Well, I have literally just unpacked it so not played it yet, but it's a quality looking item. Gatefold sleeve in thick glossy card stock. Liners on the inside gatefold and the whale-like design in deep blue on the front. Comes with a laminated certificate of limitation (mine's No 59).

Track List:
Side 1
Remember The Times
Second Production
Through The Looking Glass
The War Machine

Side 2
Flames (album version)
Time
Blue Day
Just Forget Tomorrow

Side 3
Flames (single version)
World In My Head
Evil Woman

Side 4
Lazer etched design montage of press cuttings. This is also reproduced on the back of the laminated certificate.

Paul

Right, I've played it now. My verdict is that it's superb! Yes bar two tracks, they are the songs we all know and love from the 10th Planet / Wooden Hill Timespan LP / CD. Those have their own biting sound qualities, coming as they do from acetates as we know. This three sided LP thouhgh has been remastered from the master tapes and the sound separation and clarity is really excellent (on my batteed old Curries bought stereo even).

Some at least, if not all are re-recordings - i.e. Leviathan re-recorded them at the time in 1969 for the LP. 'Second Production' for instance is a whole minute longer than the 'Timespan' compiled version. 'The War Machine' was a 45 and has only been compiled as far as I know on 'Jagged Timelapse Vol.2'.'Just Forget Tomorrow' has never been made public in any form as far as I know and it's as good as any of their other stuff of the same period.

Anyway, if you were considering laying out for this, I would definitely recommened it. It's a great looking package (2 x 180 grm vinyl) and the sound is crystal clear. To my ears anyway it gives a quite different listening experience to those tracks familiar from MSS's 'Timespan' antholgy and I for one find them both essential.

PM

Thanks for the review,Paul. Can't wait for mine to arrive!

Hi Paul,
have noted your comments re the Leviathan album.
All tracks as you correctly stated have been taken from the masters & digitally enhanced.
All 3 singles A & B sides are here(Just forget tomorrow being the flipside of Flames). The alternate version of this track was the original album cut & appears for the first time.As well as the above mentioned singles, World in my head, & Blue day (with bass solo) are alternate versions to those that appear on the MSS Timespan release.
Many thanks for your continued support & glad you are enjoying the new LP - HOPE YOU FEEL IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!

GM

Very much worth the wait thanks! I thought that bass solo didn't sound familiar but have not played 'Timespan' back to back with 'Unleashed' to compare. It's a great achievment getting the Leviathan album out after all these years.

Paul

Well it took long enough - over two years in all. Worth the wait though, if only for the fabulous artwork.
We're pleased that you like it, so pass the word around.

Any favourite tracks?

Now all we need is the unreleased Helmet album!!!! Can't wait to hear Unleashed.

Hi!
Favourites? Yes all of them! Actually, although I noticed differences in the LP versions to the Timespan tracks, I thought that was down to the increased sound quality due to being from master tapes. Listening again they are obviously different versions. I like both the acetate and master tape versions, not better or worse just a different way of hearing them.

'Just Forget Tomorrow' I hadn't heard before so that was a real bonus. 'The War Machine' I've always liked and have the British 45 of it. 'Time' I think is a beautiful song and 'Flames' is a real broody restless number that hits the spot. All of them though are great songs, the album certainly deserved to come out at the time. Funny how hindsight gives appreciation to some things that missed it originally. They are timeless songs though hence their strong appeal today.

I would be interested to know when these songs and the MSS versions of some of them) came about. Were you writing these sort of things at the same time you were recording the earlier Columbia / Fontana 45s, or did you just write them all after all that was over?

I'll certainly review if for Shindig magazine if no-one else has. It's great to have this album, a pity it's not on CD for the non-vinylphiles, do you know if that's a possibility?

I'm really chuffed to have this, and being from Brighton originally myself it's a bit of local history as well.

Cheers
Paul

Hi Paul,
Really glad you liked the material on the album, though I have to say that I think that it's worth buying for the artwork alone. I'm really chuffed about that!

The actual recordings used for the album have not been released before - that is except for the six tracks issued as singles 'Remember The Times', Second Production', 'Time', 'War Machine', Flames' and 'Just Forget Tomorrow'. Some of the demos, that is to say some of the tracks used on Timespan and the Cherry Red CD 'Children of Tomorrow', were recorded just before the Fontana single and some later, once we had the Elektra contract. We invariably demoed the material first to allow us the hear what might require changing. The demo studio was much cheaper than Trident and this meant that we were able to record the tracks there without too much messing around.
The only case where that didn't happen was 'War Machine' which was only in a very basic condition (much of it in my head)when we went to the studio. We'd completed other recordings quicker that anticipated and had quite a bit of time left. So we put down the basic idea and then added more things to it to obtain the effect I wanted. If you listen carefully you can even hear me playing a very bad piano line towards the end.
It's true that some material has escaped over the years onto bootleg recordings.We feel very strongly about these and, where we can, have them taken off sale. I know that it's been said before, but using such material without paying for the necessary rights to do so is stealing. The only people to make money out of these illegal recordings are the bootleggers.
Consequently we're really pleased that 'Unleashed' has finally seen the light of day as it has been produced both legally and to an amazing standard.
Stuart Hobday

Hi Paul,

just wanted to add we would be delighted for you to review the LP, perhaps you could email a copy when it's complete. Regarding a CD version, interest is already being shown for this, but nothing concrete has been agreed - watch this space!

GM

Hi Gary,
Yes, I will most certainly review it if no-one else has, though that won't be until the end Sept / early October issue of Shindig now as the August issue is already completed. I would imgagine there's enough demand for it on CD. Glad I kept my record ecke though!

Paul

Hi Stuart,
Thanks very much for the information. Yes, the Leviathan sleeve is a beautiful piece of art, especially being so glossy, it shows the blue ocean off very nicely. Incidentally, where was the promo film shot that you did in the countryside for 'Time'?

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul,
Because video promotion films have become so commonplace over the past four decades, it's a common misconception that this footage on YouTube was a promotional video for 'Time'. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
It is actually an extract from the BBCtv documentary about the group which was the first programme in the series 'A Year In The Life'. The documentary did what that title implies and the extract with 'Time' illustrates a low-point in that year.
It was actually shot on a very cold day in the winter 1968/69 up on Devil's Dyke - hence the red noses.

There's a lively disagreement on what was actually the first pop promo as there were some early promos made using film. It's generally accepted that the first music Video - certainly the one that set the industry standard - was' Bohemian Rhapsody' and that was about eight years after the 'Time' film extract was made.
Perhaps we were trailblazers!
Stuart

Thanks Stuart, yes I can imagine it was very cold up on the Dyke, I've never known it not be windy up there. I think the first promo videos would have been the American 'Scorpiotones' from the 1940s (Louis Jordan etc)that you played like a visual jukebox. These were also very popular in France especially in the 1960s. Queen were latecomers!!

Paul