from the LP Think Pink, Sire Records, 1970As we’ve previously discussed, the term “psychedelic” carries with it many varying connotations which may or may not be appropriate for any given instance of its use, but in the circumstance of drummer John ‘Twink’ Adler, that word becomes more of a life goal than an adjective. In other words: he composed drug music about people on drugs, made by individuals that were themselves high on various hallucinogenic substances, and largely crafted for others who indulge in the same behavior. Part-time member of the seminal Pretty Things & also Hawkwind, co-founding member of both Tomorrow and underground favorites the Pink Fairies (a crew whose legendary drug-related antics made even the boys in Hawkwind seem a bit square by comparison), Twink was also one of the few friends of Syd Barrett who truly remained close by him after his firing from the almighty Floyd and during his mental dissolution, urging him to continue on with musical endeavors until Barrett could play no more. Speaking of Pink Floyd, several tracks found here on Twink’s debut solo effort feel like the perfect union between their work in the years following this (i.e. Meddle or Obscured By Clouds) & the lysergic orchestration of the Moody Blues stuff just previous to this, and no other track illustrates that concoction of vibes better than this one; the contrast of an acoustic and blazing electric guitar, the sweeping ambiance, echoed singing, a touch of violins and majorly mushroomy lyrics, “…standing tiptoe on the highest hill, watching dawn give birth to the light, I cry…” Anyone who has watched the sun rising during the peak of your trip knows well the impact of such an event while under that influence, so for those uninitiated in the weirding way, rest assured, this is no exaggeration.
