{"id":13624,"date":"2020-10-16T05:00:53","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T05:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=13624"},"modified":"2020-10-13T22:43:12","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T22:43:12","slug":"professor-and-the-madman-seance-fullertone-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=13624","title":{"rendered":"Professor and the Madman \u2013 ‘S\u00e9ance’ (Fullertone Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I hate concept albums as the 16 year Punk Rock Kid inside of me still thinks\u00a0<\/span>of some Prog Bloke in a Wizard\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>H<\/span>at and Cloak stabbing his\u00a0<\/span>keyboards, which<\/span>\u00a0takes up the space of a fitted wardrobe<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0with a large Kitchen knife whilst the drummer enters the 2<\/span>0<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>minute of his\u00a0<\/span>half hour\u00a0<\/span>drum solo.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Right<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0now that\u2019s out of the\u00a0<\/span>way;<\/span>\u00a0my favourite Bass Player\u00a0<\/span>ever<\/span>\u00a0is Paul Gray who found fame with Eddie and the Hot Rods, The Damned, UFO and erm Andrew Ridgley<\/span>. One of my three all time favourite Drummers is Rat Scabies who fortunately played on the ground breaking Damned albums \u201cThe Black Album\u201d and \u201cStrawberries\u201d<\/span>\u00a0with the aforementioned Paul Gray. So when the news broke<\/span>\u00a0earlier this year<\/span>\u00a0that once more Scabies and Gray would be joining up with Alfie Agnew (Adolescents, D.I.)<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Sean Elliott (D.I., Mind\u00a0<\/span>Over<\/span>\u00a0Four)<\/span>\u00a0for the follow up to the<\/span>\u00a0Professor and the Madman\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Disintegrate Me<\/span>\u201d album I reached for the Box of Kleenex. However, my hand hovered as\u00a0<\/span>the words \u201cConcept album\u201d was banded about. Of course the middle-aged\u00a0<\/span>me<\/span>\u00a0knows that any Genre can tackle the idea of a Concept\u00a0<\/span>record<\/span>, Jazz, Blue<\/span>s, Classical and even Punk, but having quality musicians play on a<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>album<\/span>\u00a0doesn\u2019t automatically mean you\u2019ll pull it off, see \u201cSon of Albert\u201d by Andrew Ridgley.<\/span>\u00a0\u201cS\u00e9ance\u201d<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0story\u00a0<\/span>relating to<\/span>\u00a0a group of\u00a0<\/span>mates<\/span>\u00a0who hold a s\u00e9ance to say one final farewell to friends who have\u00a0<\/span>obviously died<\/span>,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>does manage to pull<\/span>\u00a0it off and rather well at that<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in the manner of \u201cSgt Pepper\u201d and \u201cYellow Submarine.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0It does feel as it should be a West End or Broadway\u00a0<\/span>Musical<\/span>, the soundtrack produced by George Martin cue a s\u00e9ance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAll the lonely Soul\u201d is the brooding intro before the title track introduces us the main characters longing to reconnect with their past and lost loved ones through a s\u00e9ance. \u201cSo\u00a0<\/span>Long<\/span>\u201d starts off with a Monkees style intro\u00a0<\/span>before we\u2019re taken though a journey of what seems like regret or reflection. Something that does come across throughout the album is the great vocal Harmonies. Alfie and Sean\u00a0<\/span>take it in turns in the lead vocal department<\/span>\u00a0but\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>the chorus\u2019\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>would make Brian Wilson proud. After \u201cSo Long\u201d<\/span>\u00a0the character in<\/span>\u00a0\u201cReal Me\u201d<\/span>\u00a0contemplates the Devil on his shoulder. It\u2019s probably the best song the Kinks never wrote. \u201cChild\u2019s Eyes\u201d<\/span>\u00a0look<\/span>s back at how things through<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>adolescent<\/span>\u00a0eyes are so much simpler whilst in adulthood it \u201cSeems like the jokes on each of us\u201d. There are two types of people who play bass; Bass Players and Bass Guitarists. John\u00a0<\/span>Entwistle<\/span>, Lemmy and Paul Gray are Bass\u00a0<\/span>Guitarists;<\/span>\u00a0they play their instrument as if it was a lead guitar and Paul\u2019s style<\/span>\u00a0so fit\u2019s in on \u201cS\u00e9ance\u201d you couldn\u2019t imagine anyone else doing a better job.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cTime Machine\u201d\/Man\u00a0With\u00a0Nothing To<\/span>\u00a0Lose\u201d introduces us to another couple of characters; the Scientist who has had enough of reality and wants to build a time machine<\/span>\u00a0to go back to his perceived better\u00a0<\/span>era<\/span>. Now \u201cTime Machine\u201d really screams \u2018Musical!!\u2019 I can see in my mind a row of men in blazers and straw boaters jazz handing across the stage, all that is missing is trumpets! A homeless man overhears the Scientist in the<\/span>\u00a0more downbeat fairground sounding<\/span>\u00a0\u201cMan\u00a0<\/span>With\u00a0Nothing To<\/span>\u00a0Lose\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and imagines what could be achieved if time travel was possible \u201cWe could go back and fix all our mistakes. Build ourselves mansions with the money we\u2019d make.\u201d And \u201cHit 1980 and go see The Damned\u201d<\/span>\u00a0If only, if only!<\/span>\u00a0\u201cTwo Tickets\u00a0<\/span>To\u00a0The<\/span>\u00a0Afterlife\u201d returns to the original character who now finds himself in a Game Show<\/span>\u00a0set\u00a0<\/span>in Hell with some choice prizes \u201cWe\u2019ve Got Thrills, we\u2019ve got pills, we\u2019ve got million dollar bills. We\u2019ve got weed, we\u2019ve got speed, we\u2019ve got everything you need\u201d but they all come with a price<\/span>. \u201c…Afterlife\u201d<\/span>\u00a0is probably the heaviest track on the album.<\/span>\u00a0Once off the Game Show our main man now finds himself in front of \u201cThe Council of Purgatory\u201d who\u00a0<\/span>confuses<\/span>\u00a0him\u00a0<\/span>with their gentle overtones, almost a Barber Shop quartet? Again I can really see this on the West End Stage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAll\u00a0<\/span>The<\/span>\u00a0Lonely Souls\u201d is reprised as an instrumental<\/span>\u00a0that finishes of the main, first act.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cGreetings From The Other Side\u201d starts the final act\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>\u00a0the reawakening of mankind after 2000 years f<\/span>rozen in stasis, with questions and concerns of the album\u2019s protagonist answered by the \u2018Forces\u2019 \u201cWe did not die, we were never here.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0The album ends with \u201cNew World\u201d with the \u2018Forces\u2019 leading mankind to Utopia, the Garden of Eden, you decide but warning, pleading with us to \u201ctake care of your new World, not like the old world and teach the children not to hate, because if you don\u2019t…Maybe we\u2019ll see you again.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Did I ever tell you I love a good old concept album<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cS\u00e9ance\u201d by the Professor and the Madman is out on the 13<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0November\u00a0<\/span>on either yellow vinyl, CD or digital Download via\u00a0<\/span>Fullertone<\/span>\u00a0Records that you can pre-order at\u00a0<\/span>www.professorandthemadman.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Author: Armitage Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Artist Page<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Spotify<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0ReverbNation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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