Peter Blegvad lite?
09/01/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Maybe he needed to rush some product out to tie in with his extremely wonderful cartoon collection, "Leviathan" - I dunno. But the performances in this "acoustic" revisiting of earlier Blegvad material mostly pale in comparison to the originals. Even if it's not prime Blegvad, though, it's an enjoyable record in an EZ-listening kind of way, and does have a couple of really cool songs not available elsewhere. Besides, even moderately interesting Blegvad is head and shoulders above just about everything else. This guy cannot write a dull song."
Plugged in again
08/08/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Imagine my surprise in finding a new Peter Blegvad album wedged in the racks between Black Sabbath and Breeders. But not really new, a sort of greatest hits you've never heard of 'unplugged' reworking. I've been trying to get hold of a copy of 'King Strut' for years, so it is great that three songs are covered here. In a way I would prefer a rougher approach, something which the absent Chris Cutler's drumming usually added on Blegvad's earlier ventures. But this is very good, and his singing is very assured. Like another reviewer here, I feel the main point of this album is getting Blegvad back in the saddle for new songs - and the originals here are well up with his best work. Let us see what happens... maybe this will be his breakthrough?"
A great songwriter revisits his best work
Jonathan B Whitcomb | New Hampshire USA | 05/18/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you ask rock critics to list the best songwriters of the past twenty years names like Elvis Costello, Andy Partridge and Robyn Hitchcock will come up time and time again. Peter Blegvad certainly belongs in this company, except hardly anyone in his native USA has even heard of him. In his adopted homeland of England he's more famous for a weekly comic strip than he is for his music.Peter Blegvad has never been destined for musical celebrity, playing in 70's art-rock bands such as Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, then going solo in the 80's and side-lining in Anton Fier's mighty morphing Golden Palominos for a pair of albums and a tour. His greatest achievement, 1990's "King Strut and Other Stories" is long out of print and incredibly hard to find.This album is a re-recording of his best "unplugged" fodder culled from his back catalog and two new songs co-written by XTC's Andy Partridge (who Blegvad has alternately collaborated and feuded with for years). This a mostly acoustic recording, but the songs are fully produced so this doesn't sound remotely like a live recording. The songs have a generally relaxed mood and feature Blegvad's fine finger-style guitar work. Then the album takes a sudden turn with the new "God Detector" that has much higher energy than the rest of the album. The album ends with "Gigantic Eye", a gentle new song that closes the album with an oddly abrupt ending.This album would be a worthwhile purchase if it only contained "Meantime" and "Gold", two gems from "King Strut". These are examples of pop/folk craftsmanship at its finest. I like the original recordings better but am delighted to see the songs available again.Even though Blegvad has considerable literary chops he never sounds pretentious or pompous. The fact that his lyrical prowess sounds effortless is testimony to his skill. So buy this album to sample a master song crafter's best work. Buy this album to enjoy some great music. But most of all, buy this album so that Blegvad is encouraged to continue making music for us to enjoy for years to come."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1