Halcyon Magazine

Liege & Lief is, in my mind (whatever that’s good for…), the most superior example of electric folk music ever to be recorded in this current universe, and, most likely in all of the infinite alternate universes as well. Its just one of those albums that is most absurdly astonishing in most every aspect. Its amazing! Also… nevermind. Anyways, the Fairport Convention are generally known as the inventors of the folk rock genre in England. (Although the Strawbs and the Pentangle, who also are of the genre, did also exist at the time.) The album Liege & Lief was their 4th studio album, and it was released in December of 1969.

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BY DANIEL HARJU

Right before they unexpectedly morphed into the Electric Light Orchestra, Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood and Bev Bevan reached their musical apex together as the Move with the 1971 album Message From the Country. This video is some TV singback performance. The song is called “Words of Aron” and is off of this, their album as the Move. Notice the mildly eccentric Roy, the bearded multi-instumentalist in the yellow suit. Wood would go on to become Wizard, the brain behind the outlandish everything-but-the-kitchen-sink glam band. This song by Jeff Lynne (that genial Birminghamite who gave the world loads of Beatles-inspired classic cheese such as Rockaria, Calling America, Telephone Line) is phenomenal but also sounds light-years from what the group would do only a few years later as ELO. Quasimodo playing the bass flute is actually Bill Hunt, who would later become an ELO member.   

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BY DANIEL HARJU

Barefoot and mighty, the humble Rastafarian takes a huge puff of ‘oly ‘erb while the circle keeps the slow heartbeat rhythm going. There is hope for all of us hopelessly trapped in the Babylonian mindset: Rastafari! Stop yearning for postmortem bliss by looking up at the ceiling from inside organized religion, and stop attempting to climb some materialistic totem pole because it will only lead you nowhere, which is exactly where we already are. So instead of being caught up in some day-to-day running around leading back to Nowhere, Babylon (population: countless), we can find peace of mind within by chanting down this mental prison. Yes, those shackles come off, but only if you let them! And in case you are a pothead looking for a higher purpose to justify your pot smoking: Rastafari!

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