Clouds - Pre-Raphaelite

Pre-Raphaelite LP - Released in 1996 as a bonus disk to the remastered Penny Century LP. This album comprises all of the Clouds pre-debut album EPs and single b-sides. As such, contains the tracks from the CLOUDS EP (Oct 1990), LOOT EP (April 1991), HIERONYMUS Single (Sept 1991), ANTHEM Single (March 1992) and SAY IT Single (Sept 1992).

Yes, these 12 minutes, here on Loot. It's just four silly songs really, but what great songs they are. Three of these four songs became successful singles for the Clouds and finally pushed their airplay and popularity towards where they should have been. After the debut Clouds EP, this four-tracker is much brasher, much sassier and cheekier, which really began fulfilling the amazing Clouds promise of their debut while also coming into some newer territory.

This leads on to the fuzzy tribal/goth essence of "Heartless", the sound of which prompts for me vivid 3D memories of a long-haired Patricia Young on stage rocking that big Fender Jaguar bass back & forth as her vocals coo forth. Cheeky & punky "Sweetest Thing" follows at number three with guitars wailing and wah-wahing in the bridge, flowing through with full-on soloing back to the verse. Finally at number four is my all-time favourite Clouds song, "4PM" (sometimes referred to as "Blood On My Hands"). The lyrics are really some twisted shit, being the words of a psychotic serial killer who is about to slice up a prostitute at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Yet, hear this song while detached from the actual words, it sounds so cooing, so lush and so beautifully feminine with sweet soaring stretches and harmonies to die for.

Ultimately Loot is far too short, it ends right there after track four. It was a teaser to what would be the greatness of the Clouds debut album Penny Century.

Disc 1

http://www.mediafire.com/?0dfb2zpz29d

Disc 2

http://www.mediafire.com/?bbo4jyt2m5g