Aardvark – Aardvark (Put That In Your Pipe and Smoke It)
Edit: This review was originally published on 13th May 2010. However, Aardvark’s wee gem gets a long-overdue UK reissue next week (25th July 2011) and as I’ve got my grasping paws on a copy, it offers the perfect opportunity for me to review the beast, without putting the hours in. (Update at bottom of page)
For a brief moment in 1970, keyboard-prog outfit, Aardvark, had the world at their feet… Not strictly true, but they did have a record deal and an album, which, even in a time when there were possibly more people with album deals than without, is still an achievement.
Aardvark also had a USP among prog bands of the time, in that they operated without a guitarist (a la Soft Machine, so maybe not that much of a USP). All they required were bass, drums and the considerable keyboard skills of Steve Milliner, whose Hammond organ takes the lead, filling the hole left by the absence of a guitar. On the opening track ‘Copper Sunset’, the organ actually sounds like a fuzzed-up guitar as it breaks forth with a powerful riff, accompanied by some strongarm drumming courtesy of Frank Clark.
Aardvark is an album that, for the most part, sits in the stadium arena of heavy-prog, with thumping basslines, energetic drumming and the aforementioned Hammond organ weaving its magic throughout. The vocals, from songwriter Dave Skillin, are accomplished and powerful enough to match the sheer muscle of the music, standing up to some hirsute distortion on the weighty and thumping ‘The Greencap’.
But it isn’t all heavy prog. The ten minute ‘The Outing – Yes’ starts off as a jaunty slice of energetic pop, sung like a pub coach trip to outer space, before the meat of the song kicks in and we’re treated to a lengthy workout of post-psychedelic space-rock that wouldn’t have sat awkward on the Pink Floyd debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, or any of the 300+ albums Hawkind released during the seventies.
‘The Outing – Yes’ slips effortlessly into ‘Once Upon a Hill’, bringing the listeners back down to earth with its pleasing foray into medieval-flavoured progressive-folk, heightened by Milliner’s wandering minstrel-esque recorder accompaniment.
The eight minute instrumental organ workout of ‘Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It’ – the album’s original title, changed because of the drug reference – is like Rick Wakeman on speed; all swirling, vertigo-inducing melodies, breakneck drumming and finger-severing basslines, delivered at a pace guaranteed to invoke 12 points on your license and instant disqualification.
At the time of its release, the music press commented on how Aardvark had a rushed feel to it, though Melody Maker did mark the band out as being one to watch. A recommendation that proved fruitless as they quickly split, with this proving to be their only venture into the album market.
Aardvark, and indeed Aardvark, may not have set the world alight but their sole effort is sturdy enough to stand up to repeat listens and doesn’t suffer (as some reviews would suggest) from its lack of guitarist. The likes of ‘The Outing – Yes’ and ‘Once Upon a Hill’ demonstrate a diverse departure from the more standard fare on the first half of the album, with a readiness to experiment that would’ve surely been expanded upon had they managed to last long enough for a follow-up.
One for lovers of the Hammond organ and keyboard-infused progressive rock.
Edit: The newly remastered edition, knocks spots off of those previously available. The sound is crystal clear, for the first time, and doesn’t sound as though it’s been passed through a half-full Hoover bag, prior to release. Of course, it comes equipped with the obligatory booklet, featuring a great set of liner notes that finally shine some light on this once most elusive of bands. Sterling job, all around.
Aardvark is reissued by Esoteric Recordings and available to buy from Amazon.co.uk
Originally released on the Deram/Nova label, Aardvark is only available on CD as a Japanese import, more likely than not at a comedy price. However, it can be downloaded (if that’s your bag) at Amazon.co.uk
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