Birdsongs of the Mesozoic started out as a side collaboration between two gods of the Boston art-punk scene:
Mission of Burma's guitarist
Roger Miller (who wanted an outlet for his keyboard compositions) and
Erik Lindgren, who had played keyboards for an early version of
Burma called
Moving Parts. Adding third keyboardist
Rick Scott and fellow
Burma member
Martin Swope on guitar, the quartet recorded an eponymous EP, a full-length album (
Magnetic Flip), and then another EP (
Beat of the Mesozoic), all on the local
Ace of Hearts label. In 1988
Miller left, bringing the band's initial era to a close, but the group continues with original members
Scott and
Lindgren, as well as saxophonist
Ken Field and guitarist
Michael Bierylo.
Dawn of the Cycads is a two-disc compilation that brings together the band's first three releases along with about 45 minutes of previously unreleased live and studio material from the same period. Those who are encountering the early recordings for the first time are in for a treat: the band's rock/classical fusion is in full effect on tracks like
"Ptoccata" and the minimalism tribute
"Terry Riley's House," while their more whimsical side is given expression in a rollicking rendition of the theme from
Rocky and Bullwinkle. Not everything about the band's sound has aged well: that drum machine sounded cheap in 1983 and sounds positively cheesy today. But the
Birdsongs' unique blend of compositional rigor, rockish energy, and cheerful complexity is still as fresh and enjoyable as it ever was. It would be too easy to say that this set is like an archaeological find from a rock & roll culture of the distant past -- it's more like an anthropological study of a culture that is both more advanced and more fun-loving than our own. ~ Rick Anderson
![Thick as a Brick [40th Anniversary] [CD/DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5099970461923_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Thick as a Brick [40th Anniversary] [CD/DVD]")
