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In 1970, guitarist Steve Hillage formed Khan, an English band of the Canterbury Scene, characterized by a strong experimental and psychedelic drive, with clear rock and jazz influences.
After some lineup changes, keyboardist Dave Stewart, an old friend and companion of Hillage in Uriel, another band similar to Khan, was recruited; an experience that proved decisive both for musical growth and the cohesiveness it brought. In 1972, under the Decca/Deram label, Khan released "Space Shanty," an inspired album that would be reductive to simply call a masterpiece.
"Space Shanty" opens the album with much determination, making it clear right from the start that it is neither a commercial product nor a display of technique for its own sake. After a brief intro, guitar and keyboard each offer their interpretation of the main theme. Subsequently, sudden mood changes, driven by fast and compelling rhythmic solutions, accompany us through this first chapter of an introspective and visionary journey, which with remarkable realism represents not always positive sensations.
Now it is the turn of "Stranded", which appears almost like a sweet supplication, a prayer. The atmosphere is suspended and intangible. The heartfelt singing of the first three minutes soon gives way to a kaleidoscope of sounds that are occasionally exotic, strictly guided by the harmonic fabric spun by Stewart's liquid keyboards, which introduce and excellently support Hillage's unusual solo solutions, expressing with extreme effectiveness, maturity, and elegance every emotional nuance. With a slow fade into itself, the track ends evoking the image of discretion, as if to say “waiting in the wings for your move.”
"Mixed Up Man Of The Mountain" is a perfect snapshot of the Canterbury Scene, its typical sounds, its overwhelming dynamism, and its LSD indulgence! It tells, in fact, of altered perceptions, through which one can experiment with alternative viewpoints and be privy to some secrets. It ends with the fading of effects.
Even more so, in "Drawing To Amsterdam" reigns a Canterburian and hallucinatory atmosphere in the description of a journey as real as it is mental. The imprint is clearly jazz, transfigured and enriched with colors, visions, and sonic irregularities that progressively shape a determined and original sound.
"Stargazer" opens with an intertwining of wicked, esoteric and demonic melodies, having a plastic and aseptic timbre. It picks up the best insights of King Crimson and offers one more to subsequent developers of the genre. It soon spills over into expressive hysteria, typical of Space Rock. The rhythm is admirably syncopated and explodes into a spine-tingling guitar solo, then reverts to the hysterical theme that fuses with the plastic one in some interesting key changes.
This instructive journey concludes with "Hollow Stone," an epic composition sustained by a relaxing and surreal sound that seems to emerge from the infinite sidereal space, a theme also explored by surprising lyrics.
Enjoy listening.
Tracklist:
1. Space Shanty — 8:59
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKnf9OUUMas
2. Stranded — 6:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hh9Fv1um-E&NR=1
3. Mixed Up Man of the Mountains — 7:14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG1CF7Tw_0w
4. Driving to Amsterdam — 9:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NpyVZCDv_k
5. Stargazers — 5:32
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g8KqR9PbEw
6. Hollow Stone — 8:16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_npehWmvfc
Total time 46:09
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
03 Mixed Up Man of the Mountains (07:15)
Looking at the ground
I'm crying for the sky
I know I can't hope to go
Where I can't be found
But when I close my eyes
I start to fly
The sun burns down on me
I'm praying he'll take me away
So very much higher
Than the peaks above me
I open myself, my spirit is free
And I start to fly
As a lead upon the breeze
Higher than the chains of mortal man
Surrounded by the wonders of a life I saw but never knew
Revealed the hazy secrets of the mountain man
But soon as I am here I have to go
04 Driving to Amsterdam (09:23)
We look ahead for miles down our avenue of light
We motor past the airport in the flatness of the night
Its fairy beads reflected in the shining of your eye
Can it be that there's so many
That have been through this whole scene before?
Staring at the ground, for I knew not what to do
I turned full around and found myself in you
The water looks so placid to deny that it's a threat
Our weary faces smiling with the energy that's left
Your flowing now has reached me and I feel I've got to stay
There's no need for a reason
We switched off our thinking hours ago
Staring at the ground, for I knew not what to do
I turned full around and found myself in you
Still we're driving onward, moving steady as a plane
Moonbug cars flash past us as we head the other way
Across the dyke of worry to a Nederlander dream
Now the morning opens slowly
On what seems a very special day
Staring at the ground, for I knew not what to do
I turned full around and found myself in you
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By GATTINATOR
"Space Shanty is an ambitious project from 1972 where Hillage dominates the guitar with space and blues riffs, and Stewart plays the organ with absolute speed in colossal and never repetitive passages."
"I'm not really a fan of Canterbury, but I'd definitely raise a toast to this. Fundamental!"
