Green On Red
Gravity Talks

Vibrant and festive "Gravity Talks" is a prime demonstration of the validity of the Paisley Underground's operation in reviving the psychedelic motifs from the decade of love.

Perhaps not everyone knows that this musical movement originated at the beginning of the 1980s in California from the early efforts of the Three O'Clock, led by Italian-American guitarist Matthew Piucci, which then influenced other stars of the psychedelic revival such as Steve Wynn's Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, Thin White Rope, Opal, the Bangles, and indeed, our delightful Green On Red.

It was Wynn himself who, in 1982, produced the second EP of the Arizona band on his Down There label (following the previous year's EP), giving them the definitive boost for their LP debut the following year under the Slash banner.

And it is a debut in great style.

The Tucson four do nothing to hide their influences but skillfully eliminate any derivative flaw by implementing a consciously inspired sound which, in the end, is more than personal. Yes, they draw recognizable elements from the vast ground of psychedelia and Californian folk-rock but assemble them with great mastery, carefully refining and melding them into a musical manner that can only arouse admiration.

Dan Stuart on guitar manages to craft country-folk filigrees that do not make one miss the breezier Byrds ("Narcolepsy") and the more dreamy Neil Young ("That's What You're Here For") without ever forgetting his friendship with the Dream Syndicate's guitarist-leader ("Deliverance"), who is also present here in support alongside Piucci, with a, not better specified in the notes, "long distance sage."

Also engaged in singing, he shows, among other things, in various moments that he has thoroughly reviewed the bright and powerful style of Van Morrison's more garage side, before slightly relaxing it ("5 Easy Pieces").

Stuart is the essence of the group's sound, perhaps even more than the commendable rhythm section formed by Alex MacNicol (drums) and Jack Waterson (bass), the reliable trunk from which the agile branches of the marvelous organ of co-leader Chris Cacavas, the added value of Green On Red, can thrive.

Elaborating a technique that adds the bandman fantasies of Manzarek to the boldness and incisiveness of Al Kooper, Cacavas manages to elevate every track of the album with dazzling, vertiginous digressions, capable of accompanying the band's rhythm ("Over My Head") as well as reveling in entertaining and astonishing psychedelic solos (the title-track "Gravity Talks"), able to switch from carefree explorations to sweet, romantic, and melodramatic piano chimes ("Old Chief", "Brave Generation") with enviable ease, not to mention that even when moving to steel-guitar and twelve-string, the arrangements never lose their luminous grace.

Cheerful, exhilarating, and vibrant, Chris's style is the distinctive trait of the Green On Red sound, a sweet touch that continues to linger in the mind even after listening, an ever-present adhesive, always stepping up at the most opportune moment, the perfect counterpart to his co-leader.

The class of these four is evidenced by the fact that the overall sound of their roots-psychedelic remains consistently coherent and unified even when the rhythm becomes slightly tense, the identity is never stifled, the effect is always that of a concealed tranquility in the background of a slightly more distorted guitar or a more heated voice.

Urgent, honest, fresh, and light, American to the core, "Gravity Talks" is an album to whistle and smile at the sun, the journey of four boys from the Arizona desert to the Los Angeles coast, clear minds, no clouds in sight, and just a real desire to play, because tomorrow is another day.

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