The second half of the 'two albums on one CD', this is one I owned on vinyl (bought second hand from Virgin) in the 1970s, one that no one else around me could stand, and that was maliciously damaged by an ex-girlfriend as 'punishment' for some minor upset. I later picked it up as a double set with Slapp Happy's previous LP, but this half has always been my preference.
The complete bonkers of this album is apparent from the opening track Some Questions About Hats, as Henry Cow's woodwind based accompaniment enhance the power of Dagmar Krause's voice. The Owl is a straightforward song about an owl, with an unusual arrangement, but it's straight into A Worm Is At Work, a bouncy, silly number referencing other songs on the album and Bad Alchemy, an interesting song, which does seem to go on. But Europa feels like peak Cow/Happy work, with Dagmar's piercing vocals, a chanted chorus and lots of woodwind. After that Desperate Straights is a gentle piano and drum piece, almost a palate cleanser after the oddness of the first half.
Riding Tigers is a pleasant opener to the second half, followed by Apes In Capes, a little more challenging, but still more Slapp Happy than Henry Cow. Peter Blegvad takes the vocals on Strayed, a jolly little tune with a fine tremolo guitar accompaniment, before Dagmar brings us back with the strange Giants.
Excerpt from the Messiah feels like an odd choice, although the Fred Frith guitar run out is worth listening to, before In The Sickbay, the final song and possibly the weakest on the album. But it's not the end of the album, oh no. You've got eight minutes of Caucasian Lullaby to get through yet, a multiply repeated phrase on bassoon/oboe (Lindsay Cooper) accompanied by Anthony Moore on piano. Again, not an easy listen, but quite relaxing after half an hour of onslaught from Dagmar's vocals.
I like this album a lot. I'm sure no one else I knew liking it made me like it even more, and I've enjoyed it for decades. I like its weirdness, its refusal to compromise to any commercial sound, and I'm never sure whether the participants are in earnest, or merely joshing with the listener. Take a chance. You'll love it or hate it.
4* - a wonderful piece of 1970s avant-nonsense
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