Aardvark

Kensington Market | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 11, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Wounded Bird Records
• ASIN: B001G2S48Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,878 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Help Me

2. If It Is Love

3. I Know You

4. The Thinker

5. Half Closed Eyes

6. Said I Could Be Happy

7. Ciao

8. Ow-Ing Man

9. Side I Am

10. Think About the Times

11. Have You Come to See

12. Cartoon

13. Dorian

Editorial Reviews

"Home & Native Land" brings a change in musical direction away from the blues and towards a more eclectic mix of styles. There is a heavy artistic slant, influenced by patriotism and naked women. The new direction was apparent on both the cover, adorned by a classic David Andoff drawing, and in the music. Recorded in San Francisco with the Tower of Power horns, the LP was notably different than either Stink or Blues. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why Don't They Release This Onto CD Already!?!??, November 29, 2006

By 

Cthulhu (Roanoke, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aardvark (Vinyl)

First of all, I want to thank the record seller for entering this item on the amazon site, giving me the chance to say some words about this fantastic group. They were a special find in the record cut-out bin for me when I was young, and I grew up with them.

So far as I know, Kensington Market only put out 2 LPs: Avenue Road, and this one, Aardvark. They seem to have fallen through the cracks when it comes to reissues on CD---why I cannot say. So many cut-out (think 3-for-a-dollar) discoveries I made back then have found their way on to CD, but not them, even though many lesser 60s bands have long since been reissued.

Information is scarce about the band. There's not a lot of data on the album covers. They were produced by Felix Pappalardi of Mountain fame, who also produced the Cream. On Aardvark, he is credited with "Musical Direction" as well as Production, and it shows in the heavyness, and the wistful, surreal weirdness of most of the tracks (similar in flavor to Cream's Wheels Of Fire and the Mountain albums), even contributing a short interval piano piece called "Ciao".

Kensington Market were: Gene Martynec (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Keith McKie (rhythm guitar, vocals), Luke Gibson (guitar, vocals), Alex Darou (bass), and Jimmy Watson (drums & percussion). Same personnel both albums. Gene Martynec later showed up as an arranger on Lou Reed's Berlin album. These guys were all standout musicians and played well together. Ponderous of sound, rhythmical, delicate and ethereal. It's sad that they haven't gotten more recognition, hard to figure. I want to help remedy that, 'cause these two LPs are among my all time favorites. In fact, frustrated at their long unavailability on CD, I burned my own from the vinyl. Both albums fit neatly on one 80 min disc, with some room to spare, so if they ARE ever released as such it should be a twofer. Hint, hint...

Let me peer into the crystal a little... Sometime back, I remember reading something about the group that doesn't appear on either album cover, though for the life of me I can't recall the source. I think that they were based in Canada, but the members were possibly multinational. I do remember reading that Martynec was from Germany. That's about it, that's all I see.

Aardvark would have been their second album, I assume, since it is designated WS 1780. Both are on the Warner Bros. Seven Arts label. Avenue Road is WS 1754.

Aardvark is the more mature album of the two, and I have to wonder where they could have gone from there. I would call it a masterpiece. No doubt, they suffered the fate of most bands and disintegrated. They made their statement, and departed. Most of us didn't even manage that. I won't do a track by track analysis, because I love them all. I will say that one of my early favorites was "Half Closed Eyes", a tender, psychedelic ballad penned by McKie and given an out of this world treatment on organ and Moog. But the entire record is great, and they deserve to be counted among the many influencial groups of the 60s.

Two standout tracks from Avenue Road: "Aunt Violet's Knee", a lovely, haunting piece in the return-to-childhood mold ("...Early as evening the east winds have come, Warm to the west they bring wet and they're done..."), and "Looking Glass", about a different time, a different war ("...Cooking a ration card meal for herself, and her cat, Now she is dusting the chair where her boy once sat, After all it's war..."). This album tinkles like windchimes, refracts light like a suncatcher in the window, has the charm of a luminous crescent moon candle, glow-in-the dark stars on the bedroom ceiling. They seemed to be casting about a bit on this LP, not sure whether they wanted to present themselves as pop or psych. One or two of the girl paeans struck me as a little banal, but as they are beautifully arranged (in keeping with the rest of the tracks), listenable. All in all, I enjoy these two albums immensely and would love to hear a faithfully done remaster of them.

Not that I expect any recording industry personnel (or anyone else, for that matter) to read this, but---if you're out there, please. Remaster Kensington Market and make them available to the general 60s retro buying public.

Thank you and good night.

© 2006 RAPWreckerds

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aardvark, and the earlier one, Avenue Road, February 12, 2010

By 

Cthulhu (Roanoke, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aardvark (Audio CD)

Wow, it amazes me that anyone could dislike these two albums. But it shouldn't---is there anything in this world that is universally popular? No, not even water, trees, the air we breathe, apparently... And let's not even include supreme deities (oops!). As for me, I would definitely include A & AR on any desert island (or Mars/Lunar outpost) list. But that is merely the opinion of one who was profoundly touched by these offerings, admittedly. They were a special find in the record cut-out bin for me when I was young, and I grew up with them.

I am glad that they are finally available, after many long years, on compact disc. Too bad they weren't both included on a single twofer CD since, as has been pointed out, they would have both fit on one 80 min disc with room to spare for those lost singles and maybe some unreleased tracks, alternate versions, and whatnot. Or, since they were released on separate discs, even more tracks could have been added---perhaps even interviews. As it is, I already have both albums on vinyl.

Being's there wasn't a lot of data about this fantastic group on the album covers, I hadn't been able to find out much about them until relatively recently. Given was that they were produced by Felix Pappalardi of Mountain (check out Nantucket Sleighride, and others) fame, who also produced Cream (good example: Wheels of Fire). On Aardvark, he is credited with "Musical Direction" as well as production, and it shows in the heaviness, and the wistful, surreal weirdness of most of the tracks (similar in atmosphere to Cream's Wheels Of Fire and the Mountain albums), even contributing a short interval piano piece called "Ciao".

Kensington Market were: Gene Martynec (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Keith McKie (rhythm guitar, vocals), Luke Gibson (guitar, vocals), Alex Darou (bass), and Jimmy Watson (drums & percussion). Same personnel both albums. Gene Martynec later showed up as an arranger on Lou Reed's Berlin album. These guys were all standout musicians and played well together. Ponderous of sound, rhythmically oriented, delicate and ethereal. It's sad that they haven't gotten more recognition, hard to figure.

Let me peer into the crystal a little... Sometime back, I remember reading something about the group that doesn't appear on either album cover, though for the life of me I can't recall the source. I think that they were based in Canada (the fact is well established now), but the members were possibly multinational (well, Martynec, at least---I do remember reading that he was from Germany). That's about it, that's all I see. Not much...

The Aardvark vinyl is designated WS 1780. Both are on the Warner Bros. Seven Arts label. Avenue Road is WS 1754.

Aardvark is the more mature album of the two, and I have to wonder where they could have gone from there. I would call it a masterpiece. I must say, in its defense, that I didn't warm up to it right away (nor, most likely, to Avenue Road). But, for some reason, I did keep listening. Sometimes when you're straining too hard to "find" something, it's just not there, and your preconceptions blind you to those intangible qualities that are. If you're looking for a Clapton, best listen to Cream. He was great there, but his frenzied licks would have been out of place here. There's no need for me to do a track by track analysis, because I love them all. Each is a thing of beauty to me; the melodies are strange, otherworldly, the bass lines powerful and seismic. I will say that one of my early favorites, the one that probably got me hooked into the album, was "Half Closed Eyes", a tender, ecstatic, psychedelic country ballad penned by McKie and given an out of this world treatment on organ and Moog that reminded me, in some ways, of snowflakes falling. And it was, simply...out of sight... But the entire record is great, and they deserve to be counted among the many influencial groups of the 60s.

Two standout tracks from Avenue Road: "Aunt Violet's Knee", a lovely, haunting piece in the return-to-childhood mold ("...Early as evening the east winds have come, Warm to the west they bring wet and they're done..."), and "Looking Glass", about a different time, a different war ("...Cooking a ration card meal for herself, and her cat, Now she is dusting the chair where her boy once sat, After all it's war..."). This album tinkles like windchimes, refracts light like a suncatcher in the window, has the charm of a luminous crescent moon candle, glow-in-the dark stars on the bedroom ceiling. They seemed to be casting about a bit on this LP, not sure whether they wanted to present themselves as pop or psych. One or two of the girl paeans struck me as a little banal, but as they are beautifully arranged (in keeping with the rest of the tracks), listenable. All in all, I enjoy these two albums immensely and would love to hear a faithfully done remaster of them (without compression---please!). As I haven't sprung for the 2 CDs, I can't critique their audio fidelity, and leave that for someone else who has.

Kensington Market suffered the fate of most bands and disintegrated. They made their statement, and departed. Most of us didn't even manage that.

© 2010 RAPWreckerds

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Unknown Band, May 8, 2008

By 

Tom H. Stegehuis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aardvark (Audio CD)

Poor Kensington Market. They had two albums, one in 1968 and one in 1969.
Although signing with a big label (Warners/Seven Arts), neither album got
any promotion from the label, save a couple minor articles in local newspapers. Although Avenue Road has at least a few excellent/really good
songs, AArdvark is clearly the best. It may take a few listenings to start liking it; it's kind of low-key, but once those songs get into your
head, They won't let go. Still listening, listening--------