Seeds - Back to the Garden

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 21 / 3 / 2009

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Review

'Back to the Garden' is the third studio album in recent years from Sky Saxon, who is also known as Sky Sunlight Saxon and who was the main man behind 60s legends, the Seeds. Sky's other two albums of this century were 'Red Planet'(Rogue Records, 2004) and 'Transparency' (Jungle Records, 2005). In 2001 Edsel Records remastered and collected the Seeds' six albums from the 1960s ('The Seeds', A Web of Sound', 'Future', 'A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues', 'Raw and Alive' and 'Rare Seeds') over three CDs. A double CD compilation called 'Pushin' Too Hard : The Best of the Seeds', which collected together a total of 49 tracks, also hit the racks in 2007. 'Back to the Garden' has been released under the Seeds moniker and sees Sky Saxon reunited with keyboardist and original member Daryll Hooper. The album opens up with 'Many Years Ago', which starts off sounding like a slow Eric Clapton style blues number, until the guitar gets crunchier. Sky's vocal has like a warm honey like texture, similar to that of the late, great Lee Hazlewood. 'Miner' has a cool Rickerbacker/slide guitar-style sound and a seductive vocal from Sky that draws you in like a host welcoming a visitor to a party. The charming 'Mystery Man' has a weird backwards feel, its easy listening style tune being backed by Smiths-style drums. Lyrically it is psychedelic in tone, while musically it becomes increasingly more progressive. 'Tell Me the Time' has a deep acoustic guitar sound. It sounds like an old blues or even an Elvis Presley number, and is also reminiscent of the more recent music of former Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn. 'Summer of Love' finds Sky elegantly going down memory lane. It is very slick and sounds like a Beatles number. 'Wishing Well' is, like 'Tell Me the Time', acoustic-based, but has a faster beat. It shines through that Sky and Daryll are having a lot of fun playing this. 'Just a Dance' is slow-paced and is like a combination of Love and Lee Hazlewood. 'I Believe' has lush backing vocals and Sky sounds on it like a crooner while musically it recalls the early Merseybeat. 'Power Tripper' is a classy Who-style number and also has touches of 1970s Elton John. 'We the People', the official final track, is another slow song, and again is reminiscent of Lee Hazelwood and also of Richard Hawley. There are three extra tracks. 'Halt' is a psychedelic garage rock number. On the spooky 'Paradise' Sky sounds like Hawley fronting Depeche Mode or the Pet Shop Boys. 'Wild Roses' is like a lost tune by Johnny Cash, or even Morrissey at his most love sick, brilliant and quite unexpected. It is brilliant to have both Sky and Daryll back.

Track Listing:-

1 Many Years Ago
2 Miner
3 Mystery Man
4 Tell Me The Time
5 Summer Of Love
6 Wishing Well
7 Just A Dance
8 I Believe
9 Power Tripper
10 We The People
11 Halt
12 Paradise
13 Wild Roses