The Legendary Pink Dots

The Golden Age
Wax Trax Records, 1988

Yeah, so this is kinda a slag so if you like teacups and daffodils, you might want to opt out... it's not really a slag but I'm just not feeling too nice right now and I'm gonna have to load on some abstract object -- it's better than kicking a dog, right? Well maybe it is a slag and I know this band is well-loved the world round so I'm probably gonna lose a few readers so just chalk it up to other things. 'kay?! KAY?

So...I'm not a "Dots" fan and since this is a cut-out, I'm guessing this got in my collection during my rawk critik year(s) for which I still do pennance every day, every night. I'll say this much for them (LPD, not my RC year(s)) -- they're better than Robyn Hitchcock (and so long as YOU brought up the subject, I have to say I was delighted to find Hitchcock AND U2 in my brother-in-law's rather dismal CD collection snicker snicker haw haw-- not to mention all that really, really, really bad jez, er, Jazz that was in there... what with all his literary snobbery towards me -- he sighs at me because I haven't read Joyce and made fun of the whole whateverday they had recently, go figure -- it's nice to know his musical tastes are so laughably sucky - makes me think perhaps he's got it wrong with books too.....) .......

The problem with LPD is many - first why do they feel like appending many of their songs with these fucking tedious "psychedelia" epilogues that go on forever -- I suppose it would "trip you out" if you still smoke dope but I don't and so I'm bored. If you have a good song editor, I suppose you can fix the songs - yay deconstruction! - but is it worth it?

Also, the lyrics and the whole Moody Blues low-fi thing just grates me (and the last cut "Regression" makes this POINT all too clear) -- y'know like the way Tood Rundgren's voice makes me kinda nauseous. Since LPD seem to be a much loved band, hmmm go figger -- there's tons of MP3s out there - check here for legals, here, too I think and here for the entire album on a thank-God-for-us-winning-the-Cold-War probably illegal but really fan-love Russian site. If you really must, I recommend "Maniac" and "The Month After" ... "Maniac" has some nice guitar work (from future full-fledged member Bob Pistoor) and "The Month After" has a nice hook -- although it does stand for a little editing - I've deleted just about everything and faded it out after 4 minutes... again, yay for the deconstructive power of digital audio (and video, whatever)... "The More it Changes" isn't a bad tune either and to be fair, I think their later '90s stuff is semi-ok if you check out the Epitonic link. "As Long as It's Purple and Green" works for a few minutes, at least.... HEY, tryin' to say something good here, work with me.... Still there's better stuff you could be putting on your shelf, I'd wager. I mean, I'd rather listen to Handel - he's English, right - or the new Fall CD.