Levitation: Meanwhile Gardens, Version 1

Just when you’ve recovered from the devastating fact that there are no more Rain Parade live recordings in the BPFE vault, I hate to break this to you – this is the last of the Levitation rarities….

We’re going out on a high tho’ as this is excellent stuff. It’s their second album ‘Meanwhile Gardens’…not the ‘only available in Australia’ version with Steve Ludwin on vocals but the first draft with errant frontman Terry Bickers still at the helm. Potential and promise oozes from every chord, but it was never to be and they languish in the ‘90s also-rans’ file. Bloody heartbreaking.

This post comprises nine album tracks with three other tracks recorded at The Barn. They’re all great. If you listen closely, you can hear echoes of Radiohead and Muse, but tempered with a modern psychedelic feel that gives them a unique sound. What a loss they are to music. Terry Bickers where are you when we need you?

For more information:

http://www.snowblood-apple.com/LevitDSCardiacs.html

I’m indebted to The Spiritualized Forum – in particular Spunder for sharing files and a wealth of information.

And here's the album:

Meanwhile Gardens version 1

Levitation: Reading University 26 02 92

Levitation were a great live band and here's the proof. This is a dub of a limited edition FanClub cassette - only 800 were made, fact fans. There's a nice, everso slightly unhinged vibe to the whole performance, which I like a lot. And the drumming....oh the drumming. Stand up and take a bow, David Francolini.

Great Rock Entrances of the 90's Part 1. I only got to see the band once, supporting All About Eve* at a dreadful venue called the Aston Villa Leisure Centre - basically, an enormous galvanised bucket with a burger stand. Levitation (minus maestro Terry Bickers) took the stage and started plugging away in that swirly, nouveau-psychedelic manner of theirs. After about a minute of this, Terry B comes HURTLING from stage left, Guitar in hand, heading for the mic. His progress was hindered slightly by an unidentified obstacle on the stage, which he either hit, or swerved around (it was hard to tell, he was moving so fast...seriously). This caused the errant Guitarslinger to make a wide arc around the stage, his body at a 45 degree angle,  still moving at light speed. Amazingly, he was able to bring himself to a halt in front of his mic at exactly the right moment for him to start singing. He didn't miss a beat and made out like the whole thing was intended. Terry Bickers: Mr Showbiz.   

(* Long time readers will remember that I saw those other BPFE faves Kinky Machine scaring the life out of All About Eve fans. Just when they'd recovered enough to apply some fresh eyeliner and read a bit more Gormenghast, along come another bunch of ruffians. And I didn't stalk AAA, by the way, although I did have a bit of a crush on Julianne Regan)

Reading Uni 26 02 92

Levitation: Reading University 26 02 92

Twice   
Firefly   
World Around   

Hangnail   
Resist   
Attached   
Pieces Of Mary   
Evergreen   
Nadine   
Paid In Kind

Levitation: Demos 1989-1991

As promised about 100 years ago, here's some more aural yumminess from everyone's favourite IndiePopProg rockers, Levitation.

Following on from the non album tracks I posted a while ago, here are some demos that were circulated as a limited edition fan club release back in the day. The tunes are from 1989-1991 and feature some stuff that made it on to their superb debut album, their EPs and a tune or two that slipped down the cracks. There's some fascinating stuff on here that you should hear. Here's the bumf from the original cassette:

“This is a selection of 8 Track recordings made between 1989-1991 and mixed especially for this limited edition of 800 cassettes.

‘Nadine’, ‘Smile’ and ‘Rosemary Jones’ were subsequently recorded in Oct 90 and appeared on the ‘Coppella’ EP as the first official Levitation release on Ultimate

The completed version of ‘Firefly’ first appeared on the ‘Ever After’ EP recorded in May 1991. A further version of ‘Smile’ and definitive versions of ‘Arcs of Light and Dew’, ‘World Around’, ‘Embedded’ and ‘Coterie’ can be heard on Levitations first album ‘Need For Not’ released by Rough Trade in May ’92. The instrumental ‘Jay’ can only be found on the Rough Trade single ‘World Around’ released prior to ‘Need for Not’

‘Origins’, ‘Mantra’ and ‘Day by Day’ appear for the first time on this cassette

Levitation are:

Terry Bickers: Vocals, Guitar

David Francolini: Drums

Christian Hayes: Guitar

Laurence O’Keefe: Bass , Vocals

Robert White: Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals”

I’ve already mentioned how ace this band really were. One of the great ‘lost’ bands of the 90’s. My advice to you, boys and girls is - download, turn your Phasers and Chorus Pedals up to ‘EnormoFlange’ and wallow in the (almost) contemporary Psychedelia of Levitation.

(Thanks again to the good people of the Spiritualized message board for pointing me in the right direction...)

Demos

 

Levitation: EP Tracks

"You can be progressive without being pompous. It sounds like a cliché but I don't care - we are a progressive band and we're in the here and now." - Terry Bickers interviewed by Steve Sutherland Melody Maker April 27, 1991.

As a long time, die-hard, card carrying, 100%, gold plated, 10 year guaranteed Church uber-fan, I had a bit of a problem with The House Of Love. Like a lot of my peers, I believed that HOL mainman Guy Chadwick should be tortured slowly until he revealed (preferably on live TV, satellite broadcast to the entire world) that he nicked all his ideas from Steve Kilbey. Well, I’ve mellowed considerably since then and turned into quite a fan of the HOL, especially the much maligned ‘Fontana’ album. And the star of that album is Mr Terry Bickers…the leading light of Levitation.

After an ‘acrimonious departure’ (ha!...I love that expression – it covers a multitude of sins) from The House Of Love, Our Terry formed Levitation. During his time in HOL, Terry had established a reputation as being a bit of an ‘eccentric’ and was lampooned in the Music comics. A bit of a shame really, as he’s quite a talent and all that ‘Mad Tezza’ stuff diverted attention from his obvious skill as a geetar slinger par excellence. Levitation showed ‘em all how stupid and facile they were. Mr B assembled a world beating band and released some outstanding music, starting with the ‘Coppelia’ EP. Not only does he excel as a Guitarist, his voice isn’t bad either. The EP features four neatly controlled pieces of Indie-Pop-Prog. I was excited. Another two EPs and an album followed, all of which hinted (and occasionally shouted) at greatness.

　

('Even When Your Eyes Are Open'

their first release on Chrysalis)

Levitation combined the coolest of influences...a bit of Krautrock, a little Psychedelia, a dash of indie-schmindie, a healthy helping of Prog and some of that Post-Punk, 60's inspired stuff that we all know and love.

They toured (often supporting the most unlikely of bands…The Fall, anyone?) and got signed to A Major Label. Guess what happened next…? Yep, After playing a bad-tempered fifty-minute set at Tufnell Park Dome in north London on May 14, 1993, where the band were co-headlining with Eat, Terry threw his toys out of the pram and announced his intentions to leave. Among his onstage comments and announcements were "No corporation is going to stop us, gas is our business, cars are our business, the music business is our business.." (paraphrasing Killing Joke's track Age Of Greed); "This is the last time you'll see me for a bit"; and (most infamously) "Levitation are a lost cause as far as I can tell. We've completely lost it haven't we? Haven't we?" That put a bit of a damper on the proceedings and Mr B made a sharp exit from the band he’d formed. Years later, he admitted to being incredibly hasty in his proclamation. The band soldered on without him, finishing off the album they were working on at the time – ‘Meanwhile Gardens’. Sadly, without the ‘star’, the band folded, leaving behind some unfulfilled promise and a whole bunch of great tunes. I guess you really can’t catch lightning in a bottle…

For your delectation and education, this is the first of four Levitation posts. As the album is still available for official download, I'm concentrating on the rarer material.  This first post rounds up all the non-album EP tracks and some other bits and pieces. The subsequent three will be the original version of ‘Meanwhile Gardens’ with Bickers on vocals (his contributions were wiped and replaced with those of new frontman Steve Ludwin when the album was finally released in Australia only), demos for the highly recommended 'Need For Not' album and a storming live set from Reading University in Feb '92. I suggest you grab 'em all.

But first of all, let’s bask in the short lived but solar brilliance of Levitation…

Levitation: Non album tracks

(a MASSIVE thank you to the good people of the Spiritualized forum for putting some stuff up for D/L and pointing me in the right direction