Customer Reviews

Psychoderelict

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is one of those albums that you either love or hate. And it's above the heads of a lot of people, people who don't have the patience to give it multiple listens to understand what all's going on. If you get the music-only version, you miss the great storyline being held together by the songs, and some of the songs and music won't make any sense standing alone. It's meant to be like a radio play, not just a collection of songs, so part of the story will be told via song and part via dialogue. And just because you know how it ends doesn't mean you won't want to listen to it again; by that logic you also shouldn't reread a book or watch a movie a second time when you already know the ending. And, truth be told, it's one of those albums that isn't exactly ideal for a new fan because of its complexity.

This story, which is yet another revisiting of 'Lifehouse,' is about a scandal orchestrated by the cynical music critic Ruth Streeting to boost the dying career of former wasted rock legend Ray High, something she did partly with the knowledge of Ray's sleazy manager Rastus Knight. Despite the scandal, everything turns out very happily in the end, with Ray's rereleased albums selling better than ever and Ray getting back into the studio, proving that just because he's over the hill doesn't mean he still can't produce meaningful and popular music. A lot of this is very true to life; many journalists and music critics ignore and bash older musicians just because they've gotten old and some of their fans have stopped caring about them just because they're no longer in the public eye. It's not the fault of the aging rocker Ray that he's sunk in popularity and public recognition, but the fault of everyone who discounted him simply because he got old and didn't go away. Not many albums are made like this anymore, concept albums or albums telling a story. The biggest irony is that this album tanked for many of the same reasons that Ray's career tanked.

I first bought Psychoderelict on cassette from a cutout bin at a discount store. I loved it immediately, from the dialogue (full of wonderfully evocative performances from the actors, by the way) to the surrounding songs, I felt that this was indeed a masterpiece. I wore out my tape from the multiple listens and upgraded to CD at the first opportunity.

I have always been a fan of the concept album. Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick never leaves my CD case and I am also a great fan of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (although not The Wall, an overdone exercise in egomania, but, hey, geniuses aren't perfect, are they?). An artist that can string numerous quality songs along one theme shows, to me, the height of talent.

Some have said that this, the full version, is only worth a listen or two. They must not be fans of old-time radio like myself. The best shows can be heard literally dozens of times, getting better with each listen. And where would the Firesign Theatre be if you couldn't listen to their albums multiple times? I'm sure the music-only version is all well and good for fans of the music, but what about the original intent of the artist? Shouldn't that be respected, as well?

This is a wonderful story with suspense, drama, comedy, and pathos. The twist at the end enhances the experience and does not ruin subsequent listens, as one discovers "clues" laid throughout that point to that end. I have also found great joy in introducing others to this album and watching their faces while they listen to this great album. They invariably ask to borrow it, have me make them a copy, or, at best, go out and buy their own. Of course, I have only chosen people who I thought would be good subjects. Talent wasted on unappreciative minds is simply a disaster.

This is classic Townshend and should be appreciated by all fans, if not of Pete's, then of the genre of musical radio play, of which there are regrettably few.

I would like to see more of this type of experimentation. Shake things up a bit.

What a joy! Having previously heard only the full version with dialogue, I can honestly say that the music-only disc is a treat. The music is much better than I gave it credit for the first time around. As a listener, I grew tired of the dialogue within the first 5/6 listens, and I found myself starting to dismiss the work as a whole. Hearing the music by itself is a reminder that Pete Townshend, even as recently as 1993, was still a musical genius.

The record company really missed the boat when they re-released this title with full dialogue only. It should have been a 2-disc set, both with and without dialogue. As far as the "radio edit" version shown here, the narrative loses its grit somewhat without the salty language. And, because this is a limited edition promotional release (not really intended for sale), it is over-priced and difficult to find.

Perhaps the record execs will get it right at some point in the future. Or, perhaps Pete will do an additional pressing (and/or download) making it available on his "Eel Pie" website. We shall see...A new edition with and without dialogue, and perhaps a few pages of liner notes explaining what he was on about, would tie things together beautifully. After (finally) having the chance to examine the music on its own merit, I'm leaning towards this being a "misunderstood masterpiece" as other reviewers have stated in the past.

Though it appears the narrative version of this album has fallen out of print (sadly), anyone interested in Townshend's decades-in-the-making LIFEHOUSE project needs to own this album. PSYCHODERELICT addresses many of the LIFEHOUSE themes, telling the story of an aging rock-n-roller living in the time of The Grid. I've actually not heard the music-only version, but I know the original well enough to say that owning either version is better than neither. The music is strong and, as critics noted (unkindly), the narrative does weigh heavy on the listener, but only because the whole concept is coherent only if you listen to the album from beginning to end - which is the point. Many can't seem to wrap their minds around any concept apart from the three-minute single-oriented "album." This is more like literature for the ears. Enjoy in any form, but try to find the original version in the cut-out bin. Also a marvelous companion to the recently released LIFEHOUSE ELEMENTS.

Let me preface this by focusing strictly on the negatives; which are many. This album is completely unwiedly to listen to the first time. I've listened to it three times, and the first time is a night mare. The production is also awful; very flat most of the time. And he makes these really awful "i'm so pretentious" faces in the booklet that make him look much uglier than he actually is. And the fact that there is an element of under age eroticism is truly sad considering recent events. While I believe he is completely and utterly innocent of all actions pertaining to that, others may not. Other people may see that as actual proof of his deviant nature. Also, the dialogue is needlessly vulgar sometimes (the whole sex scene is just stupid) and the attempts at monty python-esque humor often falls completely flat. The dialogue obscures the music often. Why not just do a full out album of music, then do a movie of this?

Well, negatives aside, the positives should now come forth. Okay, here it goes; some of the music here is the best pete's written in a long time. Pete avoids the synthetic feel of white city which sometimes dulled that album's edges (there is much more live instrumentation here) and he also avoids the overglossy broadway junk of Iron Man, the worst album he's ever released. But some of the songs here still show that townshend genius; English Boy is one of his best rockers in ages. Outlive the Dinosaur is funny, as is Let's Get Pretentious. Now and Then is a pretty ballad. Unfortunately, much of the material runs together, and occasionally approaches adult contemporary garbage; however, the songs all have recognizeable melodies, and serve a purpose.

Get this only if you're a dedicated Townshend junkie.

Once I finnally had an uninterupted hour to listen to this I really enjoyed it. My copy is the "radio play" version and I doubt I would have any clue what the story was about if it wasn't for the talking that nobody seems to like.

I would love to see a re-release of this album with both versions included in one package. There are some really good songs and I don't know how many times I'm going to want to listen to the "radio play".

The album Psychoderelict is a unique album. The songs are punctuated with dialog that tells and interesting story. The album tells the story of an aging rocker who has become alcoholic and recluse, and how his manager forms an elaborate plan with a journalist to get him back into main-stream music. It takes a few lessons to understand the story, as it is very complicated. The dialog can make it difficult to listen too, especially once you've herd it a few times, but fortunately there is a music-only version available.
Some excellent songs are Outlive The Dinosaur, Fake It, and the classic English Boy.

... .

The storyline which links the songs together deals with Ray, a burnt out rock legend from the 60's whose manager, and a music journalist he's in cahoots with concoct a scheme to boost sales of Ray's previous albums and hopefully spur him into action on a new project.

Running parallel with this is Ray's attempt to realise a project of his from the early 70's called Gridlife, to do with virtual reality. (This project incidentally bears a striking resemblance to Townshend's own attempted Lifehouse project of about the same time.)

The songs are great, and show very much the vulnerability of the performer in the face of criticism by the media and adulation by fans. "English Boy", "Now and Then", and "Outlive the Dinosaur" were just a few I enjoyed; however, some other short fills incorporating "Baba O'Riley" like synsthesiser sequences could have used a bit more fleshing out to make them more songs in their own right, rather than just reminders of "Who's Next". The overall theme was very much one Ray's struggle to realise his dreams in the face of the pettiness and greed of the parasites who feed off either his money or his failures. Ray's (voice by Townshend himself) "What happened to the dream?" monologue at the conclusion finished the album perfectly without resorting to sentimentality to drive home the point.

I thought this was a great album, by and large and I think a lot of the dialogue was very amusing. Even if you can't get Psychoderelict for the price I did, get it anyway. It's well worth it.

Pete is a gifted composer and performer. In this album the large majority of his songs are rich and appealing.Unfortunately the interspersed radio talk is a drag to me and devalues the album.

Keep in mind that Pete Townsend began his music career as co-front for the Who, as a spindly figure with a weak voice and great blues guitar licks. In only a few years he became a guitar bashing hero and a VERY capable singer, turning out the mini-opera "A Quick One". Sure, his early lyrics were sadly twisted ("I'm A Boy", the whole Tommy opera, "Happy Jack"), but his compositional skills were excellent. In the 70s he penned the ideas for the ill-fated "Lifehouse" film/album/indulgence which became Who's Next, the brilliant Quadrophenia (still psychologically twisted), and several excellent rock tunes.This album, which I also purchased from the cut-out bins, is not a concept album, or a rock opera; it's best appreciated as a radio play, harkening back to the little snippets between songs on The Who Sell Out. Listen to it this way, and you see the cleverness amid the songs, the alienated/anti-social protagonist (a PT theme for sure), and the cynical, albeit tongue-in-cheek of the pretentious radio personality and the burnout rock star playing Svengali with a teenaged girl. Dark, but clever and funny. Buy it. It's a good deal, and there's good music.