White noise is not on any of the normal lists for UK psych but it certainly aught to be. When I saw write ups for this being electronic and having links to the BBC Radiophonic workshop and David Vorhaus at the helm I expected sound colleges and experimental noise with little in the way of music but I found that most songs here were in fact song based. Simple repeating melodies but augmented by complex tape edits and eerie sound effects. Interestingly enough later releases feature synthesisers but this one does not – the sound effects are genuine 60s psychedelic sounds. Perhaps overdone – but I expect that the music was just a avenue to show off the effects. The reviews I have read suggest it is closest to The United States of America musically or maybe Silver Apples – but with more varied effects and probably that is as close a comparison as you are going to get.

Anyway whats good about this LP? The first side is best – it has shorter songs – simple pop tunes with a novelty element bought about by the sound effects whereas the second has longer experimental works.

“Without sound” has a droning quality on top of a sketchy melody. It is actually quite melodic but is full of fades and a full range of effects (as are all the songs really) and althrough the lengthier sound passages go on a bit. However quite a neat little tune.
“ My game of loving” is a naughty song with adult themes- especially the moaning. Perhaps influenced by Je t'aime... moi non plus but not early as good.
“Here come the fleas” is funny lyrically but as a song it's best discribed as annoying.
“Firebird” and “Your hidden dreams” sound to me much like the etherial dreampop I have been listening to of late. Firebird has a fairly straight ahead chorus whereas “yur Hidden Dreams” It has a more catchy chorus that left turns a bit into effects and is a standout track to my ears.

Side Two : The Visitations has fragments of melodies scattered through the 11 minutes with longer periods of effects, althrough the effects are less random /chaotic than in the shorter songs. Its not bad just not very musical.
Black Mass – an electric storm is quite a neat piece although Im sure others would say total crap. It starts off with a chant which appears to be slowed down and lots of tribal drumming with lots of cross fades and all sorts whivh make it far more entertaining than your average drum solo. It has been described as Pink Floydesqe by a few reviewers and that would be quite accurate. Very trippy very “early floyd”.

Overall its the sort of thing that some people will really go for – some reviewers find it refreshing others as the opposite.

In any case the curious should investigate and maybe it is your cup of tea maybe not.

i did read somewhere that student used to lock themselves in a wardrobe and play this album!

What a great album. This was one I've lost several times due to computer/external hard drives dying. Now I've the remastered version from CD which is great to hear. There's also a fantastic 8 page booklet with loads of info. on the musicians involved, methods used etc etc.



"Many sounds have never been heard - by humans. Some soundwaves you don't hear - but they reach you. 'Storm-Stereo' techniques combine singers, instrumentalists and complex electronic sound. Welcome to the world of the Frequency Shifter, Signal Generator and Azimuth Co-ordinator. A world that existed before the dawn of the synthesizer, when a 'sample' was a length of recording-tape delicately and skillfully spliced in place."

A great example of how a so-called reviewer can look and listen yet fail to see and hear:



Here's an appreciative review by John Coulthart that, to me atleast, rings honest and true to the spirit the music was created in:

Happy 60th Butterfly hope you had a good one

A very atmospheric album which I admittedly find eerie and impenetrable in parts, had this on cd for many years and it's one I've only played a few times due to it freaking me out a bit,particularly staying on my own, big fierdy that I am... LOL...