Re: (TV) Dreamtime/Flashlight - Companion Pieces

["Philip P. Obbard" <pobbard@yahoo.com>]

I don't agree that the "unreleased" 1986 LP was "in the vein of COVER". 

Assuming that the 9 tracks from those sessions that have turned up as b-sides
over the years are the 'meat' of the LP and not the lesser tracks, I would
argue that it's actually nice bridge between the experimentalism of COVER and
the narrative storytelling of FLASH LIGHT, but leaning heavily towards FLASH
LIGHT overall. One track from these 1986 sessions did make it to FLASH LIGHT
("Scientist"); another was re-recorded ("One Time at Sundown"). 

Meanwhile, tracks like "Vanity Fair", "Anna", and "Sixteen Tulips" would have
been quite comfortable on FLASH LIGHT.  "Call Me The", "Circling", "Smoother
Than Jones", and "Caveman-Flashlight" might be the *most* experimental tracks
Verlaine has ever released - listen to "Call Me The" if you've forgotten; it's
a *wild* track - but they are *all* guitar-dominated, a feature that FLASH
LIGHT brought back to the fore after the synth excursions of COVER. Just check
out those extended codas on "Vanity Fair" or "Call Me The"!

Ironically, perhaps the track most reminiscient of COVER from the 1986 sessions
was the one track that made it, as-is, to FLASH LIGHT ("Scientist")!

Assuming those 9 tracks were all intended for the unreleased 1986 LP, I
definitely agree that FLASH LIGHT is a stronger album. But I definitely prefer
my own compilation of those 1986 tracks to COVER and WORDS FROM THE FRONT. I
don't think Verlaine made a "left turn" in 1987; I think the 1986 album was
more of a "warm-up" for the "second best album of his career". Perhaps the
change of scene to London c.1985 gave his batteries a significant recharging?

--Philip

--- Cameron Pulley <cpulley@navicominc.com> wrote:
> Right now, we're discussing connections between "Adventure" and "Tom
> Verlaine LP", and they do seem quite connected, but it's probably because
> they came one right after the other.  However, on Flashlight, Tom is able to
> go back almost 7 years and continue the themes and styles of Dreamtime.
> It's even more incredible when you consider the album he made right before
> Flashlight (untitled?, un-released, produced by Dave Bascombe and TV) was
> very much in the vain of Cover.  Tom made a complete left turn and went on
> to make (in my opinion) second best album of his career.



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