“Paradise”
by Sky Saxon with SS-20
1986 song
Sky Saxon recorded two different songs called "Paradise" in his career. The first, a long psychedelic guitar jam, was recorded in the late 1970s and released on the 1984 album Masters Of Psychedelia. The second "Paradise" is a bright pop-psych tune recorded in 1986 with the band SS-20.
The Fire, Water, Air “Paradise”
A slow and brooding stew of a jam, the druggy "Paradise" recorded with the Fire, Water, Air band sometime around 1977 sounds like a cross between Led Zeppelin’s “Dazed And Confused” and a 1960s spy move theme. It continues in the sedately bluesy vein of "White Magician" but is infused with a spooky and oppressive psychedelia. Sky rambles passionately in a way that only he could understand.
After about five minutes, "Paradise" suddenly fades out which is a shame because the band is still going strong. Fortunately, the same performance is then continued on the LP’s next song, "Sons Of The Light". The reason for this edit is unknown – perhaps, unknowable.
The SS-20 “Paradise”
The unrelated 1986-era "Paradise" is one of Sky Saxon’s best songs ever. Mars Bonfire’s irresistible keyboard riff leads it off, finding the perfect spot between accessible and addled. The song sports a lovely melody and, best of all, a controlled Sky focused hard on singing it right. He still sounds ragged and burned-out (in a good way) but respectful of the tune.
The result is a song that any neo-psych band would be very proud of. This "Paradise" is a joy to hear, even the kind of song you’d take home to meet your parents. It was released on a Voxx 7″ 4-song EP in 1986 which also featured Sky and Mars doing "Born To Be Wild" with SS-20. (The other two tracks are SS-20 without Sky.)
In 1987 Sky added the same SS-20 recording "Paradise", with its title changed to "In Paradise", to his album Takes & Glories. The mix is a little different than the Voxx EP. That album also features a song called "Skid Row Children" which is simply the instrumental track of SS-20’s "Paradise" with a brand-new vocal and lyrics from Sky. The original "Paradise" was, mystifyingly, added as a bonus track to the 2008 CD of Back To The Garden as well as the 2010 re-release.
Finally, a 1977 live song from the album Heavenly Earth called "Paradise Power" isn’t related to either "Paradise". Confused yet? Good!
