Transparency

As part of Sky Sunlight Saxon’s 2000s-era re-re-resurgence he recorded a fantastic and often strange album called Transparency. His main co-conspirator on the psych-garage project was guitarist Sterling Roswell, who had played with neo-psych band Spaceman 3. Transparency was released on CD; it wasn’t available on vinyl, unfortunately.

Transparency, even more than the Red Planet album of 2004, is professionally put-together. There was a limited edition version that also included a bonus DVD featuring a live show and a short documentary. It came in a well-made slipcase, was printed on high-quality materials, and is a joy to hold.

The music on Transparency was recorded in August 2004 at Gold Top Studios in London (not Nashville). The band, called Lighter in the liner notes but not listed on the CD or case, is:

Tony Thewlis
Yon Quellien
Rob Coyne
Horton Jupiter
Sterling Roswell

Transparency is credited to Sky Sunlight Saxon, but the “Sunlight” is written in very small letters on the cover. On first glance it just looks like “Sky Saxon”, and perhaps that pithier phrase was considered a better marketing tool than the longer moniker. The CD spine, and the disc itself, do not mention Sunlight at all.

CD/DVD version of Transparency.

Sky, golden-maned hippie troubadour in flashy sunglasses, gazes at the viewer from the front cover, making a triangle with his hands while rainbows surround him and penetrate him. The back is similar, Sky pointing his wrinkled, ring-bedecked fingers at you like an ad-libbing wizard as a rainbow shoots out from underneath his vest.

A promo version of the Transparency CD came in a mini-LP slipcase, mentioning but not containing the DVD, and listed several tour dates from September and October 2005. (The cover art on the promo CD is identical to the regular one but the small “Sunlight” is missing.)

About the songs on Transparency

1. "You Gotta Ride"
   A strange opening song, establishing the album’s direction: psychedelia and garage rock together.
2. “Little Red Book”
   A cover of the Bacharach-David song made famous by Arthur Lee and Love. On this version, renamed from the original title "My Little Red Book", the band plays everything as expected but Sky seems too high to even be aware of what song he’s doing. Instead he ignores the music and offers a wandering monologue about losing his address books. Sky later covered this song, with a different band, in a more conventional way.
3. "Star Setter"
   About as connected to reality as "Little Red Book", "Star Setter" finds Sky floating in amazement, reporting from his perch “eight miles high” in the big blue sky above.
4. "Seven Mystic Horsemen"
   The hoped-for hit song. This one finds the band more subdued, concentrating harder, especially Sky Saxon. Relatively sober, he finds the self-discipline to tackle the adventurous melody, sticking the landing.
5. "Alakazam"
   Stoned again, Sky can only manage a few seconds of vocals before his voice disappears altogether. That singing is heavily (heavily) echoed, and a wordless female voice takes up the slack. Spelled "Alkazam" on the back of the CD slipcase.
6. "Hammer"
   A nice garage rock number with Sky Saxon holding forth about some inscrutable subjects near and dear to his heart, at least while he was standing in front of the microphone.
7. “Day Time Girl”
   A cover of The Seeds’ own "Night Time Girl", with computer-y beeps and a far older and more relaxed Sky singing about a very similar girl down the block.
8. "Lighter"
   Harder rock than most of Transparency. The psych is toned down and the garage is pumped full of amphetamines.
9. "Sheba"
   A tribute to one of Sky’s muse-vixens. "Sheba" finds Sky again sharing vocals with the uncredited female singer.
10. "Walk Along"
    An unexpectedly sober lament to the hardships of life, especially those of the pitiful characters that Sky sings about here. Their salvation comes in the form of (surprise!) dogs, and this atypical performance ends in a sing-along that fades out.
11. "Space Ship"
    One final trip around the cosmos for Sky and the Lighter band. Psychedelic and disquieting rock and roll throttling the listener. This is the longest song on Transparency.

Songs on the Transparency DVD

Live show recorded at the Dirty Water Club. Included in the set list were several Seeds classics, a few songs from Transparency, plus some new songs not found elsewhere.

1. "You Gotta Ride" [from Transparency]
2. "Tripmaker" [1966 Seeds song]
3. "No Escape" [1965 Seeds song]
4. "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" [1965 Seeds song]
5. "Evil Hoodoo" [1965 Seeds song]
6. "Day Time Girl" [1966 Seeds song, also in updated version on Transparency]
   Written as two words, “Daytime Girl”, on the CD case. If that’s notable to you.
7. "Lighter" [from Transparency]
8. “Diamond Mind”
9. "Mr. Farmer" [1966 Seeds song]
10. "Up In Her Room" [1966 Seeds song]
    Written normally in the CD booklet but as “Up In Her Garden” on the CD case itself.
11. "Space Ship" [from Transparency]
12. "Pushin' Too Hard" [1965 Seeds song]
    Un-apostrophized as “Pushing Too Hard”. Which just isn’t the same.
13. "Hammer" [from Transparency]
14. “Rock’n’Roll Shiva”
15. “Rent Strike”

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