
Cheezy grade school drawing artwork on the cover. Rock band playing Gilbert and Sullivan. Can't possibly be any good , can it? Well, amazingly enough, it is . And while not ALL of Spindrift's obscure 1970 album with the concise title Spindrift Liberate the Pirates of Penzance in the New Pop-Rock Sound of an Operetta By Gilbert And Sullivan (deep breath) is successful, there are about a half dozen definite keepers here, and one or two genuine eye-openers. "I Am A Very Model of a Modern Major General" is not nearly as goofy as it once was, and gets a curious baroque harpsichord intro too. As rethunk by Spindrift, it wouldn't sound out of place on the Kinks' Arthur or, better yet, Lola Versus Powerman And the Moneygoround Part 1 , an album title nearly as long as Spindrift Liberate the Pirates of Penzance in the New Pop-Rock Sound of an Operetta By Gilbert And Sullivan (whew). Best of all is the waspy fuzz-blasting freakout "With Cat-Like Tread," an absolute psych pop MASTERPIECE with great minor key chorus and ribcage-vibrating monster FUZZ riffs! Highly recommended for grade-A psych freaks and fans of like-minded purveyors of trippy twisted gems like Fever Tree and the Mandrake Memorial - makes me wanna seek out the Gilbert O'Sullivan original and see how much Spindrift "tweaked" it. It is, as the title suggests, in the "New Pop-Rock Sound" after all, although if by "new" they mean "harkening back to the acid-washed days of 1968" then they're spot on. I read somewhere that only a few hundred of Spindrift Liberate the Pirates of Penzance in the New Pop-Rock Sound of an Operetta By Gilbert And Sullivan (my fingers have just gone numb) were pressed, although they show up fairly often and have yet to command the respect (and price) they might deserve, especially to fans of Gilbert & Sullivan musicals redone in the new pop-rock sound of the baroque harpsichord and fuzz guitar. But if that's you , my friend, then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Spindrift Liberate the Pirates of Penzance in the New Pop-Rock Sound of an Operetta By Gilbert And Sullivan and the Moneygoround When People Were Shorter and Lived Near the Water today!
Based on an operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan
Credits
Drums, Percussion [Assorted] – Tommy Prince
Engineer – Michael Wright
Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Trumpet, Vocals [Every Now And Then] – Doug Martin (5)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals – Tom Gravitte
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Vocals [Chipmunk Parts] – Dave Zarefoss
Leader, Arranged By, Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Bass, Piano, Producer – Tom Costello (5)
Organ, Piano, Harpsichord, Saxophone, Backing Vocals – John Saputo
Tracklist
Act I
A1 Introduction 5:13
A2 Pour Oh Pour The Pirate Sherry 2:35
A3 Better Far To Live And Die 2:20
A4 Is There Not One Maiden's Breast 3:55
A5 Away, Away, My Hearts On Fire 1:58
A6 I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General 2:17
Act II
B1 Frederic's Rain 2:14
B2 A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One 2:15
B3 Sighing Softly To The River 2:13
B4 With Cat-Like Tread 2:16
B5 How Beautifully Blue The Sky 3:05
B6 When The Foreman Bares His Steele 5:25
B7 Farewell To Cornwall 2:18