My Attempt To Be As Accurate As Possible For A Stars Fan Album Series (& Alt History Story)

For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.

Various people, including myself, that have tried to resurrect Syd Barrett’s lost band for at least an album have had to make severe liberties. While I cannot avoid those, this project attempts to be as accurate as possible. My currently unfinished other project more so embraces how absurd this “band” could become due to the nature of the recordings we have.

I was attracted to a certain story on alternatehistory.com by someone named Massacote. Seeing as Barrett had a proper output that is also distinct from Pink Floyd from 1968-1972, this project moves the band back from forming in 1972 to 1969 and ultimately dissolving in 1972. My idea was, what would the output look like if the group still formed in 1972? Thus, any material released by these members before 1972 will not be included, as it would’ve been already released mainly as solo albums. At the same time, I wanted these albums to coexist with Massacote’s project, so this could basically represent a reunion. Note: Massacote’s project does use material from the early solo albums. You can essentially pick which timeline you want this to follow from.

Most of the tracks I’m covering are essentially one person’s solo work. Still, I think there’s enough cohesion to make them interesting listens. Also, these tracks at least at the time were unloved, so you could imagine that if the band was working together at this time, they might have been pleased to have some place to gather all these little oddities. This creates the issue that it would’ve taken until 1977 to get a studio album out by them considering how little there is to work with. It is nice that a few of the cuts here do feature collaboration between Stars members, so it’s not as solo-y as it could be.

The real band’s bassist, Jack Monck, had such little presence in available recordings that Massacote replaced him with Steve Took. The purist in me feels weird about this, especially because the actual Took seemed to basically never play bass. My resolve is to retcon the story. Monck may have left before the group’s first album, but he soon rejoined as just a helper. We can also say there are various bassists on the albums. Took would stay on to service other roles. While Took was never a Star in real life, he was friends with and worked with the members, so it’s not hard to believe he would’ve been involved, especially as we’re really scraping together a presence for Syd Barrett. Maybe he’d be used in lieu of more prominent Syd? The fourth and final album in the Massacote series actually features Monck a healthy amount, so we can say before that fourth album he once again was an official member. With the three albums I did, he is still official. There are some other minor retcons.

Lastly, while the first three Massacote albums all use recordings that were on solo albums or are otherwise unusable, the fourth, Live Extracts: Six Hour Technicolor Dream, doesn’t overlap and its material was recorded and given an imagined release in 1972. Thus, we can say that it is the first album in the universe where the band started in 1972.

Here is a link to Massacote’s telling: https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/rock-albums-from-alternate-timelines.369850/page-14

Without further ado:

After the Live Extracts project, everyone was excited to keep going other than Syd Barrett, who seemed tired and demoralized, especially after hearing bad reviews. Despite how uncommon they were, they caused him to be more reclusive. Long-term members Steve Took, Twink, and Jack Monck were unwilling to continue without him. Newer singer Bruce Paine was more excited to do more, especially another live album. He was voted out. Barrett was extremely awkward in the studio, but more comfortable in either informal jam sessions or live. Thus, Paine got his way. The material was not as fruitful as anyone hoped, as Barrett was unreliable. With the help of outtakes, the album was completed.

“I’m starting to understand why [Pink] Floyd fired him.” – Bruce Paine, 1972

STARS – L.A TO LONDON BOOGIE

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Sea Cruise” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
2. “Baby Lemonade” (Sounds of the Seventies)
3. “L.A To London Boogie” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
4. “Ice” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
5. “Dominoes” (Sounds of the Seventies)
6. “Nadine” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)

SIDE B

1. “The Snake” (Pink Fairies John Peel Session)
2. “Drinkin’ That Wine” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
3. “Sweet Little Angel” (Six Hour Technicolour Dream Cambridge 1972)
4. “Love Song” (Sounds of the Seventies)

L.A to London Boogie was released to mixed reviews. This caused Barrett to become somewhat nervous and upset that he quit the band and wouldn’t come back. Seeing as the three remaining original members were unwilling to continue without Barrett, Paine left for other groups. Twink and Took continued to work on ideas and record tracks, either for a hopeful Barrett reunion or their own duo album; they weren’t satisfied and got caught up in other bands. Every now and then, they would give another shot at things, sometimes with Monck.

In 1974, primarily after the recent hits by Pink Floyd and T. Rex, interest renewed in those bands and its members. Various artists cited Stars as an influence. Thus, Polydor sought to get the band back together to make more records. Twink and Took agreed if they could get Barrett and Monck agreed on that condition and that he could get some of his songs included, as he failed to get them out as a solo artist. After checking in on Barrett, the members agreed they should wait a little longer. When approached in late 1965, Barrett seemed reluctant, but was a little more interested after a jam session with the other members. Still, Barrett was unwilling to commit to the degree everyone hoped for. This included not writing new songs, claiming he hadn’t done so in many years.

Barrett recorded guitar for the others, often separately from them, but he did provide unfinished recordings of him with Pink Floyd, which were finished by the other Stars often without him. For this album and the next, Barrett more enthusiastically contributed his paintings to be album covers. Despite how many recordings were started years prior, Flophouse Blues was praised for how cohesive it is. Still, it was considered behind the times, despite about half the album having been written shortly before production. The then current members of Pink Floyd demanded to not be credited, as they weren’t satisfied with their original contributions. Stars agreed. It is often a point of debate which elements were by Floyd and which were redone by Stars.

STARS – FLOPHOUSE BLUES

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Flophouse Blues (In The Mountain Grill)” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
2. “I Wanna Be Free” (The Rings)
3. “Four Letter Words” (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
4. “Automobile” (The Rings)
5. “Butterfly” (Pink Floyd)
6. “Leaden Day” (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)

SIDE B

1. “Teenage Rebel” (The Rings Rehearsal Tapes)
2. “Syd’s Wine” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
3. “Double O Bo” (Pink Floyd)
4. “I Wanna Get High” (The Rings Rehearsal Tapes)
5. “Lanky (Part One)” (Syd Barrett – Opel)
6. “Flophouse Blues (Reprise)” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)

For their next record, the band attempted to be more current, embracing more punk, while not abandoning their roots. Ironically, the lead track was “Do It ‘77”, though the album ultimately wasn’t released until 1978. While the band wanted to keep going, Barrett was so disinterested that it seemed wiser to quit while they were ahead, while still first finishing the album. Some stray guitar tracks performed by Barrett were found or recorded anew. While those demos were criticized by many, with one person calling it “Junk”, they were liked by Stars. They overdubbed it and thought it made for the perfect final chapter of the group.

STARS – VEGETABLE MEN

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “Do It ‘77” (Twink And The Fairies)
2. “Lucky Charm” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
3. “Back On The Train” (1st Version) (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
4. “Enter The Diamonds” (Twink And The Fairies)
5. “Vegetable Man” (2010 Mix) (Pink Floyd)
6. “Blues For Ray” (1st Version) (Jack Monck – Inside The Whale)
7. “Psychedelic Punkeroo” (Twink And The Fairies)

SIDE B

1. “Molecular Lucky Charm” (Steve Took – Crazy Diamond)
2. “Junk” (Syd Barrett 1974 recordings by Richard Hall)

Though Vegetable Men received mixed reviews and less than stellar commercial success, it and the band’s other albums gained massive cult followings and were considered underappreciated classics. The group spoke highly of their time, especially being pleased with it being a wakeup call they should work to get Barrett some help.

“We loved Syd. He was the soul of the band and we didn’t want to lose that. Floyd’s song about him hit us like a ton of bricks and we just knew we had to be there for him.” – Twink, 2005

LINKS

1. Lean Out Your Window (1970) – YouTube
2. Beautiful Deceiver (1971) – YouTube
3. Uncle Harry’s Last Freak Out (1972) – YouTube

Below Is All That Is Canon To The Started In 1972 Timeline

1. Live Extracts: Six Hour Technicolor Dream (1972) – YouTube
2. L.A to London Boogie (1973) – YouTube
3. Flophouse Blues (1977) – YouTube
4. Vegetable Men (1978) – YouTube

This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!

MOUTHO (Ken Fleischman) – From The Mouth Of The Crimson King (2021) Review: Ken Crimson

The album’s cover

Ken Fleischman’s second full-length scours the music of “King Crimson” to put together a novel little record. Fans of the eccentricities of Fleischman’s music will not feel left in the cold, despite the lack of original material. For reference, the first album, New Old Things, features a quality New Order cover. For From The Mouth Of The Crimson King, the keys are the best part, creating a nice rhythm. The loose trance they hold is quite delightful. The degree of proficiency present is enough for them to leave a positive and memorable mark that is both weird and structured. The vocal pops, similar to scat singing, are a mixed bag. They sometimes are overpowering, with them working a lot better as a backing to the other lines.

“21st Century Schizoid Man” has a really fun part in the middle that inserts a smidge of funk. There’s give-and-take with the vocals and instruments. It’s a little too long, but easy to relax to. That can be levied against all the longer tracks except the last one. Brevity really helps these tracks. They often become too repetitive in length. It’s easy to doze off and not pay much attention to them. “Lady of the Dancing Water” feels under-rehearsed due to its start-and-stop nature. That element, and the composition of the piece, makes it nonetheless charming. “Cirkus”’s synth has great flow. It’s satisfying when it gets more grand and then spacious. The angst of a track like “Moto Perpetuo” makes it stand out. That aggression is unnerving and all for the better. It can be seen as unwelcome for those who were here for the more relaxing parts. The parts with only keyboard you could imagine being a transition to something more experimental.

The next few tracks are among the weaker ones. “Frame By Frame” is reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “On the Run”. It and the follow-up, “Neal and Jack and Me”, have a droning quality which loses the plot and is lacking in energy. There’s less diversity in sounds. “Three of a Perfect Pair”’s instrumentation and vocals seem to be trying to mesh well, but are unable to; as if they were recorded without consideration for the other. It improves when it gets a little intense near the end. The keys solo with a droning line in the background is extremely captivating and one of the highlights of the album.

“FraKctured” would benefit from a change in volume. The track sometimes seems to want to fly out and be grander, but it being about the same volume makes it dull. Some other songs here are like that. The track is overall solid, going for the recurring element of not being very comfortable. The sounds play like torment that is best continued. “Dinosaur” is a great groover, having a good give-and-take between the different sounds. The percussion is especially strong. “Lizard” benefits from its relaxed and almost jazzy-instrumentation. It’s playful, though not at the cost of its own worth as a piece. The ‘clicking’ part is one favorite segment. Personally, electronic percussion doesn’t sound quite right, but it’s not too bad here. It’s a solid and eclectic track that doesn’t go for more than it is. And while yes, it does overstay its welcome at a gargantuan twenty-eight minutes, it’s not by as long as one might think. It feels like an amalgamation of the best of the other tracks.

OVERVIEW

From The Mouth Of The Crimson King is at its best when it’s groovy, playful, and most importantly confident. Tracks like “FraKctured” demonstrate how something good can be made weaker by being too subdued. There is quite a bit of drag on this album that could’ve been cut, not wanting to belabor any point. Arguably it hurts from being less experimental than the first release, though to each their own. It’s a solid enough record, but perhaps not one for complete relistens. Some cuts would’ve helped, but what is here is respectable. Despite criticisms of length, “Lizard” is my personal favorite of the bunch.

Also, after writing this I learned that everything here was recorded with Ken’s mouth. Oh my Heavens, that’s impressive (computer effects were used, though). The effect sounds exactly like the mentioned instruments.

Ken Fleischman – New Old Things (2021) Review

The album’s cover

New Old Things is a worthwhile play for fans of electronic or noise music. Some of these tracks seem intended to emphasize ambiance, which makes the music more about being a collective experience, though they work on their own. Other tracks are more conventional in nature. The shift is a little jarring and one type is done better than the other, but that also results in a fun grab-bag of not knowing what you’re going to get next. A lot of the tracks are dominated by keyboard. Songs can live or die on how well they work due to how prominent they can be.

An example of the great keys is on “Popsong”. The track can seem unassuming in its relaxing rhythm, as if it wants to be something you can study to. It’s a solid warm opener, though the drums would sound better if not synthesized. “Winter Theme” both continues that tone, being very ambient. However, it adds in a synth that is slightly unsettling. “View From A Frosted Window” is comparatively straightforward. It appears to have a synthesized keyboard, but a real player that could add umph when needed would really bring it to life. That or an acoustic guitarist. What most of the songs here have that this one lacks is being able to hear the silence. A lack of noise in response to a sound adds to the methodical nature at play. A quiet room with just a pianist or guitarist would provide an absent simplicity and realism to the track that could make it fit better with the generally synthetic other tracks, while also providing obvious contrast.

The eccentricities are amplified with a cover. “Blue Monday (New Order cover)” is longer than the earlier songs. It feels as though it’s transitioning you from what you’ve heard before to the stranger stuff due to the long and droning notes. The digital drums work better as the beat sounds very robotic, as if you asked a computer to make music. “Mouthy/Talkative” has a very catchy vocal line, despite the earlier material being instrumental. That line makes the song and thus the album feel more diverse and flavorful. It is comparatively like the other songs when you put it up against “Thatcher Song (A Bruno Powroznik Classic Remix)”. Those that don’t like hardcore noise music should turn away. This track is probably intended to be annoying, but it embraces it so well, while still managing a surprisingly good melody, that it’s a very likable addition. The vocal could’ve used either more processing or less. Maybe a vocal with a more commanding sound would help? Imagine a Frank Farian-type one talking about how glad they are that Margaret Thatcher died.

The song goes from its initial segment to its devolved portion quickly. What if the drumline on “Blue Monday” returned and segued into it? The eclectic hardware-esque sounds are particularly rewarding in the context of the record, due to a buildup throughout the whole thing. The extensive sounds of “Thatcher Song” make sense with the numerous tracks that in a sense feel computerized. It’s as if this is the swan song of an old computer that’s falling apart. Maybe it’s telling its life story? Thus, it going through this sonic landscape and ending up abandoning melody is a fitting way to approach the end. That “lack of life” and the motif of moments of silence are punctuated by ten minutes of silence. While more than about forty seconds is too much, at least it’s in keeping with what the album is going for. As expected, there is sound in the last seconds of the track. “An End” concludes the “ambient computer vibes” by being quiet and more minimalist in sound than the other tracks. It captures surprising somberness in its lowkey and simple notes. It might be the best cut on this album and what you should play if you only wanted to listen to one song.

OVERVIEW

Excluding any kind of interpreted narrative, New Old Things is still a sharp electronic noise album for those that are into that sort of thing. It manages to create a solid tone and experience, while being able to change things up, especially with the epic “Thatcher Song”, which is either thirteen or twenty-three minutes depending on how you look at it. It’s understandable that a fan of the shorter tracks might not like that one, but it’s not as much of a curveball as you might think. For better or for worse, this might not convert anyone that doesn’t like this sort of music.

Listen to the album here: https://kfleischmantunes.bandcamp.com/album/new-old-things

The Smiths – Hatful of Hollows (1984) Album Edit

For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.

I discovered The Smiths recently and they’ve quickly become one of my favorite bands. That’s mainly due to the performing and songwriting of Johnny Marr, the guitarist and Morrissey, the singer. Sadly, their big personalities resulted in only four LPs being cut before they couldn’t stand each other and the band broke up. However, there are three compilation albums released during the band’s life that are sometimes canonized as being basically albums by the band. One boxset called Complete features the four studios plus those three comps. The comps feature no LP tracks, though they do have overlap with each other. If you were to buy Complete, you’d have some repeats throughout and also some missing tracks. Seeing as the non-studio tunes are the length of three albums, I am led to ask, “What if these albums had all the tracks and no repeats?” This is the first of the three. The twelve cuts here span from before the first album to between the first and second. The sound is a little rougher than the better remembered songs. Morrissey on occasion comes off as unsure of how to sing the songs. Still, these songs are good and some are considered classics of the band, namely “This Charming Man”, “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, and “How Soon Is Now?”

My listening order was as followed:

1. I Want a Boy For My Birthday
2. Jeane
3. This Charming Man
4. Wonderful Woman
5. Handsome Devil
6. Back to the Old House
7. Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now
8. These Things Take Time
9. Accept Yourself
10. This Night Has Opened My Eyes
11. Girl Afraid
12. How Soon Is Now?
13. Fast One

This was tightened up to give more high-and-low into what is a more effective album. Also, the track “Fast One” shouldn’t be counted as part of the album, but instead as a bonus. There’s no Morrissey. It seemed sensible to put it here just so it doesn’t get lost. The album’s title and cover are the same as the actual Hatful of Hollows album.

THE SMITHS – HATFUL OF HOLLOWS

TRACKLISTING

SIDE A

1. “I Want a Boy For My Birthday” (Sylvester Bradford)
2. “Jeane” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
3. “This Charming Man” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
4. “Handsome Devil” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
5. “Back to the Old House” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
6. “Wonderful Woman” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)

SIDE B

1. “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
2. “These Things Take Time” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
3. “Accept Yourself” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
4. “This Night Has Opened My Eyes” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
5. “Girl Afraid” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)
6. “How Soon Is Now?” (Johnny Marr, Morrissey)

BONUS TRACK

1. “Fast One” (unknown, probably Johnny Marr)

PERSONNEL

• Morrissey – lead vocals (tracks 1-12)
• Johnny Marr – guitar (tracks 1-13)
• Andy Rourke – bass (tracks 1-13)
• Mike Joyce – drums (tracks 1-13)

The Smiths (1984)

Hatful of Hollows (1984)

Meat Is Murder (1985)

This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!