search and destroy: gorky's zygotic mynci

Bwyd Time rules, probably my favourite of all their albums.

"...you're listening to..."

BWYYYYD TIIIIIME!

i love the reprise later on in the album when it sounds like someone firing lots of GEORGE out of a cannon or something...

The bit at the end of 'The Man With Salt Hair'?

This thread is making me want to listen to this album right now. The Telescope & Bonfire/Man With Salt Hair/Game of Eyes run is one of my favourite parts of an album ever.

I really miss this band.

We don't appear to have talked about the Serpents or the Infinity Chimps on here much...

the social worker tries, she tries
to work out the game of eyes

Good to see some love for this album. It's my favourite of theirs but I don't see it talked about often - not that I see Gorky's talked about enough at all.

Blooooooood Chant....

All those early Ankst single/album covers were ridiculously great. Talk about making a distinct look for a band.

xxxpost:

I dunno, part of me thinks that Gorky's had ran their course by the time they split. Euros used to be prolific and consistently good, now with his solo career he just seems to be prolific... there's the odd good moment here and there though, I think. Richard and John Lawrence were much less prolific songwriters in Gorky's, but they always managed to come up with some sterling stuff... and I can't help but think they lost a little something when John left the band after Gorky 5. They left behind a great deal of good music, though! Even now I'm taken aback by how good some of their B-sides like 'Lucy's Hamper' are.

All those early Ankst single/album covers were ridiculously great. Talk about making a distinct look for a band.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, July 16, 2013 10:21 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Totally agree... especially the sleeve for 'If Fingers Were Xylophones'!

http://images.45cat.com/gorky-s-zygotic-mynci-if-fingers-were-xylophones-ankst-1.jpg

These all look like they should be the cover of a fantasy series. You know, Susan Cooper or something:

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-379127-1131174104.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-565473-1132181513.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-565474-1132180566.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-2669374-1295807054.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-1673794-1295821691.jpeg

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-576150-1295874982.jpeg

Yeah I remember buying those EP'S/singles, it was so exciting to bring them back home every time. Great artwork and some incredible B-sides. The 20 compilation they put out a few years later is one of the best albums I own, almost every song is a winner.

The fact that at the age of 29, I am actually older than Euros was when the Gorky's put out their final album Sleep/Holiday, just blows my mind!

* deletes loads of new music off iphone *

* loads up all the gorkys for train journey tomorrow *

actually i did listen to Barafundle not long ago and didn't find it half as god as i used to.

think that one hasn't aged so well. how i long... is what they call 'timeless' tho

Half as god is still pretty divine, ho ho. *is killed*

I still like Barafundle a hell of a lot... it's kinda like a halfway house between their Ankst work and the less "mushroomy" stuff they did afterwards. So on one hand you've got the beauty of 'Sometimes The Father Is The Son', and then on the other you've got the delightfully batshit 'Meirion Wyllt'.

The 20 compilation they put out a few years later is one of the best albums I own, almost every song is a winner.

I should get that even though the only songs I'm actually missing are the two from the "Gewn Ni Gorffen?" single.

My god, I'd forgotten how much of a gem 'Methu Aros Tan Haf' was!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5L68LxfuaU

In looking back over this thread I'm reminded of how many random lyric/spoken word bits they had that stick in the brain. They were extremely good for that.

"There's no need to worry!"
"Why's that, Johnny?"

I should get that even though the only songs I'm actually missing are the two from the "Gewn Ni Gorffen?" single.

― Ned Raggett

I think you're only missing the one song which is called 12 Impressionistic Soundscapes, it's hardly essential. I only bought it for that song and just to have all the EP's on one CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_oSKYiM8ZM

I thought about getting rid of all the singles as I really don't need them but I want to keep them just for the artwork.

That bit before one of the 'O, Caroline' songs on Tatay where it's all like "For fucks sake, John" is a great moment too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1dgWxAE--w

WHEN YOU HEAR THE CAPTAIN SING
YOU KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW YOU SHOULD TAKE OFF THAT RING MARY-ANN!

As for their albums, Tatay is still my favourite all the way through. Barafundle and Bwyd Time would be close behind. I've gotten rid of a lot of albums over the last few years, Sleep/Holiday is the only Gorkys I've managed to part with. Walking For Winter and Pretty as a Bee are the only keepers on there.

Tatay is just too much fun, it captures their crazier side with some moments of real beauty so perfectly. Yffordd Oren and Kevin Ayers are two my favourite Gorkys moments.

'Happiness' isn't too bad either, but yeah, totally with you on Sleep/Holiday. Tatay has some wonderful stuff on it... the whole of the 'Anna Apera' suite! ('Gegin Nos' in particular being a favourite).

Oh god, 'Y Ffordd Oren' is absolutely perfect, one of their best ever songs!

Oh yeah Happiness isn't too bad. I think Mow The Lawn was their first and maybe only weak single.

Y Ffordd Oren would join If Fingers Were Xylophones and Game of Eyes in my three favourite Gorky's moments.

Contemplating DJing 'Game of Eyes' at Indietracks now, not sure if it'll work - as good as they are the songs aren't necessarily dance-floor fillers.

I'm obsessed with Cristina despite the awful "magazine-a" rhyme

^^^their best song

balladic twee-prog stalker folk executed with just the right level of inexplicable wonder and beauty

'Christina' is good and all, but wouldn't make the cut in my own personal Gorky's Top 20.

Contemplating DJing 'Game of Eyes' at Indietracks now, not sure if it'll work - as good as they are the songs aren't necessarily dance-floor fillers.

― emil.y, Tuesday, July 16, 2013 11:46 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

'Barbed Wire' might work!

Wouldn't Poodle Rockin' be an obvious choice to put in a DJ set? If Bwyd Time was longer maybe that would work?

I don't like Poodle Rockin so much, tbh.

Nah it's one of those crap singles they did - every album seemed to have a silly rocker on it for a while viz Sweet Johnny, Mow The Lawn.

Pretty As A Bee is so beautiful but the only one I like off Sleep/Holiday. Man, that's a band with a weird career arc

Listening to Bwyd Time now. How were they only teenagers when they made this? Love Oraphis yn Delphie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0sF4--G3sI&index=5&list=PL0778A7FBC4C07F55

Solo but dang this song is my favorite song of all time right now.

https://thealbumwall.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/happy-birthday-barafundle-guest-post.html

Some nice words about one of their best albums.

Their solo careers have been really disappointing.

Have any of you heard John Lawrence's stuff? Oh. My. God.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgAXEjG2VC4

That...I did not expect.

When he left, the band became much less adventurous.

Euros' solo career has just been a string of middling or just ok releases. There have been a couple albums that are almost worth listening to a few times, but he hasn't written a great song in years. I always feel like he just isn't trying, but clearly he just lost it...