Red Chair Fadeaway - Mesmerised (English Garden, 1993)

Just to show you how behind-the-times I am, this is an example of what I would consider to be "new" music, despite the fact that this album came out 17 years ago. During their late 1980s-early 1990s heyday, Red Chair Fadeaway (whose name came from an early Bee Gees' song) was one of England's most compelling up-and-coming groups. Although they never achieved anything beyond cult band status, they developed a passionate following among fans of psychedelia who were looking for something that was new and yet faithful to the experimental spirit of the 1960s. I remember being introduced to their music from a friend I had made during my 1993-1994 academic year abroad at the University of York. He felt that I needed to expand my horizons and listen to more modern bands. He made me a cassette dub of Red Chair Fadeaway's two albums, and I quickly became hooked.

SHIRLEY SOUTER

The group's leader was veritable Renaissance woman Shirley Souter. In addition to possessing an angelic voice, she is equally skilled on guitar and keyboards as well as being an accomplished artist. That's her painting that graces the album cover. Assisted by fellow multi-instrumentalists Richard Mason and Tim Vass in addition to various guest drummers, Red Chair Fadeaway created music that was simultaneously progressive yet steeped in traditions ranging from English Romantic poetry to acid folk to fuzz-laden mind-expanding rock.

TIM VASS

Although not quite the equal of their first album, Curiouser and Curiouser..., Mesmerised effectively continues to explore the musical territory covered on Red Chair Fadeaway's debut. Despite the fact that the tracks collectively aren't as distinctive as their counterparts on the predecessor, they are still evocative of pastoral England in all of its verdant beauty. If such imagery appeals to you, then you will find a lot to like about this CD. For the most part, the songs rock without being heavy but also without falling into the trap of easy listening music. The dreamy "I'm Not Trying" wears the band's 1960s influences on its sleeve, with the sitar and Moroccan hand drums giving it a suitably exotic flavor. In similar fashion, the backwards percussion bits and Tim Vass' majestic lead guitar work contribute to make "Homestead Moat" an enchanting example of early 1990s psychedelia. The words to "The Plaitman of Bedfordshire" come from traditional lyrics that originally appeared on a centuries-old broadsheet, though the supporting music is entirely Red Chair Fadeaway's. In a nutshell, it nicely encapsulates the band's musical approach of merging elements of historic Britannia with the last decade of the 20th century. The serene "Cristatus" sounds like the sum of influences ranging from Nick Drake to Roy Harper to the Incredible String Band, while "Hot Rain" features an awe-inspiring guitar break from Richard Mason. The brief "Happy with Your Lot" serves as a bridge to Mesmerised's weakest moment, the overly synthesizer-reliant "Clear, Clear to Me." Unfortunately, those electronic keyboards sabotage what could have been a great song. Matters are quickly rectified with the exquisite acid folk piece "Sweet Way" and the gently rolling "Don't Close the Door." While primarily a showpiece for Souter's always delightful vocals, the kitchen-sink production on "Under Clouds" also utilizes Mason's mandolin and Vass' harmonica - in addition to a wide variety of other instruments - in an impressive fashion. Red Chair Fadeaway could not have come up with a better title for "Dream River" as the song certainly does possess a phantasmagorically fluid quality due in large part to the guitars that weave in and out as they emerge from your sound system's speakers. The album wraps up with a relatively straight-ahead rocker, "On Telegraph Hill," whose title leads me to wonder if it's a reference to San Francisco and by extension to the psychedelic sounds that originated from Haight-Ashbury and changed the world.

RICHARD MASON

1. I'm Not Trying
2. Homestead Moat
3. The Plaitman of Bedfordshire
4. Cristatus
5. Hot Rain
6. Happy with Your Lot
7. Clear, Clear to Me
8. Sweet Way
9. Don't Close the Door
10. Under Clouds
11. Dream River
12. On Telegraph Hill