Castle Music 
Comus : Song to Comus -the complete collection
(UK,rec.1970 & 1971,pub.1971 & 1974;iss.2006) -2CD- **°°°
Introduction :
When I saw the double CD of the complete works of Comus in a shop for 12 euros I thought this must be the time for me to purchase it, and to finally add a review to my webpages, because I’ve always said that Comus’ first album is still my top favourite ever, and this is also the chance to become acquainted with their complete history.
When I first heard Comus from the Japanese reissue at a friend’s house, and he told me he saw a copy just recently in Amsterdam, I rushed 300 kilometres north to get that last copy which in that time was likely the only one to be found around. And I’ve never regretted that effort. Since then I’ve raved about it ever since. For my friend it was almost too weird for his (acid folk, prog, psych, rock) taste, for me that was exactly how I wished that Acid and psychfolk related music would one day lead to. I can still imagine that since its first appearance it had to beat more often against many genre-related predictions and expectations. In the ‘90’s Current 93 made with Steven Stapelton a ‘tribute album to Comus’, as a kind of second Utterance, called “Earth covers Earth”, less weird and also acoustic, this might have been a start for renewed appraisal and curiosity.
Resumed biography from the cover notes :
Roger Wootton and Glenn Goring between 1968 and 1969 had started playing acoustic Velvet Underground songs in folk clubs, which was already unusual. Then classically trained violinist Colin Pearson joined the duo. They were able to have massive jam sessions in their house where only musicians lived. Attracted by its occasion, they were soon joined by trombonist Rico, Jamaican flautist Mike Rose and Mike Briefly, who left just before the recording. When they heard one of the girlfriends, Robbie Watson singing, she was asked to participate as well. David Bowie (when preparing his ‘Space Oddity’), also in that area, became a huge fan of the band, and they shared a stage once on a free festival with Strawbs and Bridget St.John in front of 3000 people. They were going to become his supporting act, but at some live gig where Comus did fantastically well and Bowie went down bad, and the deal was off. Comus supported Arthur Lee’s Love instead. RCA showed interest and accepted a deal after hearing their three demo tracks. Sandy Robertson was going to produce them (he did Keith Christmas, Sheila McDonald, Steeleye Span,..). Their manager Chris Youle a year before was given a job at RCA, and after the recording of “The Prisoner” they said they didn’t want him to have the Comus band project together with his job at RCA, which finally led to an off-deal. Some of the abandoned RCA recordings were used in Linsday Shonteff’s 1970 film, ‘Permissive’, a soft porno film, with Forever More as the main rock band and the Comus band as completely stoned casual characters far in the background. Comus became 6 members now : Roger Wootton whose songs they worked out more, Glenn Goring, Colin Pearson, Bobbie Watson, Rob Young and Andy Hellaby. Live they also did some more Velvet Underground versions, like a ten times speeded up version of “Venus in Furs”. It led them to a new contract from Dawn, but had to buy themselves first out of the RCA’s contract. There new producer was Barry Murray (who did Mungo Jerry before), and who was amazed and bewildered by the band. All previously recorded tracks at RCA had to be redone. Also a maxi-single was cut which featured two extra tracks. But the reviews were very bad. At the Weeley festival in 1971 the Barcley James Orchestra took so long to set up their orchestra Comus only could play one song. They did this completely without amplification, during a short power-cut, which amazed the public very much, but their huge amazement led to BJH not to take them any more as a support band. With little support, the album sold underground a mere 7000 copies. The band soon felt ready for the next stage. An even more ambitious project was going to be called ‘The Malgaard Suite’, which contained two long pieces of 15 and 20 minutes. Unfortunately an acoustic suite was the least a public expected in 1971, and the whole music business let them down. The band just had to give it all up. Just when the story seemed to have been ended, Virgin who had just made big money with Tubular Bells (Mike Oldfield)showed an interest in having them for a new record deal. But some members had already given it up, and the label pushed them into more pop directions, whilst other members didn’t stay around long. Virgin still kept their promise and released the second album, in 1974, but without giving it any promotion. Roger Wootton was still asked for a one-off single, something which is included. But that was really the end of Comus.
Most interesting after-story is that Lindsay Cooper joined Henry Cow.
CD1 :
* “First Utterance” LP (1971)***** :
What was so unique about their album can already be heard on “Diana”. Immediately is shown an incredibly and unbelievable powerful output, when knowing also that no real drums have been used and the band remained completely acoustic. Every song structure is emotionally built up with much variation. The accompanying violinist is simply stunning. The range in variation in the vocal parts and the harmonizing contrasts in it are once more truly amazing : while one voice sounds like a mad Marc Bolan (Tyranaussarus Rex), another background voice is like a mad Arthur Brown brainwashed by Captain Beefheart and Howlin’Wolf, the female vocalists are equally energetic and beautiful. “The Herald” sounds as if starting with the sound of a musical saw, but is produced by a metal slide on bass (?) guitar. I have the impression that this CD-version is bit faster than I remember it, and mixed differently. This over 12 minute song is in a quieter mood, and has a very crafted acoustic guitar passage, with flute and violin, beautiful female vocals, and again a very interesting opening up structure with the improvisations carefully included to make a structural strength. “Drip Drip” has once more bewitching lyrics and vocals that tell a story which is expressed like revealing unknown deeper contrasts that human nature can handle. The weird and almost frightening male vocals combined with the female beauty and the expressed freedom in its expressions is once more compelling. The violin passage with ritual-like rhythms, sound as if from a creepy ritual controlled by cannibals who are taking control of your energy, a scene where the eyes have faced death, while still this situation reveals the true beauty of the circle dance, before the dark abyss, also expecting the light behind it. There’s a beautiful free sweeping-up passage of vocals, acoustic rhythms and guitar that perform the weirdest kind of voodoo spell-like flamenco you can imagine. This madness doesn’t end on one level or conclusion or halt, but keeps on finding new turning points and full energy bursts and burning up 'kundalini'. I’ve heard nothing like this before, and I’m also sure this can hardly be repeated or beaten. “Song to Comus” has a more sing-and-join-the-circle-dance rhythm, with flashing acoustic strings, and on top some flute, some great changes, built up in an almost classical by composition technique, again with a full loaded energy, half like a folk dance, with a controlled madness/genius idea, and still song-structured. The picture on the cover sleeve, the demon-like figure, presenting the music, confused me first because this does not sound at all hard edged like hardrock like I may have expected. Unless, what I am saying to some degree is that the music reached more tpwards the edge of controlled folk “sweetness” with its energy, to a higher degree or new form. Also on this titletrack the way violin and acoustic guitars express themselvesd are one of the many highlights. And even when I become overwhelmed already halfway during the song, once more, the song keeps on adding more and more. In “The Bite”, up-tempo possessed feeling keeps on draining the listeners’ brain with its superior creativity. The violin and guitars and beats and rhythms, changing structure and rhythm are like a fusing fighting desire to reach some enlightened form, with powerful controversial full-fusing energies. Again, this is like something I’ve never heard before, except in some small highlighting moments on a few other albums, it is this kind of energy which amazingly is there, somewhere present, the whole album through. The short “Bitten” starts with another experimental sound on the guitar, building up its oscillating and free picking energetic mass, when a sad classical violin and other heavy experimental bass effects recall a previous battlefield when everything is silent, but where each conflict can start all over, consciously or for real. Also “The Prisoner” has many, many layers of ideas, from the clever pickings, to inventive and very expressive emotional vocal expressions, over many rhythmical theme changes, always interesting and incredibly passionate, revealing a high intensity in feelings and intelligence. Again, absolutely amazing and powerful !!
* "Diana" MAXI (1971)****' :
After a slightly different version of “Diana”, two more tracks can be found which were not on the LP. Both song are from a more peaceful beauty, “In the lost Queen’s Eyes” also full of tight arrangements, including the use of harpsichord, followed by “Winter is a coloured Bird”. I’m very happy to discover them.
* previously unreleased track (1971)****' :
The unreleased track is led by the feminine vocalist and has a more melancholic and rather sad and romantic beauty, with an underlying personalized expression of darkness in the content, arranged by acoustic guitars, piano, bits of violin, vocals, and trombone ?
* To Keep from Crying (1974)**°' :
Like it has been spread around in the underground, the second album is something completely different. Forgetting the first album, I am more able to review it properly without any predictions. The first track, “Down (like a movie star)" sounds more like fictively something like the third album of a band like Pavlov’s Dog (for me, last band is very appreciated and beloved). It is surely not bad at all. The style is more in a pop direction, with a slightly progressive touch, has just here and there a few touches of experimental ambient sounds colouring (done by amplified bass ?), and in general sounds at least always ok to me, and quiet enjoyable. The album surely has potentional but only suffers a bit in keeping the middle between some style forced direction, with stronger and less convincing moments because they could have produced it differently and with less schackles. “Children of The Universe” is basically a very nice song that sounds once more closer to the (acid) folk territories, with some keyboards and male/female vocal harmonies. With a bit of different production it could have been better, because the “progressive” rock swift in it, is not always absolutely necessary, but mostly it still is enjoyable. “So Long Supernova” in that way sounds slightly forced by the production in this new direction/approach. Also “Get yourself a man” becomes almost annoying, holding the middle in a not too perfect way between pop, heavy rock, soul, and progressive. Never the less I think with a few more listens I’m sure I will be able to get enough lasting enjoyment out of the album. “Perpetual motion” could be an early T-Rex-like direction, with additional “pappapaa” backgrounds.
Participants on this release were Lindsay Cooper (who went to Henry Cow), Philip Barry, Gordon Caxon, Didier Malherbe (Gong), Keith Hale, Andy Hellaby, Tim Kraemer, Roger Wootton, Bobby Watson.
* Roger Wootton -solo single- ** :
“Fiesta Fandango” is slightly mainstream sunny pop with some nice ideas, using steeldrums and a Latin pop rhythm. "New Tide" also does not contribute much more to the content.
