Fuchsia : Fuchsia, Mahogonny & other gems (UK,1975-1978)*°°
When I saw this Fuchsia cover destroyed with ugly graffiti "artwork" I was confused and did not know what this item was about. Only when I opened the booklet it was clear to me this is a compilation of unreleased Fuchsia tracks and other recordings related to the band, compiled with the help of band leader Tony Durant.
Different from the mediocre cover artwork it contains a thick quality booklet with extra information, band pictures and song texts of all listed material.
What do we have here ? The first three tracks were meant as a demo to get a contract for a second Fuchsia album, which did not happen. Mahagonny was a 1975 5-track inspiration with two members from the group with a couple of friends. It was based upon the Threepenny Opera from Brecht/Weill. From that same period two duo songs of Robert Chudly who had writen a Fuchsia track before, with Tony Durant are also added. Last track is a song by Tony Durant he wrote in 1978 for a movie. It was sung by John Tams, then part of the Albion Band.
The first two Fuchsia tracks “The Band” and “Ragtime Brahms” still have the recognisable Fuchsia sound, including the orchestrations mixed with the, for them, typical early Electric Light Orchestra bass power folkrock touch. The recording is slightly damaged but luckily still is enjoyable. “Ring of Red Roses” is a bit rougher and rockier as an idea, like a song still in progress.
The Mahagonny Project is a rockopera with some orchestrations. It was made in a time when music companies had enough of ideas going away from the basics of expression (in punk, pop, rock). It sounds more like a poprockopera which is slightly wordy. Unless it has orchestrations, it's more a ‘Tommy’ kind of rock’n roll-for-the-public storytelling element.
The two Robert Chudley tracks are in an early 70’s rock song style with end of 60’s harmony vocals, of which "Mary used to play the piano" is I think a nice attractively arranged song.
The last, nice concluding acoustic track by The Golden Medallion confirms the feeling of melancholy towards some of these so easily lost days. It still is a shame no contract was given to the Fuchsia group for a second album. We know the times already had changed to much. So this compilation still is the best of what can be offered of an after-story after a very good debut.
The extensive liner notes tell how the story of Fuchsia evolved and how the members got into new projects and groups.
psychedelicfolk.homestead.com
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