The FSOL Message Board

Garry uploaded another video on his YouTube channel...
nothing important I guess... he's probably just trying out the new YouTube editor

amazin release

So the physical release has arrived. Volumes 1 and 2 come together in a slipcase. There is a very detailed breakdown of who plays what on each track. Noel Gallagher plays bass on about 3 or 4 tracks on each album and the guitar intro to Banksters. There's a ton of other contributors including some usual suspects such as Virgil Howe and Alisha Sufit (on Regrets and Last Respects, and An Ocean of Regret).

There seems to be a story accompanying it as well, which I have yet to read. I guess I should give it a listen hey...

Nice! Top of my Xmas list, along with the new Cosmos EP vinyls.

The story is not a story as such but a kind of scene setting stream of consciousness thing with the song names in capitals throughout it. The capitalisation and lack of, er, coherent story line gives me a good idea of who might have written it...

Loving the music. Interesting how it's not joined together as one continuous piece. Some tracks even start as a continuation of the end of a previous one but with a fade out/gap (i.e. Dead Vapours/Tap Up). Alisha Sufit provides vocals in the traditional fsol sensual ahhing type of fashion by the way. Technically it's two albums of funky instrumental psychedelia. Some of it is (as I think Mr. Panda suggested) quite jazzy in a Miles Davis sort of way, which is not a bad thing in this humble opinion. Some really good stuff going on here.

Graham Hicks gets credit for overseeing all things, and management beyond the call of duty. The usual partners and children get thanks.

Sounds a bit like the text in the first four Archive albums.

I've been gifted a copy by a kind soul, but am away from home so won't have chance to listen until I get back next week.

Royal Mail arrived yesterday. As expected I find this highly enjoyable. My personal album of the year I guess.
Love also the more ethereal stuff thrown in there ala "another fairy tale ending", with strings and melancholy trumpets.

But overall it just ROCKS.

So yeah, actually enjoying this a lot more than I expected. Not something I'd have on repeat, but I've enjoyed every track. Surprised at how FSOLish some of it is...Loaded Silence, Taken Delivery, The Decision etc. Also the muted trumpet gives the whole thing a 1994 ISDN transmission feel...
Still don't get why it wasn't just a standard double album like the MPB mix CDs, especially since five or six tracks appear in alternate mixes over the two.
Probably prefer Vol. 2, as it's the more experimental/atmospheric of the two, but overall, good stuff.

So, the separate Vol.1 & Vol.2 arrive in a box if ordered together:



- And again, I'd like to say how AMAZING this album is. Tons of talent, tons of imagination...
- as usual - it's criminally under-rated by the press and the people in general... well... fuck them... it's their loss

Has anyone read the Gaz story in the booklet and tried to make sense of it?
It's not one of the far-out ones, this one actually makes sense, but it still could have a few meanings...

As I see it, it's a story about King Carb & Fatso. King Carb is/was a gangster, and he (or his ghost) is feeling relieved at a gangsters funeral (or his own funeral - I can't quite conclude...). Fatso is the cop who's also there (at the funeral), remembering all the heists and wires and chases they had. So something went wrong at the heist, some wrong people died too, and at the end, other Cartels took over and the never-ending game continues...


PS - it's the same story on both volumes, but on the second volume, the picture next to the story is from the Dead Cities limited edition ... right? not the cover... but somewhere inside... I think...

PPS - One possible reason why this wasn't a double album but two volumes with different catalog numbers, is because maybe Noel persuaded them to do it like that. I read a fresh interview with him a few weeks ago, where he doesn't mention AA, but talks about 2013 albums that were good and stuff, and he laughs at some band who released a come-back double album. He said something like "get your heads out of you asses guys, who has time today to listen 100 minutes of music at once..."
- and commercially speaking, I guess he's right...

Although I don't have an exclusive problem with double albums (Lifeforms and SAWII, obv), I do think The Cartel would have worked as a nice 65-70 minute single album - especially given the amount of alternate versions and stuff on there.

I think all the images are paintings by Lysa Bartlett

Pandemonium wrote:He said something like "get your heads out of you asses guys, who has time today to listen 100 minutes of music at once..."

Then, on the other hard, who has time to listen to what Noel Gallagher has to say.. about anything

I still haven't heard this, maybe next year..

i love double albums
triple albums

i love more music more more more!

Gary is on a drug that only he knows about lol

Well, just had a chance to listen to the first part.. and I'll say..

The First Billion Is The Hardest

this is probably as far away from FSOL in many ways as possible, but it's a great example HOW diverse they can really get. Full of really tripped out sounds 'tho, something similar to that of "Nu-Psychedelia".

Just a great continuation to the AA saga (and a a very obvious one, from early 60's towards the later 70's funk style). Seems more jamming too, and maybe less focused and polished. I know I'm gonna be praising these later as usual