For the Tin Pan Alley review I wrote: "Context matters. Especially in those crucial years from the late 60s to the middle 80s... ...We have to remember that the 80s were considered anathema to the collectors of the day. If it wasn't from the 60s or 70s, then it wasn't very desirable. Might seem a silly notion now that it's been 33 years since we left that decade, but in the 90s it was still very fresh on the minds of the true believers."
With that in mind, I can remember very well the discussion around P.L.J. Band's Armageddon. Dealers went to great lengths to explain the album didn't sound anything like an 80's album. Mostly to keep the dollar value high. However, in this case, they were absolutely right. Armageddon is completely out of time. Sounding every bit like a 1974 album, the music is both doomy and psychedelic with a folk undertone. The lyric content and theme also draws heavily from one of Greece's most popular albums: Aphrodite's Child - 666. An obsession with the end of times it would seem. The music here reflects that, and is more focused than Vangelis' group. The two narration tracks are particularly chilling. Seen a lot of naysayers over the years regarding this album, mostly coming from the traditional progressive rock camp. They decry its simplicity and song structure. One should view Armageddon in the same way you would hear a Krautrock album - it's about the atmosphere and stark reactionism to the status quo.
Context matters.
Ownership: LP: 1982 Vertigo. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2019).
Former ownership: CD: 1994 Vertigo. Simple jewel case release with no further info.
The above CD replaced the first copy I owned which was the Second Battle CD (acquired in 1992).
1992 (first listen); 2/5/95; 1/22/23; 7/15/24 (review / new entry)
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