The Psych Ward–Inner Marshland by The Bevis Frond
The Psych Ward–Inner Marshland by The Bevis Frond
Auntie Winnie Album…Inner Marshland. Auntie Winnie Album…Inner Marshland. My brain churned for some time trying to decide which is my favorite Bevis Frond album to showcase. Since the music was introduced to me by a bandmate in my earliest days at university, the Bevis Frond has been a staple of my psychedelic diet. Let’s get this straight…the Bevis Frond is a “him”—Nick Saloman who is an English guitar wizard and tunesmith raised on the ferocious, acid-dipped guitarwork of Hendrix, but flourished within the twee British New Wave era. 1987’s
This is an almost perfect album.
Inner Marshland, his 2nd album under the moniker of the Bevis Frond, was an unmatched incendiary revelation. The Auntie Winnie Album, a collection of outtakes from the same era, was released a couple years later. I always wondered why they were throwaways when all the tracks were as amazing as the proper releases.
What can be said about this (unfortunately) largely unknown work? First, this was recorded on a four-track in his bedroom…lo-fi, but blisteringly intense. The burbling sound effects, delayed guitar, and fiery solo of “Cries From the Inner Marshland” kick it all off and are reminiscent of Axis: Bold as Love era Hendrix. The second track, “Termination Station Grey,” is a revelatory resurgence of English psychedelia. Picket fence rhythm guitars and a peel-the-paint guitar solo envelop the listener like a warm eiderdown blanket. “Window Eye” features a backward guitar intro which effortlessly leads us into some organ work that is straight out of 1967’s sonic playbook. “Once More”
begins with a spoken word introduction guiding the listener down a hall to open a door where the band is presumably jamming. A cheeky bit of theater similar to the Moody Blues’ “House of Four Doors.” Saloman wears his influences on his sleeve. The track even features an interjected Graeme Edge-style poem. “Hey Mr. Undecided” is Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd to the core. This song is a MUST LISTEN to anyone who loves the FWOBP.*
I must say this is an almost perfect album. In the way that Piper at the Gates of Dawn will hold your attention listen after listen. There is just too much to discuss in this short space, so if you’ve never heard Inner Marshland before, do it NOW! And then listen to the Auntie Winnie Album, as it’s just as spectacular. Luckily, these early albums are reissued and available for purchase and streaming after being out of print for decades.
*First Wave of British Psychedelia.
“Leb Off” by the Bevis Frond–single review
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