Harsh Reality Music Home
HR017 — Eternal Concessions— Cleanest Rooms — C46 — 1985
HR017 — Eternal Concessions— Cleanest Rooms — C46 — 1985
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Eternal Concessions was the trio of Chris Phinney, Mike Honeycutt (incorrectly spelled Honnicutt on the tape credits), and Richard Martin, all contributing variously guitar, bass, drum programming, keyboards, and vocals. Honeycutt was also prominent on Harsh Reality releases, having collaborated with Phinney on the Non Religious Sect tape, was in the original lineup of Skoptzies, and was prolific with his Mystery Hearsay solo project. Richard Martin collaborated with Phinney in Macroglossia and was a member of Viktimized Karcass.
Side A opens with ‘Autofixia’ a drum machine propelled slab of freeform industrial space rock. The keyboards are pure freaked out fun as they wail, scream, pulsate, and play cosmically tinkling melodies, and the guitar supports with jamming chords and effects. Guitar is much more prominent on ‘Short Of Faithfull’, cranking out a surprising melodic and awesomely dissonant jamming theme, and the keys jam away with a succession of pleasant melodies. Eventually the keys assert themselves and we’re off on a freewheeling and awesomely brain frying guitar and keys jam that, despite the chaos, gets into some impressively intricate territory. Damn good jam for fans of free-improvisational experimental space rock.
‘Subordinate Males’ comes ROARING out of the Side B starting gate as one big glorious cauldron of improvisational rocking anarchy. Bashing and jamming guitar and a boisterous tapestry of freaked out electronic effects, all tripping along to a laid back grooving rhythmic pulse and atmospheric keys. Another monster rocker! ‘Sex Ghouls’ wraps up the set, a track that first appeared on the “Where To Now? #1” compilation. This is free-wheeling space/noise/punk/electronic improv, with vocals that are very much like what we’ve heard from Phinney on the Skoptzies recordings. He’s doing his ranting spoken word, in this case expressing his desire to hang out in sex bars, never work a job, and wonder what’s going to happen to the human race (among lots of other things). The Ghouls part of the song comes in the form of the howling, moaning backing vocals.
Overall, this is one of the best freeform jamming rockers I’ve heard in the HRM catalog yet. Total anarchy and yet the trio gels nicely as an improvisational unit.
INTERVIEW with Chris Phinney by Kranitz
JK: So Eternal Concessions was you, Mike Honeycutt and Richard Martin. It’s funny, you spelled Honeycutt’s name wrong on the tape credits.
CP: Everybody spelled his name wrong!
JK: What led to this separate project with the three of you? There was just this one tape.
CP: We just decided to get together and record. We were at the house just drinking or whatever and decided to go record some tunes. And we did it and it sounded good. I mixed it down. And we were all sitting around and came up with the name Eternal Concessions.
JK: It’s interesting that the ‘Sex Ghouls’ track is different from the other three on the tape. But it’s also the one that was on the ‘Where To Now? # 1’ compilation. Was it recorded earlier than the rest of them?
CP: It was recorded earlier and then we recorded the others.
JK: So just as simple as different sessions as far as any stylistic differences.
CP: Right.
JK: I ended my review of the tape by saying “this is one of the best freeform jamming rockers I’ve heard in the HRM catalog yet. Total anarchy and yet the trio gels nicely as an improvisational unit.” I’m speculating that it’s because you guys had just been playing more and more with each other in different configurations, is that right?
CP: Oh hell yeah. Me and Richard had been playing together. Honeycutt, he’d come in and jam with everybody.
Eternal Concessions was the trio of Chris Phinney, Mike Honeycutt (incorrectly spelled Honnicutt on the tape credits), and Richard Martin, all contributing variously guitar, bass, drum programming, keyboards, and vocals. Honeycutt was also prominent on Harsh Reality releases, having collaborated with Phinney on the Non Religious Sect tape, was in the original lineup of Skoptzies, and was prolific with his Mystery Hearsay solo project. Richard Martin collaborated with Phinney in Macroglossia and was a member of Viktimized Karcass.
Side A opens with ‘Autofixia’ a drum machine propelled slab of freeform industrial space rock. The keyboards are pure freaked out fun as they wail, scream, pulsate, and play cosmically tinkling melodies, and the guitar supports with jamming chords and effects. Guitar is much more prominent on ‘Short Of Faithfull’, cranking out a surprising melodic and awesomely dissonant jamming theme, and the keys jam away with a succession of pleasant melodies. Eventually the keys assert themselves and we’re off on a freewheeling and awesomely brain frying guitar and keys jam that, despite the chaos, gets into some impressively intricate territory. Damn good jam for fans of free-improvisational experimental space rock.
‘Subordinate Males’ comes ROARING out of the Side B starting gate as one big glorious cauldron of improvisational rocking anarchy. Bashing and jamming guitar and a boisterous tapestry of freaked out electronic effects, all tripping along to a laid back grooving rhythmic pulse and atmospheric keys. Another monster rocker! ‘Sex Ghouls’ wraps up the set, a track that first appeared on the “Where To Now? #1” compilation. This is free-wheeling space/noise/punk/electronic improv, with vocals that are very much like what we’ve heard from Phinney on the Skoptzies recordings. He’s doing his ranting spoken word, in this case expressing his desire to hang out in sex bars, never work a job, and wonder what’s going to happen to the human race (among lots of other things). The Ghouls part of the song comes in the form of the howling, moaning backing vocals.
Overall, this is one of the best freeform jamming rockers I’ve heard in the HRM catalog yet. Total anarchy and yet the trio gels nicely as an improvisational unit.
INTERVIEW with Chris Phinney by Kranitz
JK: So Eternal Concessions was you, Mike Honeycutt and Richard Martin. It’s funny, you spelled Honeycutt’s name wrong on the tape credits.
CP: Everybody spelled his name wrong!
JK: What led to this separate project with the three of you? There was just this one tape.
CP: We just decided to get together and record. We were at the house just drinking or whatever and decided to go record some tunes. And we did it and it sounded good. I mixed it down. And we were all sitting around and came up with the name Eternal Concessions.
JK: It’s interesting that the ‘Sex Ghouls’ track is different from the other three on the tape. But it’s also the one that was on the ‘Where To Now? # 1’ compilation. Was it recorded earlier than the rest of them?
CP: It was recorded earlier and then we recorded the others.
JK: So just as simple as different sessions as far as any stylistic differences.
CP: Right.
JK: I ended my review of the tape by saying “this is one of the best freeform jamming rockers I’ve heard in the HRM catalog yet. Total anarchy and yet the trio gels nicely as an improvisational unit.” I’m speculating that it’s because you guys had just been playing more and more with each other in different configurations, is that right?
CP: Oh hell yeah. Me and Richard had been playing together. Honeycutt, he’d come in and jam with everybody.