True Acid Wizards of the 1980s/1990s Psychedelic Underground TreaTmenT performed at Stonehenge Free Festival and at squats and clubs all over London including the now legendary Alice In Wonderland, The Crypt and Club Dog where they assaulted the minds of those present with their unique and somewhat terrifying blend of ‘60s psychedelia and ‘70s space rock all liberally spiked with a questioning punk attitude. Performing with Dr & The Medics, Ozric Tentacles, The Magic Mushroom Band, Naz Nomad and The Nightmares and other luminaries of the neo-psychedelic space rock revival, TreaTmenT were an integral part of the scene and possibly the most psychedelic band of them all.
Hardcore to the max, the band insisted on performing in a psychedelicised state, looking like a cross between Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come and early Pink Floyd and often with a lightshow. Firmly fixated on taking their audience on the trip of a lifetime TreaTmenT consisted of Adam Blake (Jacket Xerxophon) on guitar and vocals, Gordon Leach (Gordon Zola) on further guitar and vocals, Clive Leach (Evil C. Live, Ron Number, Curtis Vile) on bass/trombone, Paul Ross (The Big Beat, Mr Raagh) on drums/percussion and Paul McWhinnie (Mutant) on keyboards, noises and vocals. They were without doubt a live phenomenon, and although they released a couple of singles, cassettes, a live album and a studio album - Cypher Caput - on the Delerium label (home to Porcupine Tree), they never really managed to commit their mind-blowing magic to vinyl. Now, nearly 20 years after it was recorded TreaTmenT are releasing a limited-edition double vinyl LP of their second studio album How Much is Enough? in memory of guitarist Gordon Leach who sadly passed away in 2021.
The album was intended to be released on Delerium in 2000 but never was and whilst one track ‘Keep Ahead’ appeared on the Cherry Red box set Last Daze of The Underground – Delerium Records Anthology in 2011 nothing else has seen the light of day until now. Fans of the band will note cornerstones of their live set such as the wondrously trippy ‘What The Hell to do’ the humorous swipe at the music press ‘Hate The Band’ the melodic keyboard swirling ‘Restless’, the frenetic guitar cross fire of ‘No Understanding’ and the nihilistic nightmare ‘Blot Out’
Housed in a gatefold sleeve packed with photos and memorabilia as well as for the first time the full history of the band and limited to only 300 on 180-gram vinyl How Much is Enough? will no doubt be seen in the future as one of the landmark releases of the ‘80s/90s Neo-Psychedelic revival.
SALES NOTES
TRACK LIST
Regulars to the '80s London psychedelic scene, TreaTmenT evolved from the '70s squat-based psychedelic punk scene, displaying influences as diverse as Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come, early Pink Floyd and Here & Now.
Finding a home as part of the hip neo-psychedelic revival at The Clinic and later Alice in Wonderland, the band stood out like a dayglo mushroom due to their uncompromising LSD-fuelled mission statement.
TreaTmenT's reputation for melting minds is finally captured on this incredible double LP, recorded in the '90s but not released until now. Highlights are many but psychedelic epics herein include the keyboard-driven psych-pop of 'Restless', the lysergic vortex of 'What the Hell', the tripped-out improvisation of 'Some Truth or Other' and riffy trip rockers 'No Understanding' and 'Keep Ahead'.
An album that perfectly encapsulates the band's glory days, and dedicated to the memory of late guitarist Gordon Leach.
(Delerium DELEC 12; also on CD)
Claims to true psychedelia have been made for all manner of Paisley-shirt wearing dullards; so much so that many genre specialists steer clear of anything that's described that way these days. That was until the Sun Dial (see review elsewhere) appeared to capture the mood perfectly with their "Other Way Out" debut. So when the first ever studio offering by Treatment comes this way with all sorts of guarantees, I feel my arm getting gradually more twisted.
Treatment, who are not, as once stated in this magazine, a Mood Six offshoot, grew out of late 70's punk rock to emerge at the events centred around the Alice In Wonderland club in the mid-80's but, unlike fellow travellers the Magic Mushroom Band and Ozric Tentacles, Treatment split under the pressure of solo projects. They left little trace, bar a couple of limited 45s, a live reunion album from 1989 and a few cassettes. This release presumably comes from the tail-end of their career.
One thing is for certain, Treatment's music is not for the faint hearted. Jazz rhythms abound, spacey sounds trickle from speaker to speaker (the album is recorded in Ambisonic, although through my two speakers it sounded no more mind-bending than an imaginatively produced stereo album; and less so than holophonic recordings); and the phrases: early Floyd, mid-period Gong and prog-nasty, all spring forth at various times. Unlike the Sun Dial's almost naturalistic psychedelic technique, 'Cypher Caput' veers close to a gritty progressiveness where images of Timothy Leary threaten to mutate into Roger Dean covers.
A psychotic cassette from treatment that mixes jazz/blues/rock of sorts and the psychedelic styles of music and haphazardly ends up with a bizarre and original sound of their own. one must assume that this wasn't planned - it just happened. Useful music to disturb people to - on one of the tracks the lead vocalist ends up saying to the audience - "it's nice to know you like suffering as much as we do". Treatment represent the mental aspect of new wave.
Treatment are lodged between a jamming Gongarama-style band with laughing vocals (Colours - Spine) and the strangely exotic interplay of Paul McWhinnie's keyboards with the two guitars of Jacket Xerxophon and Gordonzola (an interplay whether weird is never far from developing into a mighty pulse) and the bastard offspring of early sixties riff heavy / deep underground intrumentals such as Lonnie Mack's 'Memphis', Link Wray, the Batman theme and loads of instrumental surf music (Baby).
The LP was recorded at the Club Dog in March '89 and is very different from the 7" single reviewed elsewhere here; it is much more of a jamming band sound from bad dream, slow drift (Thought Control), to the Hendrixy held chords over a version of the 'Shakin' all Over' riff with the gaps removed that's 'Blot Out'.
They go for the weird not by sounding Indian or Arabic, but taking a Russian Folk influence (Russian Reggae). They're not worried about humour unlike a number of British bands considering the depths to which media humour has sunk into our daily conversation, so you get throw away songs like the Chuck Berry-ish "I've got the Microphone".
The Treatment sound as much like some obscure West Coast late sixties band such as Morning Glory or Mint Tattoo (Love's Getting Nowhere) which is a pleasant departure. The only drawbacks are the occasional gravel vocals and the rare sacrifice of the pulse for clever, tight intricacies, but mostly they sound pretty good for a possibly defunkt group, but then it would appear they have been a possibly defunct group since the very beginning.
Clarendon, Hammersmith
The Tamla Mushrooms (great name) turn out to be Treatment, plus Stoney Beach, a wonderful female with black hair, a good figure and a great voice. It's only her second gig and the outfit shuffie through a selection of Tamla greats ("Stoned Love" "Heard it Through The Grapevine", and "Heatwave") to reasonable- applause. It's okay, but nowt special. Now then ... take a hefty swig of beer, feel the mushroom haze swelling inside your head, swallow that dodgy tab and shut your eyes. Ready for the Treatment? Of course you are!
If it's your first time remember that anything can happen, and if you're an experienced traveller prepare for yet another musical, mystical, physical and mental high from this bunch of neo-hippies. We're off! Screams, wild jazzy drumming, absurd feedback guitar, hypnotic droning organ and thunderous bass combine in a startling vision that overpowers the brain, blotting out the realities of day-to-day tedium and the thought that Britain is preparing for war.
Numbers, songs, compositions and statements come and go in a hazy whirlwind of freakdom, Certain bits stick out immediately, while others await further investigation.
The "ballads" - "Love's Getting Nowhere" and "I Wanna Meet You Nothing Head" - are marvellously brittle; painful structures on which to ride. "B-B-B-Baby" nears punk stupidity with its vitriolic burning riff, repeated stuttered hook and hectic pace, while "I Hate Sheep" is the night's silly piece, guaranteed to bring a smile to nervous voyagers.
All aboard
Not so much ten songs as a collection of ten assorted statements, musical ideas and experiments into drug abuse. Darlings of the Underworld, 'Treatment' have taken all the hippy-psychedelic aspects of days gone by and pushed them to the extreme.
Weird and wonderful guitars scream around revoliving keyboards accompanied by
phased vocals and much cymbal bashing.
I admire Treatment for what they are trying to do but, unless you are permanently stoned it all seems a bit irrelevant.
A STRANGELY unremarkable name for a remarkably strange group. Treatment, who have just begun to confront the public at large, dare to fly right in its face. They have more bold nerve than post-revolutionary Iran and probably invite almost as much odium.
Intrigued! You will be.
With warning lights flashing, faces painted, signs, masks and sunglasses, they take the stage with the grim determination of a group that knows it's not going to be liked and doesn't much want to be.
Checking the sense of the ridiculous in with the coats, it might seem for a moment that the psychedelic revival is breathing down our necks - or, more fancifuliy, that someone has a arranged a small rift in the time-stream. I never saw The Move or The Bonzo Dog Band in their day, but I imagine it would have been something like this - bizarre and colourful but without the foolhardy conviction a group like Treatment must need to do it in this day and age.
Bravery and stupidity often go hand in hand and Treatment actively defy the
mockery they're bound to get.
Bully for them! They wear the stigma with pride and love them or loathe them
(which you probably will) we should be grateful for a group that rubs so hard
against the grain, if not for testing the strength of the grain then at least
as an antidote to uniformity.
They are an anarchic little combo, impossibie to take in at once, and often quite preposterous. To coin a phrase on their behalf, only the strange survive.
Hold on there! We can not let things pass without a mention of The Treatment, one of the most inspired psychedelic bands of all time. A Treatment gig was/is a truly awesome experience - if the sands don't get you, Boreing Ben will. The Treatment's music experience is like lots of little bits all put together into a mesmerised whole. They will warn you of the army of nothingheads out to annihilate you - may be you are one!!!
They will take you through the darkest agony of 'Nightmare' (anaesthetic, we need anaesthetic): there's no escape! THERE'S NO ESCAPE! or soothe the soul to the beautiful melody of 'Love is getting nowhere' or 'I want to meet you in the chamber of light'. We need International Rescue - gee where are those guys?
With warning lights flashing, faces painted, signs, masks and sunglasses, they take the stage with the grim determination of a group that knows it's not going to be liked and doesn't much want to be.
Oh yes, 'The Treatment' are psychedelic, I mean PSYCHEDELIC. So remember, "I've got the microphone, so listen to me ..."
"I've got the microphone, so listen to me..."
"I've got the microphone, so LISTEN TO ME.........................."
