99th Dream is a marvelous reissue on Outer Battery Records. It is remastered and re-released in a limited-edition ‘Coke Bottle Green’ (400 copies), and the extended double vinyl LP features three new remixes by Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Led Zeppelin). The 3 CD version packs in the remastered album and remixes on Disc One, the remastered live 1998 New York show on Disc Two, and a hour-long Disc Three featuring outtakes and studio demos.
It is the record that could have spelled the band’s denouement, appearing on the scene shortly before they broke up in 1998. I seem to recall trying in vain to get my hands on this back in the day, along with Ejector Seat Reservation. I was in full collector mode back then, and the Internet was still in its infancy. This is a record that has stood the test of time, and it sounds fresh to these ears. Adam Franklin and Jimmy Hartridge’s elegant guitar interplay is something to behold. They mine the psychedelic side of shoegaze, though I still don’t pigeonhole them into this genre. They are a hard-hitting band who dwell in swirls of cosmic ‘space travel rock n roll’ and swatches of melody. Just how good they are live is not up to debate. I saw them on their 2016 tour, and with ear plugs in hand, I was treated to a groovy show near Harvard University. They are incandescent but insanely loud!
99th Dream’s title track opens this majestic release, and it starts with a pedal to the metal guitar riff and quickly shifts into interstellar overdrive. There are many effects pedals in play here, and the spirit of Jimi shades this album opener. ‘Up From the Sea’ is more straightforward with a strong melody and lovely guitar work. ‘She Weaves a Tender Trap’ is a standout, and should have made a stratospheric run on the charts. Adam’s gentle vocals match the song title, and it is silvery and slides through your synapses like butter. Wonderful! ‘These Times’ is equally great, possibly the best song here. I can’t fathom why this song didn’t make them huge. Pearlescent psych pop of the highest order! ‘Electric 77’ is a long form piece that fits in with the pretty instrumental ‘Stellar Caprice’ that follows it. The latter song is name-checked, along with someone named Caroline. It meanders like the best of Hendrix’s later songs, and Adam’s vocal is quite good. At the six minute mark, the guitar pyrotechnics kick out the jams. ‘Wrong Treats’ surges and ebbs like a sonic surf, and always the guitar work and vocals soar over the mix. The rhythm section is a solid unit, underpinning these songs with their own form of magic. ‘You’ve Sealed My Fate’ is grand, suffused with a catchy melody and some trippy sonics. I would have earmarked it as hit material. ‘In My Time’ is its companion piece, replete with laid back acoustic guitar and electric spaciness.
‘Expressway’ reminds me of mid-period Stones, and I can almost imagine the band sitting on a wide veranda playing this song on a sultry evening with bright moonlight, even as it references snow. Then it all changes to a fever pitch, tension drilling through every cluster of notes. ‘Behind The Scenes Of The Sounds & The Times’ has a long instrumental prelude that could have landed at the end of this song cycle, as it stretches out to seven plus minutes and encompasses all the styles the band excels in. I hear a tiny whiff of Oasis in the vocals, though God knows these guys tower above that band. ‘Why Say Yeah’ could be slotted in next to Catherine Wheel, as it has that hard edge, pounding you senseless even while it enchants. ‘Straight Thru Your Heart’ is the final number, and it never disappoints. If you missed this album the first time like I did, run out and get this straight away. I also think the expanded version of 99th Dream is worth getting for some great live tracks and rarities. Superb work from a band who came back to us in a big way!
