Comus – To Keep From Crying

Always liked this album better than the first, personally. Keith Hale went on to write "It's A Mystery" for Toyah!

After a three year hiatus bassist Andy Hellaby, singer/multi-instrumentalist Bobbie Watson and lead guitarist Roger Wootton unexpected reunited Comus. With the addition of new drummer Gordon Coxon and keyboardist Keith Hale the band released 1974's "To Keep from Crying". Signed by Richard Branson's newly formed Virgin Records, the album found the band opting for a more conventional rock/progressive sound (recognize I'm using that descriptor in a broad sense). Propelled by Watson's stratospheric falsetto (occasionally enough to trigger your car alarm), with one exception ('Perpetual Motion'), the set wasn't quite top-40, but it came surprisingly close to having radio possibilities. Largely abandoning their earlier acoustic-based work, this time out most of the eleven tracks featured electric instrumentation. Tracks like 'Down (Like a Movie Star)', 'To Keep from Crying' and 'Perpetual Motion' (complete with Beach Boys styled harmonies) incorporated conventional melodies; the latter even sporting commercial possibilities. Elsewhere the set featured three ambient and experimental instrumentals - Waves and Caves', 'Panophany' and 'After the Dream'. I didn't find any to be particularly interesting. Backed by an array of studio guests including cameos from various of Esperanto, Gong and Henry Cow, material such as 'Touch Down' and 'So Long Supernova' wasn't half bad. Interestingly fans of the debut uniformly hated the sophomore release. Good luck finding a review that gave the set any semblance of a positive nod. Shame since their sound remained quirky, unconventional, and weirdly captivating, though this time out much of the debut's ominous atmospherics was toned down. 

For better or worse the debut's steady undercurrent of angst and foreboding was absent. Old fans were extremely unhappy with the new 'commercial' orientation and there simply weren't any new fans to replace those who abandoned the band. Absent sales, the collection disappeared into cutout bins, followed in short order by the band.  

I originally didn't think this one was anywhere near as impressive as the debut. Now I'm not so sure. Definitely a quirky album, but it has grown on me every time I play it. Well worth checking out if you have that sense of aural adventurism.

"To Keep from Crying" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Down (Like a Movie Star) (Roger Wootton) - 4:06 rating: **** stars
Hearing 'Down (Like a Movie Star' for the first time I can clearly thinking I must has mistakenly set the record player to 45 rpm. That said, if you can acclimated to Watson's high pitched yelp, kicked along by a nice Hellaby bass pattern (and a bassoon solo from Henry Cow's Lindsay Cooper), this one actually rocked out with considerable energy. Hard to believe I'm saying this, but yeah, it was a Comus song that actually rocked !!! Always loved the 'down, down, down, like a movie star' chorus.
2.) Touch Down (Roger Wootton) - 4:45 rating: **** stars
With Watson making an effort to keep her voice in something like a lower (okay the chorus went sky high), 'Touch Down' was a beautiful and haunting ballad. Weird enough to worm its way into your head and refuse to leave.
3,) Waves and Caves (instrumental) (Andy Hellaby) - 1:32 rating: ** stars
Showcasing Hellby's interest in tapes and effects, 'Waves and Caves' had an interesting pre-ambient feel to it. Imagine something out of Brian Eno's early catalog and you'll be in the right aural neighborhood. Of course that didn't make it particularly interesting or entertaining. Thankfully it was brief.
4.) Figure In Your Dreams (Roger Wootton) - 3:10 rating: *** stars
Play this to any unsuspecting friends and ask them who the female singer is. Sporting a laidback tropical feel 'Figure In Your Dreams' was a likeable track, but Watson's stratospheric falsetto was something to behold. Imagine Kate Bush having overdosed on whippets which made it very much an acquired taste. My six year old went running out of the room the last time I played it.
5.) Children of the Universe (Roger Wootton) - 5:37 rating: **** stars
The acoustic 'Children of the Universe' found the band returning to their folk roots, but with a distinctive Asian feel. Did I hear a Japanese Koto? I'm a not a gigantic English folk fan, but have to say this one wasn't half bad, especially when the electric instrumentation kicked in. The song was also interesting in that it featured Watson and Roger Wootton sharing lead vocals. Shocking to hear how well their voices blended.

(side 2)
1.) So Long Supernova (Roger Wootton) - 3:20 rating: * star
Side two opened with 'So Long Supernova' ... Not sure what to tell you about this one other than it was a mess. For a Comus tune it was bouncy and there was a song in there somewhere, but to my ears it just never managed to coagulate. Hearing Wootton stretch to hit the high notes wasn't much fun either.
2.) Perpetual Motion (Roger Wootton) - 4:07 rating: **** stars
Unlike the rest of their catalog 'Perpetual Motion' has always brought a smile to my face. Complete with Kate Bush-meets-The Beach Boys-styled harmony vocals (that sounded surprisingly impressive), the song sported one of those upbeat, summertime melodies that I'm a pushover for. Great song, though I can see longtime Comus fans having heart palpitations over. Darn, now the melody is back in my head.3.) Panophany (instrumental) (Andy Hellaby) - 0:26 rating: * star
The second Hellaby composition, the instrumental 'Panophany' also underscored the bassist's interest in ambient and experimental sounds. Largely forgettable
4.) Get Yourself a Man (Keith Hale) - 7:07 rating: *** stars
Keyboardist Keith Hale's lone writing credit, 'Get Yourself a Man' was a fairly straightforward ballad that saw Watson managing to keep on track throughout most of the song. Once again her quirky voice and delivery reminded me a bit of Kate Bush (that was meant as a compliment.) The song was also notable for sporting one of the album's few guitar solos - Wootton used the opportunity to turn in a pair of nice fuzz guitar solos. Can't say I was as keen on Gong's Didlier Malherbe's slightly atonal sax solo.
5.) To Keep from Crying (Roger Wootton) - 5:27 rating: **** stars
'To Keep from Crying' was a pretty, folkish ballad that actually started to generate some energy as it rolled along. Hellaby provided some nice bass, Wootton turned in some more tasteful fuzz guitar, while Watson and Wootton actually sounded pretty good on the shared lead vocals. My only complaint is that for some reason the track sounds like it was recorded a couple of miles away from the studio.
6.) After the Dream (Roger Wootton) - 0:59 rating: * star
'After the Dream' ended the album with a brief autoharp instrumental. Pretty, but forgettable.
  

I own this album a orig uk press, but without the cover. If someone has a cover for drop or sell please write me. :-)

First track alone is worth the price of ission.
Love this record

Totally great and tragically underrated album. Stop comparing it to First Utterance, people! This is a different beast altogether, and it's definitely NOT a "step down" from the first album, more like a sideways move. Intelligent song-oriented "progressive" rock that in places almost sounds like alternative rock from the '90s somehow, like Smashing Pumpkins or Oasis---maybe that's going overboard, but listen to it and see if you can hear what I'm talking about. I think it was ahead of it's time.