Due to a recent 'cash flow problem,' I can't afford Big Beat's release of "Future" by The Seeds. I have the first two in the series and have posted reviews around the web. But I have seen nothing on the new release of the expanded third Seeds album. I'm dying here, folks.

Could someone please review or point me to a review of "Future?" Thanks!

YEAH , IT'S ONE OF MY LEAST FAVORITE , TOO. I first heard the album when it was loaned to me by a couple who'd just had a baby  and were REALLY into Children's music and Kiddie Rock , LONG BEFORE IT WAS CONSIDERED COOL - Like JONATHAN Richman's post - classic Modern Lovers stuff.....They loved this album. I liked going to  sleep to it. As is frequently stated in the notes , it's very hit or miss, but, I'm anxious to hear what they did with it anyway (The remixes on the "Travel With Your Mind" CD were ACE. No pun intended....). Plus , I'm very anxious to hear the outtakes. Sky had often been accused of being over - anxious in the studio, like , dancing wildly , as though he were doing a concert.

  I do have a copy of the Melodyland show , but, until recently , I did'nt know they'd undergone any personnel changes. Sounds like classic Seeds to me. Plus , the new songs hold their own.....Anxious to hear the "Raw And Alive" revisited.....For years , that was the only Seeds reissue you could find.  iF THEY CAN CLEAN UP "MELODYLAND" A BIT (IT'S STILL GREAT FOR A HAND HELD MICROPHONE , 45 YEARS AGO.), and lose the overdubbed audience noise , and get the levels right on "Raw and Alive", Mr. Palao should get himself some awards.

I oversold the doom and gloom of the liners but not the second disc. Sky is too loud in the mix but the Seeds when playing a song in early takes live in the studio, it's all glorious. These rough takes are the same Seeds as the first album. I keep hearing different mixes that could have been or how the arrangement of some songs could have been honed into rock and roll instead of being Futurized. I even like "Entrance Way" here (one of my least favorite Seeds tracks)!

jYMN , i JUST FOUND THE "FUTURE" SET TODAY , AT A SAVINGS OF FIVE DOLLAH ! HELL , YEAH. I AGREE WITH THE LINERS , THE ALBUM MAY BE AN UNPOLISHED GEM , OR PRETENTIOUS WANKERY WITH SOME GREAT SONGS STRUGGLING TO GET OUT...or , BOTH.

I'LL REPORT BACK WITH MY FINDINGS.

No , you were'nt mistaken. I knew what you meant , a "Live in the studio" sound , but not a live show....I would have to check my copy to see where it was recorded. It sounds like THEE Seeds , largely the same set as the fake Live album ,but , including Tripmaker and others ...It had one unreleased song. It must be the same thing , but , I don't have it handy. Whoever taped it , God love 'em , you can hear the tape recorder clicking on and off between songs , if that's familiar to you......It was rumored to be the show where Neil Young appeared onstage , unannounced , and played on "Pushin' Too Hard", which is a rumor in itself , that it even happened. PS - I saw "The Source Family " film . Sky is mentioned for about 45 seconds. I did'nt embarrass the Director by asking her why. I mean , Sky Saxon , and the Ya Ho Wa 13 albums (None of the ones he appeared on have been re - released , except on the Captain Trips CD set from Japan....), are the primary reason most people know about The Source Family , today.....
 
Jymn Parrett said:

My bad. I meant a live in the studio sound. Much of the second CD sounds this way. The band going through the song on early takes. Nothing actually live on stage, though.

The upcoming live will have the audience removed from the Raw album. Another rehearsal from the earlier days will be included to the best of my knowledge. The only live boot I know is the Melodyland show without Jan or Rick. What is the one you speak of? I believe the live version of "ATS" was from the Joey Bishop show. And that is incredible.

John Battles said:

Interesting...... There WAS a live version of "A Thousand Shadows" that turned up on the "Fresh Fruit FROM OLD SEEDS", WHATEVER IT WAS CALLED , BOOT.I don't have it. Sounds like it could have beena whole different album.  I also heard about a repackaging of "Raw and Alive" , hopefully a better mix , with the fake audience sounds turned down , if not off.And I read about another live show added to the package , probably the great (if recorded on a handheld mike) bootleg that's made the rounds from the same time period....OR MAYBE....An actual soundboard recording???!!!!! I dunno. No one tells me these things.......

Guess what? Future arrived just now. Played side one and all my thoughts remain the same. There's some good stuff, especially the mono versions, and some over-the-top stuff. I doubt I will listen to much of this. The one delight is the 1:03 version of "The Navy Swings" that is so out there but in a good way.

Side two is a delight from beginning to end. A version of "A Thousand Shadows" titled "Rides Too Long" sounds live. Listen to Jan ripping it at the beginning. Sky is rocking his high boots off. It's almost like "Pushin Too Hard" done as if they're playing for their very lives. Take one of "Flower Lady" is less intense but the guitar adds much. Again, Rick Andridge is terrific, given the proper miking as in "Full Spoon."  Take one of "Now a Man" here called "Contact High" is also better than the finished product. It goes on like this. Liver, earlier, better versions with Sky giving far better performances than the published album.

And wait until you hear Jan's fuzzed out take one of "Satisfy You." The band is cooking raw and sounding alive. Holy shit! THIS is The Seeds.

Well worth getting this for the second CD itself. I'm loving it. Then there's the copious notes. I haven't read them all but there's a sense of impending doom screaming from the pages. Don't read them while listening to the album. You'll be instantly depressed. 

My bad. I meant a live in the studio sound. Much of the second CD sounds this way. The band going through the song on early takes. Nothing actually live on stage, though.

The upcoming live will have the audience removed from the Raw album. Another rehearsal from the earlier days will be included to the best of my knowledge. The only live boot I know is the Melodyland show without Jan or Rick. What is the one you speak of? I believe the live version of "ATS" was from the Joey Bishop show. And that is incredible.

John Battles said:

Interesting...... There WAS a live version of "A Thousand Shadows" that turned up on the "Fresh Fruit FROM OLD SEEDS", WHATEVER IT WAS CALLED , BOOT.I don't have it. Sounds like it could have beena whole different album.  I also heard about a repackaging of "Raw and Alive" , hopefully a better mix , with the fake audience sounds turned down , if not off.And I read about another live show added to the package , probably the great (if recorded on a handheld mike) bootleg that's made the rounds from the same time period....OR MAYBE....An actual soundboard recording???!!!!! I dunno. No one tells me these things.......

Guess what? Future arrived just now. Played side one and all my thoughts remain the same. There's some good stuff, especially the mono versions, and some over-the-top stuff. I doubt I will listen to much of this. The one delight is the 1:03 version of "The Navy Swings" that is so out there but in a good way.

Side two is a delight from beginning to end. A version of "A Thousand Shadows" titled "Rides Too Long" sounds live. Listen to Jan ripping it at the beginning. Sky is rocking his high boots off. It's almost like "Pushin Too Hard" done as if they're playing for their very lives. Take one of "Flower Lady" is less intense but the guitar adds much. Again, Rick Andridge is terrific, given the proper miking as in "Full Spoon."  Take one of "Now a Man" here called "Contact High" is also better than the finished product. It goes on like this. Liver, earlier, better versions with Sky giving far better performances than the published album.

And wait until you hear Jan's fuzzed out take one of "Satisfy You." The band is cooking raw and sounding alive. Holy shit! THIS is The Seeds.

Well worth getting this for the second CD itself. I'm loving it. Then there's the copious notes. I haven't read them all but there's a sense of impending doom screaming from the pages. Don't read them while listening to the album. You'll be instantly depressed. 

Interesting...... There WAS a live version of "A Thousand Shadows" that turned up on the "Fresh Fruit FROM OLD SEEDS", WHATEVER IT WAS CALLED , BOOT.I don't have it. Sounds like it could have beena whole different album.  I also heard about a repackaging of "Raw and Alive" , hopefully a better mix , with the fake audience sounds turned down , if not off.And I read about another live show added to the package , probably the great (if recorded on a handheld mike) bootleg that's made the rounds from the same time period....OR MAYBE....An actual soundboard recording???!!!!! I dunno. No one tells me these things.......

Guess what? Future arrived just now. Played side one and all my thoughts remain the same. There's some good stuff, especially the mono versions, and some over-the-top stuff. I doubt I will listen to much of this. The one delight is the 1:03 version of "The Navy Swings" that is so out there but in a good way.

Side two is a delight from beginning to end. A version of "A Thousand Shadows" titled "Rides Too Long" sounds live. Listen to Jan ripping it at the beginning. Sky is rocking his high boots off. It's almost like "Pushin Too Hard" done as if they're playing for their very lives. Take one of "Flower Lady" is less intense but the guitar adds much. Again, Rick Andridge is terrific, given the proper miking as in "Full Spoon."  Take one of "Now a Man" here called "Contact High" is also better than the finished product. It goes on like this. Liver, earlier, better versions with Sky giving far better performances than the published album.

And wait until you hear Jan's fuzzed out take one of "Satisfy You." The band is cooking raw and sounding alive. Holy shit! THIS is The Seeds.

Well worth getting this for the second CD itself. I'm loving it. Then there's the copious notes. I haven't read them all but there's a sense of impending doom screaming from the pages. Don't read them while listening to the album. You'll be instantly depressed. 

Guess what? Future arrived just now. Played side one and all my thoughts remain the same. There's some good stuff, especially the mono versions, and some over-the-top stuff. I doubt I will listen to much of this. The one delight is the 1:03 version of "The Navy Swings" that is so out there but in a good way.

Side two is a delight from beginning to end. A version of "A Thousand Shadows" titled "Rides Too Long" sounds live. Listen to Jan ripping it at the beginning. Sky is rocking his high boots off. It's almost like "Pushin Too Hard" done as if they're playing for their very lives. Take one of "Flower Lady" is less intense but the guitar adds much. Again, Rick Andridge is terrific, given the proper miking as in "Full Spoon."  Take one of "Now a Man" here called "Contact High" is also better than the finished product. It goes on like this. Liver, earlier, better versions with Sky giving far better performances than the published album.

And wait until you hear Jan's fuzzed out take one of "Satisfy You." The band is cooking raw and sounding alive. Holy shit! THIS is The Seeds.

Well worth getting this for the second CD itself. I'm loving it. Then there's the copious notes. I haven't read them all but there's a sense of impending doom screaming from the pages. Don't read them while listening to the album. You'll be instantly depressed. 

Jymn , There may be an element of truth to that , in that , yes , the other two were availabe in America , but , only as imports , of course. It does'nt make sense to say "Future" is available everywhere but North America (Though American music is generally appreciated to the extent that it should be , everywhere BUT America.) , if it's already turning up in stores , here.......ACE CD releases have'nt been a cake walk to find here in the states , but , as I mentioned , after a couple of false starts , I found "The Seeds" and "Future".
 
Jymn Parrett said:

I've read a few comments on the infamous Steve Hoffman forum, talking more about the music than the quality of the release. One review was from someone who bought it in LA. So it seems that it is released. What confuses me John, is that the Ace site said it is available everywhere but North America. Future is not my favourite Seeds record but it is still the Seeds, magic to me.

John Battles said:

Jymn , I'm pretty much certain it has'nt come out , yet. The first two were'nt released simultaneously , and they're probably giving the public some time , first , to get caught up with them. Of the total of TWO stores in Chicago I've seen "The Seeds" and/or "A Web of Sound"

(At one store , they told me they could not re-order the first , after carrying it ONCE. I GUESS OTHER PEOPLE ASKED FOR IT, because when the second came out , they suddenly carried both.....At the other store , I special - ordered the first one. They told me to come by in a week. Sure enough , there it was , but , out on the rack , not behind the counter.......).

I would ask Mike if he can ask Alec what the status is on that release. MIKE SHOULD KNOW , ANYWAY.....But , I sincerely doubt it's out , yet , or , if it is , it probably made it to the states only a week or two ago. I think , logically , as "Future" is not the best - loved Seeds album , they may be holding back until more people REALLY want a similar packaging on that album.

I've read a few comments on the infamous Steve Hoffman forum, talking more about the music than the quality of the release. One review was from someone who bought it in LA. So it seems that it is released. What confuses me John, is that the Ace site said it is available everywhere but North America. Future is not my favourite Seeds record but it is still the Seeds, magic to me.

John Battles said:

Jymn , I'm pretty much certain it has'nt come out , yet. The first two were'nt released simultaneously , and they're probably giving the public some time , first , to get caught up with them. Of the total of TWO stores in Chicago I've seen "The Seeds" and/or "A Web of Sound"

(At one store , they told me they could not re-order the first , after carrying it ONCE. I GUESS OTHER PEOPLE ASKED FOR IT, because when the second came out , they suddenly carried both.....At the other store , I special - ordered the first one. They told me to come by in a week. Sure enough , there it was , but , out on the rack , not behind the counter.......).

I would ask Mike if he can ask Alec what the status is on that release. MIKE SHOULD KNOW , ANYWAY.....But , I sincerely doubt it's out , yet , or , if it is , it probably made it to the states only a week or two ago. I think , logically , as "Future" is not the best - loved Seeds album , they may be holding back until more people REALLY want a similar packaging on that album.

Jymn , I'm pretty much certain it has'nt come out , yet. The first two were'nt released simultaneously , and they're probably giving the public some time , first , to get caught up with them. Of the total of TWO stores in Chicago I've seen "The Seeds" and/or "A Web of Sound"

(At one store , they told me they could not re-order the first , after carrying it ONCE. I GUESS OTHER PEOPLE ASKED FOR IT, because when the second came out , they suddenly carried both.....At the other store , I special - ordered the first one. They told me to come by in a week. Sure enough , there it was , but , out on the rack , not behind the counter.......).

I would ask Mike if he can ask Alec what the status is on that release. MIKE SHOULD KNOW , ANYWAY.....But , I sincerely doubt it's out , yet , or , if it is , it probably made it to the states only a week or two ago. I think , logically , as "Future" is not the best - loved Seeds album , they may be holding back until more people REALLY want a similar packaging on that album.

I remember rreading somewhere, years ago, that Jan Savage became a LA police officer. 

G. Wood said:

I remember rreading somewhere, years ago, that Jan Savage became a LA police officer. 

That's pretty punk

Never heard that one. I know he was a casino dealer for awhile.

Well... I don't know how dependable the source was, or even what it was, all I know is I definitely read it somewhere some time ago.