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Tractor - "Beyond Deeply Vale" Reviews
OZIT/ENTS DVD 0004 - 2 CD Set
To buy this CD now click here
 Review
from Goldmine USA - June 2004
Tractor themselves are revisited across a great new DVD, Tractor: Beyond Deeply
Vale. 135 minutes of footage include two full concerts. Tractor themselves reformed
a few years ago, and sound as great today as they ever did plus a spellbinding
half hour documentary tracing the history of the Deeply Vale festivals, and unearthing
some fascinating period footage. Whether you attended (or are even aware of) a
Deeply Vale festival or not, Beyond Deeply Vale will transport you all the way
back to what remains one of the British rock underground’s most sacred scenes.
Goldmine Magazine USA - Jo-Ann Greene June 2004
Record Collector DVD Reviews - July 2004 (***)
Mysteriously enjoyable and the first of a series of Deeply Vale related products.
A number of northern legends are embedded in this intriguing DVD which provides
excellent navigational fun. Even if Tractor whose softened and intelligent prog
tones seem to have attained an unlikely poignancy in recent times, are not within
range of your tastes, you can divert to the glorious memories of the Deeply Vale
Free Festival.
This semi-anarchic, rag-taggle collection of wig-wams and stage entanglements
took place in the late 70's and fuelled by the enthusiasm of Ozit Morpheus Records
owner Chris Hewitt, featured the likes of The Fall, Fast Cars, Steve Hillage and
even Mick Hucknall's Frantic Elevators. Although these artists are only featured
in a sequence of photographic snap shots it still makes compelling viewing.
There are two sets and assorted rarities from Tractor, once the darlings of John
Peel's innovative Dandelion label. Now trimmed to an invigorating duo, they possess
an aura of calm assurance that is the result of a band who own bagfuls of surprisingly
melodic songs that sway from the trippy to the soulful. The celebrated idiosyncrasies
of their home town Rochdale, with its darkly brooding moorlands seem etched into
every song, much in the manner of their Oldham neighbours geographically and musically.Barclay
James Harvest
Andy Garibaldi
It's a difficult thing these days - so many bands that you worshipped in your
youth are either still going or reforming, often with mixed results. Sometimes
it's bad enough having to listen to them try to recapture that old magic, but,
when you consider age, looks and visual impact, even worse - having to watch them
do it - I'm no oil painting, but I've seen enough DVDs recently of ageing (and
not so ageing) rockers that, without a good light show, stage show or visual impact,
just leave you empty inside watching a bunch of old me recreate their youth.
Tractor are no oil paintings either - but, hell, this is good stuff - I mean,
seriously good stuff. First off, content. It's long - very long - two and a quarter
hours. You get two concerts. Both are the band playing live in 2003, one at the
tail end of the year, the other in the beginning. After that you get archive footage
of the band's history, a photographic look-back at the Deeply Vale Festival itself,
a promo video of the band, the band playing live on a return visit to Deeply Vale
in 2003 and more.
 But
it's the concert footage that is the meat of the DVD. Shot professionally, the
quality of music and visuals is superb - great sound for sure. The first thing
you notice is how much guitarist Jim Milne looks like Clive James, and you realise
you're into ageing rocker territory, but it's OK - I didn't mind that a bit. Drummer
Steve Clayton is behind this arsenal of drums and percussion, and his looks don't
really come into it as his playing performance throughout is addictive. So, lights,
picture quality, visuals - all OK - then the next shock. You realise pretty soon
on that the tracks you knew and loved from the seminal self-titled album that
John Peel eulogised all those years ago - many of which are here - are being performed
on an acoustic guitar. Just as you think it might turn into an electric fest,
no such luck, however, there's something more to surprise you: it works and it
works superbly. Milne's lost none of his vocal prowess and, unusually but most
welcomingly, it sounds pretty close to the vocal performance, as evidenced on
the original album. It's the interpretation here of those tracks, and the passion
with which they are delivered, not to mention the awesome drum and percussion
work of Clayton, that keep you hooked to the performance - not sure you'd be hooked
so much if you didn't know the albums first, but then you probably wouldn't buy
the DVD first, so, again, immaterial.
Through the delights such as 'All Ends Up', 'Little Girl In Yellow', 'Make The
Journey' and more, it's a riveting little concert, visually and sonically. But
the next one, repeating tracks admittedly, from the end of the year, is even better.
Milne "goes electric" a lot sooner this time, and halfway through they are joined
by a female hand drummer that provides extra rhythmic force and some superb drumming
duelling on this concert's 'Make The Journey'. Overall, if the first one was the
starter, this is definitely the main course, as the band show they really have
lost none of their magic. This is a DVD I will watch again, pure nostalgia trip
admittedly, but it works and that's the point.
The archive and promo footage is, as in most cases, seriously interesting first
time around, but I'm not sure you'd want a repeat watch. But, overall, it's a
DVD worth every penny if you're a Tractor fan, and, if you're not, then you really
need that album called 'Tractor' in your life - one of the few albums of its time
by a little-known band that truly does deserve the status "legendary".
Andy Garibaldi
Feedback Magazine - Sept 2004
Tractor are not only a band,but an important part of the musical history of
the North. If it hadn't been for them,their studio and their PA,and most importantly
their festival- Deeply Vale, then quite a few bands may not have got off the ground.As
well as established bands, newcomers to the stage were Mark E .Smith ,The Ruts
[ who actually formed at the festival] Mick Hucknall, future members of OMD [
in their forerunner Pegasus]. Tractor started life as a two- piece and when they
got back together after many years apart it was again the duo of Jim Milne[guitar,vocals]
and drummer Steve Clayton.
This DVD contains two sets performed in 2003, plus a host of extras concerning
Deeply Vale.For those of you who have yet to come across their debut album shame
on you,this is a great introduction to the band. All these years later and Jim
has lost none of the touch that inspired John Peel to say about him"the man
responsible for the most urgent,flowing and logical guitar playing I've ever heard"
In many ways Tractor have been something of a forgotten band ,but this dvd shows
you how powerful they are in concert. Jim sometimes is on acoustic,sometimes electric,but
his playing is always full of passion whatever the instrument while Steve is much
more than just a sidekick with a real understanding and intuition of what Jim
is doing.
The extras concerning Deeply Vale are fascinating ,including footage and interviews
at the time[including some clips of the band in the studio] plus loads of photos,
then a return to Deeply Vale by steve and jim as they chat to chris Hewitt then
perform some music.THERE IS THE FEELING OF WANTING THIS TO BE AS COMPLETE A PICTURE
OF THE TIME AND THE PEOPLE WHO WERE INVOLVED, WHICH IS REALLY BROUGHT HOME BY
THE THREE SMALL PIECES OF FILM OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SINCE DIED.
This DVD shows a great band in concert , plus some interesting musical history.There
is also a 24 page booklet
Feedback Magazine-MENSA'S Music Magazine latest magazine reviews
section Sept 2004
http://www.dvdfever.co.uk (10/10)
On Thursday 13 May 2004, I was invited to Ozit Records owner Chris Hewitt’s
birthday party at the Buttermarket night club in Shrewsbury. On the bill for the
celebration were three live acts: Body, Tractor, and String Driven Thing.
Tractor is a name I recall from college days. Not familiar with their repertoire,
I was astounded by the broad church of their music. One minute it’s folky
then rocky. Both musicians are highly accomplished, and gave a dazzling display
of their selected setlist for the night : Peterloo, Average Man’s Hero, Roll
The Dice, Lady Astorath, Illinois, Suicidal, No More, Ravenscroft Boogie, and
the Asian-influenced Siderial.
Tractor began with two school friends in the sixties: guitarist Jim Milne and
drummer/percussionist Steve Clayton. They were eventually signed by Dandelion
Records owned by legendary BBC DJ John Peel . He once said, “Jim Milne of
Tractor – the man responsible for some of the most urgent, flowing and logical
playing I’ve heard.“ After two decades of just doing studio recordings,
they’re back on the road. In 2002 they played Glastonbury and Canterbury
Fayre in 2003.
This DVD contains 30 minutes of video archive from the vaults of the Deeply Vale
free festivals in a beautiful valley between Rochdale and Bury, and two Tractor
sets from the Buttermarket in 2003. There’s also a 24 page booklet containing
rare pictures of the festival and cult 70’s folk – progressive/psychedelic
rock duo Tractor.
Deeply Vale was the setting for the festivals between 1976 and 1979. Initially
it drew a crowd of 300, but by 1979 it pulled in an astonishing 20,000 people
which built on the Woodstock spirit. Acts playing there included The Frantic Elevators
(featuring Mick Hucknall pre–Simply Red) Steve Hillage, The Fall, Pegasus
(later OMD) and The Ruts.
Ozit Records CD’s worth checking out are : Body – The Body Album,
String Driven Thing – Suicide (Live in Berlin) & The Early Years (1968–1972),
Steve Hillage – Live at Deeply Dale Festival ’78, The Way We Live (now
Tractor) A Candle For Judith & Before, During And After The Dandelion Years..
Through To Deeply Dale And Beyond.
Elly Roberts reviews
http://www.dvdfever.co.uk/reviews/ertrac.shtml
Free for all (The Observer)
Love and revolution were in the air, no one paid, everyone ate bean stew. Luke
Bainbridge's childhood memory of teepees and Steve Hillage at the Deeply Vale
festivals of the Seventies are stirred by a new DVD
Sunday August 15, 2004
The Observer
The uninitiated could be forgiven a smirk at the poster for the third Deeply
Vale 'people's free festival'. 'We invite all our brothers and sisters to join
us on the dark side of the Pennines for a week from 20-27 June 1978', it proclaims,
describing a 'secluded wooded valley with lakes for swimming', and promising 'free
food', before exclaiming, 'All you need is love . . . but the revolution needs
you'.
It may not register much with today's Glastonbury punter, but in the mid-Seventies,
when many free festivals started changing and charging - to the chagrin of the
hippies - here, on the dark side of the Pennines, the dream lived on. For four
years running, up to 20,000 converged on the moors above Rochdale and Bury to
see the likes of Tractor, Steve Hillage and embryonic appearances by the Fall
and the Frantic Elevators, to mingle with teepee dwellers, suffer beanburgers
and witness stand-offs with Hell's Angels.
Now, with a DVD out, and a documentary and book to follow, Deeply Vale seems to
be finally gaining recognition.
One of the original organisers, Chris Hewitt, is the driving force behind the
new projects. He's extremely excited when I catch up with him, having just tracked
down someone in Japan who has an audio tape of the festival's joint rolling competition.
'A group of people from Rochdale had been to Watchfield then Rivington Pike, near
Chorley, in August 1976. They just came back and said, "Let's look around
for somewhere in Rochdale to do a festival."'
Local prog rockers Tractor, signed to John Peel's Dandelion imprint, played a
big part. 'There was a feeling up north that we were being ignored,' explains
Steve Clayton of Tractor. 'Everyone was talking about festivals down south and
we knew there were a lot of good bands in the area, and people wanted their own
festival.'
Impressively, they pulled off the first festival in a mere three weeks, thanks
to a strong network of musicians and the thriving local scene (at the time RAP
- Rochdale Alternative Press - was one of Europe's biggest alternative newspapers).
'Once the ball was rolling we were inundated with bands who wanted to play, from
all over the country,' Hewitt recalls.
Despite the rocketing scale, organisers were determined that Deeply Vale should
remain free. This ethos even extended to the food; beanburgers, bean stew and
egg butties.
'It was a beautiful site, but it also had a reputation for being organised. People
who went to Glastonbury and Stonehenge came back and said Deeply Vale was more
organised. We had a running schedule long before they had one. The PA arrived
on time, and the stage would be ready. Lots of other free festivals relied more
on so-and-so said he was bringing something . . . then everyone sat round, smoked
a joint and it never materialised.'
By the third year, fans would arrive from all over the country, their numbers
swelled by the largest gathering of North American teepees in Europe - whose inhabitants
spent the year travelling the continent, moving from festival to festival - plus
a healthy percentage of locals.
Most of those who were there seem to have slightly hazy memories of events, some
no doubt due to narcotics, but others, like myself, because we were inquisitive
five-year-olds taken to this other worldly place on our doorstep. For Deeply Vale
kids, it was the hippies, teepees and amoras that stayed with you, rather than
Steve Hillage's apparently legendary set.
Rivington Pike had problems with Hell's Angels in 1977. 'The year the first punk
bands played,' recalls Chris, 'the Angels didn't like punks, so they fired a shotgun
over their heads while they were playing.' At Vale, however, 'enough people stood
up to them and eventually they backed off'.
Film-makers at Granada are now working on a documentary, Truly, Madly, Deeply
Vale. 'It's a story that needs to be told,' explains director David Nolan. 'You
could say it was one of the last times people tried to do anything in the free
festival spirit before the onset of Eighties consumerism; but you can also say
this was one of the daftest music festivals ever held. I've got an audio recording
and you can hear an announcement asking if anyone can spare some petrol for the
generator so the next band can play . . .'
· Tractor: Beyond Deeply Vale is out now on Ozit Records.
· Truly, Madly, Deeply is on ITV1, 26 November.
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About
as good, if not better than either of his 'Live Herald' or 'BBC
Radio 1' releases (see my review of both). A very satisfactory
soundboard - source live recording of a historic concert. This
gig has never been released or bootlegged before so this legit
pressing is most welcome. All of disc one (9 tracks) and the first
four (4) of disc two add up to the approx. 80 minute performance
that with the exception of a few flaws in the last couple of songs,
give the true Hillage fan a real audio gem as well as a memorable
keepsake. The flaws don't really affect the quality of the show.
Do what I do, think of it as one of those band / artist - released
CD's where their taping equipment had some minor problems. The
tunes I liked best are "Searching For The Spark", "Octave
Doctors", "Palm Trees", the Donovan cover "Hurdy
Gurdy Man", the tripping "Lunar Musick Suite" and
"Glorious OM Riff". Line up is: Hillage - guitar, vocals
& keyboards, Miquette Giraudy - vocals & synthesizer,
Christian Boule - glissando guitar, John Mackenzie - bass &
vocals and Andy Anderson - drums. Disc two continues with various
audio segments that were lifted from an audience cassette recording.
There's a couple of Tractor, one that's actually live from a Deeply
Vale outing that I thought sounded about as good as this Hillage
show did. Believe I also heard some crowd chatter here and there.
Comes with two (2) eight page fold - outs with plenty of informative
liner notes and good photos. A must have for all true fans of
Hillage, Gong, Canterbury, Avant Garde and just British psych
in general. Aging hippies, rejoice because it rarely gets better
than this. Just a great cosmic piece of work. Recommended.
