Fusion

The Hello People

Real Gone Music, 2013

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hello_People

REVIEW BY: David Bowling

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/28/2013

Not many rock bands can trace their formation and inspiration back to Etienne Decroux, but so it was for the Hello People back in the late 1960s. Decroux was an actor and teacher of corporeal mime. Part of his approach was to incorporate mime into the presentation of music. Record producer Lew Futterman took all this to heart and set about assembling a band that would use mime as a part of their stage act.  

In concert, the Hello People would sing without talking, using their bodies to help present their music. They would also perform with faces painted white. They used stage names such as wry one, country, smoothie, thump thump, and good fellow. It all added up to one of the more unusual performances of the era.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

They were only moderately commercially successful but managed to record seven studio albums during their existence. Real Gone Music has now resurrected their second album, Fusion.

Their albums were a far different experience than their stage act, as Ronnie Blake (drums), Greg Geddes (bass, vocals), Michael Sagarese (flute, sax), Bobby Sedita (guitar, vocals), Sonny Tongue (guitar, vocals) and Larry Tasse (keyboards) were all adept musicians and able to produce a solid brand of rock ‘n’ roll.

Their sound was a combination of pop, improvisational rock jams, and even a little jazz on occasion. The lyrics had an edge to them as they explored social and political issues of the day.

“Anthem” is an anti-draft song written by Tongue based on his experiences in prison for refusing to serve. It was a controversial track encased in folk and pop rhythms. The band performed the song live on The Smother Brothers television show.

Their most adventurous piece is “White Winged Doves,” which made use of a flute and harpsichord and then used some rock guitar riffing as a counter point. “Jelly Jam” floats in a different direction as the flute and sax mix give it a jazzy tone.

“If I Should Sing Too Softly” and “How Does It Feel to Be Free” are both basic pop songs where the cutting edge socio-political lyrics take you by surprise. “A Dream For Tomorrow” is a gentle acoustic piece while “Come and See Me” combines elements of doo-wop, jazz, and rock.

The Hello People may seem a little dated today and their stage acted treaded the line between innovative and weird, but Fusion was a creative mixture of music that retains its ability to entertain 45 years later.

Rating: B

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