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The Coral
Magic And Medicine
Review By Steve Guttenberg
Click here to e-mail reviewer
CD Number: Columbia CK 90619
www.thecoralusa.com
The Coral —
I can't help but think this (very) young British sextet
sounds like the mutant offspring of any number of bands populating Rhino
Records' Nuggets CD box set. Nuggets steered clear of '60s
icons like the Beatles, Stones, The Who, or Led Zeppelin and instead
celebrated (mostly) one-hit wonders — groups like The Kingsmen ("Louie,
Louie"), The Seeds ("Pushin' Too Hard"), and featured one of my
all-time favorite garage band ditties, "Little Girl," by The Syndicate
of Sound. And before any of you write angry letters, yes, I know Nuggets
first appeared as a series of LPs in the early '70s, starting with Nuggets:
Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968. Point is,
just about any track on The Coral’s Magic and Medicine CD could be
wedged into a set of Nuggets tunes, and it would be right at home. Magic's
very first track, "In the Forest," with its mysterious slinky organ
riffs instantly suckered me right in. "Talkin' Gypsy Market Blues"
revisits Dylan and his Highway 61's frenzied highs.
Listen to the way The Coral blend acoustic and electric guitars, their close
coupled harmonies, and throw in an occasional horn flourish – and you will
hear the influence of the Buffalo Springfield, Love, early Doors. But I would
never dismiss The Coral as pure clones, their original passions are just
harder to describe. None of it sounds like it was recorded after 1967, and
that’s a good thing. Unlike most new music you hear today, The Coral’s
production leaves a lot of open spaces between the instruments.
The writing is top notch melodic and the lyrics stand up to repeated
listenings — this CD has stayed in my heavy rotation pile for going on
three weeks. It's is a two-disc set, but to tell you the truth, the second
disc, Nightfreak and the Sons of Becker, wasn't up to the standards
of Magic. Hey, it’s a free "bonus" disc and it might jell six
months from now.
Enjoyment: 
Sound Quality:
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