Checking the reveiws for this one-off album in various places on the net I see a wide range of opinions - from "one of the best psych albums ever" to "very bad...avoid!" I understand why regular pop fans diss it - at first listen it's complicated and unpredictable, combining an array of rock styles where of many still were in cradle 1969. Just scratching the surface it may be interpreted as a blend of hard rock, psych, prog, baroque and symphonic, topped with lyrics having a cross-cutting catholic theme. Rumour has it was first planned by producers Simon Napier-Bell and Ray Singer as a much larger rock opera set-up with the trio - Tony Newman, Mike Newman and Max Simms - here credited as "Plus", only a hand picked backing band. If so, why they changed direction and decided to release it as a group effort I don't know. Anyway if you skip the theme, forget about the "sin stations" and just get down to it as a prematurely spiced period psych album it may improve before your very ears. There's certainly nothing wrong with the songs. A mix of uptempo and slower pop going from harsh fuzz driven to catchy melodic. Musically reminding of Beacon Street Union or Electric Prunes while the atmosphere is more towards Black Widow or Sabbath. Favorite tracks - "Daddy's Thing", "Open Up Your Eyes", "Gemegemera" and "Maybe You're The Same". Not totally accepted by genre collectors yet and therefore much cheaper than you'd expect considering substance and rarity. Surprising, but good for all us music lovers without unlimited founds. Originally issued also in UK (Probe SBP 1009), France (Stateside 2C 062-91602) and Peru (same as US). 1999 CD on Free Records (FR 9903). Early US came with two different label designs - one glossy, one matt - not sure which was first. Showing the glossy here. It's on thick vinyl hosted in a slightly structured, die-cut fold/out cover. (YZÄ*) (RÖKÖ*) (CÖLÖ*)
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