Aural Fixations

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Acid Jam 2
(Woronzow/Rubric)
Way back in 1988, Nick Saloman, AKA the Bevis Frond, threw a psychedelic jam party for a bunch of like-minded friends, recording and releasing the results as Acid Jam. As a record, it allowed Saloman to cut loose with his buddies and indulge his wildest acid freak guitar fantasies; as a social gathering, it cemented bonds which last to this day. Despite seeing vinyl-only release and being long out of print today, it was a resounding success that planted a lot of seeds.

After twelve years, numerous Bevis Frond albums, various mentoring stints and the growing prosperity of his Woronzow label, Saloman and his partner Adrian Shaw decided to do it again. With a fluctuating cast of old pals and new, Saloman and Shaw hit Gold Dust Studios to have what they call in the liner notes "a blow," as well as combing through the Woronzow archives for vintage unused material to flesh out the fresh audio. The result is Acid Jam 2, a double-CD set of trippy pop, aggressive psychedelia, structured improvisation and lots and lots of guitar solos.

For Frond fans, the most notable tracks are those that could have fit on a "proper" Frond release. The album begins with "Reformation Blues," a bluesy, melodic Saloman tune powered for almost 15 minutes by call-and-response guitar solos from Saloman and former Frond touring member Bari Watts, one of the most underrated axemen in England. It's a tribute to the skill and invention of the two six-stringers that the piece never gets boring. Watts and Saloman, on piano, also duet on "Star Map," a backwards tape-looped ditty over which the duo spread their frosting. Saloman also contributes three more typically ace songs: "Change in the Weather," another pounding rocker on which he, Watts, Shaw and drummer Ric Gunther are joined by Alchemysts picker Paul Simmons, "Just a Point," a melancholy tune on which Watts sits out and "Long Velvet Sigh," a lovely piano-led pop song sung by Saloman's daughter Debbie. These tracks alone make Acid Jam 2 an essential purchase for Frond fanatics.

The pleasures to be found don't stop there, however. Shaw, a psychedelic veteran who's performed (or endured, as the case may be) stints with the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Magic Muscle and Hawkwind, brings to the table the compositional and instrumental skills he's developed over the years, co-writing many of the tracks. "Deep Space Divers," a virtual tribute to Hawkwind, features spacey synth burbles, a vocal duet from Shaw and Saloman and some scorching solos from Watts. "Funeral Ballet Music" is an instrumental jam that's a showcase for Saloman, and "Tanz Mekkanik" is a delightfully groovy keyboard piece strongly reminiscent of Shaw's solo records. Shaw also contributes, along with Frond drummer Andy Ward (ex-Camel), to the two showpieces for High Tide guitarist Tony Hill, called, naturally, "High" and "Tide." "High" is a tad lengthy, even for a record that thrives on tracks well over ten minutes long, but "Tide" is a nice, concise piece of melodic riffage, and both tunes feature some outstanding guitar work.

Also contributing are the Alchemysts, whose Paul Simmons pops up throughout, with a backwards-masked sonic collage called "Deef" and an unsettling, overly long (nearly 30 minutes!) freakout called "Desert Sands," on which the band is augmented by Saloman, Shaw and eccentric singer Rustic Rod Goodway. Dorset quartet Lucky Bishops chip in with "Negative Blooty," a long, aggressive jam that's unusual for a band known for their tight, if trippy, pop tunes. Finally, "Ice Plug" nods to the past Acid Jam with a raving psych-rocker that brings together Goodway, Saloman and Shaw with drummer Steve Broughton from the Edgar Broughton Band and violinist Simon House, who's logged stints with Hawkwind and David Bowie. House happily goes toe-to-toe with Saloman in six-string/four-string duels when Goodway isn't crooning like someone's slightly bent uncle. Perfectly capturing the spirit of the album, "Ice Plug" is probably the quintessential track.

Acid Jam 2 is a remarkably successful venture into the potentially choppy waters of psychedelic jamming. The talents of the people involved, focused by the melody-obsessed leadership of Nick Saloman, raise what could have been a painfully dull exercise in self-indulgence to the level of real art. For those who've always wanted to open the doors of perception without the nasty business of taking drugs to do it, Acid Jam 2 will be a most pleasant trip. Michael Toland