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3.0 out of 5 stars
NURSES SONG WITH ELEPHANTS, 28 Aug 2011
Originally released, on John Peel's Dandelion Records label, in 1972, this is a worthy addition to Esoteric Recordings' commendable programme of making long unheard, offbeat and progressive, albums available again. This recording has been remastered and the packaging includes a booklet which contains an informative article about David Bedford's work at the time, and the tracks featured on the CD, as well as the original album liner notes. 'Nurses Song With Elephants' is certainly not going to be to every listener's taste in terms of the music that it contains; I use the term 'music' very loosely as some of the tracks are very demanding and, in a way, are typical fodder for those who seek to criticise and denigrate the avant garde movement of the 1960s and '70s. However, I personally celebrate the fact that this material is available again. David Bedford is one of British music's great unsung heroes of the last fifty years and as composer for the concert hall, teacher and writer of educational music, and arranger/performer of rock and pop music and some notable film scores, his achievements are myriad. This CD would make an excellent addition to the collection of anyone who is interested in British avant garde and is a must for fans of 'prog rock' and, particularly, the followers of Kevin Ayers and Mike Oldfield who both feature on the album. As a route in to Bedford's own compositions, I would not especially recommend this CD as it captures only a fairly short part of his career (1967-1972) and is therefore not typical of the enormous range of his music. I think better starts would be David Bedford - Orchestral & Choral Works or The Song Of The White Horse: Star Clusters Nebulae and Places in Devon
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Sad and Lonely faces, 20 Oct 2011
A welcome release of a David Bedford album, not quite a classic and by his own admission more of a collection of ideas brought together from previous projects. Nice to hear Kevin Ayers voice on `Sad and lonely faces' David Being a member of Kevin Ayers band `the Whole world' for a while and if you listen hard enough you will also hear another Whole world alumni Mike Oldfield on the album. The music is best described as modern classical with a twist, there are parts where you think what are they doing but on the whole I found this quite an enjoyable and thought provoking listen. A mix of styles and not to everyone's tastes definitely of its time, thanks to Esoteric for releasing this album.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Weird and Wonderful!, 16 Aug 2011
The opening track features a mass of multi tracked recorders, flutes (I think) in staccato, with weird synth noises behind it... This turns into a strange drone and the woodwinds and synths rise into crescendos before chilling out again. I think they're flutes and recorders. It could all be early synths. Welcome to the world of Nurses of Elephants! Track 2 features creepy voices singing gibberish and a spacey backdrop of synths. This really does sound in places like the soundtrack yet to be made. Melodies creep in and out... Track 3 begins with an orchestra flourish and then turns into an endless wall of quickly played notes one after the after, complete with percussion and weird beats. Sudden bursts of ensemble playing give way to eerie drones and sudden parping and sustained strings... What did you expect from an album with the title? If you enjoy listening to free jazz, avante-garde improvised music, you'll love it. I detect hints of AMM, Art Ensemble of Chicago, British horror soundtracks and a whole lot else. I found it an exhilarating experience. If you're looking for something different, then this is a must. Interesting, atmospheric and never boring. It's also totally unpretentious.
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