The Web - 1969 - Theraphosa Blondi

The Web

1969

Theraphosa Blondi

01. Like the Man Said (7:06)

02. Sunshine of Your Love (6:47)

03. 'Til I Come Home Again Once More (3:02)

04. Bewala (2:32)

05. One Thousand Miles Away (4:34)

06. Blues for Two T's (2:51)

07. Kilimanjaro (3:54)

08. Tobacco Road / America (5:40)

Bonus tracks on 2008 remaster:

09. Afrodisiac (3:20)

10. Newspecs (3:47)

John L. Watson / vocals

John Eaton / electric & acoustic (5) guitars, tambourine & cabasa (4), African drum (7)

Tony Edwards / electric & 12-string (5) guitars, military bass drum (4)

Tom Harris / flutes, tenor & baritone saxophones, bass clarinet (1), marimba (4)

Dick Lee-Smith / bass, Chinese tom tom (4), drums (9)

Kenny Beveridge / drums & percussion (4), African drum (7)

Lennie Wright / vibes, congas, claves, marimba (4,7), varitone (4), drums (6,9), xylophone (9)

From the moment our opener, "Like The Man Said", begins, it is clear we're in for a real treat of early Progressive Rock. Watson's vocals are full and soulful, but also sport a unique, wavering warble. I can definitely see this alone being a turn-off to certain listeners. What will definitely set this band apart from your average early Prog band, and puts it more in line with, say, Blood, Sweat & Tears, is their unfettered, balls-to-the-wall utility of their entire 6-person ensemble. Most obvious, in terms of being set apart from the vast majority, are Lennie Wright's vibes. In the halftime middle section, we get a lovely sax solo from reedsman Tom Harris. All comes back for the final few minutes with another verse and killer dramatic end. It seemed as though they were referencing something here, modulating it slightly, and it seems it must be what comes next: a full-blown cover of Cream's "Sunshine Of Your Love". Again, we have a larger-than-standard ensemble, and they do not hold back. From Watson's soulful boom to the pounding complexity of Kenny Beveridge's drums to the sax and warm bass, we get radiating intensity. For the majority of the solo here we get flute, later married to adlib'd guitar and vibes. 

Big tonal shift occurs on "'Til I Come Home Again Once More". This is straight-up Soul! Not entirely unsurprising for Jazz-inflected Prog from this era. Another tectonic shift pushes us into an entirely different continent (once more) on "Bewala", with wild, claustrophobic African tribal drums fit nicely with Wright's marimbas. Fun, unique track! I was certainly intrigued to see how this track would be used in the grander scheme of the album, and in a surprising sort of way it's definitely appreciated, juxtaposed by the soft, personal "One Thousand Miles Away". We're back into Soul country. Band sounds great, but nothing really shining here for me until the drums change to a swing (this doesn't last though). Up next is "Blues For Two T's". Fairly self-explanatory, though it's clearly the Swinging '60s. And actually, this is quite its strong suit (it's defined by the rhythm section and the flute, I'm sure you'll find). We are swingin', even delving into a Jazz Blues thing approaching the end.

We weren't quite done with that previously mentioned southern continent as we specifically return to "Kilimanjaro". This is actually quite nice, and a surprising thing to hear from what I've just assumed were a team of whites. Minimalism is explored by the simplicity of the rhythm and the returning marimba, nicely complimented by Watson's softest vocals yet (basically a croon). Coming to the close of the original album cut, we have "Tobacco Road / America". This is another swinger. Nothing you haven't heard before, far as "Tobacco Road" is concerned. "America" has a totally other vibe, featuring a bombastic feel. What's most interesting is that this is actually the Leonard Berstein composition from West Side Story! Another surprise, for a totally different reason! To me, this honestly sounds a bit like Zappa to my ears, substantiated by the shift back to the Blues for a guitar solo. Absolutely wild flute solo was then to follow; he put his whole soul into that.

The final two songs were 2008 Bonus tracks, starting off with the cool "Afrodisiac". Sweet jam with a great sax solo and these loose, rolling drums. Finally we have the Latin-inspired "Newspecs". Prety cool. I actually especially love the group vocals, with fun hootin' and hollerin'. Interesting choices, but I can understand ultimately why they were left off originally.