View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 3.5 (47 ratings)
- Date Released: January 1, 1968
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Psychedelic Rock, Contemporary Folk
- Label: Get Back-Runt / IODA
Unjustly overlooked second album from Florida’s acid-folk originators
-
We Say...
Pearls Before Swine founder Tom Rapp’s earliest claim to fame, that he once defeated Bob Dylan in a talent contest, makes perfect sense. Despite his prominent lisp, Rapp boasted a more conventionally musical voice than the young Bobster and, although both often penned equally impenetrable lyrics, Rapp floated his on statelier melodies than Dylan favoured.
Justly feted as the inventors of acid-folk, Pearls Before Swine was essentially a vehicle for Rapp’s songs. Formed in Melbourne, Florida, in 1965, they released their cult debut album One Nation Underground in 1967 on New York’s hip ESP Disk label, best-remembered now as home to the Fugs. One Nation Underground was a mite too derivative (of Dylan, Leonard Cohen, even Country Joe and the Fish) to be totally convincing, but Balaklava found Rapp powerfully asserting his own identity. "Translucent Carriages," even now, sounds like something that has found its way back from the land of the dead, complete with ominous whisperings and sounds of fearful breaths being drawn.
During the ethereal "I Saw The World," a soaring symphony orchestra duets with an Al Kooper-like organist while sound effects of waves, bells and wind chimes provide a swirling ambient background. If there’s ever been another album like this, before or since, I haven’t heard it. -
They Say...
A record that virtually defies categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 epic Balaklava is the near-brilliant follow-up to One Nation Underground. Intended as a defiant condemnation of the Vietnam War, it doesn't offer anthemic, fist-pounding protest songs. Instead, Rapp vented his anger through surrealist poetry, irony, and historical reference: Balaklava was the 1854 Crimean War battle that inspired Alfred, Lord Tennyson to write his epic The Charge of the Light Brigade; in reality, the "Charge" was a senseless military action that killed scores of British soldiers. Balaklava begins with "Trumpeter Landfrey," an 1880's recording of the actual voice and bugle charge of the man who sounded the charge at Balaklava. It makes the transition into "Translucent Carriages," a mix of acoustic guitars, a basic vocal, and ghostly narration ("Jesus raised the dead...but who will raise the living?"), all the more stunning. "Images of April" continues the mystical feel, combining flutes, cricket chirps, and frog croaks for a nether-worldly effect. Rapp virtually cries "I Saw the World," backed by a powerful string arrangement that makes the song even more impassioned. Like One Nation Underground, Balaklava is somewhat unfocused: "There Was a Man" is a little too Dylan-esque, and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" detracts from Rapp's compositions. Unfortunately, the record closes with "Ring Thing," a morbid piece that refers to Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Still, this is superb psychedelic music, successfully merging exotic instruments like marimba, clavinet, French horn, and swinehorn with Rapp's unique lisping vocals. But Balaklava isn't just acid-trip background music. It's probably the best example of what Rapp calls "constructive melancholy" (also the name of a recent CD collection of Pearls songs), a combination of the real with the surreal, and it's indispensable to any serious '60s rock collection.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 10 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 10 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |
Trumpeter Landfrey |
0:35 |
|
|
| 02. |  |
Translucent Carriages |
4:00 |
|
| 03. | |
Images of April |
2:41 |
|
| 04. | |
There Was a Man |
2:57 |
|
| 05. | |
I Saw the World |
3:27 |
|
| 06. | |
Guardian Angels |
3:02 |
|
| 07. | |
Suzanne |
5:01 |
|
| 08. | |
Lepers and Roses |
5:23 |
|
| 09. |
Florence Nightingale |
0:17 |
|
|
| 10. | |
Ring Thung |
3:31 |
|
10 Total Tracks, 30:54 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Pearls Before Swine, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Pearls Before Swine fans
Credits
- Pearls Before Swine - Main Performer // Tom Rapp - Guitar // Tom Rapp - Vocals // Tom Rapp - Noise // Tom Rapp - Breathing // Tom Rapp - Group Member // Richard Alderson - Producer // Richard Alderson - Engineer // Jim Bohanon - Keyboards // Selwart Clarke - Strings // Selwart Clarke - Arranger // Selwart Clarke - String Arrangements // Lee Crabtree - Organ // Lee Crabtree - Flute // Lee Crabtree - Piano // Lee Crabtree - Guest Appearance // Lu Crabtree - Flute // Lu Crabtree - Keyboards // Joe Farrell - Flute // Joe Farrell - Horn // Joe Farrell - Horn (English) // Joe Farrell - Wind // Joe Farrell - Guest Appearance // Wayne Harley - Banjo // Wayne Harley - Vocals // Wayne Harley - Vocals (Background) // Wayne Harley - Harmony Vocals // Wayne Harley - Harmony // Wayne Harley - Group Member // Lane Lederer - Bass // Lane Lederer - Guitar // Lane Lederer - Horn // Lane Lederer - Vocals // Lane Lederer - ? // Lane Lederer - Group Member // Bill Salter - Bass // Bill Salter - Guest Appearance // William Salter - Bass // Al Shackman - Guitar // Al Shackman - Guest Appearance // Bill Slater - Bass // Warren Smith - Strings // Warren Smith - Arranger // Michael Zimmer - Photography // Jim Bohannon - Organ // Jim Bohannon - Piano // Jim Bohannon - Marimba // Jim Bohannon - Clavinet // Jim Bohannon - Group Member // Joe Farell - Flute // Joe Farell - Horn (English) // Bill Sattler - Bass // Urban Gwerder - Liner Notes // Breughel - Artwork
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC