OFF: Ship of Fools new album

[Steve Youles]

Hi

I have this album ("Let's Get This Mother Outta Here"), there's a sticker
on it that says "Digitally remixed, re-edited and remastered
psychedelica."  Tracklist follows:

1. Diesel Spaceship
2. L=SD2
3. Where is here
4. First Light
5. In The Wake Of
6. From Time
7. Passage By Night
8. Western Lands
9. Guidance Is Internal

There is also a video CD-ROM track for L=SD2 (i.e. L = SD squared).  No
sleeve notes.

I had only ever heard 1 track by this band. on Aural Innovations, and it
stood out as being excellent.  This is a great album, the best thing I've
heard for at least a year.  It starts off with Church-of-Hawkwind era
synths, Simon House-esque keyboards, voice samples (it's otherwise
instrumental), and a hypnotic groove; but it is not at all derivative of
HW, IMHO.... The overall sound is more clean-cut, but retaining tons of
atmospherics, and they are less guitarcentric than Hawkwind. Although L=SD2
has a very Brockesque rhythm guitar, and in general is quite reminiscent of
HW circa Alien4.  The former sentiment also goes for 'From Time' which has
a monstrous, processed guitar upfront. "Not derivative", eh?  I think it's
to do with the high quality of the compositions & arrangements - this
material stands up on its own merits.

Having said that, I hear some other influences apart from HW.  'First
Light' has a touch of Zeppelin about it and something else, more
mainstream, that I can't quite put my finger on.  Every now and then they
throw some sort of early 80's inflections, too but these are momentary and
perhaps exist only in the eye of the beholder.  Maybe a smattering of
Chrome / Helios Creed there, too.

The worst thing about this band is their name.  I mean, 'Ship of Fools' is
actually a pretty decent moniker, but have you ever tried searching for
that phrase on Google?!

Steve

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On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 23:07:57 +0000, Jon Jarrett
<jjarrett at CHIARK.GREENEND.ORG.UK> wrote:

>On Mon, 7 Oct 2002, Alisa wrote:
>
>> there is a new album on Peaceville coming soon. Anyone knows are they
>> reunited?
>
>        Wouldn't mind some information on this myself, if anyone's got
>any. I read somewhere that this new one (_Get This Mother Outta Here_ if I
>have that right) is a best of. This strikes me as odd as I believe you can
>squeeze both their actual albums onto a single CD. But I guess there were
>singles and compilation tracks which might mean you could get a different
>tracklisting with less filler in it? I don't know. Anyone do? Yours,
>                                                                     Jon
>
>--
>"I recognise that I have transgressed many of the precepts of the divine
>law, and that I am subjected by various vices and iniquities, disobedient
>to the words of the divine mystery brought unto me and a worshipper of the
>delights of this military age." Marquis Borrell of Barcelona, 955 A.D.
>
>             (Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College London)