A Web Of Sound + 3

The second in King Records’ 1991 series of Seeds CDs, A Web Of Sound + 3 is, as the title says, The Seeds’ 1966 album A Web Of Sound with three bonus tracks added to it. The three bonus tracks are all taken from the fake live Raw & Alive album. So, there is nothing new actually on this CD. But, if you have all three of King’s Seeds CDs, you have the first three albums, the fake live album, and most of the Fallin' Off The Edge compilation. I guess that means that really, A Web Of Sound + 3 is unnecessary but is definitely a cool (and usually affordable) Japanese Seeds collectible.

A Web Of Sound + 3 Packaging and CD Booklet

The packaging of A Web Of Sound + 3 follows the style of the series in general. It has an obi strip on the edge of the CD case, a small reproduction of the original LP’s reverse cover on the back with Japanese renderings of the eleven songs, plus credits and copyright info at the bottom (also in Japanese).

The disc itself is pink, like those of The Seeds + 8 and Future + 8. The song titles are all written on the CD in English, and like the other King CDs the bonus tracks aren’t explained. (Meaning, it doesn’t say “Gypsy Plays His Drums (live)”, just "Gypsy Plays His Drums".) The disc, like the obi, explains that this release is part of a series called “GNP Classics”.

The CD booklet is nice. It features full-size (well, for a CD booklet) reproductions of the LP’s front and back covers, and inside is a long Japanese-language essay about The Seeds. (This appears to be the same or mostly the same as the one in the other two CDs.) All of Sky Saxon’s then-known pre-Seeds 45s are mentioned, The Seeds’ various GNP Crescendo singles are listed (along with the albums), and some compilations like Bad Part Of Town are mentioned. Even known or rumored Seeds outtakes like “The Streak To The Sun” are mentioned, impressively. The liner notes were written by Hideyo Itoh.

The booklet also contains lyrics to all the songs on the CD, whose accuracy seems rather suspect. (To wit: “He’s always busy a’raking hard” instead of “He’s always using a rake and hoe” from "Mr. Farmer".) They were, according to an English credit on the last page, transcribed by a Peter Serafin. At least some of them (the studio version of "Mr. Farmer" that leads off the CD for example) seem to have come from the record company, as they are understandable and plausible lyrics but there are big differences in the ones that Sky actually sings.

Listening to A Web Of Sound + 3

The sound quality on A Web Of Sound + 3 is excellent. There are some odd things to be aware of, though. "Mr. Farmer" is the same mix that appeared on GNP Crescendo CDs around the late 1980s; that is, with a shortened intro (and with a fadeout, like the original album version). "Rollin' Machine" is also the late 1980s mix, which fades about twenty seconds earlier than other versions. (It also doesn’t have the weird clicking percussion mixed as high.)

Note that the full versions of these (plus the entire mono album) were restored on Big Beat’s A Web Of Sound deluxe 2CD version.

Track Listing of A Web Of Sound + 3

A Web Of Sound (1966)

1. "Mr. Farmer"
2. "Pictures And Designs"
3. "Tripmaker"
4. "I Tell Myself"
5. "A Faded Picture"
6. "Rollin' Machine"
7. "Just Let Go"
8. "Up In Her Room"

Bonus tracks

9. “Introduction By ‘Humble’ Harv”/"Mr. Farmer"
10. "Gypsy Plays His Drums"
11. "Up In Her Room"
    Tracks 9-11 are from the 1968 album Raw & Alive and include the overdubbed screams. “Humble” Harv’s introduction appears on all three King Records CDs from 1991, followed by a different track from that album on each CD. On A Web Of Sound + 3, it’s "Mr. Farmer", just like Raw & Alive.

Availability of A Web Of Sound + 3

This CD seems obscure but it is not too hard to locate a copy for sale if you need one for your collection. I’d recommend getting all three of the King Records CDs from Japan of 1991; they do make a nice collectible set and it’s a shame to split them up. It doesn’t make a whole lot of listening sense to hear A Web Of Sound followed by three Raw & Alive songs, with the screaming, and two of which you just heard. But the sound quality is excellent, and hey – isn’t it fun to own a Seeds collectible from a faraway land?

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