FRIAR TUCK (Julian Cope) – self titled – review

FRIAR TUCK (Julian Cope) – self titled
Head Heritage

So, where do we stand on Julian Cope? In fact, where does Julian Cope stand on Julian Cope? I’ve long suspected that his persona was meant to be a one-time Halloween prank that got waaaay out of hand.

I mean, most of the stuff he did up to the early-mid nineties was good enough. There were even moments of excellence. But then he embarked on a mission to make some of the most unlistenable records ever, all whilst wearing a poncho, and riding a unicycle to Avesbury.

Fair play for dedication to the role, but no-one, not even Joolz has listened to the likes of “Interpreter”, “Rite” or “Odin” and thought, know what, this is a banger of a record. Remarkably, things took a turn for the worse in the post millennium years. Then someone suggested I take a listen to his “Robin Hood” album. And, much to my surprise, it was rather good. Which brings us to “Friar Tuck”.

He’s still punting out lo-fi home recordings with bafflingly poor drum machines but the fella has started to remember what a song is on this, his thirty somethingth solo record. To be honest, I’d have given the record three stars just for the opening track; ‘Too Freud to Rock’n’Roll Too Jung To Die’, a recycled title from decades back. But, across the record, there are some lovely acoustic guitars, washes of Mellotron, and considerably less fuzz than has been his recent wont.

I’m particularly fond of ‘Four Jehovahs In A Volvo Estate’, a pulsing song that reminds me what he’s capable of. There aren’t too many songs involving Subbueto out there. Especially ones based on a true story, but this one can be added to an illustrious canon. However, it’s not all witty asides; he still addresses major issues, as well as the odd moment of reflections from his past.

Maybe the secret is only to listen to records he makes under pseudonyms. In which case I’m very much looking forward to the next Merrie Men release.

https://www.headheritage.co.uk/