HW: Bob Calvert: Freq and Live at the QEH

[Paul Mather]

On Mon, 18 Mar 1996, cjohnson wrote:

>        I wasn't too fond of Freq myself, but that may not be typical of
>        this List.  The songs border on early industrial type sounds, with
>        some (possibly dated) mechanical sounds building the rhythms.
>        Also, each song is separated by a spoken word piece, ranting on
>        about a Miners strike that was taking place at the time.  I always
>        program my CD player to avoid this stuff -- it got old pretty
>        quickly for me.  Then again, the whole strike thing didn't mean
>        anything to me either ( <-- the ugly American ?)

Well, I can understand that, just like I think UK listeners probably get
"more" from Pink Floyd's _The Final Cut_ than US listeners do.  The
Miners' Strike was a Big Deal[tm] in the 80s in the UK.  I like some of
the interludes on _Freq_, which I find amusing---like the one where Bob is
arguing with the scabs ("what, do you expect him to go around on a
bicyle?"), but some of the others I find pretty boring (like the poorly
recorded snippet of some NUM guy addressing a rally).  I think it's an
interesting document of the times though, and, with the magic of CD, at
least those who aren't interested in it can program around it.

I agree about the "industrial" overtones on _Freq_.  (I've always said
Trent Reznor is the reincarnation of Bob Calvert on steroids.;)  My
favourite tracks are "Ned Lud", "The Machines Are Quiet" and "Work
Song."  Simply beautiful...

>        One nice thing is that the spoken word thingies have some musical
>        background sounds.  I understand that this was not on the original
>        record, and was added as part of the re-mastering that produced the
>        CD Freq (actually called "Freq Revisited").  While I do not have a
>        copy of the original LP to compare with, this is what I was told.
>        You should be able to get Freq at a good price: around $14.

I have the original LP.  I don't recall any background music on the
in-between song interludes.

>        I haven't listened to Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall lately, so I'll
>        avoid any attempts at reviewing this one.  Possibly a better choice
>        than Freq, though.  How much was Best Buy asking for this one, and
>        did they have more than one in stock?

There is some great stange banter from Bob on this one, showing just what
a good raconteur he could be.  Again, not Hawkwind, so don't expect much
in that department on this release.  (There is even a drum machine used as
the drummer!)

Cheers,

Paul.

obCD: Porcupine Tree, _The Sky Moves Sideways_

e-mail: paul at csgrad.cs.vt.edu                    A stranger in a strange land.

"Ned Lud had japanese eyes..."