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Uncut # 73 June 2003 TELEVISION PERSONALITIES Yes Darling, But Is It Art? (Fire SFIRE 024 CD) Rating: 2 stars / 5 | |
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Early off-cuts from cultish British eccentric Dan Treacy is revered by some as a paragon of scruffy, scuffed outsider pop art, a punky British answer to Arthur Lee or Skip Spence. The fact that these devotees are the kind of people who hail Edward Ball as a genius and covet Biff Bang Pow! seven-inches speaks volumes. Sure enough, here we have the odd flash or two of inspiration (notably 'King And Country' and 'How I Learned To Love... The Bomb') stifled by a general air of disappointment and opportunities missed. While the naïve lyrical bent of 'I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives' and 'Now You're Just Being Ridiculous' are engaging to a point, the songwriting falls inexcusably short of true neglected genius. Joe Standard |