Review – Twice Bitten – Late Cut – by David Rickinson

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David Rickinson’s first review for Progradar is the excellent ‘Late Cut’ by Twice Bitten……

The 1980s……

I abandoned, to a large extent, Progressive Rock in favour of bands like Eurythmics and China Crisis and then, later on, Prefab Sprout and Deacon Blue. But then it was a strange time for music – all that weird electronic synthesiser stuff, and the New Romantics. Prog was hiding in a cupboard, licking its wounds.

It was the age of MTV – video didn’t only kill the radio star, it dressed him up in a pastel suit with the sleeves pushed up, buried him and then danced on his grave.

This is important, because it goes some way to explain why Twice Bitten never achieved any real success – they were terminally untrendy in a decade where style was much more important than substance.

Laid back

Rog Patterson and Greg Smith met as philosophy students at Nottingham University. A shared love of 12-string guitars, a passion for real ale and a conspicuous absence of dress sense made it inevitable that they would form a band.

Somehow they combined their studies with playing hundreds of gigs around the country supporting bands in the Progressive Rock scene, but unsurprisingly commercial success eluded them and after nearly four years, a couple of independently-released cassette albums and a track on a compilation long player, they called it a day.

One of those cassette albums (1985’s ‘No Third Man’) makes up the bulk of this release – the 7 tracks of that album have been transferred from a cassette master tape into the binary world and cleaned up. I have to congratulate David Elliott for his efforts here – I think he has done a great job.

Band with DE

The album’s opening track, Kingdom of the Blind, sets out Twice Bitten’s “heavy wood” stall for all to hear – a combination of staccato strumming and delicate picking on 12 string guitars.

Rain stops Play is an instrumental led by some very tasteful bass playing

Two of the songs really stand out for me, Swallowsong and Blue Sky Century – A pair of lovely songs, one with the bass very prominent as a lead instrument and the other a particularly gorgeous song with long vocal phrases over a delicate backing of 12 string guitars.

West End – the closing track on the original album, at just over 10.5 minutes, is covered with phasing, flanging, fuzzing and probably all manner of other electrickery as it tells its dystopian tale of surviving in the ruins of London. I like a bit of dystopia!

Special mention must be made of the album’s final track, the epic Crocus Point. Recorded in 2015 (because it took 30 years to get the 12 string guitars to stay in tune long enough to record the whole song) and mixed superbly by Kevin Feazey of The Fierce and The Dead fame. For eight minutes we are treated to some great 12 string work, with lots of delicious suspended chords and a gentle vocal line, and then suddenly all hell breaks loose as the electricity is turned on for an extended solo of great swooping curves before gradually calming down and drifting gently off into the sunset.

One of the things which surprises me about this album is how well it fills the soundstage of my living room, even though it‘s only two blokes with guitars. There are no keyboards or drums, and it is all the better for it.

Despite being very firmly rooted in the 1970s and stylistically very reminiscent of Anthony Phillips-era Genesis and Nigel Mazlyn Jones’ classic album ‘Ship to Shore’, there is a timeless quality to these songs which I really like. I could have listened to, and enjoyed, this album at any point in my life, it’s a shame I didn’t discover Twice Bitten until 2015.

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Released 2nd October 2015 via Bad Elephant Music.

But ‘Late Cut’ from bandcamp

David Rickinson

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I’ve been affected by music all my life – I still get shivers down my spine when I hear the intros to “I want to hold your hand” and “She loves you”, just as I did as a 4 year old when I first heard them.

For the last couple of years I have consciously decided to listen to full albums without skipping tracks. It is how the artists put them together. Last year I managed 687 albums (422 different ones) by 198 different artists.

My biggest musical regret is deciding to buy a textbook at university in 1977, rather than spending the money on a ticket to see Yes at Stafford Bingley Hall.

I’ve worked in IT since 1978, starting as a trainee computer operator, where I used to amuse myself by singing albums such as T’he Lamb lies down on Broadway’ from start to finish to while away the hours.

The Wallet Emptier – 16th September 2015

Working for a living means it has been a while since the last Wallet Emptier so the ‘weekly’ moniker has had to go for this edition.

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Twice Bitten – Late Cut

‘Late Cut’ is the CD album celebrating the 30th anniversary of legendary ‘heavy wood’ duo Twice Bitten’s ‘No Third Man’ album. Using only stringed instruments with no percussion or keyboards there is a simple, sparse beauty to the songs on the album. Pared back to its constituent parts, it has a stark and honest feel to it. Sepia tinged nostalgia abounds on these lovingly remastered songs. The addition of two new tracks is a huge bonus. Get ordering and , if your one of the lucky first 100 to do so, you get a bonus CD of sublime, mainly instrumental, music, ‘Kent Hill’.

Releases 2nd October 2015

Stand out tracks – the legendary ‘Crocus Point’ and ‘Ocean’.

Pre-order Late Cut from bandcamp now

 

Unified Past - Shifting the Equilibrium - cover-art by Ed Unitsky

Unified Past – Shifting the Equlibrium

The first album from the Syracuse,NY based progressive rock band Unified Past to feature new vocalist Phil Naro is undoubtedly their best yet. Powerful, melodic and intricate songs that have a whole new edge due to Phil’s excellent vocals. Founder and guitarist Stephen Speelman says it is a new chapter in the band’s evolution. A real rocker that will shake any cobwebs out of your hair.

Released 28th August 2015

Stand out track – Etched in Stone

Buy Shifting the Equlibrium from MRR

 

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The Dear Hunter – Act IV Rebirth in Reprise

As the title would suggest, this is the fourth part of an album series begun in 2004. I am not acquainted with the previous three instalments which may account for why this album took a while to resonate with me but, once you ‘get it’, it is a thing of musical delights and wonder. Brilliant songwriting and superb musicianship combine to deliver a totally immersive and overwhelming musical experience. Just one question for Casey, Track 11, why?, just….why?

Release date 4th September 2015

Stand out track – A Night on the Town

Buy Act IV direct from the artist

 

Corvus Stone Unscrewed600x600

Corvus Stone – Corvus Stone Unscrewed

I am new to this band and have maybe done this the wrong way round, their third release being the first I have listened to. What can I say, this mainly instrumental piece is mad as many boxes of amphibians, flawed in places but entirely and eccentrically wonderful. This unique band follow no path already trodden and may not appeal to everyone but the brilliant musicianship leads them up many blind alleys that they then extricate themselves magically from. Mad, bad and brilliantly dangerous….

Released 28th July 2015

Stand out track – Cinema Finale

Buy Unscrewed from MRR

 

Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls

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With the great songwriting skills and the length of some of the tracks, these heavy metal behemoths definitely have one foot in the progressive arena and their latest release is their best of recent years. With powerful rockers, epic riffs and Bruce’s vocals gaining a gruff depth that adds a patina of aged brilliance, ‘The Book of Souls’ is a rip roaring yarn from start to finish and includes some rather intricate and intelligent songs that any fan of the genre would love. Some might say they never lost form but, to me, this is a triumphant return!

Released 4th September 2015

Stand out track – Empire of the Clouds