Steve Hillage - L

Virgin Records

You'd think a cover of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" made by the man famous for being a member of Gong would be entirely removed from the original and would completely offend my folky sensibilities, but you'd be wrong on both counts. Welcome to the Church of Steve Hillage, get ready for your first sermon. This song perfectly encapsulates the term "New Age". It is ethereal, it is spiritual, it is sanctifying. And it has a real hurdy gurdy!

I suppose based on the release date, this could be considered neo-psychedelia, and it fits that label perfectly, too. The bass is soft and the guitar solos expand like mandalas and god's eyes, especially in that ending jam. Hillage's voice is a bit stiff but it works phenomenally. It's all that space age, hippie dippy stuff I dig, a real head trip. Timothy Leary would be proud. 

"Hurdy Gurdy Glissando": Now this is space rock. High beings coming down to earth to bless us with their presence. Glowing guitar and the most powerful use of synths I've heard in a long time. A river flowing over you, this song wants to whisk you away, to make you tune in and understand. A religious experience. About four minutes in, things take a jazzier turn. Compared to the rest of the album, this part of the song is dirty and grounded. It's almost a jam band precursor; it is spectral and otherworldly and I could groove on this all night long. It's been a long time since psychedelia sounded this good. 

Bursting in like a ruptured organ is the foreboding opening of "Electrick Gypsies". Hillage has an extremely compelling voice, complimented by some silver cowboy guitar stylings and how wholly unapologetic he is in his music. The line delivery on the verses is straightforward in the way that Alice Cooper was on "Generation Landslide" three years ago, and if I didn't know any better this song would have me believing the hippie scene was still alive and well in good ol' The Secret Sound in Woodstock, NY. This is a redwood of an album: strong, resilient and fuckin' stunning. The mother of a guitar solo in there and commanding drum 'n bass groove that ships us out of the song only further prove that point. I imagine this is what being on mescaline feels like. 

The shortest and most overtly religious song on this record is "Om Nama Shivaya", built off a traditional Hindu chant. Giving George Harrison a run for his money. It's relaxing as hell, with taunting interludes of meshed guitar 'n synth, and a woman's voice that was not grating to my ears (for once). This song is strictly serious, and not in a bad way. It is ::real::--the instrumental work is beautiful all around. 

More head trips for the children! If the moon did have a theme song, "Lunar Musick Suite" would be it. The opening segment is dramatic, enticing and desperate, with some goddamn astounding guitar work. Hillage could probably get the instrument to start speaking English if he wanted it to. The rest of the song is fawning, collected, emphatic and cool--the sweet syrup of the gods. Staring into a pool of water, you're looking at the universe and it's answering your gaze. I feel like I'm travelling The Golden Mile. This song is a masterpiece of the progressive and space rock genres. It's sophisticated, and highly. 

"It's All Too Much" cuts in on a droning power chord and the church organ energy brought in by the synths. An all encompassing, glorious conclusion--a real celebration of life. Hillage's smooth vocal chords provide a positive and sunny performance and the song is just joyous and wonderful. 

Each song on "L" was better then the last. This whole album was a religious experience. It is the ultimate in psychedelic trips and a masterclass on the energy and good vibrations of the hippie era. It's the most hallowed music I've heard since Yes's "Ritual". If you can find it, I'd highly reccomend adding this album to your collection or taking some time on to sit down and really listen to it and appreciate the intricacies. If I ever have a second crisis of spirituality, I'll just throw on "L" and let things sort themselves out. It is one far out record. 

Rating: 5/5