Tomorrow's Harvest and The Campfire Headphase

[Kathleen]

Feel free to run me off the board for this, but I was walking around yesterday listening to TCH.

What really struck me while listening to songs like Peacock Tail and Oscar See Through Red Eye is just how... sonically dense they are. There is SO MUCH going on in those songs, and there is so much layering of sounds and textures.

Many of the songs on TH are put together the same way -- Jacquard Causeway is very additive. The whole song takes a long time to come together, and when it does it only has to change slightly to make a big impact on how it sounds overall.

So here's my two cents: People don't think TCH is as good as other BoC albums because it feels insubstantial. The songs are actually some of the most carefully crafted ones BoC have ever released, but they focus on building textures to achieve a mood, rather than melody, hook or beats. This means they're not as immediately accessible. That plus the light and airy "theme" of the album = disappointed fans.

I really think TH is a very similar album, in terms of construction, but the dark theme makes people feel that it is somehow more substantial.

[SneakyTT]

I actually had a question about TCH. For a long time I've thought the album was about the life of one person. I can't remember if I thought it up or I read it somewhere. I'm sure someone else must have talked about this, but I can't find anything. Has this been discussed before?

Here's how I see it:

Into The Rainbow Vein - birth

Chromakey Dreamcoat - joyful infancy, then the change at 4:29 at the dawning of self-awareness

Satellite Anthem Icarus - childhood

Peacock Tail - school

Dayvan Cowboy - reaching sexual maturity, then the change at 3:07 represents sexual awakening

A Moment Of Clarity - nearing adulthood, thoughts of becoming an adult

'84 Pontiac Dream - young adulthood, college, fun in the sun

Sherbert Head - marriage

Oscar See Through Red Eye - becoming a parent

Ataronchronon - middle age

Hey Saturday Sun - late middle age, retirement, bittersweet memories of youth

Constants Are Changing - dawn of old age, contemplating mortality

Slow This Bird Down - very old age and then death

Tears From The Compound Eye - funeral and burial

Farewell Fire - the memory of the person slowly fades until there is nothing left

[Headphase]

I actually had a question about TCH. For a long time I've thought the album was about the life of one person. I can't remember if I thought it up or I read it somewhere. I'm sure someone else must have talked about this, but I can't find anything. Has this been discussed before?

Here's how I see it:

Into The Rainbow Vein - birth

Chromakey Dreamcoat - joyful infancy, then the change at 4:29 at the dawning of self-awareness

Satellite Anthem Icarus - childhood

Peacock Tail - school

Dayvan Cowboy - reaching sexual maturity, then the change at 3:07 represents sexual awakening

A Moment Of Clarity - nearing adulthood, thoughts of becoming an adult

'84 Pontiac Dream - young adulthood, college, fun in the sun

Sherbert Head - marriage

Oscar See Through Red Eye - becoming a parent

Ataronchronon - middle age

Hey Saturday Sun - late middle age, retirement, bittersweet memories of youth

Constants Are Changing - dawn of old age, contemplating mortality

Slow This Bird Down - very old age and then death

Tears From The Compound Eye - funeral and burial

Farewell Fire - the memory of the person slowly fades until there is nothing left

This is clever!
Apparently, according to a very old interview, the album is based on a guy who goes crazy at a campsite.

[ryetronics]

I actually had a question about TCH. For a long time I've thought the album was about the life of one person. I can't remember if I thought it up or I read it somewhere. I'm sure someone else must have talked about this, but I can't find anything. Has this been discussed before?

Here's how I see it:

Into The Rainbow Vein - birth

Chromakey Dreamcoat - joyful infancy, then the change at 4:29 at the dawning of self-awareness

Satellite Anthem Icarus - childhood

Peacock Tail - school

Dayvan Cowboy - reaching sexual maturity, then the change at 3:07 represents sexual awakening

A Moment Of Clarity - nearing adulthood, thoughts of becoming an adult

'84 Pontiac Dream - young adulthood, college, fun in the sun

Sherbert Head - marriage

Oscar See Through Red Eye - becoming a parent

Ataronchronon - middle age

Hey Saturday Sun - late middle age, retirement, bittersweet memories of youth

Constants Are Changing - dawn of old age, contemplating mortality

Slow This Bird Down - very old age and then death

Tears From The Compound Eye - funeral and burial

Farewell Fire - the memory of the person slowly fades until there is nothing left

This is clever!
Apparently, according to a very old interview, the album is based on a guy who goes crazy at a campsite.

Never heard that one before? Link?

[mc10101]

I've actually found a new appreciation of TCH after getting massively into TH. Not sure why exactly, in fact I think I've gained a new appreciation of BOC, period. Re TCH for me it might be because I can relax now that the mellow chillout vibe on that album wasn't a new direction as such. Now I find I can look past the veneer and venture deeper,........man! My main gripe with TCH has always been the drums - generally a bit too clean and the grooves sometimes convoluted. The tunes are beautiful

[jcnporter]

I actually had a question about TCH. For a long time I've thought the album was about the life of one person. I can't remember if I thought it up or I read it somewhere. I'm sure someone else must have talked about this, but I can't find anything. Has this been discussed before?

Here's how I see it:

Into The Rainbow Vein - birth

Chromakey Dreamcoat - joyful infancy, then the change at 4:29 at the dawning of self-awareness

Satellite Anthem Icarus - childhood

Peacock Tail - school

Dayvan Cowboy - reaching sexual maturity, then the change at 3:07 represents sexual awakening

A Moment Of Clarity - nearing adulthood, thoughts of becoming an adult

'84 Pontiac Dream - young adulthood, college, fun in the sun

Sherbert Head - marriage

Oscar See Through Red Eye - becoming a parent

Ataronchronon - middle age

Hey Saturday Sun - late middle age, retirement, bittersweet memories of youth

Constants Are Changing - dawn of old age, contemplating mortality

Slow This Bird Down - very old age and then death

Tears From The Compound Eye - funeral and burial

Farewell Fire - the memory of the person slowly fades until there is nothing left

I like this.

[Aesthetics]

I actually had a question about TCH. For a long time I've thought the album was about the life of one person. I can't remember if I thought it up or I read it somewhere. I'm sure someone else must have talked about this, but I can't find anything. Has this been discussed before?

Here's how I see it:

Into The Rainbow Vein - birth

Chromakey Dreamcoat - joyful infancy, then the change at 4:29 at the dawning of self-awareness

Satellite Anthem Icarus - childhood

Peacock Tail - school

Dayvan Cowboy - reaching sexual maturity, then the change at 3:07 represents sexual awakening

A Moment Of Clarity - nearing adulthood, thoughts of becoming an adult

'84 Pontiac Dream - young adulthood, college, fun in the sun

Sherbert Head - marriage

Oscar See Through Red Eye - becoming a parent

Ataronchronon - middle age

Hey Saturday Sun - late middle age, retirement, bittersweet memories of youth

Constants Are Changing - dawn of old age, contemplating mortality

Slow This Bird Down - very old age and then death

Tears From The Compound Eye - funeral and burial

Farewell Fire - the memory of the person slowly fades until there is nothing left

Nice analysis! Being the title Campfire Headphase might imply telling ones life story.

[Spaced]

I've actually found a new appreciation of TCH after getting massively into TH. Not sure why exactly, in fact I think I've gained a new appreciation of BOC, period. Re TCH for me it might be because I can relax now that the mellow chillout vibe on that album wasn't a new direction as such. Now I find I can look past the veneer and venture deeper,........man! My main gripe with TCH has always been the drums - generally a bit too clean and the grooves sometimes convoluted. The tunes are beautiful

you have just posted something very close to what i've been feeling lately about TCH. instead of a new inoffensive direction that i was ambivalent about, it suddenly has the appearance of a strange little detour into some concocted faux paradise in BoC-land before the harsh reality of TH arrives to give us a slap in the face.

[miklatov]

I've actually found a new appreciation of TCH after getting massively into TH. Not sure why exactly, in fact I think I've gained a new appreciation of BOC, period. Re TCH for me it might be because I can relax now that the mellow chillout vibe on that album wasn't a new direction as such. Now I find I can look past the veneer and venture deeper,........man! My main gripe with TCH has always been the drums - generally a bit too clean and the grooves sometimes convoluted. The tunes are beautiful

you have just posted something very close to what i've been feeling lately about TCH. instead of a new inoffensive direction that i was ambivalent about, it suddenly has the appearance of a strange little detour into some concocted faux paradise in BoC-land before the harsh reality of TH arrives to give us a slap in the face.

I agree with this 100%. In the same way that BoC tracks are better when taken in context of the album they're on, the albums are better when taken in context of the series of albums.

[d e n]

at least 50% of my absurd +100 posts this past week have been saying some form of this: i cannot understand the somewhat general notion that The Campfire Headphase is the 'weaker album'. i honestly expected it to be thought of in the same light as Music Has The Right To Children and Geogaddi and only until i really read into the threads here did I realize that notion of it not living up to the other two even existed.

i never really analyzed BOC tracks for subliminals (i totally dig it though) and didn't know how deeply people did that until i started reading twoism.org, so i can understand how that may gotten tied up into peoples feelings after Geogaddi but as someone who never had a chance to expect anything -- since i didn't hear boc for the first time until after TCH was already out -- when i was opened up to their music i just thought these were three incredible albums and they all sounded totally different yet equally intriguing and the fact that one band could create such subtle diversity tripped me out.

my homies and i have a special indoor environment where we've spent a lot of time listening to BOC and it was here where tracks from The Campfire Headphase just blossomed repeatedly... it's a pretty enclosed space so there is no problem hearing everything. there is so much melody in that record... so many awesome harmonies... the arranging... just everything.

i could go on forever with this but one example is Tears From The Compound Eye. I remember listening to the song in that space and it just sort of swallows you, the sounds are so big and there is so much detail in every part. the song is able to create this environment... not like an environment i can describe in images... it just looks like the song. these words are failing to really describe anything... as always.

anyway, i'm always psyched to talk about this album. it sort of reminds of Bill Evans, cause of his transcendental chord voicings and next-level understanding of harmony.

i go in and out of listening to BOC heavily, but when ever the Campfire swells up in me, whether i'm feeling up or down, it never fails to impress.

[Keeoaddi]

A Moment Of Clarity

first letter of each word, flip it, it says 'coma'

has this been discused? maybe its the story of someone who has a bad acid trip, goes into a coma, and finally dies on farewell fire, only to rise as a zombie on macquarie ridge.

[Amo Bishop Roden]

Feel free to run me off the board for this, but I was walking around yesterday listening to TCH.

What really struck me while listening to songs like Peacock Tail and Oscar See Through Red Eye is just how... sonically dense they are. There is SO MUCH going on in those songs, and there is so much layering of sounds and textures.

Many of the songs on TH are put together the same way -- Jacquard Causeway is very additive. The whole song takes a long time to come together, and when it does it only has to change slightly to make a big impact on how it sounds overall.

So here's my two cents: People don't think TCH is as good as other BoC albums because it feels insubstantial. The songs are actually some of the most carefully crafted ones BoC have ever released, but they focus on building textures to achieve a mood, rather than melody, hook or beats. This means they're not as immediately accessible. That plus the light and airy "theme" of the album = disappointed fans.

I really think TH is a very similar album, in terms of construction, but the dark theme makes people feel that it is somehow more substantial.

Either you're a mind reader or my brain has internet access, because I was just thinking of this exact same thing driving home from work today

[Heath]

I have never understood the dislike of this album. It's just a little different, but still amazing.

[egbdf]

anyway, i'm always psyched to talk about this album. it sort of reminds of Bill Evans, cause of his transcendental chord voicings and next-level understanding of harmony.

i go in and out of listening to BOC heavily, but when ever the Campfire swells up in me, whether i'm feeling up or down, it never fails to impress.

Yeah, Campfire and TH both have prominent trends in their respective harmonies.

Two things on Campfire come up a lot (not for the first time in the BoC repertoire, of course): Major chords separated by thirds, and "plagal" (down a fourth) resolution of major chords.

Satellite Anthem Icarus, at one point you have: Dbmaj Emaj F#maj. So you have both the Dbmaj to Emaj major chord third relationship, and the plagal F#maj to Dbmaj

Peacock Tail: Fmaj Cmaj Gmaj Dmaj, then Gmaj Amaj Emaj (lots of down-a-fourth movement there)

Dayvan Cowboy: F#maj Amaj Emaj Bmaj (which is identical to Peacock if you leave out three consecutive chords of Peacock and shift the progression over)

It's fun to notice that Dayvan, not counting the two brief excursions Ebmin, is exactly a chord-for-chord "majorized" version of IABPOITC, which is Amin Cmin Gmin Dmin. Exact same root movement--one is all major, the other all minor.


Whereas on TH you've got a lot of natural minor harmony. In many of the tracks (Collapse, Cold Earth, Nothing is Real, Jacquard Causeway, RFTD) there's i VI or VI i motion and others are just a pedaled minor chord with a clear b6 like Gemini, White Cyclosa.

[Heath]

Has anyone else noticed how much the beginning of Peacock tail sounds like a Brian Eno song circa Before and After Science?

[cubistking1906]

I would say Tomorrow's Harvest is in many ways inverse to The Campfire Headphase, like a negative image.

TH reminds me of Twoism more than anything.

[Yeah That's Right]

at least 50% of my absurd +100 posts this past week have been saying some form of this: i cannot understand the somewhat general notion that The Campfire Headphase is the 'weaker album'. i honestly expected it to be thought of in the same light as Music Has The Right To Children and Geogaddi and only until i really read into the threads here did I realize that notion of it not living up to the other two even existed.

I agree with everything you said. I don't understand it either, how the album could be seen as 'weaker'. It's not quite my favourite release but it's not far off (mind you neither are their others). Similarly, I discovered BoC well after the release of TCH so I was never someone with expectations for an upcoming release until recently, but I can't understand how the fanbase was ever disappointed with TCH and still largely see it as a lesser (although still highly rated, I don't doubt that) stage in their discography.

[softfokus]

Feel free to run me off the board for this, but I was walking around yesterday listening to TCH.

What really struck me while listening to songs like Peacock Tail and Oscar See Through Red Eye is just how... sonically dense they are. There is SO MUCH going on in those songs, and there is so much layering of sounds and textures.

Many of the songs on TH are put together the same way -- Jacquard Causeway is very additive. The whole song takes a long time to come together, and when it does it only has to change slightly to make a big impact on how it sounds overall.

So here's my two cents: People don't think TCH is as good as other BoC albums because it feels insubstantial. The songs are actually some of the most carefully crafted ones BoC have ever released, but they focus on building textures to achieve a mood, rather than melody, hook or beats. This means they're not as immediately accessible. That plus the light and airy "theme" of the album = disappointed fans.

I really think TH is a very similar album, in terms of construction, but the dark theme makes people feel that it is somehow more substantial.

i totally agree with this. i think if you listen to the album only once it's easy to miss just how densely layered TCH is. my first experience listening to TCH was while I was tripping and so I was focusing on all the minutiae. I also think people sometimes forget how difficult it is to write "brighter" sounding music without being too campy. I simply do not get why people talk down about this record so much.

[wash]

The Campfire Headphase always sounded to me like an imaginary soundtrack to the greatest Sega Genesis game ever made. I think the reason why it's looked down upon is because it lacks the intricate sampling and mystique that their first two had, but I think it was a necessary move. If they kept repeating themselves they'd be pegged as a group relying on gimmicks to make music. TCH shows that they have real compositional talent and mastery of their instruments more than any of their other releases did. It really has to be listened to in the right environment: it might not be as full-on engrossing as Geogaddi or MHTRTC, but in the right mindset it is an awesome experience.

[Impossible Geometry]

I really think TH is a very similar album, in terms of construction, but the dark theme makes people feel that it is somehow more substantial.

nailed it. TCH is incredible, I can never wrap my head around the haters of that album. Boggles my mind.