Genre: progressive
Rating: 3 stars ***
Title: Black Hole Star
Company: Impulse
Catalog: IMP
1010
Year: 1974
Country/State: UK
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: metallic sleeve; minor wear; bullet hole top right corner
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5533
Price: $20.00
I'm a fan of the Welsh band Man and was curious to hear this short-lived offshoot by keyboardist Phil Ryan and guitarist Ray Williams. While 1974's "Black Hole Star" isn't exactly rare, by the same token it isn't an LP you'll stumble across everyday, so I was pretty happy to find a heavily discounted copy at a vinyl store that was going out of business.
First off let me warn you that if you're looking for a pseudo-Man LP, this isn't it - that is unless you always wanted to hear what Man would have sounded like had they spent a lot of time hanging out with the likes of Gentle Giant (whose drummer John Weathers was a band member), Nektar, or other mid-1970s European progressive outfits. Okay, that probably scared about half of you off. I need to learn to stop doing that since I'd actually like to sell LPs ...
Co-produced by Anton Matthews, Ryan, and Will Youatt (who was also credited with co-writing most of the material under the name Y. Willis), most of the eight tracks were co-written by Ryan and Youatt. Full of synthesizers, unusual timings, and progressive moves material like 'Dance Of The Psychedelic Lounge Lizards' (dedicated to the late Graham Bond), 'Going To India' and 'Mermaid And Chips' was pretty far removed from the mid-1970s Man catalog. This stuff was clearly progressive, though it seldom degenerated into the formless jamming and belly gazing excesses found with the likes of Gentle Giant, or Yes. While occasionally worthwhile, my preferences still went to their more conventional efforts. Kicked along by Ryan's keyboards the opener 'Living In The World Today' was probably the most conventional and enjoyable selection. Because it was built on an R&B structure 'Doom City (Scrino's Revenge) was also a pretty straightforward blues-rocker, while 'Snow Covered Eyes' may have been the best overall rocker. The sole Martin Wallace contribution the ballad 'Feel' was also conventional, though pretty forgettable. United Artists also tapped the LP for a UK single:
- 1974's 'Dance Of The Psychedelic Lounge Lizards' b/w 'Suzie and the Wonder Boys' (United Artists catalog number UP 35074)
United Artists apparently decided the set was too non-commercial for American audiences and didn't even bother distributing it domestically. The small Import label stepped into the marketing gap releasing it in the States. (In case anyone cared, Rick Griffin designed the cover.)
"Black
Hole Star" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Living In The World Today (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis) - 6:11
2.) Feel (Martin Wallace) 03:10
3.) Mermaid And Chips (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis - Pete Brown) - 4:50
4.) Dangerous Decisions (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis) - 6:05
(side
2)
1.) Doom City (Scrino's Revenge)
(Phil
Ryan - Y. Willis - M. Wallace - J. Weathers) - 4:00
2.) Dance Of The Psychedelic Lounge Lizards (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis) - 3:20
3.) Going To India (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis) - 5:03
4.) Snow Covered Eyes (Phil Ryan - Y. Willis) - 4:31
I've never heard it, but there's a sophomore Neutron's LP: "Tales From the Blue Cocoons" United Artists catalog number UAG 29726.
