Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Phantom's Divine Comedy


Albums like "Phantom's Divine Comedy Part 1" always arouse suspicion in me. They seem to be the result of some shrewd record exec's desire to cash in on some trend rather than a genuine musical expression from a serious artist or band. They may look right and may even sound right, but there is something inherently phony and slapdash about them. "Phantom's Divine Comedy Part 1" was released in 1974, perhaps a bit late to truly capitalize on the psych trend, but still making a vain attempt. What comes to mind first are the uncanny Morrison-esque vocals of Mr. Phantom (Ted Pearson) himself. You can almost hear some ambitious A&R jerkoff foaming at the mouth at the prospect of a Doors-like band performing horror themed bargain basement psychedelia via Vegas lounge jazz. Upon its release, rumors (perhaps started by the band's management) abounded about how it was indeed Morrison lending his vocal talents to "Divine Comedy Part 1," and I'm certain that Capitol Records higher-ups did little to nothing to dissuade such notions. Did it work? Well, have you ever heard of this album? Is it a bad album? Not by a long shot, my friend. Is it a great album? Well, quite frankly, no. However, it is good enough, strange enough, and rare enough to be included in the Cosmic Hearse pantheon. Phantom lays down nine songs rich in imagery crawling with spiders, wizards and demons, and even if the music is somewhat flat and unoriginal the whole affair is rather enjoyable, even if for its goofy, naive take on the psych/hard rock genre. Phantom never got around to recording "Divine Comedy part 2" (let this be a lesson to young bands, don't call something a "part 1" unless "part 2" is in the can and ready for release), so this album remains Phantom's sole contribution to the vast musical landscape of the early '70s. On the sultry "Tales from a Wizard," the album's first track, Phantom sounds most like the bloated deceased Lizard king he seeks to emulate. On "Devil's Child" Phantom opts for a more exagerrated soulful voice over a composition that sounds as if it could have been one of Joe Raposo's Sesame Street songs from the '70s. "The Calm Before the Storm" is another song that might have been culled from the Door's dumpster and "Half Life" is a creepy ballad that actually reminds me of later Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, had Nick Cave been born 15 years earlier. Smack dab in the middle of the proceedings comes the album's crown jewel, the geniusly titled, "Spiders Will Dance On Your Face While You Sleep." More of the same Halloween Super Store hard rock ensues until the albums epic closer "Welcome To Hell," a slow and slinky, melodramatic tale that encompasses all the themes explored in the album's other songs. Corny beyond belief, but still great fun. Welcome to Hell.

Here

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for Good Music!

Anonymous said...

WALPURGIS WAS THE BANDS NAME BEFORE THE PDC LP

Anonymous said...

THERE IS A PART 2 BUT IT'S RARE AS HELL TO FIND. WAS RELESHED IN 1990 GO TO DISCOGS AND YOU WILL SEE A PICTURE OF THE ALBUM COVER AND THERE'S ONE SONG ON YOUTUBE. IF SOMEONE DOES FIND IT. PUT IT ALL ON YOUTUBE.

daniel ionescu said...

Originally known as Walpurgis (not to be confused with the kraut band), The Lost Album is supposed to have been recorded by the same line-up as Divine Comedy in Los Angeles and predates the official Divine Comedy release. It's been told that the band were re-named by their manager as Phantom, and it's known that the line-up which recorded Divine Comedy definitely came from Rochester, a small town about 30 miles from Detroit.
On both albums the vocalist sounds like Jim Morrison and indeed Capitol Records issued a statement that it was leading to legal action by Elektra.
What of the music? Divine Comedy is highly rated by many, it has a mystical sound and is recommended. Tales From A Wizard and Welcome To Hell, which are both rather melodramatic, are arguably the strongest tracks but a consistent standard is maintained throughout.
The Divine Comedy line-up made a second self-titled LP in 1978 under the name Happy Dragon Band (Fiddlers 11 57) 1978, This is more electronic.
The Lost Album contains previously unreleased material. Musically it's similar to their first effort.

Voluspa9 said...

I was just thinking of recommending this album to you and here it is. I am confused though: I thought this album was recorded by the Doors with Iggy Pop on vocals?

Voluspa9 said...

Also, I've read that the vocalists name was Ted Carson. I keep finding all kinds of conflicting info in regards to this album.

Anonymous said...

Hello, will you reup this link also? Having some trouble with the Badongo link. Thank you! 'Anyone ever find out more info. on the "Part 2" recordings?!