Essential Logic - Fanfare in the Garden: Essential Logic Collection

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Music reviews of Fanfare in the Garden: Essential Logic Collection

Music Review: It's about time . . .
Rating: 5 Stars

Lora was 16 when she became the saxophonist for X-Ray Spex and played on their first 7", "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" for Virgin Records. Soon after, she was booted from the band due to a clash of personalities, but by this time she'd been writing her own material, such as "Petrol Pump Blues" (which showed up in altered form on her solo LP) and drawing notice for her compelling stage presence. She began working on her own material and appeared on songs by Kollaa Kestaa, the Stranglers, Dennis Bovell, the Raincoats and Swell Maps, and ultimately released the "Aerosol Burns" single, both sides of which appear here. Few debut singles so definitively captured such a complete and thoroughly unique sound. Intrigued, Virgin offered a deal, which resulted in the four-song "Wake Up" EP. Unfortunately, the photo of the (Disney character) March Hare that Lora took for the cover resulted in a lawsuit threat, and the EP was deleted shortly after release. Virgin dropped the band.

Lora soon signed with Rough Trade and released an album, "Beat Rhythm News" (7 of 9 songs here), a single taken from the album, "Popcorn Boy", (included but without its flipside). Membership shuffles appear to have slowed progress for the next couple of years, though Lora did contribute vocals and sax to two Red Crayola LPs as well as five singles. In the next two years, three Essential Logic 7"s were released - "Eugene" / "Tame The Neighbours" (only the b-side included here), "Music Is A Better Noise" / "Moontown" (both here) and one last Essential Logic single, "Fanfare In The Garden" (here) and a newly mixed song from the 1979 album sessions, "The Captain" (not here).

In 1981, a solo Lora Logic 7" / 12" appeared, "Wonderful Offer" / "Stereo", (both here, though the 12" version of "Wonderful Offer" and its bonus track "Rather Than Repeat" are not). The "Pedigree Charm" LP followed in 1982, it contained eight new tracks (7 of them here).

For a long time, that was it. Lora continued to record in the company of friends, but involvement in the International Society For Krsna Consciousness seemed to preclude attempts at a commercial career. Through the years, bits of news would creep out - Lora sang back-up on Boy George's "Bow Down" single, and played sax on X-Ray Spex's "Conscious Consumer" album in 1995, showing her her sax skills to be as inventive and entertaining as always.

This 2xCD includes roughly half the unreleased material I've heard, as well as the Red Crayola 7" track, "Born In Flames". The new material is slightly more variable in quality and tone, which is to be expected as it was recorded with smaller budgets and a wider variety of players, over a much longer span of time. Generally speaking, it's a little less quirky than much of what came before; at at the same time everything she's done has been a bit smoother than what came before. Thankfully, even the abundantly commercial material such as "On The Internet" (very pop X-Ray Spex sounding) and the trip-hoppy "Under The Great City" still retain all the charm and color of even Lora's earliest material.

Special mention must be made of Phil Legg, the guitarist and coproducer on all the '78-'82 material. He had a great touch in the studio and was an incredibly imaginative guitarist who later went on to success behind the board for Terence Trent D'Arby, Erasure, Des'ree and others.

This review is primarily meant to clear up discography questions; to those who've heard it, the music speaks for itself. Early Essential Logic material was often compared to the more shambolic acts in rock history - Beefheart, Zappa, etc. Lora used to tell interviewers she'd never even heard of them. Now that much of postpunk's legacy has been uncovered and become better known to the music-loving public, it's easy to say that if you like Raincoats, Red Crayola, the Gist, This Heat et al, you'll love this stuff. It's also appealed to lovers of the Canterbury / Recommended Records sound I've played it too, though it's much more direct and fun than most of that. Lora's solo material had a very interesting jazzy underpinning that add a lot of depth to her solid pop writing, and of course folks like Sean Oliver (of the Pop Group / Rip Rig And Panic) and Charles Hayward (This Heat) - even one of the songwriters from Blondie and a guy from Bad Manners - pop up on various tracks.

Lyrically, Lora was tough to read, but it's fair to say that many of her songs were poetic questionings of attitudes and things around her. She's become a bit more sure of herself in more recent recordings, but there's still a wide-eyed sense of wonder in her music.

It's well [worth it]for two discs and 35 wonderful songs, so go for it. And if you want more info on Lora Logic, feel free to e-mail me at aliled@yahoo.com for more history and an interview or two.

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