Morgan Fisher CD: "Ivories"

Review

Morgan Fisher's first solo album was originally recorded way back in 1972, at the same time as Morgan (the band) were recording The Sleeper Wakes. Unreleased at the time (no doubt due to the original title, Morgan Fisher's Hand Job), it eventually surfaced (on vinyl) in 1984 and featured several bonus tracks, all of which are featured here on the CD.

The material presented here is quite different from what Morgan (the band) were making and certainly very different from Mott The Hoople. Instrumental, electronic, experimental... Morgan (the man) got a chance to experiment with all sorts of sounds in the studio. The result is a curious blend of music that requires the listener to be in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate.

Difficult to pick out tracks of obvious note, so varied are they but I will mention Sleeper One, the synth-dominated Reverie and the total cheesiness of Sleeper Four (who invited Mrs Mills?) but the musical panorama is interrupted by Good One Ralph (one of the "bonus" tracks), which was recorded on a Mott tour, where the boys encourage the limo driver to sound the car horn... total madness and perhaps somewhat out of place. But in amongst music at times so avant garde, perhaps not.

The whole lot is bookended by two Mott numbers, in the style of a nondescript 1940's orchestra and made to sound like worn old 78s. Somehow they in the right place here.

The CD comes complete with booklet written by Morgan, which includes track by track details, and Morgan's sketches for the original artwork. In it he suggests listening to the album in the same spirit you might approach a foreign film. If totally different musical styles appeal, then this may be for you.

Morgan Fisher CD: "Ivories"

Sleeve and track listing

Review

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