Pete Brown — Can’t Get Off The Planet( CD boxset)
Can’t Get Off The Planet is a six-CD set that collects the late 60s to early 70s recording output of English performance artist/singer Pete Brown, with various musical collaborators. His output blended prog/ art rock with blues and jazz in an often original/distinctive manner.
The box set appears on Esoteric Recordings, which is the prog/ related rock label of Cherry Red. Each of the discs comes presented in its own colour card sleeves- these come presented in a purple and yellow text glossy/ flipside box. Also included is a glossy forty-page inlay booklet- it features a sixteen-page write-up about Mr Brown/ included albums. Along with comic book pages, loads of pictures, poster artwork, full album credits, etc.
Peter Ronald Brown was born on the 25th of December 1940 in Ashtead, Surrey, England. His first poem got published at the age of fourteen, and in the 60’s he became part of the Liverpool poetry scene. Around this time, he formed his first band- The First Real Poetry Band- which found him joined by John McLaughlin (guitar), Binky McKenzie (bass), Laurie Allan (drums) and Pete Bailey (percussion). The band came to the attention of none other than blues rockers Cream, with Pete going on to write classic band tracks like "I Feel Free", "White Room" "SWLABR" and "Sunshine of Your Love".
He started his solo career in 1968 under the name of Pete Brown and His Battered Ornaments. The first CD here takes in the project's debut, 1969’s A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark, which originally appeared on Harvest. It’s an eight-track affair, with this reissue adding four bonus tracks. It’s a self-assured/ quite genre-varied affair. It moves between “Dark Lady” which comes off like a fuller-sounding/jazzier take on later-day Doors- with grooving key lines, swinging horn work, jiving beats, simmering-to-rocking blues rock guitar, and Mr Brown’s wailing vocals. “The Politician” opens with a few minutes of just Mr Brown’s spoken word text regarding a depraved politician- here he sounds like a more wordy, slightly inebriated John Lydon. It then shifts into a few moments of one-horn searing jazz, before he burps, then the song shifts into slide guitar-edged/ grooving organ blues rock, with Mr Brown now sounding like The Grateful Dead's Pigpen. And “Sandcastle” is a tight waltzing mix of a taut bass guitar line, marching drums, occasional wailing guitar tones and flute trails, topped with Brown's darkly sing-song vocal. All told, A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark is a most impressive debut album- blending tight & creative genre mixing with great wordcraft.
On disc two, we have 1970s Things May Come and Things May Go but the Art School Dance Goes on Forever- which was released under the banner of Pete Brown and Piblokto!. This was a nine-track affair with three bonus tracks. It moves from the opening title track, which begins off sounding like Peter Gabriel singing for Black Sabbath- then slips into bluesy come slightly- jazzy rock jam out, before resolving on a few bars of trad jazz. “My Love’s Gone Away” is all tight & hard-hitting percussion, hovering organ tones, blues guitar licks, and wavering/ wailing vocals. And “Country Mourning” is about steadily striding jazz touched keys, distant wailing guitars, and Mr Brown's pressingly throaty vocals. Again, this is another consistent album, which sees Brown and his band extend their musical palette.
Onto disc four and we have 1970s Thousands On A Raft- this is a six-track affair, with two bonus tracks. It moves from bounding piano keys, distant string swoon, grooving organ lines and slightly warblingly soulful vocals of “Station Song Platform Two”. On "If They Could Only See Me Now, Parts 1–2” we find a taut-yet-bounding rock riff and fired-up vocals- over the track's length, we get some great breakdowns/ solos from the guitar, organ, and detailed ethnic edge percussion runs. There's the strutting riff, taut bass/ percussive groove, and wailing guitar solo of “Got A Letter From A Computer”. Again, yet another consistent & creative album.
Disc four is entitled Studio & Radio Sessions 1969- 1971. This takes in ten songs, which are a mix of alternative versions of album tracks and a few unreleased tracks. Normally, with this type of thing, we get uninspired/ only slightly different versions of known tracks- but again, this disc is highly consistent. With both Mr Brown & his band really serving up some smoking/creative takes on album tracks, and rewarding unreleased tracks like “Dawn Of A Night Wasp” with its forceful, slightly off-angle guitar strums, hushed to more forceful vocals, and subtle organ/ percussive additions.
Disc five takes in a live recording from Paris in October 1971. It takes in five tracks, and the band/ Mr Brown sound on top, fired-up form, offering up some great takes on album tracks.
The final disc in the set is 1972’s Two Heads Are Better Than One, which found Brown teaming up with English blues keyboardist Graham Bound. This is an eight-track album with six bonus tracks. It moves from the bounding boogie-woogie piano of “Lost Tribe”, onto afro rock strut meets horn vamping of “Oobati”. Through to the haphazard piano and guitar bound of “Scunthorpe Crabmeat Train Sideways Boogie Shuffle Stomp”, though, wondering piano key pitter-patter meets waving sing-song vocals of “Looking For Time”. It’s an ok collaboration, though I felt Bound’s elements did distil the more Brown focused elements.
Can’t Get Off The Planet is another stellar box set from Cherry Red. Mr Brown was a real talent who managed to mix genres in a distinctive/original manner. His 60s/70s discography is highly consistent, all making this release near flawless.