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THE MAHARAJAS
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"I don't mind being high I just don't like to fly' The Maharajas - 'Flying'  Featuring
three members of The Strollers, my expectations were very high for
this as their 'Fell Right Down!' album from a few years back
would guild the walls in the Stu's garage rawk hall of fame. Such is that
album's seismic superlativeness that this release can't help but be a mild
disappointment. While they've not actually changed their suits and shoes
so much there's less of an edge, less electric shockery from a badly wired
garage running through them. Perhaps I'm all psyched-out from all these
groovy garage records of recent years but despite such dance floor wailers
like 'Don't Wanna Lose You', flamin' groovily and gravy
granule dissolving 'A Hole In My Head', the perfectly
palatable John Fogerty fillet of country braised steak that be 'Time',
even the Jefferson Airplane / Moby Grape folksome ballad 'Flying'
things are a little bit more considered...as the press release states the
producers 'have given the album an international sound of class'. Hmmmm,
watered things down a little bit from the homebound hooch of the strollin'
days it seems to me, to make it meet as many tastebuds as possible. The
rough or unshaven textures of old have had a pre-shave cleansing and
post-shave moisturizing session for added urbanity. Despite the negative
slant of this piece, maybe it's unfair to compare to another band but as
three ex-members it's only natural, especially as they share a distinctive
sound, but The M's sure stand above most of the bands bracketed and braced
into the psych/garage wards. And any aficionado of articles rescued from
grimy, fume-filled ruins will not be disappointed by the tyre-flattening
frug of 'Since You've Been Away' which could almost leave
you blue-faced and coughing up carbon-monoxide.________________________________________________________ |
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-Stu Gibson |