SHAC: Fuchsia - Fuchsia
 

The first album selection for the Subterranean Homesick Album Club is...
Please post your opinion on the album here.

Sums up the phrase "lost gem" pretty sufficiently. It's an unearthed artifact of musical archeology. Its also a case study in what could have been. Tony Durant, the lead composer behind the band, came up with all of the album's melodies in his head, before translating them to guitar or relating them to the band's string section. From listening to this album it's clear that had Durant continued to pursue music after his band's first record tragically flopped, Fuchsia would have been legendary, occupying the same realm as bands like Comus.

But on second thought, maybe Fuchsia is already legendary in their own right. This record reminds me of the Mountain Ash Band's S/T in terms of it's obscurity yet popularity among folk aficionados. And on upon your first listen you'll hear why.

I didn't mind this album. Hardly glowing praise I know but I still think it's a worthy acquisition. Kind of reminiscent of Syd Barrett or Nick Drake in places. Even a touch of Primus about half way through The Nothing Song which I found interesting. There is enough originality to keep it interesting. Overall I'd give it maybe 6/10.

I definitely get the Comus and Nick Drake comparisons. Sadly, I think this pales in comparison to their work. A decent album, and I'm glad I found it, but I wouldn't say it's anything special.

I thought Fuchsia was pretty decent, and it's an impressive album for something that was released in 1971. However, I don't really think it's fair to compare it to First Utterance (which tends to come up from time to time). Comus' debut had a completely different sound than the folk music that came before it, while Fuchsia's does have a few similarities to that of their predecessors, such as the typical folk-oriented vocals and the occasional uniform guitar work. Of course, this album does have a lot of originality with its complex/layered compositions and the inclusion of the violin and cello.

Two tracks that really stood out to me were "Another Nail" and "The Nothing Song" while I found "Me and My Kite" to be rather boring...

Anyways, I voted "good."

EDIT: By the way, I'm happy to see we have a few people participating in this. I hope it gains more in the future.

I know this one, discovered it last year. :D Haven't heard it much yet as I listen to alot of music,but I know it impressed me as a progressive album. Accessible music and I like that, doesn't need to be compared to anything. And I don't remember feeling it was sentimental, at least not how I define that word which suggests to me a kind of fake emotion.

Doesn't matter to me it it's considered original or not, and whether it had been released in 1971 or 2011 I would still have found something to enjoy in it. Of all the other names mentioned in here Nick Drake has impressed me the most, the others not so much. Then whether it is 'special' or not, well maybe that depends on what kind of taste someone has. If you want something that sounds more progressive and less folk or the other way round maybe it won't be special for you. But I'm not sure many would say it is crap, I think it is quite consistent and musical (qualities I like). I'll give it a provisional great rating, as so far it would be among my top 125 or so albums of the 70s.