Review Summary: Entering The Meadows of Mediocrity
If there's ever a torture tactic that takes use of sound, this should be the album the victim should listen to. It is on the level of
Philosophy of the World by
The Shaggs, and can hold a torch to being one of the very worst records ever created. I sit here lamenting the same failed attempts at capturing the charm and spirit of previous band leader, Syd Barrett, with awful attempts at psychedelic rock and avant-garde as
More, though managing to be much worse than it was.
More at least had a handful of good material mixed in with the wobbly, uneven tracklist, and the band was showing signs of getting it together and growing. Unfortunately, that hope would be misleading, as they decided to do two albums in one year.
Despite the incredible live disc which is an essential performance everyone should have, the studio disc is horrendous, each band member even admits they "bullcrapped" through their side and it shows. "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together and Grooving with a Pict" is one of the worst abominations unleashed on humanity. Have you ever wanted to hear what would happen if Alvin and the Chipmunks discovered a crack pipe and started snorting more coke than Ozzy Osbourne could ever dream of? Now you can with this song! Rick's side ("Sysyphus" pts 1-3) is just him bashing his brains out onto a keyboard, probably getting a severe case of "Brain Damage" as he attempts at an avant-garde masterpiece that he and the rest of the band captured on "A Saucerful of Secrets", yet never finds the right mix of actually keeping a melody or doing anything remotely interesting. It comes across as a classical-influenced piece that got stuck in a shredder.
Nick's part ("The Grand Vivzier's Garden Party" Parts 1-3) certainly is something I'd never let near a garden party, being a collage of random sounds that try to work together but never find harmony, it's a shame really as I was looking forward to seeing Nick Mason have a chance to really shine on an album. I think he is by far the most underrated member of the band, his contributions aren't really talked about that much, and I don't see him getting ranked among the best drummers, although I think he should as quite a few of their drumbeats are complex and masterfully crafted. David's "The Narrow Way" parts 1-3 is slightly better than the rest, but still bad.
The only good song in all of this is "Grantchester Meadows", which actually sounds like a song and has lyrics that are quite folky, remniscient of perhaps Simon & Garfunkel or Neil Young. This track is a nice break from the torture set to tape and has amazing acoustic guitar, nice vocals from Roger and perhaps the best style for his range. The sounds of nature and animals in the background of the track give it a feeling of being there with Roger, outside in the meadows as he sings to you live, rather than taking away from the experience it only makes it feel more authentic and enjoyable. If there is a slight gripe, its that it goes on for a whopping 7-and-a-half minutes, when it should've been cut a bit shorter. In fact, there exists a BBC radio version that only goes on for 4 minutes and is much better than the one on this album for that reason.
It's extraordinarily disappointing how low these guys sunk, and just how far down in the bottom of the barrel that they were willing to scrape to put something out in order to remain relevant. Some time off would have done them great, and if we had just gotten a live album instead, things would be much better. Thankfully, the band managed to get it together on the next album and produce something truly good.
Track By Track:
[LIVE SIDE]
1. Astronomy Domine: ★★★ (Pretty good but without Syd it doesn't have the charm of the original, there's also better versions later.)
2. Careful With That Axe, Eugene: ★★★★★ 🎖️
3. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun: ★★★★
4. A Saucerful Of Secrets: ★★★★★ (The studio song is amazing but when they do it live, it really is much better)
If this was the only side: ★★★★.5
[STUDIO SIDE]
1. Sysyphus Pt. 1: ★
2. Sysyphys Pt. 2: 💣
3. Sysyphus Pt. 3: 💣
4. Sysyphus Pt. 4: ★★
5. Grantchester Meadows: ★★★★ 🎖️
6. Several Species: 💣
7. The Narrow Way Pt. 1: ★★
8. The Narrow Way Pt. 2: ★
9. The Narrow Way Pt. 3: ★
10. The Grand Vivzier's Garden Party Pt. 1 (Entrance): ★
11. The Grand Vivzier's Garden Party Pt. 2 (Entertainment): 💣
12. The Grand Vivzier's Garden Party Pt. 3 (Exit): ★
