​A LITTLE MADNESS TO BE FREE
THE SAINTS (RCA)
 
It's not enough to say that Chris Bailey is a unique, affecting
but erratic artist who, in A Little Madness to Be Free, his group
the Saints' sixth album, has made his most coherent statement
since... well, put it this way, the album seems finished in a way
that the last two, Casablanca and, to a lesser extent, The Monkey
Puzzle, never were. "Not enough," though, because it's not only an
artist that changes (or stays the same) but also the critic, and
the critic's perception of the artist. To some of us, our first
awareness of Chris Bailey was almost ten years ago, fronting the
Saints, belting out "(I'm) Stranded" and taking belts from a bottle
of Irish whiskey. Given the Saints' position as harbinger of the
punk revolution in Australia, and their essence as well, one's
relationship with the group was more than academic, it was an
emotional and spiritual investment. In the Saints was part of me.
When the schism occurred within the group, after the third album
Prehistoric Sounds, when original guitarist Ed Kuepper left to
form Laughing Clowns, loyalties were divided, But Bailey stuck to
his guns, and eternal credit to him for it, but at the time the
post-punk tide was turning against rock'n'roll in the traditional
sense, and this critic for one was quick to condemn Bailey for
his 'redundant' predilections. Oh how the tide turns! Now, after
the disillusionment of 'progressive' post-punk rock - I mean, was
it all so that Duran Duran would rise to the top? - there is a
tangible return to classicism in rock that is imperative and
certainly the most encouraging sign on pop's current horizon.
And Chris Bailey's still with us, still doing it and at times better than
ever.
 
Although it would take a lot to remove Prehistoric Sounds from
my mind as the superlative Saints' album - I still listen to
it - there can be no doubt that both The Monkey Puzzle and
Casablanca, despite occasional scrappiness, contained some fine
moments, as Chris Bailey the songwriter honed his skills. Chris
Bailey the singer, what with his solo excursions, moves closer
towards mastery. So in some ways A Little Madness to Be Free is a
consumate sort of album, and although at no point is it made clear
as to who 'the Saints' actually are - the sleeve credits no less
than twelve musicians as 'irresponsible' - the sound is consistent
throughout. Daresay, this is the best Saints' album since Prehistoric
Sounds. Daresay...
 
But just as Prehistoric Sounds was flawed, A Little Madness to
Be Free has some annoying shortcomings. I could quibble over the
cover - a Roger Dean-like seascape which only invites further
comparison with Prehistoric Sounds - but that's probably below the
belt. There are some great songs on A Little Madness to Be Free but
they are occasionally marred by playing that is less than totally
sympathetic.
 
Two strains intersect in Chris Bailey - the reflective, bluesy
folky, and the extroverted, soulful rock'n'roller - and to my way
of thinking the letter detracts from the former. (Certainly, the
big band side of Bailey's recent solo live album, What We Did On
Our Holidays, was vastly inferior to the acoustic side.) A song
like "It's Only Time," for instance, a highlight of Bailey's
acoustic set, has been completely destroyed on the album by a
Motownesque bass line beneath a quasi-trad jazz treatment. At worse, the Saints are a heavy-handed, meat'n'potatoes-only outfit. But that's at worse... Other songs familiar from Bailey's acoustic set
emerge more successfully - the single "Ghost Ships" remains
resoundingly powerful despite less subtlety, and "Photograph" is
still hauntingly beautiful and brooding, swathed in strings and
brass. It is, in fact, the strings and brass - the arrangements –
that are a feature of A Little Madness to Be Free, lifting the
songs, punctuating and colouring them, framing the gritty realism
of Bailey's vocals. All the songs offer a relaxed singalongability,
the album flows from start to finish.
 
The high points, however, next to "Ghost Ships" and "Photograph,"
are the new songs where Bailey allows his superior abilities as a
balladeer to take charge, prompting an ensemble performance
to match his own. The current single "Imagination" is a happy
up-tempo exception, but it's the sombre tones of Side 2 that
leave a more lasting impression. "Wrapped Up and Blue," for
example, is gorgeous - making reference to Dylan in more ways
than one, it's pure Blonde On Blonde, and that's meant as a
compliment. Anyone who even hints at Dylan's range must he doing
something right, and there are shades of that strength throughout
A Little Madness to Be Free.
 
Ultimately, it's a fairly good album, but Chris Bailey is
capable of better. What he has to do is realize where his true
strengths lay, and channel his energies accordingly, and solidify
a Saints' line-up that is fully sympathetic to his objectives. His
best work is still ahead of him yet.