Ramases - "Glass Top Coffin" 1975

A little-known, long-lost JEWEL... # 2 from that strange husband-wife duo Ramases. #1 is here.

Ramases - Glass Top Coffin
Vertigo, 1975


















"Co-produced by Ramases and keyboardist Barry Kirsch, 1975's "Glass Top Coffin" was equally eclectic, but sported a sound that was quite different from the debut. Exemplified by material such as the lead off track "Golden Landing", "Children Of The Green Earth" and "Sweet Reason" (where Ramases sounds like Marianne Faithful), the overall feel was far more polished; no doubt reflecting elaborate orchestral arrangements (courtesy of Rob Young) and support from members of the Royal Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. Like the debut, there's clearly a concept buried in here, though the apparent references to aliens ("Golden Landing") and religion ("God Voice") are again largely lost on us. Not that it matters since the set's full of seductive melodies and some wonderful vocal performances, including the intriguing Ramases-Sel duet "Now Mona Lisa". As much as we like the debut (see our review), this one's even better and while musical comparisons are always frought with danger, this time around tracks such as the pretty "Long, Long Time" and "Saler Man" found Ramases and Sel pulling off a credible, low-budget take on The Moody Blues (had they been middle aged central heating salesmen). Perhaps we're being colored by Ramases' susbequent 1990's suicide, but tracks such as "Mind Island" and the spare "Only The Loneliest Feeling" seem to give the whole album an air of sad and dignified resignation which only makes the album all the more fascinating. Easily one of our top-50 personal favorites and a crime that it hasn't been heard by more people ... Designed by Ramases and artist Dave Field, the album also sports one of our favorite covers....
Sadly the album failed to sell, marking the end of Ramses recording career. Ramases and Sel appear to have slipped back into day-to-day obscurity. Ramses apparently committed suicide in the late-1970s." -from http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/Ramases.htm

Apparently Ramases wanted another fancy cover (like the one Roger Dean designed for Space Hymns [also on Vertigo]), but there was some miscommunication, and the result is this quite stunning album cover. They got the die-cut gatefold part right, but it was something about the design of the cut-out that wasn't exactly the way Ramases had in mind. The other-worldly space-music, the beautiful album covers, and the mystery of Ramases' life combine to make one of the most intriguing and fascinating of my finds lately...





























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(Thanks to Time Has Told Me)