Buying on a whim and a cover has seen me snag many a good album, but also come unstuck a few times too. I bought Pearls & Brass The Indian Tower on 3 February 2006 on just such a whim. I had never heard of them before, but the little sticker on it told me it was stoner rock from a power trio in the same vein as Zep and Cream. Add in the fact that it was on Drag City Records and it had a great cover, featuring the tower and a trio of fire-lighting moonshine drinking backwoodsmen on the back cover and I was in like Flynn.
The Indian Tower is a real place, a lookout tower in Pearls & Brass’ native Nazareth, P.A*, built overlooking an Indian graveyard. Basically I’d imagine just the sort of place to attract all the local stoners, congregating to contemplate nature and the vastness of, like, space and shit. Hell, the back cover is a lot of the reason I bought The Indian Tower anyway, the three dudes drinking around the camp fire? I’ve done that with my mates in the woods more times than I care to remember as a teen. I can taste the sweetness, smell the leaf mould and the smoke from here. So far, so good but does the music cut it?
Alas not, for me. Pearls & Brass have that slightly 60’s rock sound, a good fuzzy tone but over the course of 11 songs just don’t take it anywhere memorable. There really aren’t any songs here, just a sound, a groove – no lyrics, or dynamics that stand out even. Over the course of a song, or two I could handle that, but over a whole album I can’t. I feel a bit dastardly writing that too, I want to like this LP, tell you all how you’ve missed out on a great treasure here** and how this connects with rural me on a deep level. I can’t though and I am sorry about that.
Nothing here is awful, or plain bad, it just isn’t good enough. I do really like the cover though and I don’t regret owning it for a second. Not much of a review, sorry.
481 Down.
P.S – the title of the post was a genuine typing mistake, could be worse it could have been ‘Earls & Ass’.
Have some primeval forest on me:
*yup the same one from ‘The Weight’ – one of my favourite opening lines ever in a song ,’I pulled into Nazareth, was feelin’ about half past dead’ – as if you didn’t know it!
**implying that I may even be 21% groovier than you, in the process.
No need to apologize if you don’t like a record. It happens. Good on ya for trying it out!
Also, I’m into contemplating the vastness of space, but the vastness of shit is when I’m heading back to the VW van.
Damn right!
Awful shame about this one. Just picked up Purling Hiss’ Water On Mars yesterday, also on Drag City, and it’s kicking my ass.
Stoner rock is a rather broad term. One that for every great record under that title there are six that are pretty lame.
And i’ve bought a couple of lame-o ones this year too – i’m looking at you Radio Moscow!!
Poor Radio Moscow. Couldn’t quite build up the steam of that first record.
No, the new one isn’t worth the price.
Really dug their first album and even Brain Cycle(?), but after that things got a bit same-y.
Lukewarm (no relation to skywalker) is the worst.
I really wanted to like this too
Agree with Mike on the Jethro Tull thing. Has a bit o’ that about it. Shame it’s forgettable.
I never got rid because i like the title and cover. #shallowDude
I think your mistake here was mainly liking stoner rock!
We have a non-believer in our midst!! Quick brethren let us sacrifice him to Brant Bjork by immolating him in a giant wicker Dave Wyndorf!
Sacrificing me won’t make your wacky crops grow again!
No but telly’s pants on Wednesdays!
The telly’s never boring if you’re a true stoner!
There are 1538.5 lps in your collection…there’s bound to be a bowser in the bunch.
It’s not even bad, just a bit (makes nyahhhh face)
I still think you’re at least 21% groovier than me, favourable pearls review or no!
A collection of favourite opening lines would be an excellent idea for a post
Too kind, im sure the figure is only about 7%!
Opening lines would be a great one. What’s your vote?
“Burning embers of the second death will come in the night” is mine!
Whitney Houston ‘The Greatest Love of All’? Am i right?
WRONG! That’s you lost all your groovy cred. It was ‘Breakout’ by Swing Out Sister.
a wonderful, yet exceptionally difficult question, I’ll report back!
So it’s not really the kind of “stoner rock” that you and I mostly enjoy, I gather.
By the brilliant cover and artwork, I would have pictured a Jethro Tull sound. I half expected to see Martin Barre’s name in the credits.
I get what you mean entirely. I was hoping for some fuzzed-up primitive moonshine groove.
Ah well.