Review:'Unicorn' 'Last Round (The Full Round Edition)'
- Label: 'Think Like A Key Music'
- Genre: 'Seventies'
- Release Date: '25.9.26.'- Catalogue No: 'TLAK 1244'
Our Rating:
This is a two-cd compilation of 38 songs that never made it onto Unicorn's albums, the band came from Send and featured Ken Baker, Pete Perryer, Pat Martin, Trevor Mee, Kevin Smith, Chris Pidgeon. With Debbie Bracknell, Mike Paice, Alan Harvey and Rob Jacob. Dave Gilmour took them under his wing and produced some of the band's albums and played guitar with them at times, although he isn't on any of the demos outtakes or live tracks on this album.
The first cd opens with 115 Bar Joy at the start of the bands Live Sounds Of The Seventies performance at the BBC Paris Theatre, that the first five songs are taken from. Asking its questions full of close harmonies and gently fluid guitars, laid back idyllic sounds to declare how much they need you, want you and love you too.
Barriers Keys & Things has some wonderfully tricky yet gentle guitar for the questioning vocals hoping you won't put them down, even when they are in a moody blues easy listening vein. Jesus Knows sounds in a similar vein to some of Bowies slower songs on Space Oddity and Hunky Dory, piano lifting things up, while they praise Jesus for approving the love they have for you.
P.F. Sloan is there rather cool live version, of a song that was seemingly covered endlessly in the early 70's, this is prettier than the Jennifer Warnes version, sounding a bit like The Seekers, it would be the reason I bought this album, to add to all the versions I own of it.
Fully Baked opens like they are feeling there way into the song, finding that riff ready to tell that man's tale, just how Fully Baked he became. Me And My Worried Head works around a descending piano part for the despair of love gone awry again, they had the good times, now they have the bad times of living a free and easy hippy lifestyle.
Mary is the girl of their dreams, they appear to be rather damp forlorn memories, of what you did with Mary before she moved on to different pastures, than slow strummed acoustic folk ruminations while they claim over and over its so hard.
Good Times they had a few with you, and want some more, but are realistic that you might have moved on and left them, so they will just serenade your departure and give you one final last wave goodbye, thanks for all the good times, while trying not to sound too maudlin. Can't Move On he's stuck in a rut once more, trying to find a way to do something with the cool bassline he has, this is reflective with a slight edge of hopefulness.
Electric Night is the opening song on the second live concert on this disc, recorded on the bands US tour in Boulder Colorado in 1974, where the country jangling and yearning I hope went down well and wasn't at some Apres Ski lodge, they love the cool night air though.
Holland is full of country longing and memories of what happened in Holland and the desire they have to return there once more. In The Gym a good choice to play in a sports obsessed state like Colorado, time for some musical and physical work outs do those press ups and get your body looking all ski slope buff and ready.
Just Wanna Hold You could in a live setting be a call for some company for after the gig, he wants to be wined and dined mind, the harmonies are calling you to make it with them, even if the pleading is at a rather sedate pace.
Keep On Going brings the boogie to get them out of bed and back on the road once more, howled backing harmonies and proper down home country picked guitar solo, for cruising down that highway once more. They even get the audience clapping along on the heavily picked final solo of the song, that sounds remarkable close to the tune Lou Reed used on the Original Wrapper a few years later, they sound like they are having a good time together.
Nightingale Crescent is a place to go and get your head clear and free of war and distress, they hope it don't rain and make you have to think about the cold war and impending nuclear war, it's so good to hear a song about issues on here a nice change of direction, I wish they had a few more protest songs, this is a real highlight.
Sleep Song is the first of three more songs recorded live in Colorado in 1974, while they were making sure to let everyone know it was all right, it was ok, if you asked them round for some fun and games and to get some sleep, nudge nudge, this is laid back and begging for a deep injection from your drugs.
Take It Easy Go on take it nice and slow they are in the mood again, they will tell you that you are pretty etc etc and then play some high-quality country rock to seal the deal, go on let them lie to you that they love you and give 'em a good time. The first cd finishes with The Farmer that I guess would have connected with an audience in Colorado, this is spry gentle country slide and picking.
The second cd opens with Sitting In Line a slow folk strum with a laid-back feel and plangent guitar wondering what's going to happen today and will anyone's dreams be fulfilled, they are certain they won't have peace of mind. Does It Have To Be This Way wants to know just why your harshing his vibes, he wants you to just dump him, rather than stringing him along, he can't deal with all the cruelty in this soft folk rock serenade.
Whatever Money Can Buy (Demo) is sad and twisted love and the things they can't give you, sparkling guitar and an almost Steely Dan laid back arrangement, it sounds like Mark Knopfler studied the guitar parts closely.
Bon Soir Blues is a cool laid back version of the Flying Burrito Brothers classic that rolls along nicely, while making clear they know it's time to hit the bricks and get out of your arms, into someone else's instead, they are real late sixties, early seventies men after all.
Forgive And Forget is a sweet country blues that sounds remarkably like Green On Red did in the mid 80's, but without any horny toads, but plenty of love that strange old game, this song jumps out at me, this could have been an underground hit easily, a signpost for what would decades later be described as Americana, in the early 70's that would have been a damning insult. Before the funky disco outro.
So Tired is laid-back easy-going blues apology for being Too Tired to give his baby just what she wants, some more easy-going blues rock with The Eagles seemingly circling overhead. Come In From the Cold he'll give you one more chance, stop playing these games and listen to that harmonica blow.
Heatwave '76 is in tribute to that magically parched summer, when we all roasted and the earth cracked, Unicorn however feel like they are drowning in misery, having been dumped and it's just too hot to go find another squeeze, no rain anywhere, they are spaced out gazing at all the lady's legs, getting hotter under their collective collars.
Hate Waiting For You lists all the things they hate doing even more than they Hate Waiting For You while you are no doubt off having more fun with someone else, this has echoes of Little Feat and a sort of NRBQ style hushed boogie down country blues for restless souls, it's probably best if she just tells them to stop waiting for her, the problem will be solved in time for the duelling banjos style outro.
Nighttime sadly isn't the much-covered Richard Gottehrer classic, but an original about wanting it to be bedtime once more, so they can find peace of mind lying in bed with you over laid-back country rock in an International Submarine Band style.
Long Road they've been down it many times before, eventually they will get over the heartbreak and find a new love to get heartbroken by again, laid-back guitars and brushed cymbals are full of yearning. Time Between is all about the duelling guitars and close harmony vocals, making this a bit too Eagles like for my tastes, but damn it cooks in places, while they search for the love and trust they once had with you.
If You Ain't Scared (Demo) works around a cool guitar figure and the questioning vocals, trying not to put you off and accept your belief system. I Wish You Would Come and make his life complete once more, so all this careful guitar picking is put to good use, when you go his way and get off the highway.
You And Me On A Sunday Afternoon by now you know exactly what he wants, other than sounding like Peter Sarstedt or Leo Sayer, he'll be a gent and drive you home afterwards, go on waste a few hours with him between the pub closing at 2 and reopening at 5 like they used to back then.
Real World adds some brass and is sort of cafe jazz, smoking out the secrets of a different kind of louche life, living in the real world. I Used To Be A Rebel has more modern production and sounds in love with the smoothest Steely Dan tunes imaginable, while claiming they used to be rebels and break the rules, but now he's a suit and tie John from the sound of things, he had to get a straight job and settle down, he's all growed up.
White Man's Blues needs the harmonica and supple playing to make clear that the blues they have are White Mans and no matter how many dues they pay, they will never have the Blues in the same way as the Black man, if you disagree please read Blues People by LeRoi Jones.
The second Cd closes with The Last Song that comes from a 1976 backing track completed this year by Nick Capaldi, this has a gentle twang, taking a tour round Send and the bands home town landmarks, while celebrating that it is indeed the last Unicorn song to get finished. Time to go and say goodbye.
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