search and destroy: gorky's zygotic mynci

"the blue trees" is so, so impressively beautiful. i'm really happy that i discovered this band when i did (like a week ago), 'cause listening to the blue trees as the summer's winding down is perfect, man.

besides this i have only heard bwyd time and patio. bwyd time is more consistently hilarious (i mean, it's booty time) while the humour in patio is imagining this band of welsh kids playing these fucked-up noisy jams, and then their parents come in and yell at them to turn it down lol. but i prefer patio for its garage-y rocking-ness, even though i am more glad that the evolved into making beautiful folk music than i would be if they had continued being a rock band.

can't wait to finish listening to every album by this band, though. they are fantastic.

btw found this searching for a gorky's vs. ween thread.

I saw them several times, I had at least 3 of their albums, and the only song that pops into my head when I think about them is "Stood on Gold".

God it really is Gorky's time isn't it? I think I bought "How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart" just as I was moving into my third house (and year) at university, and the memories associated with that fantastic place and year and the friends I had made are immovable fromt his record.

"the blue trees" is so, so impressively beautiful. - otm

marc, I think you'd really enjoy Barafundle & Spanish Dance Troupe - both of those have a really good mix of their haunting, folky side & the bizarro psych-rock stuff.

Sad to see that one of my favorite songs of theirs, "Mow The Lawn" gets short shrift above. I hear it as a kind of absurdo version of the Velvet's "Head Held High." Even has pseudo-Lou yodeling.

that collection of little odds and ends from the early years--20, i think it was called--is really great too.

but yeah i fucking love this band. barafundle was my favorite back in the day, then how i long to feel that summer, but they're all great.

np: hush the warmth

everything said above is true so it is a puzzle that most of euros childs solo material has been missable. the one richard james record i heard(is there more than one?) was also a bit dull. they need to collect john lawrence and megan and get back together, please. ah i just googled him and john lawrence has released an album this year. has anyone heard it? comparisons to csny-groan.

holy fuck what a band

today is my GZM watershed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6v8SHvL7Zs

next week: LJ discovers Ned's Atomic Dustbin

seriously though, How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart is perfect for me today. Bwyd Time and Gorky 5 are also great.

...the
Game
OF
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS

OTM

I used to think it was "The Game Of Eyes takes place between two people and you have to follow each other around the board".

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS

The Game Of Eyes takes place between TWO PEOPLE on a BURNING MARBLE BOARD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! AHHAHAHAHAHA! GEOOOOOORGE!

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.