Down The Nile

In 1994, following his atypical synth-pop diversion Flashback of 1991, Sky Saxon created a band called Fast Planet and released a psychedelic hard rock CD called Down The Nile; it would be his last studio release for several years. Guests and other musicians are scattered throughout the album. It was recorded in San Francisco and Hayward, CA.

Overall Down The Nile is great and has an energetic hard rock sound, with plenty of psych effects that tend toward the caustic rather than the blissful. Sky is in his element: backed by a ragtag group of like-minded musicians, and likely fair quantities of drugs, he again proves to be happiest when he can indulge himself in the type of grungy, retro garage rock heard here. Amongst the new songs are two de rigueur Seeds remakes. Sky has a co-writer credit on all but one of the songs.

Fast Planet, as described in the CD’s liner notes, were:
SKY SUNLIGHT SAXON – Lead Vocals
Chris DeMorsella – Guitar
Mark Love – Guitar, Organ
Mike Oak – Bass
Patrick McCarthy – Drums
Tommy Goodwin – Drums, Sitar, Saxophone, Wood Block

Mike Oak would later collaborate with Sky on most of the songs from 2008’s Back To The Garden, on which Patrick McCarthy also appears. Marcus Tybalt, Sky’s alter ego, gets producer credit along with the entire band.

The cover art is a cool, colorful drawing by artist Jimmy [sic] Phillips of squishy green aliens heading towards Earth in a spaceship packed with all sorts of high-tech looking gadgets and screens (and a toaster – even aliens gotta eat). In fact, according to Phillips, Sky at first had reservations about the aliens: “Sky thought the aliens looked mean, but I assured him that since they had a toaster in their space ship they were good guys. It made sense to Sky.” Another crisis averted!

Sky’s liner notes are his usual entertaining mishmash of thanks to his friends, and earnest cosmic solemnities. Example: “This album is dedicated to … stopping war and ending all war forever. Thank You. Jesus Christ. Amen. So it must be. Y.H.V.H. Special thanks to: Kenny, Cathy, Keelan and Brianna Stocks … Mr. and Mrs. America, Europe, Asia, Africa and all the ships at sea and in the heavens.”

Elsewhere, the two Seeds covers are referenced mysteriously with a phrase that would become a CD title for Sky in 2001: “Songs from the Golden Vaults Classics: Mr. Farmer and No Escape. Psychedelically speaking.” A limousine service is thanked in the notes; imagine these guys getting to ride limos around while recording this obscure, limited-release CD! Finally, Mark Love wears a cool Fast Planet t-shirt in the band photo; there’s a rare Sky Saxon collectible to hunt down.

Down The Nile is a standout release from Sky Saxon; it’s a shame that it was the final word from the man for several years. A live album by the band called Rockin' The Croc/West Coast was released in 1995. Both albums were, for many years, virtually impossible to find anywhere, but in 2012 became available as MP3 downloads from Amazon.com.

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2016: These MP3 downloads have since been removed, and both Fast Planet releases are again unavailable. Hopefully obscure Sky stuff like this will resurface someday. (Note that a band called Fast Planet with an album called Jes is a coincidence of names, and unrelated to Sky Saxon.)

Down The Nile comes recommended; it shows that Sky always remained in touch with his foggy, burned-out muse when he could find some sympathetic musicians… and when the fast planets aligned just right.

 

About the songs

1. "Hijack"
   The opening track is all abrasive, heavy rock guitar, at times sounding like something from Side A of the 1984 LP Masters Of Psychedelia. Sky’s vocals are double-tracked, giving the impression of dedication and forethought. The song has a dark, menacing, inescapable feel — appropriate then that the next song is a cover of The Seeds’ classic "No Escape".
2. "No Escape"
   This self-cover from The Seeds’ 1965 debut album is pretty straightforward, though Tommy Goodwin’s plucked steel guitar gives it a unique dimension. Sky sounds tired when the song begins, but grows noticeably more exercised as it progresses.
3. "Down The Nile"
   Down The Nile‘s title track is a true psych masterpiece — a dense, lugubrious seven minutes of boiling psychedelic stew, featuring a Strawberry Alarm Clock-esque sitar and particularly enraged, emotional vocals from Sky. “Blood for oil, what is it worth?” he demands, and sounds like he means it. The band swirls chaotically throughout. "Down The Nile" is one of the standout moments of Sky Saxon’s entire career.
4. "Women Lost In Love"
   A much more conventional rock song with some gritty electric guitar mixed sneakily into the background. Sky does his best with a set of lyrics he likely didn’t write. An oddly-timed freakout section halfway through gives "Women Lost In Love" an interesting dimension. Sky included this recording, and "World Of Dreams", on his Golden Vaults CD-r in 2001, the only Fast Planet songs on that curious collection.
5. "World Of Dreams"
   Written solely by engineer Mark Houghton, this is a slower and more dramatic piece led by bluesy guitar soloing from Mark Love. There’s a faster middle section, per Fast Planet’s tendency, with dueling distorted guitars.
6. "Mr. Farmer"
   Back to the 1960s again with a Seeds song Sky often remade with his various bands. On Down The Nile, Fast Planet convert most of the original’s organ work into ringing, chirpy guitars that become reminiscent of R.E.M. after a while. All in all, this version of the hoary chestnut has quite a distinct and self-contained feel, making it one of the more justified remakes that Sky would undertake.
7. "Crying Heartbreak"
   Despite the woe-is-me title this is tough, blistering rock, with some go-for-broke wailing from Sky that lament an unfaithful lover, or at least belie his own paranoia at the possibility. Some psychedelic phased guitar effects dominate most of the track.
8. "Sometimes I Get The Feeling (Last Sunset)"
   Again defying a wistful-sounding title, this track opens at once with a lone, heavy wah-wah guitar before the band settle into a punchy, thudding groove. Sky shares his lead vocals with Chris DeMorsella, who also takes some great guitar solos.
9. "Crashing Thunder"
   An interesting mini-suite of sorts, the first part featuring crunchy guitars but a softer feel than most of the album and the choruses showcasing some dramatic stop-start drums. Also smoothing the corners is Tommy Goodwin’s saxophone, emerging periodically from the shadows to ride along with the rhythm section for a few laid-back bars. A long middle section is slower and more psychedelic. The lyrics and vocals are vintage Sky Saxon — simplistic and with a hint of madness.
10. "Peace, Love And Flowers"
    Like many final tracks on Sky-related releases, this has a markedly different feel than the rest of the album. Though most of the musicians are the same, the drummer here is Greg Psomas from Atlanta punk band DDT; Psomas would die of a heroin overdose before Down The Nile‘s completion, and the album is dedicated to him and Kurt Cobain. His drumming is capable but unconventional, highlighted by a busy ride cymbal and some oddly-shaped fills. A sitar returns from the title track to bolster the guitar solos at times, and the minor-key chords have a rather mid-1990s alternative feel. "Peace, Love And Flowers" fades abruptly, with Sky and the band still at it, though it’s hard to see where else the repetitive chord sequence might have gone anyway.

Bonus tracks

When Down The Nile was briefly available as an Amazon download, two bonus tracks were added to it.

11. “Living In A White World”
12. "Dying Butterfly"
    This song is listed on the back of the Down The Nile CD case, but does not appear on the CD (and indeed isn’t listed on the track listing printed on the disc itself).

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