METHUSELAH-Elektra US only 69 album from UK outfit gets First release in the UK!!
Pre Amazing Blondel outfit Methuselah,who much like post Mike Stuart Span outfit Leviathan were early UK signings to Elektra Records,in fact they recorded an album during the dieing weeks of 1968.
Unlike Leviathan,Elektra released the Methuselah album in the US,with the unweildy title"Matthew,Mark,Luke & John"during October 1969 after much delay.
At last it's been officially released in the UK on a splendid legit cd reissue from Grapefruit Records,part of Cherry Red,so we can all throw away the bootlegs,that did us all those years!!
This cd in digipak is fabulous,with a good glossy booklet with plenty of photos of pre Methuselah outfits like The Imps,The Dimples & Gospel Garden,check out the group in their psych and hippie attire,ruffled shirts,velvet,leather,moustaches & big hair.
The informative liners by Dave wells are in depth and thorough,the lay out,artwork & design by Andy Morten are ace,with memorabilia,record label photos,promo stuff,tape boxes & flyers/posters from live shows.
What got me excited,was the excellent sound quality & 7 bonus tracks,featuring 3 never before released album out-takes,1 alternative mix,and 3 mono mixes,ALL from December 1968.
It's a shame the Gospel Garden 45 sides couldn't be included as bonus tracks though,or the songs they'd recorded for the follow up album,though attempts were made to find them in the archives,but they couldn't be located!!
Hey we can't get everything i suppose!!
There are some who don't have much time for this album,maybe its the religious connotations,or the side long suite of songs,or the rhyme "Frere Jacques"which is a slight mis-step i must agree.
For me,i've ALWAYS liked this album,its an absolute period piece,mixing psychedelia,heavy pop with progressive & rock leanings with some lighter folkier vibes,with thankfully little blues interruptions.
This WILL be up the street of some of those who come here,so i heartely recommend this cd,particularly with the out-takes,which gives an even bigger picture of this group.
Amazingly Elektra threw a release party in the UK,with NO albums,as for some reason Elektra decided to not release it in the bands homeland,so it never saw a release outwith the USA.Puzzling!!
Amazingly the vast majority of songs are written by John Gladwin,so it's hard to fathom that from this rather hard rocking at times psych infused outfit and album,that John Gladwin would be one of the founding members of medievil folky outfit Amazing Blondel!!
Of course the album sunk like a stone,but because of its long delay and release,the band were on the verge of splitting when it was unleashed onto the American public.
Look at it this way,the Methuselah album got an October 1969 release,the first Amazing Blondel album"And A Few Faces" was released during February 1970,which features a tremendous sitar laced number "Saxon Lady",so not a lot of time had passed.
Others from the band formed an oufit Distant Jim,which i can't give feedback on as i've never heard them.