I have said before that I like to remember forgotten artists. I doubt that too many remember Pearls Before Swine, a band that appeared in the late 60s. They had a few albums and were known, but not super popular. Most of their work was good, but I want to write about 1 album they did, a masterpiece.
The album was called Balaklava, which was the scene of the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade during the Crimean War. The Charge of the Light Brigade ranks right up their with Custer's Last Stand when it comes to military actions that were both incredibly brave and amazingly stupid. The theme of the album is war and it is a harsh critique of war's insanity.
The music itself is basically a gentle folk rock; it is made lush and strange by the addition of odd little sounds. Birds chirp, leaves rustle, waves crash. There is even a musical saw played in the background of one song ( for those not familiar with this, you can take a regular hand saw and play it with a violin bow, bending to to vary the pitch; a technique used by very old country musicians). The overall effect is extremely psychedelic. In fact this, without using waves of feedback, electronic sound effects or synthesizers, is one of the trippiest albums you will ever hear. Oddly enough, at the time it was recorded, the main writer for the band, also its lead singer, Tom Rapp, had never touched psychedelics.The music just sort of teases your brain until it takes hold; then it is hard to forget.
It is not often you hear a band quoting Herodotus or setting Tolkien's Ring poem to music. The album messes with your mind, beginning and ending with a recording taken from an ancient Edison cylinder of the Light Brigade's trumpeter, an old man when recorded, playing their call to charge.
Balaklava can be found at Amazon and it is well worth a listen. It is a beautiful, sweetly sad album that will stay in your head for a long time.
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