was rearranged as well. Such and a few other similarities bring these albums a bit closer to each other. At first sight it seemed that Tully was driven forth mostly by Meher Baba's ideas, while Extradition seemed a subtle experiment on its own. In reality Extradition was even closer to his spirit.
The songs from the album..
"The Water Song" is a rare poetic experimental song, achieved in an emotionally rich way, with just calm water and a few acoustic guitar spots, some tiny bells and wooden sticks sounding as if driven by wind, and some descriptive flute like wind itself, all accompanying like some of the "elements" themselves, creative like it has an elves-like-nature and approach of or to music, with silence participating in the composition as well. An unearthly beauty !
"A love song" continues more like Anne Briggs or Buffy Sainte-Marie at their best, with acoustic guitar & harpsichord, giving it a Trader Horne like touch as well. More subtle than this, it has no tendency to sound popular ever. While it is clearly song-structured and melodic, the percussion is gentle. The harpsichord gets a small part in it, with a melodical experimental improvisation on the melody line, composed like new music.
"Original Whim" sounds great being remastered, without crackles. It's an experimental meditative track, again as if driven and carried forth from the elements itself, starting from a more aerial element, like wind, with wood clicking sounds*, becoming more melodic through Tibetan bells and chimes, and ending with the more deeply penetrating gong, all with the effect of an introductory musical "OM" for the next track. *(Actually, according to the booklet, these must be stones, sticks, palm leaves, a tree, a Lebanese bell, Chinese and Turkish gongs, with some percussion instruments. And it seems a Meher Baba inspired kind of "appraisal").
"Minuet" is a more classical, beautiful miniature rondo with harmonium and piano. I put this CD on before, at home during dinner. "A Moonsong" played quietly. My girlfriend, being tired after work said what was this sharp train whistle note was doing there ? and asked me to put it off. Of course, this was bad timing, mostly. But it reminded me as well of all these other people, who, never recognize true inspiration, but are always the first to make a comment on anything unusual, before they even try to listen to what it really is. This 'one note' sounds more to me like a 'balancing note', here shaped visible as a penetrating moonlight, that reshapes the whole picture through its presence. It is another beautiful folk song, which is transcendental through content and approach. The second part with tabla has a provocative choral, celebrative element. A harmonium tone concludes the perspective (musically) towards a more earthly or human level.
On the track "Dear One", Richard Lockwood sings as well, and with full true devotion. It's dedicated to Meher Baba again. More than just a "hippie" approach, these subtle feelings are truly beautiful and musically strong. This is created with piano and harpsichord mostly, with similar balancing and slowly evolving individual notes, on chord organ near the end, and with some acoustic guitar. This is followed by another song, now entirely sung by Shayna. This "A woman Song" has such a beautiful deep melancholy "I would die for it" to hear it, giving me life to experience it. It has also some sitar (or better vina), violin & tabla near the end.
The following track, "I feel the sun" is a bit early Sandy Denny like, and it's accompanied with keyboard layers of harpsichord and piano. "Ice", herafter, sung by Graham is a flickering spot of reflections 'in grandeur', with the earlier mentioned elements of the balancing note, some acoustic guitars, cello, organ and chorus arrangements. His voice and singing here remind me somewhat of the best of Peter Hamill.
"Song for Sunrise", the last track, starts with refined chamber acoustic guitar, concludes the album like a perfect circle, with another meditatively calm song, only repeating the beautiful words of "lighting the sky with this love".
There really are not many records like this. It's so much more than 'just a folk album'. Thanks to this CD-release I began to appreciate every detail of it. And I still consider this as one of the best folk related albums ever.
In 'spiritual mood' it reminds me also off Robbie Basho's "Zarthus", which is accidentally ? another Meher Baba dedication. That album comes with refined Asian & Middle eastern influences in acoustic guitar work, and very beautiful singing. Secondly Bobby Callender's work comes in mind, although he's much more Indian, and evolved much more towards the devotional, more than founding his experiences completely in the (resulting) musicality.
The Bonus tracks..
Not only the official LP is reissued on this CD. Although the band had a very shortlived history, under the name "Extradition", it seems that the label owner found a beautiful live recording that survived as well !!
My review is already getting long, so I'll try to be briefer.
First we hear a Bert Jansch like fingerpicking song "Honeychild", continued with "In the Evening" in an even more bluesy way. With an almost a gospel-folk like voice, "Ballad of reading goal", is based upon an Oscar Wilde poem. It overwhelms me to find this here along with the Extradition album. While "Hold on to me, Babe" has a more Steeleye Span feeling, "Seeds of Time" is another song which subcrosses a usual approach to a beautiful folk-like song, no matter how beautiful it already is, and instead of getting an Irish or so improvisation on it, it gets more of an Indian one. If that's not enough another version of "Ice" brings another "wow" or "wowwowow" from me. It almost makes me cry to hear so much great music on one CD. It's build with harmonium, bells, male vocals, acoustic guitar, and creates a unique version of the song, perhaps even better than the original LP version, a bit longer, and more worked out.
Do I still have to say this is recommended ? I'm nothing more than overwhelmed. For those of you who still have doubts I can say one more thing : While the "Extradition" LP was uncompromising, and therefore "radical" against tradition, it still fits, perfectly, within any acceptable expression, with all these subtleties, due to a free minded approach that encompasses a complete integrity on all levels.
PS. Please notice the different as usual contrasts in a few of the compositions will be demanding for many listeners at first.
PS. Viscious Sloth reissued another marvelous and highly recommended folk-psych related item : Madden & Harris : Fool's Paradise (now deleted). Here an audiofile of that item : "Wishes"
