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LP
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GUESS 286LP
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Already pioneers at home under their earlier name The Churchills, the band relocated to the UK in 1971 under the guidance of a big management, changing their name to Jericho Jones and finally Jericho. Released by A&M in February 1972, the self-titled Jericho album was heavier, longer, and more progressive than anything they had done before. Built around extended compositions, fearless arrangements, and telepathic ensemble playing, it captured a band operating at full creative stretch. The album opens with "Ethiopia," a ferocious multi-section rocker whose volcanic riffing and sudden twists set the tone for everything that follows. "Don't You Let Me Down," later issued as a single, delivers urgent hooks wrapped in the group's distinctive modal flavor. The towering "Featherbed" moves from melodic introspection to a widescreen instrumental workout that became the band's breakthrough moment on British stages. At the heart of the record lies "Justin and Nova," Robb Huxley's sweeping, cinematic psychedelic/ progressive epic. With its emotional narrative, dramatic dynamics, and lush piano and strings, the track has grown into a cult classic, often cited by fans as one of the era's lost masterpieces. The album closes with "Kill Me With Your Love" a hard-edged, proto-metal piece, ending the journey in grand, theatrical fashion. Internal strains and homesickness soon led to lineup changes, and despite tours, new singles, and even interest from heavyweight industry figures, momentum proved difficult to sustain. Within a short time, Jericho was over. Newly remastered sound. Includes original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve and insert with detailed liner notes by Mike Stax (Ugly Things) with input from original member Robb Huxley. Also includes extra insert with lyrics.
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2LP
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ZORN 076LP
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The Jericho project is fully in line with the approach of the La Nòvia collective from which it originates, a hub for like-minded musicians reinventing regional folk repertoires, marrying traditional French song with minimalism via the use of drone. Jericho is just one of many available permutations of La Nòvia members, with the line-up including Yann Gourdon, Clément Gauthier, Jacques Puech, and Antoine Cognet -- you could say it's La Nòvia's flagship, or super-group. There are no dramatic stylistic shifts here, this is a story of gradual evolution within parameters that Jericho, and La Nòvia, have set for themselves. That also applies to their interpretation of individual songs, which are largely traditional. They can build from almost nothing to reach a furious, near-hallucinatory pitch, underpinned by Gourdon and driven higher by Cognet's banjo and Gauthier and Puech's cabrettes (Auvergnat bagpipes). Gauthier and Puech also sing in unison but drift marginally in and out of time with each other, creating a natural delay effect. Many of the songs slide into each other in long sequences, adding to the sense of disorientation; the one which runs from "Revenant Des Noces" to "Trois Mariniers" takes in both eerie, keening balladry and wild dances. When Jericho hit their stride at these moments -- see also, especially, the glorious "Planh De la Madalena" --they leave you feeling like you're spinning forever, encircled by whirling bodies caught up in dancing mania. Double album in gatefold sleeve with artwork by Elodie Ortega. In co-production with La Nòvia. Edition of 500.
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