Amazon.co.uk Review
These are the two most commercial early-80s Felt albums, and
The Strange Idols Pattern, from 1984, is also the best. Its delicate, gossamer-thin sound perfectly couches Maurice Deebank's sparkling, intricate guitar lines and Lawrence's breathy introspection; the whole thing sounds like cool, clear water, trebly and spacious, and has immense charm. 1985's
Ignite The Seven Cannons saw Martin Duffy--later of
Primal Scream--join on keyboards, but the transition from the original Felt sound to the lush, organ-driven atmospherics of later years was not a smooth one. For the most part, Duffy's contribution just clutters a muddy mix, but there are moments where the new Felt sound falls into place--brilliantly on the sullen epic "Primitive Painters".
--Taylor Parkes
CD Description
This collection contains the third and fourth Felt albums, THE STRANGE IDOLS PATTERN AND OTHER SHORT STORIES and IGNITETHE SEVEN CANNONS. Whereas their first two albums featured more meandering tracks, these albums feature songs that are more terse, though still with very elaborate arrangements. Standouts from STRANGE IDOLS include "Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow", a cheerfully bitter character study featuring gorgeously jangling guitars, the oddly catchy "Dismantled King is Off the Throne", in which Lawrence's droll delivery is nicely offset by up tempo drumming, and "Whirlpool Vision of Shame", which features Maurice Deebank's complex guitar linesdarting around the vocals. Produced by the Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, IGNITE includes Felt's most well-known track, "Primitive Painters", a glittering masterpiece featuring astonishing backing vocals from the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser along with some of Lawrence's more impassioned vocals, Gary Ainge's expressive drumming. Other standouts include the beautiful instrumental "Serpent Shade", highlighting Martin Duffy's keyboards, and "Southern State Tapestry", which returns the focus to the interplay between Deebank and Lawrence's guitars. Felt collectors should note that the reissued version of this collection, though it sequences the albums chronologically (unlike the original CD), it inexplicably omits the "Crucifix Heaven", a spectacular Spanish-guitar influenced instrumental.