...is a fantastic album. Never off my hard drive.
If you're reading this and have not scored a copy yet, I'd suggest you do so NOW because it's a solid achievement and a total showstopper.
I've been listening to it on repeat for the past 26 hours and been constantly re-amazed by it.
I was also prompted to watch two documentaries on the English Civil War because except for the Battle of Marston Moor (July 2, 1644), I knew pretty much nothing about it except Cromwell and possibly, The Conqueror Worm. (UK title: Witchfinder General.)
There's a track on "Self Civil War" that -- out of the hundreds (see below) of songs Julian's recorded solo -- is a total lightning in a bottle moment: "A Cosmic Flash."
Like "Torch" or "I Can Remember This Life," they all seemed so familiar even on first listen, and did things no other songs did -- and v-e-r-y subtly when they did.
I hear about six of my favourite bands in it, but it's so fresh and unlike anything I've ever heard before you'd be hard pressed to compare it to any of them.
Anyway, "Self Civil War" is one squarely specific, supremely nailed album. Gonna listen to it all day.
PS: I had a dream Mark E. Smith wrote a song about Julian's discography and called it "Output of Supreme Psychedelicist." Besides being pretty spot on right, it got me thinking: how many songs are there in Julian's solo discography?
The total number was 420 but that’s not even including the material he wrote for:
Teardrop Explodes
Queen Elizabeth
Brain Donor
L.A.M.F.
Black Sheep (except for the "Preaching Revolution" EP)
Dope
Also:
- Not even Whopper: “Kwalo Klobinsky’s Lullaby”
- But: Rabbi Joseph Gordan 45 and the Droolian LP are included.
- A couple of duplicates (re-recordings) like “Land Of Fear,” and “I’ve Got My T.V. And My Pills” were included.
- All remixes are includes.
- But none of the 131-related releases.
- "Double Vegetation" counted once.
It’s serpently complicated.
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