Tuesday, April 2, 2013

YETI-THE MAN WITH THE LAMP, ONE-SIDED LP, 2006 (RECORDED: 2000), USA


It's with great pleasure and some reverence that I'm finally bringing to you this extraordinary recording. With both keyboardist Doug Ferguson and bassist Tommy Atkins now having departed this earth (a sadly all too common occurrence in our musical circles), founding Yeti member and current half of Pinkish Black Jon Teague has agreed to let me share this remarkable recording with you.

Formed on the heels of Doug's departure from the temporarily dis-banded Vas Deferens Organization circa 1998, Yeti was the ultimate vehicle for realizing Doug's grandiose avant prog visions. While Ohm had served as his conduit for his cosmic improvisations and Vas Deferens Organization a means for him to express his most outlandish visions, it was with Yeti that Doug truly came into his own as a composer. To the accompaniment of a bulldozing rhythm section  rendered acres wide with fuzz and distortion and the surprisingly shaded interventions of guitarist Eric Harris, Doug would let rip with barrages of minor key organ and string synth menace laced with synthetic hailstorms from his Wakeman-worthy banks of keys. All of this was the result of Doug having internalized the deepest dimensions of avant prog in general and Zeuhl in particular; specifically that most anguished dimension of it articulated by the Magma of De Futura and even more specifically Shub Niggurath, who'd take this genre it to its most harrowing and soured extremes. With the assist of his Fort Worth pals, who'd been steeping in this stuff with him, though approaching it from a background more based in in hardcore, Yeti's dystopian vision was brought to life.

They would emerge fully formed with their debut outing "Things To Come" and after Doug's tragic death in 2002, Jon, Eric and Tommy would carry on as a power trio on 2004's "Volume, Obliteration, Transcendance", but the Doug era was considered to be a closed book until the emergence of this 18 minute epic, issued on a one-sided LP in 2006. The source recording for The Man With The Lamp was offered to my bandmate Matt Castille from Vas Deferens Organization by Doug to see if the rehearsal room recording from which it stems could in any way be salvaged by Matt's magic.  The Man With The Lamp was a career high for them as a composition but it was also, having only been recorded as a private rehearsal jam, a pretty rough and murky document and required a substantial sonic overhaul from Matt to bring it up to releasable level, if not perfect clarity. What results is one of their most monolithic and crushing recordings, leavened with some of their most delicate shadings and ensconced in a VDO production patina.

This recording also exposes a hidden dimension of VDO's productions, in that this was but one of three dark avant prog recordings from the era that we produced. Expect to discover more from this universe once our productions for PrimitivEcho and Coprolingus eventually see the light of day.


Get it Here 

12 comments:

Cat said...

PrimitivEcho and Coprolingus PLEASE!!!!

Anonymous said...

I had heard of this recording, really brilliant. Everything about it is Masterful. FINALLY heard it and cannot believe my ears. More Doug too.

pTopose said...

Sounds amazing, Like it was recorded on 2 inch reel. Just great.

J to the G said...

I lived in Austin from 98 - 03, and became somewhat aware of Yeti around the time this was recorded, but I've never been able to get my hands on anything other than a single track on a KVRX compilation... thank you SO MUCH for this (and thank you Jon Teague), it's incredible!

Anonymous said...

AMAZING This is why I come here.! Is there more from this band?

vdoandsound said...

anonymous-see here: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Yeti+%284%29

Anonymous said...

magnifique!
merci

Anonymous said...

thanks for ripping this lp. i bought it several years ago from the bassist (RIP). i remeber someone of you guys was involved in the recording sessions, right?

Smokee Monkee said...

Thanks for remembering these guys. I knew Doug and I knew and worked with Tommy.
Tommy was, underneath his crusty exterior, a really sweet and funny guy. I can't tell you how much he made me laugh. It really made me sad when I heard he was gone.

communist said...

thanks yeti is great

https://mediahitsblitz.blogspot.com/ said...

Don't forget the full lengths on Life is Abuse Records.

Will said...

This is incredible, thanks.