HR108 - Sponge - Moray House, Edinburgh 12/11/87 - C60 — 1989
SIDE A:
JAM FELT THE FISH THING ROLLER COASTER OPEN GRAVE FOX THEIR HEADS WERE GREEN! |
SIDE B:
ROTATING CUBES COAT OF SWIRL NED LUDD BRAINSTORM *JAM |
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Here we have a tasty live set from Scottish space rockers Sponge. Harsh Reality released their Unreality Viewpoint cassette album prior to this one (HR102). The sound quality is decent bootleg but listeners will get a solid sense of the band’s performance.
The set opens with the appropriately titled ‘Jam’, which consists of freeform rocking blanga riffage and freaky electronics. The crowd cheers and the band launch into the hypnotically rocking and grooving ‘Felt The Fish’, which I was introduced to on the Unreality Viewpoint cassette. ‘Thing’ is a sludgy slab of stoned space-doom rock. ‘Open Grave Fox’ is a deliriously frenzied space-punk rocker that slams a bottle of steroids down the throat of the version on the Unreality Viewpoint cassette. ‘Their Heads Were Green!’ is a relentlessly pounding rocker with intricate percussion and tripped out caustic guitar. ‘Rotating Cubes’ is a freeform space jamming banquet of spiraling guitar patterns and punky licks, whimsically dizzying keys, and effects, which builds up to a cauldron of corrosive frenzy. After so much intensity the band dissolve into acidic, atmospheric drone mode with ‘Coat Of Swirl’. A short chug-a-lug chunky acid-space jam closes the set. It’s titled ‘*Jam’ but reminds me of a Hawkwind tune I can’t put my finger on.
Sponge also play some cool covers. They crank out an awesomely freakout rocking take on the 13th Floor Elevator’s classic ‘Roller Coaster’. And a faithful yet punkier take on Robert Calvert’s ‘Ned Ludd’ is followed by an exhilarating, party in space version of Hawkwind’s ‘Brainstorm’. Excellent live set! Fans of other 1980s UK space/psych/festie bands like Omnia Opera, Nukli, and Krel would love Sponge.
Here we have a tasty live set from Scottish space rockers Sponge. Harsh Reality released their Unreality Viewpoint cassette album prior to this one (HR102). The sound quality is decent bootleg but listeners will get a solid sense of the band’s performance.
The set opens with the appropriately titled ‘Jam’, which consists of freeform rocking blanga riffage and freaky electronics. The crowd cheers and the band launch into the hypnotically rocking and grooving ‘Felt The Fish’, which I was introduced to on the Unreality Viewpoint cassette. ‘Thing’ is a sludgy slab of stoned space-doom rock. ‘Open Grave Fox’ is a deliriously frenzied space-punk rocker that slams a bottle of steroids down the throat of the version on the Unreality Viewpoint cassette. ‘Their Heads Were Green!’ is a relentlessly pounding rocker with intricate percussion and tripped out caustic guitar. ‘Rotating Cubes’ is a freeform space jamming banquet of spiraling guitar patterns and punky licks, whimsically dizzying keys, and effects, which builds up to a cauldron of corrosive frenzy. After so much intensity the band dissolve into acidic, atmospheric drone mode with ‘Coat Of Swirl’. A short chug-a-lug chunky acid-space jam closes the set. It’s titled ‘*Jam’ but reminds me of a Hawkwind tune I can’t put my finger on.
Sponge also play some cool covers. They crank out an awesomely freakout rocking take on the 13th Floor Elevator’s classic ‘Roller Coaster’. And a faithful yet punkier take on Robert Calvert’s ‘Ned Ludd’ is followed by an exhilarating, party in space version of Hawkwind’s ‘Brainstorm’. Excellent live set! Fans of other 1980s UK space/psych/festie bands like Omnia Opera, Nukli, and Krel would love Sponge.