Search - Various Artists :: Psychedelic Moods 1

Deep music.......

03/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All I can say is wow! What a great album! From its beginning to the very end, The Deep takes you on a trip, as the Amboy Dukes say, "to the center of your mind." Psychedelic Moods opens with "Color Dreams," a song describing all shades and tones of the rainbow, a mix-n-match if you will, of colors we could only dream of. A rather jazzy, rock 'n' roll song, very upbeat if I may say so. As usual it sounds better than the stuff they call "rock" they play on the radio today. The song "Pink Ether" is as unrevealing and oxymoronic as a song could possibly be. The song makes you feel like you're floating on, well, ether (and pink, even). It's one of those songs I wish I knew every word to, but certain parts of the song are difficult to comprehend. One question, guys: If ether can't be seen, how do you know it's pink? :) "When Rain Is Black" is a very pensive, soft-sounding song that also uses colors to explore the idea of death and its contrast to the harsh reality of the physical world. "It's All A Part Of Me" expresses the interconnectedness between the world and himself, saying, for example, "the ground is but the sea, the sea is but a tree, and the tree is but me." This album has an excellent selection of good, hard rock songs, my favorites among those not yet mentioned are "Turned On," which is a great blues tune, and "Your Choice To Choose," which tells you to let your mind take you where it pleases. Some of the more gentler songs with an excellent beat are "Crystal Nite," "Wake Up and Find Me" and "Shadows on the Wall," all of which are easy to listen to, if you're not in the mood to really rock out. They are, however, almost as psychedelic....."On Off-Off On" is an upbeat song...it almost doesn't seem to fit in with the other songs on the album, but it does make a good pop song. And certainly not least, "Psychedelic Moon" is a love song that uses colors and other sensory descriptions ("funny-colored ribbons" and "weary-lighted prisms") to draw you into the song. At first I thought the song needed tuning, then I realized, it's supposed to sound that way....I especially like the way they sing off-key slightly, to make you think twice about what you're hearing. And before I forget (as if), there's "Trip #76," and I'm beginning to think that was the number they were on when they did this song. Of all of the songs on this album, this would have to be the best, due to its rhythmic lead guitar and how it invites you into the musical experience, with the intention of keeping you there. It literally takes you on a ride, much the way "Your Choice to Choose" does, but this song is WAY more psychedelic. Although most of the song is music, he does pause a few times to examine his own philosophy on life and "reality." This album also gives you the opportunity to hear the original takes on two of the tracks, "Your Choice to Choose" and "Psychedelic Moon." All in all, it's a very good rock album produced by a very creative band of the Psychedelic Era."