Reviews: An Introduction to Anton Barbeau
BLISS AQUAMARINE
by Kim Harten
Fruits de Mer Records have recently launched a series of retrospective compilations of artists with an extensive catalogue on the label, the fifth installment being from Anton Barbeau, whose inventive, idiosyncratic psych-pop has long been highly recommended here at Aquamarine. Fruits de Mer started out as a covers label, so naturally a number of the songs here are covers. These include Julian Cope's Out of My Mind on Dope and Speed, ultramelodic pop set to noisy guitar rumblings and spacey whooshing analogue synth; the Big Star classic September Gurls, sung in a breathy falsetto over meandering piano, swirling psych guitar and reverberating drums, underpinned by a relentless keyboard riff; Donovan's Sunshine Superman, much in the spirit of the original since Donovan and Barbeau share a similar level of eccentricity; The Monkees' Pleasant Valley Sunday, recorded with FDM supergroup The Fishheads (also including members of Astralasia, The Honey Pot, Trace Imprint and more), and containing just as much musical sunshine as the original; and the comparatively more obscure Dr Crippen's Waiting Room by Orange Bicycle, a collaboration with The Honey Pot, psych-pop arrayed with flowing guitar work with an almost raga-like quality at times.
There are also plenty of Barbeau originals here, including three that hold particularly classic status for me, namely the immensely catchy, and decidedly non-formulaic, psychedelic powerpop track Psychedelic Mynde of Moses; the absolute earworm When I Was 46 (in the Year 13) with its huge ambitious arrangement taking in piano, bouzouki, analogue synth, vocal harmonies, and Bevis Frond-esque guitar intensity; and the similarly ultra-catchy Heavy Psychedelic Toilet, which is psych-pop at its most psychedelic, with bizarre lyrics like "The face of God is a three-eyed girl in a heavy psychedelic toilet", the vocals appropriately treated with an 'underwater' effect, over a swirling, soaring musical backdrop.
Most tracks come from Anton Barbeau's psych-pop side and hold together as a cohesive album despite being drawn from a large number of different releases. Barbeau is however a much more eclectic artist and there are times here when he ventures outside of the eccentric psych-pop that this album emphasises. Berlin School of Doubt is a hypnotic, floaty instrumental based around swirling, deep-space analogue synths. Beak is an experimental number in which vintage electronica with shades of Kraftwerk is combined with punky riffage and repeated recital of the piece's title. Final track Trouble was Born is a raw live recording from Glastonbury, combining a country influence with punk bite.
Released as a vinyl-effect CD with inner sleeve listing Anton's entire FDM discography to date, and gatefold card outer sleeve, the whole thing having the effect of a shrunk-down vinyl LP. A quote from reviewer Aug Stone appears inside the sleeve, describing Barbeau as "one of America's great English eccentrics", whose "songs are at times surreal, yet always catchy and compelling", which is completely spot on.
EXPOSÉ ONLINE
by Henry Schneider
Fruits de Mer Records’ fifth release in their Introduction series features the prolific solo artist Anton Barbeau. Most of his releases on other labels are original tunes, but for Fruits de Mer, Keith Jones twisted his arm to cover a variety of different artists from Julian Cope to David Bowie and Traffic to Big Star. This Introduction CD includes many of these FdM covers, taken from his solo singles, from collaborations with other FdM artists, and FdM compilations, plus three bonus tracks including his tribute to the Cellar Bar in Cardigan. Since the majority of the limited FdM releases are sold out, this compilation CD allows new fans to hear Anton’s music.
The compilation kicks off with the three tracks from Anton’s debut FdM release, Psychedelic Mynde of Moses, with the original title track, a cover of Robyn Hitchcock’s “Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl,” and a cover of Julian Cope’s “Out of my Mind on Dope and Speed.” Next are two more original tunes “Occupy / Divide” from The Crabs Sell Out and “When I Was 46 (in the Year 13)” from The League of Psychedelic Gentlemen. Then FdM showcases Anton’s contribution to the Honey Pot’s cover of Orange Bicycle’s “Dr. Crippen’s Waiting Room.” Before David Bowie’s untimely passing, FdM worked on a tribute album, A New Career in a New Town, that included Anton’s inspired acoustic cover of “Ziggy Stardust.” Next in line are the four tracks from Anton’s 7-inch Heaven Is in Your Mind: Anton’s freaky cover of Traffic’s “Heaven Is in Your Mind,” his original tune “Secretion of the Wafer,” a cover of Big Star’s “September Gurls,” and another Bowie cover, “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps).”
Switching gears, we get a cover of Donovan’s iconic “Sunshine Superman” from The Three Seasons, which is then followed by two more originals: “Heavy Psychedelic Toilet” from We Are the Cellar Bar Restoration Society and “Berlin School of Doubt” from Head in the Clouds. Then back to a cover of the Monkees’ Goffin / King penned “Pleasant Valley Sunday” from The Fishheads 7-inch. Before the bonus tracks, the FdM retrospective ends with another Anton original “Beak” from Heads Together. The three original bonus tracks are “Cellar Bar” from Anton’s Stranger CD, the previously unreleased “Third Eye,” and “Trouble Was Born” from FdM’s only DVD, Fruits de Mer Records Live in Glastonbury.
Anton is not one to shy away from iconic tunes, which is always risky, but he is able to imbue his cover tunes with new life and insights. I find An Introduction to Anton Barbeau more enjoyable than his recent Morgenmusik / Nachtschlager, perhaps because of the familiarity of the covers. So if you have not yet experienced Anton Barbeau’s music, An Introduction to Anton Barbeau is a great place to start.
CLASSIC ROCK
by John Aizlewood
From Sacramento, but most of the time based in Europe, Anton Barbeau has been making albums for more than 30 years without threatening to rattle any mainstream cages. An Introduction To isn't quite the freewheeling retrospective the title promises. Instead it's a collection of more recent music for the Fruits De Mer label. No matter, it's a reasonable take on who Barbeau is: an appealing voice, a lover of psychedelic pop, a Robyn Hitchcock maven and, as Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl suggests, a whimsical wit.
He's not really a covers artist, but nine of these 19 tracks are by others. There's the obscure, such as Dr. Crippen's Waiting Room by Crouch End's Orange Bicycle; the predictable: an imagination-free take on Bowie's Ziggy Stardust; and the intriguing: his version of Julian Cope's Out Of My Mind on Dope & Speed stomps even harder than the original.
Barbeau's own songs, particularly When I Was 46 (In the Year 13) and Secretion of the Water, are heroically catchy, overflowing with squalling guitars and the sense that with a less basic production he could have eased into Jason Falkner/Jason Mraz territory.
SHINDIG
by Grahame Bent
This wide-ranging 19-track anthology pulls together a bewilderingly diverse collection of material from the crowded discography of seriously prolific Californian psychedelic adventurer and Fruits de Mer collaborator Anton Barbeau.
Colourfully described as "the Californian lovechild of Robyn Hitchcock, Julian Cope and Andy Partridge," the album comes with both abundant echoes and indeed covers of originals by the aforementioned trio. But that's by no means the alpha and omega of the world according to Anton Barbeau. While particularly adept at tapping into peculiarly Anglified notions of pop-psych and fashioning a tidy DIY line in Bowie, Traffic, Donovan, Monkees and Big Star covers, the versatile Barbeau also somehow manages to stray into the world of vintage krautrock on the decidedly Tangerine Dream-esque "Berlin School of Doubt." That minor miracle alone calls for one impressively flexible headspace.
BETREUTESPROGGEN.DE
by Rajko Baers
Original review is in German; Google Translated version:
Parallel to the brilliant The Honey Pot, there is another strong album with the almost 80-minute CD by the label-affiliated artist Anton Barbeau. The focus here is not exclusively on psychedelic sounds, covers by Bowie, Big Star and Julian Cope incorporate a lot of energy in terms of classic rock, glam and post punk psychedelic wave pop alongside their own songs. 'Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl' is a crazy smash hit, own songs like the snappy 'Occupy/Divide' are nasty catchy tunes and this varied setting between cover and original composition is absolutely consistent over the long running time.
The mostly positive, always a bit crazy pop songs are consistently fun, the dramaturgy of an old vinyl record from the seventies is guaranteed. The 19 songs are lovingly old school, fuzzy guitars and organs dance mischievously through the retro floor - see 'When I Was 46'. Acoustically reduced music like in Bowie 's 'Ziggy Stardust' stands conciliatory next to crazy, catchy uptempo psych pop like in 'Heavy Psychedelic Toilet' or cosmic electronic music, see 'Berlin School Of Doubt'. Similar to The Honey Pot release, the label creates an all-round harmonious compilation of rare 7″ EP versions, cover tracks and live versions. Here too we can summarize: a very successful song selection - difficult to catch and entertaining, whets the appetite for more.
© Anton Barbeau. Photo of Anton by Karen Eng. Web site: interbridge.
