Alice in Ultraland [Import]

Amorphous Androgynous | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 26, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B000A6QWC4
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,182 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Emptiness Of Nothingness

2. Witchfinder

3. Witch Hunt

4. All Is Harvest

5. Prophet

6. Indian Swing

7. Seasons Turn

8. High & Dry

9. Yes My Brother (You've Gotta Turn Yourself Around)

10. In The Summertime Of Conciousness

11. Billy The Onion

12. Another Fairy Tale Ending

13. World Is Full Plankton

14. Wicker Doll

Editorial Reviews

UK pressing. Amorphous Androgynous is the psychedelic band created by the Future Sound of London. Alice In Ultraland is a funkoid rocktronic cosmic ambient oozescape, merging the sonic with the lyric, vintage rock with modern electronics. Features 14 total tracks including The Witchfinder, Billy The Onion, The Wicker Doll, High & Dry, All Is Harvest, The Prophet and more. Packaged in a jewel case with slipcase. EMI. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly, October 11, 2005

By 

LHB (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alice in Ultraland (Audio CD)

I had to pay $30 for an import copy of this, but is was worth every cent. Don't expect another "Dead Cities." FSOL don't live there anymore. This logically follows "Isness," but whereas the latter was more song-oriented, this is organized more along the lines of "Lifeforms" with ideas evolving into new ideas at a bewildering pace. Unbelievably spontaneous, yet crafted with meticulous, loving care throughout, "Alice" is almost impossible to describe: I heard Jerry Garcia, Axis-era Hendrix, Prokofiev, Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan (to name a few) and far more guitar and harmonica(!) than I ever expected to hear on an FSOL album. A lot of people are going to hate this album, I expect: every psychedelic and progressive rock device you can imagine, and some you can't, is thrown into the mix. Bear in mind that I've only listened to it once, but I found myself repeatedly looking at the "time remaining" and wishing it would never end, and I found it impossible to enjoy listening to anything else after it was over. This is a true tour-de-force in unbelievably eclectic psychedelia that you'll either love or hate. I suspect those who will love it will be those who are able to love the funky and the beautiful in music without making endless internal references to the ironical twists that "must" be buried somewhere deep within the music's "subtext." This is, I think, a playful, and at the same time extremely heartfelt homage to what, for many of us, (let's be truthful) was a fantastic time, and a gentle hint that such times can be again. It's humorous, serious, has uncountable moment's of incredible, unexpected beauty, and couldn't have been done by anyone other than FSOL. I think it's another absolute masterpiece, but bear in mind that I consider "Isness" to be the best album of the new decade, and own (I think) every commercially available FSOL and AA album ever made except for "Environments." And I love "Dead Cities" too, but if I want to listen to IT, I wouldn't listen to this, and vice-versa. I have only one reservation: something like this should end in a way that suggests more finality, but given the nature of the album, its entirely possible that the open-ended way in which the album draws to a close is intended.

A promotional blurb on the front of my copy of "Otherness" quotes Muzik Magazine describing it as "like a beam of white light straight from heaven." Indeed. If that's so, this is more like God deciding to give us a kick by holding a prism up to the sun and twirling it around for 70 minutes. While Hendrix and Garcia jam with Banco de Gaia, and Cobain and Dougans twist all the right dials. That's what this album "looks" like to me. Absolutely recommended.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Tunes - NASTY Copy Protection!, March 16, 2006

By 

W. R. Jones (New Port Richey, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alice in Ultraland (Audio CD)

I love the CD, great music... better than the Otherness.
BUT, the CD has some very nasty, intrusive copy protection that causes 2 of 3 players I own not to play the disc correctly - The "Copy Control" website warns some car CD players may have trouble playing the disc, in my case it's the only player that will play the disc correctly. Also, if you attempt to listen on your PC the disc requires you to update your operating system! I couldn't get the disc out of my computer fast enough... No Way some company is updating my system files to play a CD.
I believe Sony had some issues with similar copy protection technology and ended up pulling the discs.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely the best yet from the Amorphous Androgynous..., November 11, 2005

By 

J. Lagrow (St. Albans, Vermont United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alice in Ultraland (Audio CD)

Lest anyone think this CD really sucks because of the one star of the previous reviewer, I thought I had better speak up for it. It is the best of the 3 A.A. CDs, full of wildly creative music on all, and beautiful vocals on a few, of the 14 tracks.
Personal faves are "the emptiness of nothingness", "the witchfinder", and "indian swing". The only track I find a bit grating at times is "the summertime of consciousness", with its rather stoned Sid Barrett-like sound, which I'm sure was intentional.
I highly recommend this CD, certainly one of the most interesting discs of 2005. Check it out!