Trading secrets with the moon --- The Adventures --- 1990 (Elektra)
A long time ago, I reviewed the second album by Belfast's Adventures, the first time I came into contact with them, the superb “Sea of love”, but this album is in fact better, despite the generally negative critical attention it got. There's not one bad track, and though no singles were released from it, it's surprising because there are so many here that would have fit the bill. I'd go so far as to say it was the best Adventures album, though I have yet to hear the debut and their last one, but somehow I doubt they could trump or even equal this masterpiece.
Seeming a bit more Americanised in ways, certainly in lyrical themes, with tracks like “Washington deceased”, “Bright new morning” and “Desert rose” all having links to the US of A, perhaps this is why it was so univerally disliked, but I see no fall in quality from “Sea of love”, and you certainly could not say that the guys started writing in a style designed to please the USA; it just seems to be something of a coincidence. In fact, far from losing or changing the celtic influences that characterised the second album (and possibly the first), they're even stronger here, with instruments like bodhran, oileann pipes and whistles and accordion used.
Opening on a “wind-up” organ melody, the drums cut in and the guitar gets going as “Your greatest shade of blue” rocks along, Terry Sharpe in fine vocal form, perhaps not as upfront as on “The sea of love”, a little more laidback maybe, but still clear and strong, the song bopping along in a very uptempo vein, great bit of accordion from Jonathan Whitehead. Pat Gribben as ever is master of his guitar, with excellent piano work from again Jonathan Whitehead. I don't hear Eileen Gribben's backing vocals as strongly here though, but that's put right with “Scarlet”, a lonely, keening ballad carried on harmonica and accordion, with some really effective oileann pipes courtesy of Liam O'Flynn. Great strings arrangement, for which we have to thank Mr. Whitehead again, although Helen O'Hara provides some fine violin, it must be said, and with the title in the lyric, this serves as the title track, unlike the previous album which had one. Eileen's backing vocals are almost more shared ones with Terry here, and she certainly makes herself heard, as she should, this being a song about a woman down on her luck.
Things kick right back up then for “Washington deceased”, with a definite sense of American band the Hooters about it, and a small dash of the Sawdoctors too. It's very bouncy and happy, Helen's violin dancing along with the rest, but with a downbeat lyrical theme, as Terry sings
”Life's not for living here/ To feast your eyes, take a walk /To the centre of the city/ Say a prayer for Washington deceased.” Driven on jangly guitar and Whitehead's punchy accordion, it's a great double-whammy: catchy song with serious lyrics that Mellencamp or Springsteen would be proud of.
One of the many standouts then in “Don't blame it on the moon”, a mid-paced ballad carried on harmonica and organ, its lyric and title kind of echoing the album's theme. Really nice crying violin merges with the harmonica and gives the song a very rustic, country/folk feel, while “Bright new morning” ramps the tempo up slightly, with a song about emigrating to the USA, something of a
tour-de-force with bodhran, bouzuoki, whistle and oileann pipes all helping to draw the soundscape against Terry's passionate promise to his child that they are
”Looking for a bright new morning/ Searching for a clear blue sky/ Sure we'll find a bright new morning/ So hush my angel/ Don't you cry.” The sense of fear and trepidation mixed with anticipation and hope at leaving your homeland behind to seek a new life is particularly topical, even now, with so many people leaving Ireland to escape the lack of prospects here at the moment. Or to put it in the words of one of our trad groups, the Wolfe Tones,
”Farewell ye boys and girls/ Another bloody “flight of earls”/ Our best asset is our best export too.”
Another of Ireland's favourite sons joins Terry for “Love's lost town”, as Brian Kennedy provides backing vocals to one of the straightest rock tracks on the album, although not in honesty one of my favourites. The addition of brass does give it a certain charm though. Much better is to come, with my all-time favourite track off this album, “Desert rose”, another slow ballad with blues overtones, with a heavy, doomy aspect which provides the image of someone crying into their beer. Beautiful, sensitive guitar work from Pat Gribben, soulful backing vocals from Eileen, and perfectly measured piano and indeed organ from Jonathan. The centrepiece of the song however is moaning pedal steel from B.J. Cole. This song is, incidentally, the only one on which Pat Gribben, who writes every other song on the album, collaborates with anyone, and it's a real star he chooses to work with (or who chooses to work with him), the venerable Lloyd Cole.
After this masterpiece, “Hey Magdalene” comes over as something of a filler, and while it's not a bad track --- rocky and quite anthemic in its way --- it's more what it has to follow that brings it up short, rather than any defect in the song itself. Brian Kennedy is back providing backing vocals to this, and it's perhaps interesting, but probably coincidental, that both the tracks I consider weaker ones on the album have him guesting. “Sweet burning love” goes into a gospel vein, and works extremely well, with solid, almost church organ from Whitehead carrying the tune along on an almost spiritual wave, then “Never gonna change” rocks things back up again one last time, with of all things harpsichord from Jonathan Whitehead, before the album closes triumphantly on the fragile, yet powerful “Put me together again”, with more fine backing vocals and brass, sonorous organ and a wonderful, mournful sax outro from Gary Barnacle to put the seal on a truly special album.
As I said at the beginning, I don't get the (critics') hate for this album. It has everything, and delivers on every level. Especially following such a powerhouse as “The sea of love”, which was always going to be hard to top, it's amazing that the Adventures came up with a record of this quality. And yet they got panned for it. I guess there's just no pleasing some people!
TRACKLISTING
1. Your greatest shade of blue
2. Scarlet
3. Washington deceased
4. Don't blame it on the moon
5. Bright new morning
6. Love's lost town
7. Desert rose
8. Hey Magdalene
9. Sweet burning love
10. Never gonna change
11. Put me together again