Telescopes - Altered Perception

by Anthony Strutt

published: 23 / 7 / 2004

Label: Space Age Recordings
Format: CD

intro

Patchy retrospective for What Goes On and Creation Records signings, the Telescopes, which compiles together material from their first two early 90's albums

'Altered Perception' is a collection of songs made by the original line up of the Telescopes during their days when they recorded for What Goes On and then for Creation Records. It features three unreleased numbers and two others that are making their first appearance on CD. The last time I saw the band was when they played their last London show back in '92. Ten years later they reformed with only two original members and put out a new CD album, 'Third Wave'. This CD collects together music from the period of their first two albums, 'Taste' and 'Untitled' , both of which are very different from one another. They were one of my ex-wife's bands, and, to be honest, I never reall got them first time around. At their very best and their very earliest they were like a cross between early John Cale era Velvets, and a noisy Jesus and Mary Chain at the time of '"Pyschocandy.' The latter period of the band, before they first split, saw them sign to Creation for 'Untitled' and follow suit by going baggy in a "Screamedelica' style fashion, which for me never worked. Early 12 inch single 'The Perfect Needle 'kicks the collection off , and is lead by a viola. Moe Tuckerish drums played by someone as talented as the young Bobby Gillispie are drowned in Mary Chain fuzz guitars. A Jim Reid slow vocal is meanwhile draped over the top. 'Sadness Pale' is like 'You Trip Me Up' and sounds like a second rate Jesus and Mary Chain. Its guitar solo sounds like most of the guitar solos on "Psychocandy'. '16t#4' again has a Cale edged viola sound. Its guitars are also stolen from the Velvets and it is very minimalist in approach. It sounds like an early example of what became post rock. 'Violence' is feedback heavy, noisy, and very messy. It has a groove which is smilar in style to 'The Gift ' from 'White Light/White Heat'. 'And Let Me Drift Away' again hearkens back to the Velvets, but this time sounds like something which could have come from 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' record. 'Treasure' is next , and to my ears, is the band's best song here. It's like the best bits of the Chain and the Velvets with brass and harmonies on top. 'Deep Hole' signals an end to the time the Telescopes spent with What Goes On and the start of their Creation era. It is trippy , baggy and Slowdive-ish. As Slowdive were label mates and the Telescopes stole the early work of a former Creation band ,why not steal a current one ? 'Extended Intro Piece' is angelic and features loops. 'Wish of You' and 'All a 'Dreams' both sound like Slowdive, while 'Soul Full of Tears' on the other hand sounds like 'Darklands' era Jesus and Mary Chain with a touch of "Rubber Soul'/'Revolver' period Beatles incorporated into it. '16t#3' is like the Velvets 'Ocean', while 'From the Inner Void' regretfully has sitars all over it and an Asian groove on it. 'You Set my Soul', despite its Primal Scream like title, is different from everything else here as it sounds like a jazz piece and is very laid back. It ends with 'And' which again is minimal and jazzy in its feel. If you were ten years too late for the Telescopes and can't buy 'Taste', their first album, then this is a good place to start as any.

Track Listing:-

1 The Perfect Needle
2 Sadness Pale
3 16T#4
4 Violence
5 And Let Me Drift Away...
6 Treasure
7 Deep Hole Ends
8 Extended Intro Piece
9 Wish of You
10 All A Dream
11 Soul Full of Tears
12 16T#3
13 From the Inner Void I Fear...
14 You Set My Soul
15 And

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/thetelescopesuk
http://www.thetelescopes.com/
https://thetelescopes.bandcamp.com/

interviews

Interview (2016)

Anthony Strutt speaks to Stephen Lawrie from experimental/psychedelic act the Telescopes about his band's lengthy history and their recent inclusion on 'Still in a Dream', a new five CD shoegaze box set

Interview (2006)

Interview (2004)