Genre: folk
Rating: 4 stars ****
Title: Great Wall of China
Company: CBS
Catalog: S 64430
Year: 1971
Country/State: Urbana, Illinois
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: French pressing; original lyric insert
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5160
Price: $300.00
This is one of those albums that occasionally shows up on big time dealer lists with psych, or acid-folk labels and a hefty asking price (a couple of European dealers have $400 asking prices on their copies). Ignoring the fact the term 'acid folk' is largely meaningless, I've seen a couple of reviews comparing these guys to a host of other acts including Comus, Doctor Strangely Strange, early Fairport Convention, and The International Sting Band. I'll readily admit to liking ISB so that set a pretty high standard for comparison and when I finally stumbled across a cheap copy of their debut I ended up buying it of curiosity more than anything.
Given most of the band members were American, but their debut album was only released in France, I've tried to piece together this band's somewhat convoluted history. As far as I can tell singer/multi-instrumentalist James Cuomo got his musical start while attending the University of Illinois, Urbana. While at Urbana he formed The Spoils of War which recorded an album's worth of experimental/electronic material, only to have it shelved (that album and a follow-up odds and ends compilation were finally released by the German Shadoks label in the late-1990s). With The Spoils of War coming to an end Cuomo moved on to his next project as a member of a New York-based theater group. While performing "La Mama" with the group in Paris, Cuomo, cello player Sandy Spencer, and singer/multi-instrumentalist Tobia Taylor decided to quit the touring company and stay in France. They quickly recruited former Spoils of War vocalist Annie Hatt, multi-instrumentalist Rick Mansfield, and old University of Illinois friend/guitarist Elliott Delman. For his part, just weeks shy of getting his Masters Degree in Spanish Literature, Delman suddenly found himself recording an album with Cuomo and company in the band Mormos.
So what did 1971's "Great Wall of China" really sound like? Well, anyone expecting to hear Spoils of War-styled electronic experimentation was probably surprised to hear this strange, but endearing hybrid of folk, pastoral, and experimental moves. Recorded in Paris with Cuomo co-producing with Gilles Bleiveis, the ISB comparison had some merit, though it wasn't 100% correct. Like ISB, the album featured a largely acoustic sound with a somewhat dated hippy-dippy sound, though at least to my ears Cuomo's lyrics were far more interesting than ISB's catalog (check out the title track, or re-recorded Spoils of War track 'Now is Made in America'). Sticking with the ISB comparison, Cuomo certainly had a better voice than ISB's Mike Heron, or Robin Williamson and Annie Hat and Tobia Taylor were both better singers than ISB's Likky McKechnie, or Rose Simpson. Hat was particularly impressive, her deep voice recalling an Americanized Sandy Denny on tracks like 'Cap and Bell'. While nothing here was what you'd call top-40 commercial, several songs were built on strong melodies, or featured performances that were eclectic, but still quite memorable (check out Spencer's cello solo on 'Walk In, Walk Out'). Highlights included the title track, guitarist Delman's 'Jack of Hearts', the pounding !!! 'Walk In, Walk Out' and the closing ballad 'St Ives'. Mind you the album wasn't perfect. The group's William Shakespeare adaptation was an acquired taste, while the cat-sucking-on-a-helium-balloon performance on 'The Crimson Uniform' was irritating and somewhat scary. Still, the album had an offbeat charm which left you wondering what these expatriates were thinking when they recorded it ... sure we'll become major stars singing folk music to a French audience ... The funny thing is they almost pulled it off !
"The Great
Wall of China" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Womanbud
Deborah (James Cuomo - Tobia Taylor) - 0:58
2.) Great Wall of China
(James Cuomo - Tobia Taylor) - 4:47
3.) Forever Seventh Loved Time (Kathi Bennett - James Cuomo) -
1:00
4.) Now is Made in America (Debril Brandybrook - James Cuomo) -
4:25
5.) The Crimson Uniform
(James Cuomo) - 1:21
6.) Poughkeepsie (James
Cuomo) - 1:52
7.) Smelling Like A Rose
(James Cuomo) - 2:30
8.) Victoria Falls (James Cuomo) - 0:43
(side
2)
1.) Jack of Hearts (Wayne
Heuring - Elliott Delman) - 1:21
2.) O Mistress Mine (William Shakespeare - James Cuomo) - 2:08
3.) Cap and Bell (W.B. Yeats - James Cuomo) - 3:10
4.) Walk In, Walk Out (Michael Hanks - James Cuomo) - 3:23
5.) My Grandma Rocks (Michael Hanks - James Cuomo) - 4:08
6.) St Ives (James Cuomo - Tobia Taylor) - 3:09
Through the magic of the internet I tracked down Elliott Delman (he has a nice website at:
He was kind enough to write back with a couple of memories and updates on the other band members.
Hi, Scott. Thanks so much for writing. You say you stumbled across "Great Wall." Did you ever stumble across our band when we were in Europe? It was an experience that has informed much of my musical self. It was my first professional foray into that world, and I loved how eclectic, unafraid, weird, normal, freeing those two years were. And with Paris as a backdrop! Yes, I own the CD's and occasionally listen to them and smile as the music takes me back to the very early 70's when we were all just pups. I stay in touch with most of the pups. Lost touch with Tobia and don't email much with Sandy the cellist, but Jim, Ernie, Annie and I are still close. After Mormos Annie, Ernie and I joined a country rock commune band on a farm in gorgeous southwest Wisconsin (Sky Farmer). Spoiled by the musicianship of Mormos, but in love with the land, I kept quitting and rejoining the band. We then all moved to Chicago and Annie and I played in a cabaret-style trio with Rokko Jans (who has scored a number of Mamet films). Very satisfying. Ernie moved to the Bay area, Jim stayed in Paris, Annie married a writer from Saturday Night Live and moved to New York where she currently lives. I stayed in Chicago and accompanied Bonnie Koloc the folk singer, and began writing commercially once my kids were born and rolling in at 4 AM after a gig was no longer appropriate.
Today the band is spread all over the globe, but we always manage to pop in for a visit whenever our travels take us to a city where another Mormo dwells. (I went to Paris in 2000 and Jim and I performed some Mormo tunes in a club he frequents. And on and on...)
Elliott Delman
February 2007