Aquarium Rescue Unit - The Calling

[kid_runningfox]

I've been listening to this in my office this morning as I've been working, and damn, it's just so good. Whilst Jeff Sipe, Jimmy Herring, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge have gone on to bigger, and sometimes better things elsewhere, ARU post-Hampton were simply an amazing, and criminally overlooked, band. It's incredible to think that, out of all their H.O.R.D.E cohorts of the early 90s (Widespread Panic, The Spin Doctors, Blues Traveler, Phish, Dave Matthews, etc.) ARU were the only band that went on to precisely nothing in commercial terms, and yet they were by FAR the most talented. Hmmm, maybe there's a connection there...

Anyway, this album is now, to all intents and purposes, unavailable, so I'm grateful to whoever posted this on Youtube - enjoy!! Any comments?

[GuitarGeek]

I never did hear ARU, though I was always intrigued due to Bruce Hampton's involvement in Hampton Grease Band, plus Oteil and Jimmy playing with the Allman Brothers Band later on.

[kid_runningfox]

I never did hear ARU, though I was always intrigued due to Bruce Hampton's involvement in Hampton Grease Band, plus Oteil and Jimmy playing with the Allman Brothers Band later on.

I'm probably in the minority in thinking that they actually became a better band post, rather than with, Hampton. I have a couple of Hampton-era ARU live shows back in the UK that I downloaded from www.archive.org, but I always found the Beefheart-esque weirdness introduced by Hampton to be both irritating and in the way of the music. Much as I feel about a lot of Daevid Allen's contribution to Hillage-era Gong, funnily enough. Of course, others would argue that it is precisely the element of weirdness/whimsy that differentiated both bands from many of their peers, so YMMV.

Btw, I should also point out that it's NOT Jeff Sipe playing drums on this album (he'd already departed for Leftover Salmon by this point), but the excellent Sean O'Rourke. Wonder whatever happened to him (and vocalist Paul Henson)?

[GuitarGeek]

I'm probably in the minority in thinking that they actually became a better band post, rather than with, Hampton. I have a couple of Hampton-era ARU live shows back in the UK that I downloaded from www.archive.org, but I always found the Beefheart-esque weirdness introduced by Hampton to be both irritating and in the way of the music.

Well, admittedly, I would consider Bruce the weak link in The Hampton Grease Band. I think Glenn Phillips even said that his mother (that is, Glenn's mother) felt that Bruce was a terrible singer.

Much as I feel about a lot of Daevid Allen's contribution to Hillage-era Gong, funnily enough. Of course, others would argue that it is precisely the element of weirdness/whimsy that differentiated both bands from many of their peers, so YMMV.

I can understand the point of people who feel Daevid Allen was a little "too silly", but again, to a large degree I rather like that. The thing about most prog rock and even psych music is that a lot of it is "oh so serious", in terms of lyrics. One of the things Daevid was really good was bring that whimsy which took away from being too po-faced. And the other thing is, if you focus on the themes that he was trying to convey in the Radio Gnome records, there actually was a serious point to be made. He just preferred taking the Lewis Carrol/Dr. Seuss route, rather than trying to be another John Lennon or whatever.

Btw, I should also point out that it's NOT Jeff Sipe playing drums on this album (he'd already departed for Leftover Salmon by this point), but the excellent Sean O'Rourke. Wonder whatever happened to him (and vocalist Paul Henson)?

Didn't Jeff Sipe play on some of Shawn Lane's records? I seem to recall he used some weird pseudonym on those records.

[Baribrotzer]

Didn't Jeff Sipe play on some of Shawn Lane's records? I seem to recall he used some weird pseudonym on those records.

"Apt. #258".

Why, I don't know. Maybe he used to live there.

[Dave (in MA)]

Not sure why he was dropped from the front cover credits for Zenhouse and the original release of Time is the Enemy.

[GuitarGeek]

"Apt. #258".

Why, I don't know. Maybe he used to live there.

Yeah, I've always wondered about that. I thought I read somewhere that was actually his legal name, as in he had to changed to that.

Anyway, Time Is The Enemy is the one I have, though I haven't listened to it in ages. I remember hearing a lot of weird stories about Shawn Lane. I remember reading about him in Guitar Player back in the 80's, about how he didn't want to make records, because he felt by the time anything came out he'd have advanced past the point he was when he made the record and therefore any record wouldn't represent what he was doing "right now". Then another story I heard was that he would sometimes read three or four books a day, and also that he had a phobia about using telephones, so whenever anyone would call him up to offer him a gig, he'd refuse to take the call.

[Sean]

I actually like them better sans the Col. So this is cool!

[kid_runningfox]

"Apt. #258".

Why, I don't know. Maybe he used to live there.

This is a Bruce Hampton thing, you'll be unsurprised to learn, I'm sure. I believe the story is something along the lines that Sipe used to pick Hampton up for ARU rehearsal/gigs, and they'd often listen to a particular shock jock's talk show on the way, which was broadcast from a particular apartment complex in Atlanta (I think). Hampton apparently likes to give people nicknames that he feels reflect their personality, and one day he turned to Sipe whilst they were listening to the show and said 'you're the apartment!' Ergo, Sipe from then on became Apartment Q258...

[kid_runningfox]

Btw, I have both of those Lane/Hellborg/Sipe albums and they are absolutely stunning. There's also some very cool footage on youtube from the same period...

[GuitarGeek]

This is a Bruce Hampton thing, you'll be unsurprised to learn, I'm sure. I believe the story is something along the lines that Sipe used to pick Hampton up for ARU rehearsal/gigs, and they'd often listen to a particular shock jock's talk show on the way, which was broadcast from a particular apartment complex in Atlanta (I think). Hampton apparently likes to give people nicknames that he feels reflect their personality, and one day he turned to Sipe whilst they were listening to the show and said 'you're the apartment!' Ergo, Sipe from then on became Apartment Q258...

What little I've heard about Hampton, that does sound like that something like he'd do. We're talking about a guy who used an encyclopedia entry on Halifax, and the label or an aerosol spray can as source material for song lyrics!

[kid_runningfox]

I actually like them better sans the Col. So this is cool!

Yes, they were a much, much better band after Hampton left, though all of the original band members seem to regard him as something approaching a guru. Btw Sean, you're an Atlanta resident, do you know what happened to either Paul Henson and Sean O'Rourke post-ARU?

[nosebone]

I liked them with Bruce better. Much funnier and less conventional imo.

[kid_runningfox]

I liked them with Bruce better. Much funnier and less conventional imo.

I have tried to get into ARU with the Colonel numerous times now, including the 2015 reunion shows, but I just can't do it. I can see why people would find this version of ARU appealing, but it just doesn't work for me. My loss, I suspect.