A Once And Future Thing by The Pubert Brown Fridge Occurrence

Led by Steve Lucas (of X fame, Australian version, as well as Bigger Than Jesus), the PBFO twirl out of the haze to offer up 11 cuts of heavy psychedelic mayhem nodeled on the Small Faces, Kinks, the Move and other late 60s British touchstones. From the lead track, and a sludgy Blue Cheerish traipse through the Beatles' "Eight Days a Week," done more or less from the musico-chronological perspective of, say, 1970, rather than 1964, it's clear some pretty seriously warped and witty people are on board for this record. By the second track, where music hall meets hazy post-psyche to romp through the neighbourhood near Ogden Nut's Gone Flake, you're pretty much a goner. Like a true time tunnel into a ficitionalized but wholly familiar past, the PBFO will suck you into their loony world in the space of a backbeat. Current fave: "The One You Love," which'll drive you crazy by reminding you of about eight other songs, none of which come immediately to mind. Deranged fun." - Pop Culture Press (US)

"Thank God someone from Sydney nascent late '70's punk scene was listening to 60's London, Liverpool, Manchester rather than (as well as?) Detroit and New York! With this collection, Steve Lucas and his Pubert Brown Fridge Occurrence cohorts redress the balance and remind the world that it wasn't just Britain's Nuggets garage obscurities or America's art rock or shock rock outsiders that were impacting on the impressionable minds of the world's youth and Australia's in particular. The Beat groups that burst out in the wake of the Beatles were making gems just as amazing, just as adventurous, often just as hilarious as anything that came out of the punk scene 15 years ago. Here on one disc is the impact of those groups, in all their manifestations, from pure pop to vaudeville, art house to fun house, all delivered with tender loving care but with tongue set firmly in cheek, just the way it should. This record fairly sweats Fab, pop to smile away the day, or perhaps a slightly inebriated evening or three." - Michael Smith, Drum Media (Sydney)

"More than the mostest. The Kinks and The Small Faces could really learn a thing or two from this exciting new group! I loved it." - Murray Engleheart, Drum Media (Sydney)

"There's the expected great playing and singing, but still plenty of the X swagger and Lucas humour..." - Patrick Donovan, The Age (Melbourne)

"There are plenty of signals to indicate this isn't a normal rock release. The mad artwork spells out the equally unhinged record title, and the album itself opens with a shambolic cover of Eight Days a Week and lurches into a couple of songs that could be homages to the Small Faces or Kinks, in the spirit of British dance hall and pub rock. Like so much of that great early-'60s British sound, it is held together with spit, love and humour. The whole screwy package is the work of Steve Lucas, of X fame, who sings and plays keyboards and guitars, with help from fellow X-man Geoff Holmes on guitars, Jim Dickson on bass, Rebecca Hancock on backing vocals and John Butler on drums, among others. It celebrates a period in rock when there was room for entertainers, not just musicians. This record celebrates a less cynical time when a song about eating ice-cream in the sun can be laughed at and loved in equal measure. Apart from the one Beatles song, they are all Lucas compositions, and especially strong are Bite the Sun (written with Dickson) and a reworking of Don't Cry No Tears." **** The Age (Melbourne)

"This is the sort of album that only a totally unhinged label like Laughing Outlaw would release. It's certifiably weird in that wonderful psychedelic sense of complete lunacy. It's also literate, impassioned and sounds like it comes from another place and time. The Kinks and The Move intersect via Stanmore in 2003. How come X never sounded like this? Go figure." - Stuart Coupe

"Is this some kind of flashback or has Steve Lucas dared to re-invent psychedelia?!!" - Clinton Walker

"Fans of The Kinks and The Move will want to take particular note of The Pubert Brown Fridge Occurrence. Featuring members of the bands X and Radio Birdman, the folks in this band play with the excitement and vitality of a newly formed young band. These folks are obviously paying homage to the bands they loved from the 1960s. The tunes on A Once and Future Thing display a playfulness and optimism that are sadly missing in today's musical climate. The feel of this album is highly reminiscent of The Rutles and The Young Fresh Fellows (one of the greatest bands of all time that will hopefully one day receive the recognition they deserve). This album begins on a confusing note with a strange cover of The Beatles "Eight Days A Week"...before blasting off into ten of the band's original tunes. The hazy hummable songs on this album are pure and uplifting...hopefully igniting a spark that will be heard 'round the world. Killer cuts include "Come Friday Afternoon," "Bite the Sun," "Bottle of Gin," and "Neon and Venom." Great stuff." (Rating: 5++) - BABYSUE.com

"A quick survey of those around me reveals that one of the Beatles less liked songs would be 'Eight Days A Week'. Which is fine by yours truly as it would certainly rank in the top 5 Beatles songs which didn't quite cut it if I were to make such a list (that's excluding by the way any song the drummer sang ; Mr. Starkey's best work was definitely post Fab Four). So it's a total surprise that The Pubert Brown Fridge Occurrence (from now on referred to as PBFO) open this album with a version of that song that actually hits home on the very first listen. Thankfully they haven't heavy handled the song like say Vanilla Fudge were so fond of doing on songs such as 'Ticket To Ride', PBFO have just transported the song from the 'Beatles For Sale' album to the 'Magical Mystery Tour' E.P. and in doing so have created a minor psychedelic classic. Now if the Beatles had held onto the song for a couple of years and issued it on that E.P. with this inspired arrangement it would have appeared in the best of lists instead of the worst of.

But where does that leave the other 10 songs on the album? They are all original compositions by head PBFO man Steve Lucas and they actually hold up extremely well against the songs Lennon/McCartney, Roy Wood, Marriott/Lane or indeed Ray Davies were writing during the second half of the 60's. Lucas, of the Australian version of the band X, has teamed up with Geoff Holmes, also from X, Jim Dickson from Birdman, Rebecca Hancock and one John Butler on drums (who plays brilliantly throughout) to produce what is possibly the best take on 60's pyschedelia we've heard in some years. Better even than the Andy Partridge effort under the Dukes Of Stratosphear banner and wiping the floor with Andrew Gold's similar 'The Fraternal Order Of The All'. Of course what Laughing Outlaw Records should have done is released the album as a long lost classic of the 60's which had only just come to light and copies would be flying off the shelves.

The album is apparently a concept album of sorts, the story centres around the moods and feelings which Pubert Brown -Fridge was experiencing on the last day of his life. What exactly happened to him is somewhat of a mystery; what is clear is that this album is like no other released this year and recalls the fun, carefree times when innocence still prevailed and anything seemed possible. The 'acid test' of albums such as this is whether they could stand proud against albums actually made at the time that these songs recreate. The answer in this case is a resounding yes. 'Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake' by The Small Faces is an obvious touchstone and there are songs on here which easily match those on that 'concept' album. 'A Once And Future Thing' is not a better album than that Small Faces classic, but it's every bit as good.

As a whole it's the Hollies 'Butterfly' fluttering through 'Itchycoo Park' before taking a turn down 'Blackberry Way' and finally resting in 'Strawberry Fields'. Steve Lucas really has a knack of capturing the feel of the psychedelic 60's like no other. Vocally he has a really strong voice, his guitar playing is absolutely superb and the odd touches he adds here and there like the recorders on 'Sleepy Jane' are the work of a genius.

'Come Friday Afternoon' is a perfect slice of lazy psychedelia complete with a nagging guitar line and has Lucas showing a more gentle side to his vocals. A late Friday afternoon next summer; hammock, a nice cold beer and this song on the headphones. If that doesn't mellow you up for the weekend nothing will.

The snatches of sound effects like cuckoo clocks and a version of 'Greensleeves' played on a xylophone which has more than a few false starts all add to make this album sound like an authentic 60's recording. The fun the band obviously had making this album shines through every note played. The main problem with the Small Faces was that occasionally they allowed their liking for British music hall to take over at times but it didn't always work and could sometimes grate at times PBFO also have that tendency. It's a minor flaw, and for some reason they seem to be able to get away with it more than the Small Faces did, but with songs as strong as the Kinks influenced 'Bottle Of Gin' or the ballad and former X song 'Don't Cry No Tears' we forgive then the odd lapse now and again.

This album is so much better than all those 60's compilations which are arriving week after week and recycling everything we've heard and bought before. It casts a new welcome light over the whole psychedelic music scene so next time you're tempted to pay out for the latest compilation of the authentic thing buy this album instead. You can't miss it in the racks, it even looks like it was designed way back then. I'd lend you mine but the CD is rarely out of the player and you'd have problems prising the case out of my hands." - Pennyblack Music Website

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