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@ supernaut: You're right – the execution is dead serious. That's probably why they try to balance it with all the tongue in cheek stuff. It's exactly that attitude that I love in Motorpsycho.
@ PL: And that is it what makes the Unicorn so different from the overall pompous concept album stuff mentioned – so I used the preposition "to" quite correctly in my sentence above, not being smartassed by any other smartass, although of course completely unaware of any special significance, not being a native English speaker/writer ,-)
Btw: I do not consider the Unicorn as a rock opera like "The Wall", "Tommy" or "Quadrophenia" – just a great concept album. The difference is in the use of musical themes and leitmotifs, the use of different characters singing the songs etc. Therefore I do not sniff too much pretential artistry in our beloved single-horned double vinyl. I might be wrong, of course.
Then the Unicorn is just another excellent concept album by a rather unknown cult band almost without any artistic or whatsoever relevance for most of the people. This may hurt the common Motorpsychedelic believer (It sure hurts me), but that's the way it is with these latter-day heroes of Rock Music in a world of consumer-friendly programmed acoustic slime. Whereas "The Wall" or "Tommy" probably represented their respective eras like no other musical product of the times, oozing Zeitgeist from every inch of double vinyl. It is just that point that ridicules any comparison for me.
I hasten to add that my Psychonautic self sees Motorpsycho as the mirror image of the Beatles themselves! MP reunite and combine all those musical threads going out from the Liverpool Big Bang of Four – Pop, Psychedelia, (Heavy) Rock, Folk Rock, and whatever discipline you name. Rock Music ends with Motorpsycho! Beyond there is nothing (or sea-monsters, if you remain in the Unicorn mythology).
Having let my smartass hang out way too long, I quickly pull up my pants and leave the arena…
I consider DDU as a special kind of Motorpsychedelic joke, a kind of comic book "Eric the viking" delivered rock-opera-wise by a version of toolified Crimson, supported by "Piece-of Mind"-derived posters, the fake "Iron-Butterfly"-programme, a cheap punk-version/fake Roger Dean-stage art and Storlokken with a white Wakeman cape, occasionally impersonating Jon Lord during the encores. Probably just to avoid any possible comparison to the classic rock opera stuff mentioned above beforehand. So please don't – comparing the Unicorn to Tommy or The Wall is just ridiculous.
Musically lacking a little lightness but still a good record, it suffered a lot live – the density of musical motives, the onslaught of riffing and loudness, sometimes hardly distinguishable in unfittingly small and bad sounding surroundings without any chance for a relaxing breather between songs made the whole thing quite hard to endure. Probably the still not released Oslo Opera version with orchestra will teach me better…
Anyway – I'd love to hear Through The Veil live again, as well as one or two compositions from "Folk Flest" – the Lykkepilgrim riff comes to my mind now…
"The Cuban superpower was once again ready to help with doctors and equipment." Ha!
Cuba could help the US as well, but with the embargo still intact and even strengthened under Trump this is quite unlikely.
Meanwhile Putin uses the pandemic to deliver superfluous trash to Italy as a means for propaganda. Maybe Russia will finally suceed to destroy the US by means of ineffective gear sent to the US…
And some more reading:
Neil Gaiman – World's End (Part of the Sandman cycle). A number of strangers from quite different worlds and origin are stranded in a tavern outside the maelstrom of time and tell the tales of their lives. Just the comic book to read these days.
Reading:
Ken Kesey: Sailor Song
The post-catastrophe ex eco terrorist vs. the vengeful media tycoon prankster novel from the 90s, Kesey's third and just as gripping as the other two from the 60s.
Thomas Pynchon: Against the Day
Listening:
Espers I, Espers – The Weed Tree, Espers II, Espers III (reissued after 12-15 years, just ordered the vinyls)
Watching:
Good Omens (Gaiman/Pratchett, BBC Mini Series) – oh, already mentioned above…
The Prisoner (UK original series from the late 60s)
Just watched God. God plays guitar. She's called Anna Calvi:
https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/086897-000-A/anna-calvi-konzert-in-paris/
I know, i know – thou shalt have no other god beside me, says Snah (not really). So while our Norse Guitar God is in isolation, I shifted my devotional capacities towards A.C. Totally blown away!
Followed Bob's advice and listened to In Camera (Peter Hammill) today for the first time in years. Dark, dark lo-fi Masterpiece! Probably nothing at all to lift your spirits though…
As you're all busy watching Star Trek Picard on fucking Amazon Prime or elsewhere I spare myself any recommendation – not necessary, is it?
Thanks again for that vid. Looks like the very backyard of my place in Cologne – but then backyards in South Central Cologne look very much the same…
I experienced live Motorpsycho at their "very" peak in 2013, 2014, 2015, albumwise in 1998 and once again in 2016 and then again live in 2017 and 2019 – lots of peaks to speak of! Truely a mountain range of motorpsychedelic peaks!
Honestly opinions differ, which peak is the "real one" or the highest, but I cannot see a classic "downhill from there" period in Motorpsycho's long timespan. Which hopefully will last on for a few decades
Thanks once more! I disagree about the setlist though – these days I'd be quite disappointed with such a show, but that only shows how spoilt we get by our favourite band
Bent started as a drummer, as far as I know. Personally I prefer bass players who began on trumpet, but that's alright
The release seems to be alright. I've got no problem with that, especially after downloading the excellent DIME-version of this gig.
Next time better check to sell only 2-3 copies to each buyer with such a limited number of albums available.
Were they ever that young? Who's the thin guy playing guitar btw???
Thanks once again for your work, Bernie!
Yep, it is always a drag seeing these youngsters on stage – even if their beards are greyer than mine (don't wear any…).
Of course vinyl is something special. And some artists tolerate/support irregular/semi-official "bootleg" releases. Julian Cope even sold versions of an "unofficial" Italian release on his website. But that's something different…
Anyway – the "value" of this product lies more or less in the vinyl edition. As long as they're not mass distributed and there are free available sources of this gig this might be o.k. – if it is with the Band still isn't clear for me.
Let us throw our money together and buy/hire a pressing plant! We could co-finance (non-commercially, fans only) a vast edition of otherwise freely available, good sounding, exclusive and limited Motorpsycho records with much better artwork. Of course this would have to be ok'd by the band – but as long as we don't make money (just self-supporting co-operative sharing) and probably deliver some samples of each album to Trondheim, this probably shouldn't be a problem.
Anyway – much this would be much better than these dubious releases…
