There are probably some out there who have never heard of Tim Jones and his various bands [obviously not many amongst Terrascope readers, however! - Ed]. This is a real shame as he is a talented singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer who is well worth a listen.
Census of Hallucinations are a prolific band who have released many CDs over the years. Their music is varied, covering a wide range of genres including psychedelic, folk, space rock, prog and even some ambient thrown in for good measure.
On this outing along with Tim Jones - lead vocals and guitar and Terri-B - lead vocals, are a completely new band consisting of Maxine Marten (Clear Blue Sky) - backing vocals, Kevin Hodge - percussion and bass guitar, John Simms (Clear Blue Sky) - guitar and backing vocals, Dave Hendry (Ohead) - Keyboard and synths; also on track 5 we have Mark Craney on keyboards.
The release is remarkable in being their first professionally manufactured CD, which is pretty impressive given the vast discography of the band. This is also an interesting release in that the tracks are complete reworkings of original tracks from various Tim Jones and Terri-B bands from the Census of hallucinations back catalogue including solo albums and one of their early incarnations, The Rabbits Hat.
So to the CD itself: Nice cover artwork, comprising of photos of proggy mats, made by Terri-B.
The music starts with some gentle birdsong setting the tempo for 'Forest'; ‘More Than Ashes' has some very competent acoustic and electric guitar showing John’s guitar work off nicely; in 'Church' Tim has a pop at religious bigotry; 'Riding The War' follows with a tasty acoustic intro to those lovely vocals; 'Infra Red' is a beautifully crafted song with excellent Gilmour style electric guitar; 'Ephemeral Fire' is a delightful melody; 'Mountain Climbing' has an exquisite bluesy edge; in 'Lie Again' the lyrics show that as well as being a talented composer of the musical bits Tim has a willingness to take a swipe at political corruption; 'Sara Jane' is a compassionate track telling the sad story of a neglected child who’s only friend is a doll; on 'Hieronymus' delicious guitar work complements the vocals; 'Blood on My Shoes' has a gritty edgy feel to it; 'Free Yourself' has some slightly more rock oriented elements and 'Orion' is a Rabbits Hat classic which finishes the CD with style it is a great choice for this slot, being one of the highlights of a cd filled with highlights.
The musicianship and vocals are faultless throughout as is the recording and mixing; this is an exceptional release and a great introduction to Census of hallucinations, for anyone who has yet to have the pleasure of discovering their music. (
(Reviewed by Steve Judd - The Terrascope - (www.terrascope.co.uk)