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Ozit /Morpheus Records [Release date 01.07.22]
Previously reissued by Ozit as a CD to mark the album’s 30th anniversary, The 50th anniversary of ‘Tractor’ is given a 3 sided, double-set on red vinyl release, contextualised by a pictorial collage with relevant quotes.
And if long time fans might have expected more than just the 2 bonus tracks to fill the empty side 4 and could have done with an inserted lyric sheet, it’s great to see this psychedelic classic back on vinyl.
It remains an exemplar of timeless heavy Brit psych/prog rock, counterweighted by lighter acoustic pieces.
The John Peel championed band hail from Rochdale and feature Steve Clayton on drums/percussion, piano and some bass, Jim Milne on all other guitars and vocals, guest Dave Addison on some bass, alongside John Brierley who frames the album’s inspired jamming, intensity dynamics with an expansive production.
Tractor’s style is encapsulated by the opening track ‘All Ends Up’ with its piecing whistled opening, echo reverb, heavy droned fuzz guitar and snarled vocals, which evokes an era dominated by the likes of Edgar Broughton, Hawkwind and Pink Floyd.
Much like the early Broughton’s Tractor carry an anti establishment message, as on ‘All Ends Up’: “They’ll sign your life away, don’t let the man in the grey suit deceive you, once you’re in you’ll stay…..”
The track quickly ushers in portentous sounding psychedelic riffs and pounding drums – an impressive layered sound for a duo – which gives drummer Steve Clayton plenty of room for Nick Mason style drum patterns and rolls.
They add eerie backing vocals and a slight change of tempo to add to the nightmarish intensity. And just when you think they are fading into the ether they return with a stereo-panned drone synth sound (actually Milne’s buzz guitar), which sounds as if they just were experimenting with the studio’s sonic potential, before one final burst of buzz guitar.
‘Little Girl in Yellow’ offers a sudden tempo change, with guitar and bass double lines, as they embark on a trip (pun intended) on their “goblin ship.”
The fierce riffing and incendiary jamming reaches a bursting point at 13.30 marks. Milne launches himself into some outer worldly guitar playing which producer Brierley neatly brings to the front of the mix to finish the track.
By contract, ‘The Watcher’ is exercise in simplicity and sonic clarity with its acoustic wash, while ‘Ravenscroft’s 13 Bar Boogie’ lives up to its name as the duo tear things up on a live outing.
‘Shubunkin’ owes much to Man’s ‘The Storm’ in particular, and Steve Miller and Hawkwind in general, all of whom were significant at the time.
Milne’s wah-wah and fazed layering over Clayton extravagant drum patterns underpin a salient motif which gives the track a memorable link function, before another change in mood and dynamics on ‘Hope In Favour’.
Sometimes the heavy intensity of the time cries out for a lighter touch which they belatedly deliver on the final bonus track.
That said, there’s so much going on here from the massive guitar layering to the intermittent, intricate bv’s to satisfy all heavy “underground” rock fans.
The acoustic intro to the hymnal ballad ‘Everytime It Happens’ initially evokes early Dave Brock, but evolves into a beautifully woven track with such vocal clarity and subtle echo, that you can almost forgive the harsh buzz guitar tone.
50 years after its initial release, this album still sound innovative, challenging and exciting and is only dated by the studio trickery of the time. Unencumbered by commercial restraints, the music cleverly evokes the poetic lyrics that reach beyond restrictive labels.
‘Everytime It Happens’ is an articulate highlight and gives us glimpse of what might have been, had they not been so committed to the musical ideals of the time.
‘Make The Journey’ has an early Floyd feel, with neat harmonies until an avalanche of fuzz guitar and bone crunching drums fill the track full of bombast.
The electronic sounding percussion was years ahead its time, while the vocal collage was closer to the early 70’s template. The track careers towards a tension busting resolution, much akin to a steam train coming off the rails, though you get the feeling they know exactly what they are doing.
The first bonus track ‘Revolution Man’ is a well chosen acoustic book-end, while the closing introspective ‘Northern City’ comes from the band’s previous incarnation as ‘The Way We Live’ and features Dave Addison on bass.
It’s a name that perfectly sums up the band’s music, which is intense, inspired, spontaneous and timeless.
The final clean toned bluesy guitar solo, accompanying husky bass line and impassioned vocal is a reminder that under all the layered bluster is an articulate duo and an album that continues to enchant rock fans a full 50 years after its recording. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
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