Tim Blake Blake's New Jerusalem Review by Gary Hill
I've reviewed two other discs from Tim Blake for this issue. Each of them has a distinct flavor. This one was released a year before Blake joined Hawkwind. It is the most Hawkwind like of the three. I think it might be my favorite of the trilogy, too. I have to say that it's probably stronger as just the original album proper. That said, the bonus tracks (two of which are truly epic in length) work well. I just think that they tend to take away from the power of the main album a bit.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
A Song for a New Age
Acoustic guitar starts this. The first vocals come in over the top. Bits of keyboards lend some cool textures as the song gradually shifts toward more space rock based music. The song gets more rock built into the mix beyond that. This is such a classy tune.
Lighthouse Here's a song that Blake did with Hawkwind. This version is so strong. It's such a great space rock piece of music. It creates an extremely cool mood. The music has a lot of change and variety, even though it all changes slowly and gradually. This is easily recognizable as Hawkwind styled music, whether you've heard their version or not. "Lighthouse" is definitely a highlight of this set.
Generator (Laser Beam) This is much more of funky electronic song. It feels more like something from Blake's Magick album. That said, it does get into more traditional space rock territory, too.
Passage Sur la Cite' (Des Revelations) Combining the Crystal Machine textures with something more like Hawkwind, this is energetic electronic space music. This instrumental is pretty amazing stuff, really.
New Jerusalem Atmospheric keys serve as the backdrop for some spoken elements. The cut works out from there with style. It works through purely instrumental after those first spoken bits until around the five minute mark. Then the real vocals join. The cut continues to evolve from that point. This is perhaps a bit like a cross between the Crystal Machine period and the Magick one. It's more of a purely electronic tune. At over sixteen minutes in length, this is the epic of the album proper.
Bonus Tracks
The Woodland Voice
Electronic sounds create a cool texture on this piece. It's not a huge change from the Synergy type stuff heard on Crystal Machine. At just over three and a half minutes in length, it's the short piece of the three bonus tracks.
From Outta Space An epic piece, this weighs in at over 19 minutes in length. It comes in a bit menacing, but purely electronic. It grows out with very spacey sounds driving it. There are some bits of voices that come in sooner, but some world music singing is heard around four minutes. Then more spoken vocals join after that. As space elements steer this ship through the cosmos, other keyboard sounds create jazzy soloing over the top of it. After the ten and a half minute mark some more spoken vocals emerge. There are some nods to the earlier tune "Lighthouse" in this piece. Some cool keyboard soloing emerges after those vocals, bringing more of that jazzy element as other keys keep it anchored in space. I love some of the echoey lines of jamming that emerge later. It gets into "New Jerusalem" further down the road as the vocals return.
Jupiter to Jerusalem
I love the space rock keyboard sounds that start this. At just over 16 minutes in length, this is another epic piece of music. There are spoken vocals that emerge on this. There is some intriguing jamming on this number. Sung vocals are heard later. This has elements of the more Hawkwind like stuff that is heard on the album proper, but also a lot of the kind of thing that Blake did on Magick. There really are sections here that fit quite well with the Hawkwind type of sound.
