THE PALACE OF LIGHT – BEGINNING HERE & TRAVELLING OU

As Stewart Lee points out in his notes for this long overdue reissue, the 80’s were different times. You had to live through them to “convey to the contemporary consumer the sheer unknowable mysteriousness of recently distant popular culture in the pre-internet age. Arthur Lee’s name was just a cryptic lyric in a Lloyd Cole single, Bert Jansch was ignored once a month in the back room of my local, and the idea that Nick Drake would one day soundtrack a Volkswagen Cabrio advert was absurd.” You could describe the Palace of Light by simply mentioning those names, or others like Scott Walker, the Go-Betweens and Cyrus Faryar. But while those references should be taken as a compliment, they can undermine the Palace of Light’s unique talent and greatness. At a time when drum machines and synthesizers ruled the airwaves, the music they recorded was unlike anything else on offer: the unashamedly epic vocals of Geoff Smith, the string quartet, the intricate acoustic picking and the twin guitar interplay that nodded to Television, Felt or Quicksilver Messenger Service. “Beginning Here And Travelling Outward” was light years ahead, in terms of content and production, of the debut recordings of virtually any other band of the era. It’s now the 30th anniversary of the original release of “Beginning Here And Travelling Outward” and along with the remastered album, this Expanded Edition includes one rare B-side from the “City Of Gold” 12″; a bunch of previously unreleased studio recordings and demos recorded between 1987 and 1989; six live tracks recorded for a shelved mini-album on Bam Caruso (covers of Nick Drake, Tom Rush, Mickey Newbury, Tim Hardin.); the rare 1991 “Catherine/Books” single, privately pressed by the group and credited to Mabel Joy (reissued by Spring Records in 2011); and a brand new recording made last year by the original lineup.