Hard Fruit
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Hard Fruit is a lovely album, that was produced by John Zonn in July 1988. It wasn't cool to be a hippy then, but so what, the eighties were really boring!
Contents |
About
This recording - the second in Zonn's 'John Riley' phaze - has eleven classic songs on it, and is best-known for it's 'anti-80's' eclecticism, which can be heard through the (Crosby, Stills and Nash-esque) 'In the Light of the Sun' opener; the gloriously Punkish 'Skinheads in Uniform'; 'Running Away' (classic Lynyrd Skynyrd soundy-likey), and 'Oogenesis' - which could only be described as being straight out of the Ozric Tentacles songbook (if they had one!).
Whatever type of music you favour, you might find it here...well, unless you like Reggae or Dance music that is...but even still, you may enjoy the ambience of 'Englisserator' or the Futurist weirdness of 'Computerised Doom'. Oh yeah, and there's a small helping of folk n' blues, to boot.
Tracks
| Track | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In the Light of the Sun | 05.09 |
| 2 | Hopalong/Computerised Doom | 06.36 |
| 3 | Jig: Jack the Rambler | 02.35 |
| 4 | Skinheads in Uniform | 03.02 |
| 5 | Sleep Now | 04.01 |
| 6 | The Headhunter's Song | 05.03 |
| 7 | Englisserator/Oogenesis | 08.09 |
| 8 | Belladonna Baby | 03.00 |
| 9 | Running Away | 06.22 |
Chart Toppers
Not yet!!
Credits
Performance Credits
John Zonn Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Glissando Guitar, Bass Guitar, Accordion, Audio Generator, Short-Wave Radio, Assorted Percussion, Drums.
Technical Credits
John Zonn Producer/Engineer/Sleeve Design
Barbara Ryan Assistance with Sleeve Design (2002 re-release)
Trivia
- A different version of 'The Headhunter's Song' (later just called 'Headhunter's Song') appeared on the 'Portfolio Career' album.
- Zonn also introduced 'Computerised Doom' and 'Skinheads in Uniform' into the repertoire of a band, called 'The Lovely Blast', that he joined in 1998. Zonn played: Drums, Guitar & Bass for this band, at different times of course!!
- 'Jig: Jack the Rambler' (with Zonn on Banjo and Bass) featured on an album by 'Big Jim & The Weedkillers' (later simply 'The Weedkillers'), called 'The End of the World Girl', in 1995.
- The album was later re-released (in 2002) with a new cover design - shown at the top of this page.
Shop
Song Meanings
In the Light of the Sun
- Strummy Crosby, Stills and Nash-esque song about imminent environmental disaster - bear in mind, this was written in 1988.
Hopalong
- Jolly, bouncy instrumental number, with riffs akin to Pink Floyd's Fearless and The Ruts's You're in a Rut.
Computerised Doom
- Again, impending environmental and social collapse, in ironic 'futurist' style.
Jig: Jack the Rambler
- Thanks to the likes of Steeleye Span et al. for this gentle instrumental passage.
Skinheads in Uniform
- Punk is born again, with nasty South London accent and in-your-face anti-police, anti-army lyrics.
Sleep Now
- Very gentle lullaby, with sinister undercurrents and once more: a Pink Floyd trim!
The Headhunter's Song
- Lyrics that question the world, the Cold War, the Media, Environmental destruction (popular theme here), and that express the spirit of the age for the writer. Tune reminiscent of Neil Young perhaps.
Englisserator
- Audio Generator 'heaven'! Spacy build-ups and cadences, with Glissando Guitar featuring heavily and tailing into...
Oogenesis
- Where jazzy bass and glissando space, contribute to a rhythm-led instrumental ode to Ozric Tentacles
Belladonna Baby
- Country boogie, with grateful appreciation of Canned Heat. Belladonna Baby tells a tale like Bedknobs and Broomsticks gone awry!
Running Away
- A lesson in fearlessness, from a non-exponent of the activity...Lynyrd Skynyrd couldn't have done better!
Reviews
None.
External Links
Categories: Album | John Zonn | Rock | Pop | Folk | Acoustic | Alternative | Experimental
