Mike Heron - Smiling Men with Bad Reputations

Island Records

In 1971, the popularity and over all quality of music by British folk rock group The Incredible String Band was beginning to diminish. At the same time, the members of ISB were beginning to dabble in the idea of solo careers. One of these efforts was Mike Heron's debut, "Smiling Men with Bad Reputations". 

The album opens with a jarring, unexpected horn start on "Call Me Diamond". The song is very close in style to late '60s R&B recordings, and even has a Stevie Wonder feel to it at times. The near unintelligible singing, aggressive drumming, and uncharacteristic instrumentation all aid in giving the song a particularly drug-induced feel. While "Call Me Diamond" does at least have a good groove, there isn't a whole lot going for the song and, in comparison to the rest of the album, seems like it was recorded solely with the purpose of being the A-side single cash-grab of the record. But luckily, this is the only song on the album that can be described this way. 

While the transition between "Call Me Diamond" and "Flowers of the Forest" is certainly a sudden one, the latter is definitely what ISB fans in the '70s would've come here for.  "Flowers of the Forest" has a serene, calm folky start and is what you would expect to hear off a prime ISB album. However, the similarity in sound to Mike Heron's previous band, coupled with the somewhat underwhelming vocal performance makes the absence of Robin Williamson's wonderfully grainy backing vocals all the more apparent. The song gives off a feeling of vague happiness with underlying melancholy, forwarded by the contrast of uplifting bright instrumentation and quiet, dejected vocals. The quality of the lyrics is also noticeable, though some of them are still hard to hear. 

The third track, simply titled "Audrey", also has a very beautiful opening and features some gorgeous guitar work and is the most ISB-like song on the album. The lyrics of this song, while simple, are also honest, open and vulnerable and it is the first song where you can fully tell what Heron is saying, in a longing, pleading tone. There are nice instrumental changes in the middle of the song, and it features some unique harmonium work by John Cale. 

Continuing with the folk themes, "Brindaban" features wonderful arrangements by Gerard Dott, including strings and flutes. The song is extremely atmospheric and makes me picture a wedding in spring, and has some nice vocal work.  There isn't much else to be said about "Brindaban" other than it would've been nice if strings and flutes had been featured on more songs. 

"Feast of Stephen" is one of the highlights of the album. The opening has a slow, encroaching feel to it. The piano part is easily enjoyable and mixes well with the drums and vocals, and the additions of strings and guitar partway through the song helps make the track all the more grand and spacious. The lyrics are wondrous and personify the season of the winter season, helping to transport the listener to a different world. Backing vocals containing the voice talents of John Cale, Sue Glover, Sunny Leslie and Liza Strike make the song theatric and drive the song further into chaos towards the end, and this is possibly one of Mike Heron's best songs. 

The follow-up to "Stephen", "Spirit Beautiful", unfortunately doesn't have a whole lot going for it. While the song is psychedelic and whimsical, and has a clear eastern influence, apart from the sitar part and backing vocals by Dr. Strangely Strange and Heather Wood, the song becomes repetitive and dull halfway through. 

"Warm Heart Pastry" is notable for being the hardest-hitting of all the songs on this record. The guitar s rough and heavy, the drums are solid, and the bass part is active, all in thanks to the contributions of Pete Townshend, Keith Moon, and Ronnie Lane, respectively. The backing vocals are great, and the anger in Mike Heron's voice makes the strange, psychedelic lyrics much more interesting to listen to, with a lovely little drum solo in the middle of the song. It has a mid-seventies Status Quo sort of feel to it and is reminiscent of Quicksilver Messenger Service in a way, and it has an immaculate groove. 

The penultimate song of "Smiling Men", "Beautiful Stranger", starts with a discomfort-inducing, psychedelic '60s space rock opening. The unsettling background hum and cautionary tale feel of the verses help expand the spooky, atmospheric sound, as well as the discordant chords and keys that come in after the first chorus breakdown, which, instrumentally, is noticeable in its own right. The yelling that follows a short instrumental bridge is the most cathartic yelling I've ever heard on a psychedelic folk record. 

The sad, acoustic, Tim Buckley-esque opening of "No Turning Back" is a startling transition from the rest of the very produced songs on the album. This song is much more stripped back and simple then anything else on the album, which works against it in making it the least noticeable song on the record. We have once again gone back to near-unintelligible, bittersweet lyrics that marked "Flowers of the Forest", but instead of Heron's voice being somber and low, his voice is now high and strained. This doesn't keep the song from being listenable or interesting, it just doesn't stand out when put up against the songs before it. "No Turning Back" does serve as a nice come-down from all the excitement on the previous songs, though. 

In conclusion, "Smiling Men with Bad Reputations" is an excellent first solo effort from an already accomplished artist. The use of session and backing musicians helps expand the sound into new heights not heard on ISB records, and I can only hope Mike Heron's other records are as good as this one. 

Rating: 4.5/5