Penguins, Marco Polo & King John

Home And Garden - History And Geography [DMC 005 UK 1986 24-Bit FLAC]

Firstly this is a 2017 re-rip of my original blog ESWA post from years gone by rather than a re-post of my old rip. For those who appreciate The Normil Hawaiians debut long player, Home And Garden plough a similar turf, though from an American perspective.

Formed from the initial Pere Ubu split in 1982, bassist Tony Maimone and drummer Scott Krause recruited poet performer Jeff Morrison to front the wonderful and very arty Home And Garden. Following on from Ubu's complicated arrangements and David Thomas's unique lyrical styling, Morrisson's vocal (often spoken) eccentricity adds elements which take the band into a direction beyond '77 Talking Heads, Crispy Ambulance and mid-period Wire. Obtuse song titles come from the world of Gabriel's Genesis, Yes or ELP (or just about any other 70's prog-rock band), and I'm sure Morrisson's lyrics dabble in some very similar places. Fear ye not, this is a post-punk rock album with some really interesting arrangements mixing guitars, synths, complex rhythms and the occasional fairground organ. For those who like a good tune, the closing and majestic From The Life Of King John is well worth the price of admission alone.

Originally released in 1984 (I have a 1986 UK licensed copy) this is a really good album, though I'm sure if it had been released in 1978, we would be calling it a great album.

Enjoy.

A1  Marco Polo: The Voyage Home
A2  Marco Polo: The City Of Kin Sai
A3  Holiday
A4  Monkeytown
B1  Big Winter
B2  King Penguin
B3  The Bells Of Ever And Never
B4  From The Life Of King John