Cherry Red's "A Darker Bloom" retrospective of THE BLUE ORCHIDS' work was one of the re-issue highlights of 2002, so to find LTM plundering Martin Bramah's vaults for further hardy perennials is indeed sweet music to the discerning ear.
As the album's subtitle suggests, "From Severe To Serene" gathers together t'ORCHIDS' landmark John Peel sessions from 1980 and 1982, plus an additional clutch of live and studio rarities which are more than deserving of the digital remastering treatment in their own right.
Let's enjoy the Peel session wares first. "From Severe To Serene" bursts into life via three tracks recorded in December 1980. Featuring manic versions of the band's calling card single "Work" and its' deliciously unhinged flipside "The House That Faded Out" - plus a sketchy, rudderless early take of "Low Profile" - this session showcases the Blue Orchids' fascinating, quirky take on classic British Psych-pop and swiftly establishes the fact Martin Bramah and Una Baines didn't require the cantankerous Mark E.Smith to make a sizeable sonic impression.
The second Peel outing from April 1982 is the real gem here, though, and one they'd worked up to. 1981 had been a notable year for The Blue Orchids, with the release of their superb debut album "The Greatest Hit" and their subsequent bout of gigging, backing up doomed ex-Velvets legend Nico. James Young's magnficent "Songs They Never Play On The Radio" biog makes it painfully clear that this was usually a rather less than salubrious affair, but - musically at least - Nico rubbed off positively on Bramah and co.
This is borne out by exposure to the April '82 Peel session. Spacier and more considered than before - and featuring a Bramah far more at ease with himself as a vocalist - all four tracks are classics, complemented by gorgeous sound quality and Dale Griffin's ultra-clarity production nous. "Sun Connection" is just heavenly, though the dryly laconic "Bad Education" ("I think I've read too many books, watched too much TV") - later covered by Aztec Camera - and "A Year With No Head" are every inch its' equal. If pushed, this writer would probably plump for "A Year With No Head" as his absolute fave Bramah tune. Featuring a Jah Wobble-esque subterranean bass motif and a lovely, lysergic undertow, it truly encapsulates that unclassifiable, otherworldly quality that made The Blue Orchids immediately stand out.
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Then there are the rarities. The seven tracks recorded live in Manchester during 1981 are understandably primitive sonically, but are no less captivating for that. In fact, the insistent instrumental "Tighten My Belt" (with Baines' strange, theremin-style keyboards bleeding all over the hinterland), the tense "Hanging Man" and an expansive, almost Floydian (Barrett vintage) instrumental attack on The Fall's "Underground Medecin" - here renamed "Underground Breakfast"- demonstrate just how impressive the Orchids were becoming on stage.
Even better is the news that the ultra-rare EP Bramah recorded as THIRST with fellow ex-Fall stalwart Karl Burns on drums is also included here. It more than lives up to its' " lost classic" billing, though its' considerably rockier and riff-based than Bramah's customary fare, and devoid of Baines' trademark keyboard wash.
Nonetheless, the four THIRST tunes (originally released as the "Riding The Times"EP in late 1987) are bounteous gifts in their own right. "The Unknown" and "Let Go" are catchy, musclebound efforts and (unusually) the latter features a joyful, exhortative chorus. The chiming "Crystal Kiss", meanwhile, almost comes full circle like a Beggars Banquet-era Fall tune (though with sweeter vocals, obviously) and the Iggy-ish rumble of "Riding The Times" itself has one of the best rock intros EVER as Bramah yells "I've been driven I don't know where!" over Burns malevolent drum clatter.
Considering the unstinting quality of Martin Bramah's back catalogue, it's hard to reconcile the fact that he's endured such a chequered career. "From Severe To Serene", though, blows away the cobwebs brilliantly and leaves the Blue Orchids standing in a field of their own. Take a walk and be blown away by their lustrous beauty.
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