Felt: Absolute Classic Masterpieces 1992

 

Felt was the project of Britain's enigmatic Lawrence Hayward, a singer/songwriter who transformed his

long-standing obsession with the music of Tom Verlaine and Television into an impressive catalog of minimalist pop gems and, ultimately, cult stardom. The first Felt single, "Index," was produced by Hayward alone in his bedroom on a portable cassette player; released in 1979, its primitive, impressionistic sound stood in stark contrast to the sleek solemnity of the new wave (as did Hayward's much-discussed "new puritan" stance, a rejection of alcohol, smoking and drugs), and as a result the record became the subject of lavish critical praise, leading to a contract with the Cherry Red label.
                                                                                   

Hayward then set about assembling a band, although Felt was clearly his project and his alone; in fact,

his control was so absolute that according to legend, original drummer Tony Race was fired primarily because he had curly hair. After a series of roster shuffles, a steady group including guitarist Maurice Deebank and drummer Gary Ainge began to take shape in time to record 1981's Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty EP.
                                                                                                           

 

 The addition of the classically-trained Deebank allowed Hayward to realize a level of guitar interplay similar to the twin attack of Television's Verlaine and Richard Lloyd; Hayward's understated vocals brought comparison to another downtown New York icon, however -- Lou Reed.
                                                                                                

After one more EP, 1984's The Splendour of Fear, Felt issued its long-awaited full-length LP The

Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories, in 1984. The group's ranks swelled to include keyboardist Martin Duffy prior to recording 1985's Ignite the Seven Cannons with producer Robin Guthrie, whose fellow Cocteau Twin Liz Fraser guested on the single "Primitive Painters," a major British indie chart hit.
                                                                                                             

Despite their success, internal friction plagued the group -- Hayward and Ainge were once forced to

mount an infamously disastrous two-man improvisational festival performance after Deebank and Duffy abruptly walked out -- and finally Deebank left for good prior to the release of 1986's Ballad of the Band EP, Felt's first effort for the Creation label.
In the wake of the guitarist's exit, the group's next album, 1986's Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads, became a brief instrumental outing, but its follow-up, Forever Breathes the Lonely Word, was acclaimed as Felt's masterpiece.
                                                                                                                   

Mayo Thompson produced 1987's Poem of the River EP, while Guthrie returned to man the spartan

mini-album The Final Resting of the Ark. Two dramatically different LPs, The Pictorial Jackson Review and Train Above the City -- the latter of which did not even include Hayward -- followed in 1988, and upon issuing 1989's Me and a Monkey on the Moon, Felt announced its break-up. Hayward soon resurfaced in the 1970s glam rock project Denim, then moved to novelty pop with Go Kart Mozart. ~ Jason Ankeny
                                                                          

Felt – Absolute Classic Masterpieces
Label: Cherry Red – cd bred 97
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: Apr 1992
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                                                                            

01. Primitive Painters  (Vocals – Elizabeth Fraser [Cocteau Twins - This Mortal Coil])  5:58
02. The Day The Rain Came Down    2:57
03. My Darkest Light Will Shine    2:55
04. Textile Ranch    2:56
05. Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow    2:53
06. Crystal Ball    2:56
07. Dismantled King Is Off The Throne    2:50
08. Fortune    3:35
09. Dance Of Deliverance  (Bass – Da'ave Elson)  8:23
10. The Stagnant Pool    8:25
11. Red Indians    1:52
12. The World Is As Soft As Lace    4:15
13. Penelope Tree  (Keyboards – John Rivers)  3:00
14. Trails Of Colour Dissolve  (Bass, Synthesizer – John Rivers)  3:05
15. Evergreen Dazed    5:00
16. Templeroy    5:30
17. Something Sends Me To Sleep  (Drums – Tony Race)  2:52
18. Index  4:06

Credits

Bass – Marco Thomas (tracks: 1 to 4), Maurice Deebank (tracks: 16), Mick Lloyd (tracks: 5 to 8, 10 to 13), Nick Gilbert (tracks: 17)
Bongos – Gary Ainge (tracks: 14)
Drums – Gary Ainge (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 14, 16)
Guitar – Lawrence  (tracks: 6, 7, 11 to 18), Maurice Deebank (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 9)
Guitar [Second Solo] – Lawrence (5) (tracks: 10)
Keyboards – Martin Duffy (tracks: 1 to 4)
Lead Guitar – Lawrence  (tracks: 5), Maurice Deebank (tracks: 2 to 4, 6, 7, 10 to 12, 15 to 17)
Producer – John Rivers (tracks: 8 to 16), John Leckie (tracks: 5 to 7), Robin Guthrie (tracks: 1 to 4)
Vocals – Lawrence  (tracks: 1 to 8, 10, 12 to 14, 16 to 18)
Written-By – Lawrence  (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 18), Deebank (tracks: 1 to 12, 15 to 17)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 167 MB
Flac  Size: 450 MB