A good five years before Bobby Gillespie was proclaiming "every brother is a star" Leamington Spa duo ULTRAMARINE unleashed " Every Man & Woman Is A Star" :an album full of suss & vibes that remains every bit as celebratory as its' title a goods ten years on.
Now lovingly Re-released by the ever vigilant LTM label( the original album came out on Rough Trade ) "Every Man & Woman Is A Star"- for this writer - is still the definitive ULTRAMARINE statement of intent and marries a joyful, danceable edge with both an awareness of world music ( similar to, say, TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND) and an ability to bend loops and samples into exciting new shapes .
"Every Man..."comes in at a marathon 71 minutes on CD, but don't let that deter you, because at least three quarters of this is enthralling stuff, and the infectious rythms and unlikely sample triggers are always successful in reeling in your attention.
" Weird Gear" denotes an early high, mixing and matching a potent pot- pourri of soul sister vox ,declamatory trumpets and a sneaky sample of the strings from ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN 'S " The Cutter."
Indeed, this track only acts as a floodgate opener. " Pansy's " insistent exotica quickly follows through, featuring rollercoaster Indian rhythms, a descending sitar (?) scale and that essential early 90's item, the jazzy house piano break .
" Honey and Stella " are both excellent, too. The former is dreamy and sensual ; and is light as angels wings ." Stella" , meantime, has an (almost ) Krautrockin' motorik rhythm feel, allowing keyboards and other less obviously discernible elements to float in and out of focus .
ULTRAMARINE'S much- valued 1993 follow - up album "UNITED KINGDOM " paid heavy homage to the oft-reviled "Canterbury scene " from the late 60's and early 70's with vocals from ROBERT WYATT and appearances from members of CARAVAN . " Every Man..." namechecks KEVIN AYERS in the "thanks column " and indeed tracks like "SARATOGA '- with it's undeniably lovely flute breaks underline that era's importance in ULTRAMARINE'S sonic make up .
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There again, tracks like " Geezer" also suggest ULTRAMARINE have invested in heavyweight reggae labels like Trojan and Greeensleeves , too. This track employs a sure-fire skanking rhythm and allows both catchy guitar hooks and some AUGUSTUS PABLO- style melodica to orbit their creative sun .
An irritating, hooting and sample bridges the gap between this track and "Nova Scotia " which is again diffficult to fault in terms of atmosphere and rhythmic interplay. Then there's "Panther ", which veers from a strummed acoustic folk opening to a jittery electronic excursion, all the while pushing satisfactory buttons in the brain.
The one beef this writer would have with " EVERY MAN & WOMAN IS A STAR" is that it does tail off significantly at the death ," Gravity's" wibbling ," mother Earth" hippyisms grate : "Canoe Trip " is merely slight and ineffectual and "Skyclad" is an undistinguished denouement even though it does restore some rhythmic thrust.
Nevertheless "EVERY MAN AND WOMAN IS A STAR" has already succeded in establishing itself as a fine open -minded album loaded with atmosphere and groove by this time and a little judicious programming soon rectifies the problem.
Indeed if you are looking for the perfect dappled late summer grooves to take you through the harsh winter, then rewind and rediscover. " Every Man And Woman Is A Star"s enduring sonic gardens are still in full bloom ten years down the track.
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