From Medway in the UK, The Galileo 7 hit the scene in 2010. Their current lineup features not seven members but four: guitarist-vocalist Allan Crockford, organist-vocalist-percussionist Viv Bonsels, bassist-vocalist Paul Moss, and drummer-vocalist Mole. Psych-tinged Mod-ish freakbeat is their specialty and their new record You, Me and Reality, out now on vinyl and compact disc through Damaged Goods, finds them in sharp form across a dozen tracks.
If Allan Crockford’s name rings a bell, that might be because he was in The Prisoners, Medway contemporaries of The Milkshakes (they even cut a split live LP together). After the dissolution of The Prisoners in 1986, Crockford played in a slew of outfits including those of his fellow Prisoners, Graham Day & The Forefathers and The James Taylor Quartet. He also played with Day in the Prime Movers and The Solarflares and even joined Thee Headcoats in the late ’80s for the albums The Earls of Suavedom and Headcoats Down!
But by now, it’s certainly possible that Crockford’s name sets off buzzers of recognition through The Galileo 7’s body of work, as You, Me and Reality is their ninth full-length album. And it surely bears mentioning that The Galileo 7 is more than just Crockford’s show. This new record is the byproduct of a long stable lineup that persevered through the pandemic in the recording of this set.
Opener “Can’t Go Home” comes roaring out of the speakers with just the right blend of melody, harmony, fuzz and pound, as the organ gives it that touch of circa-’66 psychedelia. This is an important distinction, as there is nothing excessive about The Galileo 7’s sound. Instead, they favor sharp tunefulness and economy, as in the title track, which combines jangle pop and freakbeat with soaring vocals as a bonding agent.
Some will grumble throwback, but the songs here have hindsight on their side. And savvy maneuvers abound across You, Me and Reality, such as lending the early Who sweep of “A Quiet Place” a bit of distinctiveness through Bonsels’ electric keyboard as foundation. Another big factor in the band’s success is the youthfulness exhibited by these certified oldsters. “Slow Down” is a case in point, reverberating like a bunch of teenagers in a garage putting a variational stamp on “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
“I Know What I Know” is another solid hunk of freakbeat as pop single hopeful from yesteryear, while “Rain is Falling” shows the band (and Moss, particularly) has a solid handle on the R&B rudiments and how to wed them to ripping and chiming guitar. Throughout the track (and the whole LP) Mole hits the skins like prime Keith Moon. But with Bonsels singing lead, “Seen Somehow” shifts gears a bit, heading into the ’80s neo-psych zone with a dash of indie pop at its most ’60s reverent. And then “Blind Eyes Open” swings back into strum-laden Beat rock with a deft mid-song downshift as Mole gets his fills in.
“The Man Who Was Thursday” makes plain that the Galileo 7’s hard hitting nature has as much in common with the Creation as the early Who, and with psych touches pointing to The Move. “Lazy” leans a litter closer to the psych side, but it’s still lean and tough. “A Simple Man” captures the aura of a bunch of Brits striving for that pop hit (but missing the charts and becoming a cult item instead) and then “Something in Your Eyes” is harmonious and hard hitting for the close.
To return to the young idea, the band’s youthful vibe isn’t affected. It can be just as accurately described as a lack of careerist inclinations. On You, Me and Reality it’s clear The Galileo 7 are doing it for the sheer satisfaction.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
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