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Having been kicked out of his own band, the former leader of The Move either went over the deep end or just simply decided he was going to completely amuse himself in the studio for his solo debut in 1973.

Either way, Roy pulled out all the stops for Boulders, and the world is a better place for it.

The stylistic ground covered on the album is dizzying, and it's the way it's covered -- with a pastiche of symphonic glory and cookies -- is a stroke of genius. The album opens with what appears, at first, to be a straight-ahead gospel-inflected rocker in "Songs Of Praise". But that notion is quickly dispelled by the chorus of sped-up, chipmunk Roy voices that sing harmony in the chorus. That's followed up with the sleepy-eyed "Wake Up", which features percussion provided by a hand splashing in a bowl of water.

The rest of the album follows suit, as every whim is indulged. The country hoedown of "When Gran'ma Plays the Banjo" to "The Irish Loafer and His Hen" and the pedal steel-led "Rockin' Shoes" (which sounds like it could be a countrified Move outtake).

It's a warped masterpiece of the highest order.

If Roy Wood followed his muse right over the cliff... he landed in a humongous pile of feathers and marshmallows, where we can all frolic together.

This is a perfectly sequenced album, where even the throwaway songs are essential to the flow of the album as a whole. It's not a "concept" album, but it makes more sense, as an album than most "concept" albums do.
Once the needle drops, it's an album that has to play all the way through, so that I can immerse myself in all of its lo-fi glory. Of course, individual tracks are among some of the best in the band's vast catalog: Game of Pricks, As We Go Up We Go Down, A Good Flying Bird, Motor Away, and many more.
This is one of the easiest 5-star ratings that I have ever bestowed.

The best description of Uncle Tupelo I ever heard was "Husker Du fronted by Hank Williams, Sr." That pretty much sums it up. This album opened my (then) 19-year-old punk-rock ears to country music for the first time. A life-changing album in the truest sense of the word. It captures the true spirit of both genres and makes something powerful, beautiful, and unique. A must for any fan of either genre.

Sorry Andy Kellerman, this soundtrack is far better than mediocre. With previously unreleased tracks from Yo La Tengo and Uncle Tupelo, and several other great bands, this thing is a small treasure.
And, if it sounds like a typical college radio program, circa 1991—that is a very GOOD thing!

Imagine if you will, a schmaltzy Broadway production of a post-apocolyptic fairy tale, composed through the collaborative efforts of Frank Zappa, Benny Goodman and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
It may not sound appealing on paper, but let it get into your ears and the bizarre story and sneaky, snakey melodies will grow on you like a boil you don't want to lance. A big part of it is Tunney's goofy, endearing vocal delivery. It's a sort of nasal whine that oozes with equal parts sincerity and sarcasm. He knows what he's saying is bizarre, but he's enjoying every second of it. And so will the adventerous, open-minded listener.

Not much to add. Just wanted to say that Tim Sendra's review is dead-on.

At once completely alien and yet with the instant appeal of someone like Hank Williams. Sr. (Although it sounds about as close to ol' Hank as the blenders Zé uses in one of his songs). There are samba rhythms that weave in and our of bizarre acoustic and electronic soundscapes while some of the most incidious hooks you've ever heard infiltrate your consciousness. the Captain Beefheart comparisons are appropriate, but not totally informative.
Even if you're familiar with other Tropicalia artists, you may not be fully prepared for Tom Zé. Os Mutantes are brilliant, yet their music is steeped in the psychadelic tradition and, thus dates itself. the same could be said for Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil (althrough through the ages).
Absolutely nothing on here sounds dated. It could have just as easily been made today as in 1960 or 2025. The one constant is the sense of melody and playfulness that prevails over the whole CD. Just freakin' great. Really.

Shrimp Boat are simply the most joyous band on the planet. Or at least they were... they broke up back in 1993 or so, after only three proper albums. So, thank God for this collection!

The chronologically sequenced set spans the band's entire career, starting with their early home-recorded sound experiments (when they could barely play their instruments), and tracking their evolution as they explored and blended virtually every style of music on the planet. From Eastern European folk music, to Zappa-esque freakouts, to Carter family-syle Appalacian folk/country, to free jazz skronking, to Soul and R&B... usually blended seamlessly. Hell, they even do a cover of "Those Were the days" (from All in the family), on the Bonus Album!

The live cuts are particularly vibrant, as the sound of dancing and laughing crowds in the background and the obvious fun the band is having on stage really comes through. I missed seeing SB live, despite being from Chicago myself. It makes me long to go back in time and catch just one show.

Sam Prekop's voice is even more slurred here than it is in The Sea and Cake, but there's no denying its source. And he has yet to play with another guitar player as propulsive and explosive as Ian Schneller could be.

The only reason I am detracting a star at all is because the early experiments, while interesting and good to have in my collection, are not all successful.

Any fan will want this set -- it completes the legacy of one of the greatest bands to ever fly under the radar. For the uninitiated, I would recommend starting with either of their final two albums -- Duende or Cavale. (Both are 5-star recordings, IMO.)

It's a major injustice to the music loving world that Ultimate Painting's breakup was nasty and messy enough that it caused them to cancel the release of their very excellent swan song. Thankfully, enough advance downloads were released to the music press that it will likely find its way to the fans who want to hear it.
I just deserves more.
For a band that has been consistently excellent over their too-short career, this may be their best record. Subtle, yet very sticky hooks float over the top of gently propulsive guitars. The record possesses a sleepy but pop-smart sensibility that recalls bands such as Velvet Underground, Mazzy Star, and The Kinks' quieter moments.
Highly recommended for fans of those bands, as well as fans of Yo La Tengo, early REM, and similar 80s and 90s underground stalwarts.
Please search it out and give this music the audience that it deserves.

The press materials that accompanied Invisible Astro Healing Rhythm Quartet’s second album claim that the band pulls a strong influence from the Ethiopian funk of the 70s and 80s. While I am certainly hearing those influences in bits and pieces, I am also hearing a lot more.

“Praise One” opens with some spacy, atmospheric synth and percussion, but then the full band kicks in with a groove that is reminiscent of the Thrill Jockey post-rock bands that came of age in the 1990s. However, the horn interplay looks back to Sun Ra’s Arkestra of the mid 70s, with some fine unison playing and mad electric piano that flits about in the background like an insane hummingbird. And I mean that as a good thing.

“Praise 2” begins with a loping country waltz that exposes the band’s Bakersfield roots. But then, in comes the Farfisa to turn that sound on its ear. Some nice clean-tone guitar melodies follow to reinforce the country vibe, and then warp it, making way for a slightly tipsy-sounding horn section. A shift to 4/4 around the 4-minute mark, and we are back into jazzier territory, with saxophones squawking over the off-time syncopation of the rhythm section, disappearing any hint of the earlier country music sound.

“Headways” brings some of that great, shuffling funk stutter referred to in the press materials, but nonetheless has an almost Salsa-like feel at times. The track kicks off with some weird, spacy synth that sets up the main theme, and is then joined by some very psychedelic wah-guitar that helps the synth carry the main load. Soon enough, however, the sax comes in and flies off the deep end, setting up some great band interplay. A psychedelic wah-guitar solo peels off from the main theme, building and expanding on it, in the best of the jazz tradition.

The album ends on a romantic note. “Cosmic Loneliness” has shades of Sonny Sharrock’s more lyrical moments with Pharaoh Sanders. The saxophone and guitar compliment each other in a wobbly walk together down a crookedly melodic path. Then the distortion drops off the guitar for a quick foray into 60s space/surf rock, only to be interrupted by party crashing horns. All jazz, all day, but mostly all night: smoky and sexy, like the soundtrack for a soft-focus Hollywood love scene.

In all, the influences are so varied that it’s a difficult sound to pin down. For the listener who just wants something pleasant to play in the background, this is an album that can fit the bill, and you can let it simply float pleasantly by. But the groove can transport you, too, if you let it, and for the more-attentive listener, there is enough substance to provide greater rewards with each listen.