“Out Of The Darkness Into Peace, Love And Understanding”
by Sky Sunlight Saxon and Purple Electricity
1986 song
Elevating the already substantial chaos even further, "Out Of The Darkness Into Peace, Love And Understanding" comes towards the end of Side A of Sky Saxon’s disorderly 1986 live LP Private Party. While the band cranks out a pretty cool groove based on a big meaty metal riff and dramatic drum stops and starts, our friend Sky is gone. He flips out during this performance, often just yelling into the microphone, a primal howl from the depths of an obliterated psyche. He doesn’t seem to be listening to the music behind him; if anything he’s just reacting in his idiosyncratic way to the vibes all around. Babbling, yelling, grunting, just drowning in the feedback.
"Out Of The Darkness Into Peace, Love And Understanding", its title based on one of Sky’s few discernible utterances, underscores the bedlam of this night at Los Angeles’ Cavern Club. Even more jarring is that after the world crumbles down at the end of the song, Sky calmly and lucidly explains that the next song is called "Girl I Want You" and was on The Seeds’ first album. And he’s right – maybe he’s not as out of his head as "Out Of The Darkness Into Peace, Love And Understanding" made it seem?
Still doesn’t explain all the screaming. Either way, a song like this throws a gauntlet down to any other performer who hit it big in the garage-psych 1960s. Twenty years later here’s Sky, slumming with the kids, still doing it and meaning it, crazier and louder than ever. What about you? he seems to dare.
