elixir vitae
‘It’s the late ’60s, you’re getting high with Timothy Leary and listening to the Beatles – either “Sgt. Pepper” or “Magical Mystery Tour.” He breaks out some LSD. You’ve never done it before but, hey, if old Timmy likes it, you will too. So, you put it in your mouth and, well, float downstream.
It’s a completely surreal experience. The music is allover the place. Sounds you have never noticed in the album come flying out in ways that you never knew those cheap stereo speakers could produce. It’s overwhelming – but music will never be the same again. Albums are no longer something that can be fully experienced sober.
Well, wake up buddy. It’s 2004 and you’ve been dropping so much acid over the past 40 years that you need an entire ream of paper blotted with the hallucinogen to feel anything. That’s one hell of an expensive habit that you’ve got there, not to mention all of the other medicines you need to straighten you out when you’re not tripping, Mr. or Mrs. Flashback.
The sad thing is, you’ve burnt out the potential to listen to music of an “acid” nature straight. So, you pop in “Elixir Vitae” and curse the gods because, if this was 1967, the album would be neck-and-neck with “Sgt. Pepper”, both in the charts and on your “record player.” Sucks for you. You really would have enjoyed this album.
It’s something completely retro and still ahead of its time. It’s a fluid blend of late, psychedelic Beatles and some of the quirkier Pixies songs. It’s the kind of album you would have loved, burnout. Way to screw that up for yourself.
But this gets across an important message: too much of a good thing can be bad. That’s why it’s fortunate that an album like this only comes along every once in a while. So, take it in moderation and enjoy these opportunities when presented to you.
Put it on your turntable (or CD player), do whatever it is you feel you need to do – though I condone nothing – and drift away.
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