Blast From The Past: Ron Geesin

Off we go with another BFTP. Normally we go backwards, but today we're going sideways first, then so far back that we end up in motherfudging Narnia.

Those of you of a certain age (like thegeneral) will remember the privilege of watching school's programmes on TV as part of the curriculum. You'd all be ushered into the hall, seventeen big lads and a wheelbarrow would haul the Ferguson TV in (and the Videostar if you were lucky) and you'd all be transfixed by watching something educational, on a screen that was bigger than a giant's undercrackers. This was before the age of interactive whiteboards and no discipline, by the way. Some of you may be familiar with this type of thing:

 

This unusual electronic music that seemed to be so beloved of every school's programme of the 80s was composed by Ron Geesin - and he's the subject of this BTFP.

You may actually not be very familiar with Ron, but you've probably heard more of him than you think - especially if you are a Pink Floyd fan, for it was Ron who made a heavy contribution to the group's fifth album "Atom Heart Mother". 

It isn't a massively easy listen, I'll admit. But y'know, fill your boots with the link. 

It's virtually impossible to describe Ron's style without inserting the words "he's fucking crazy" at some point in a sentence. So anyway, he's fucking crazy and he's done so much over the course of his career and still remained relatively unknown. An absolute synth/electronica pioneer to be quite frank but one who never gets the recognition he deserves. Sometimes, he's like a Glaswegian Vivian Stanshall, shouting, babbling and spouting into the mic. Other times he's the most assured pianist and keyboard player. Sometimes, he's just quirky. There is this wee gem...

...called Ambling Antics. It's not available to download anywhere, but it's two minutes of unbridled joy. Once you hear it, it gets lodged in your brain and you can't shift it. It's probably one of his most accessible pieces in all honesty, but it's one every electronica fan should try and get to know.

Anyone who has read this and thought, "Yeah, I'll give him a go" should hie themselves over to either Spotify or Cherry Red Records and make a purchase thereof of his 1994 album "Hystery". It's a delightful overview of quite a lot of his work and should help you make your mind up whether you love or loathe him (hopefully love, but thegeneral cannot promise...). Ron is 70 this year and still top notch. Give him a go.