The Thousands

Time has an astounding way of killing off musical performances and groups. Recordings are lost and buried; destined never to have a release. Albums and singles die a slow and agonising death; shelved into obscurity. Chapter Music has recently exhumed the corpse of Sydney psychedelic group Tully in the form of two live recordings the band made at Sydney Town Hall circa 1969 – 1970.

The first is a pseudo ‘rock opera’ scored by Peter Sculthorpe that is based upon Captain Cook’s Pacific voyage and his tracking of the planet Venus. There are moments where ‘Love 200′ shines. The ominous introduction to the piece (including the manipulation of the horns section that sounds like a pack of howling wolves) is amazing.

‘Sights and sounds of ‘69′ is colourfully improvised to and fro amongst the core members of Tully. Strange soundscapes punctuated by flute and organ meld with spontaneous bursts of toe-tapping jazz and R’n'B infused rock. In both recordings, the grain and texture of the acoustics of Sydney Town Hall are beautifully retained. Let the rotten stink of Tully’s zombified breath run riot and pour out of your speakers. You wont forget it.