Search - Fat Mattress :: Anthology

A Second Chance !

Meathook Williams | Warwick, Massachusetts | 08/09/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most unjustly maligned bands of the late sixties was surely Fat Mattress. Perhaps because guitarist Noel Redding, who was still playing bass in the Jimi Hendrix Experience at the time, had everyone expecting some sort of voodoo extravaganza. But the Mattress had a distinctly lighter approach, though certainly psychedelic, it wasn't particularly bluesy. This having been pointed out at jump, I loved their sound, both then and now. The songs are catchy without being kitschy and hold up quite nicely over the time elapsed. But even in the liner notes, for instance, one song, "Magic Forest", is given the opposite view. Well, you certainly couldn't prove it by me. It's as perfect a gem of psypop as the era ever spawned. Redding was originally a guitar player and returns to that calling for both of their albums, playing interestingly and poignently both ensemble and as soloist. The other members, who came from groups as far flung as Flowerpot Men, Cat Stevens and, most perplexingly of all, Englebert Humperdink, perform likewise. This anthology comprises both of their albums along with a half a dozen bonus tracks,in short, the whole kit n' kaboodle on two discs at an invitingly low price. Thogh the second album isn't quite up to the caliber of the first, it has some great moments. My real favorites still come from disc one. Songs like "Mr. Moonshine", "Petrol Pump Assistant", and "She Came In The Morning"stand out against today's standards as both diverse and memorable. On the fine "All Night Drinker", Traffic's Chris Wood climbs on board with some superlative flute playing. The sound is remastered proficiently, and the booklet slick and informative, if not particularly generous. If, at the time, you blinked, you might have missed them. But as zeitgeist, they were as representative of their time as anyone. Don't blink this time around."