Mr. Quimby's Beart - "Out There"
(Demi Monde 1997, DMCD 1035)
Mr. Quimby's Beart - "Out There"
(Demi Monde 1997, DMCD 1035)
From Aural Innovations #7 (July 1999)
Mr Quimby's Beard is a recent discovery for me and though this is an older release I thought it would be a good companion to Scott's review of their more recent CD. Though released in 1997 this was actually recorded in 1994 when the band consisted of Hardy on keyboards and vocals, Kidd on bass, Ray on guitar and vocals, Gaz on drums and bongos, and guests Dave (Thrash Bastard) Thorburn on guitar, and Jonna on bongos (on "Snake Dance").
Mr Quimby's Beard plays a Hawkwind style that is very much in the heavy jamming spacerock spirit of bands like Tribe Of Cro, Spacehead, and Krel. "Coming Down", "Wake Up", and "Try" are like the heavier Hawkwind spacerockers. Song segments lead to blazing instrumental jams that soar to frenzied levels of intensity. This is total cosmic spacerock, but Hardy's keyboards give the music a quality that would likely crossover to the heavy progressive crowd as well.
The title track was another standout for me with its Middle Eastern atmosphere complete with tripped out chanting. But the tour de force of the album is "Bringin' Up The Acid" with its classic psychedelic Krautrock sound that includes dreamy vocal harmonies and a slow, drugged bassline. Of course the band ultimately blasts off and the track demonstrates what an intense jamming band Mr Quimby's Beard can be. Definitely a band that deserves to be more widely heard and essential for Hawkwind fans.
You can visit Mr Quimby's Beard at their web site.
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz