70.Edgar Broughton Band - Evening Over Rooftops (Edgar Broughton Band,1971 (aka The ‘meat’ album)

The anthemic 'Evening Over Rooftops' by the legendary Edgar Broughton Band, who have in their time been described as 'proto-punk', 'heavy rock', 'underground' and more recently (and most accurately!) as 'a bloody good rock band! In 1971, the band decided that existence as a power trio was limiting, and asked Victor Unitt, who had been playing meanwhile in The Pretty Things, to rejoin the band. In May, with the new lineup, they released possibly their finest work: their eponymous third album, which contained the classic "Evening Over Rooftops" (again with strings by David Bedford which Edgar Broughton called "stunning"). Edgar Broughton Band contained heavy blues and even country influences. Mike Oldfield also featured, on "Thinking Of You". This album has been said to mark the highest point in the Broughtons' career because of its sense of wholeness and completeness (while not straying into concept album territory).This is one of the truly great records of the period - beautiful, melodic, versatile, intelligent music. In retrospect, Edgar was one of the best and certainly one of the most underrated. The standout song is "Evening Over Rooftops" with what must be an awesome evocation of storming starlings - a bird now massively reduced in numbers. The imagery is as powerful as any created in rock lyrics.




EVENING OVER ROOFTOPS
(R.E Broughton/V.B. Unitt)



The air was thick like honey
Looking from the room
The room had open windows
To let the springtime through
Evening stood by watching
At the side of summer's promise
The flowers in her garden
Were the envy of her friends
How far are we from dying
Is it nearly at an end(x2)

The smoke hung on the skyline
The city fell in silence
The sunset ripe and mellow
Was the light to write some thoughts by
Her children watched for father
From their window in the wall
Said a prayer for Grandpapa
And maybe many more
Somewhere in the distance
On a road so far away
I heard the sound of life
Though the people left for home

Three birds flew off a building
Standing proud against the sky
Many more flew with them
Spiraled upward like laughter
Faster harder
They rose up in a column
Hundreds upon hundreds
And twice that many wingspeed
Four miles across
Stretched a million miles high
The living pulsing column
In the lady of the sky
Feathers thrashed together
Locked in that huge one
I knew no-one could see it
And now that it was gone
I rubbed my eyes and tried to find
A reason for the flight
Exodus escape or was it just for me to see

Like the mating of the earth and air
Like water is to flowers
The envy of her friends

How far are we from dying
Is it nearly at an end



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