20 Mothers

by

Julian Cope

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this album was mostly recorded in one take, then just a little tweaking added later on each track. 20 songs, all very melodic, some rockin' some mellow. not as polished as his next album, interpreter, but just as enjoyable. it's about time he did another album like it, he must have loads of unrecorded songs just hanging about. the beauty of first takes in julian's output is the sense of fun that comes across, and you get the impression that he really enjoys putting even the most serious message across. brilliant sleeve too - pictures of 20 mothers he knows, lots of kids and friends all over it. "greedhead detector" is a highlight, but i like all of it.

Julian Cope is indicative of my schitzophrenic muiscal tastes. I've been somewhat of a fan of his for over 20 years now. I say somewhat because his output though always interesting, has been very uneven over the years . On "20 Mothers" you get a mixed bag. Some of it is well produced while some suffers from almost no production at all. In my opinion his best work can be found on "Saint Julian"(1987) and "Peggy Suicide"(1991) as well as his work with The Teardrop Explodes from 1979-81. It's ironic that much of the material I just mentioned is not available anymore, except for some found on his "Floored Genius" compilation. All in all, there are some fine moments here. "Wheelbarrow Man" and "Senile Get" are fine examples of his off the wall humor that often earns him comparisons to Syd Barrett. "Try,Try,Try" shows his ability as a strightforward pop tunesmith who loves 60's style vocal harmonies. The harmonies toward the end of that particular tune remind me of The Turtles. Oh, I almost forgot the liner notes. They're very funny at times.