Similar Albums:
- Artist: Roy Wood
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1975 11
- Genre: Rock
Review
Unlike Boulders, Mustard is designed as a full-fledged album instead of a collection of pop vignettes. Outside of Wood's love for Brian Wilson there's no concept, yet it flows smoothly and attractively, since each song sounds like an epic pop extravaganza in miniature. In a typically perverse turn, Wood opens the record with a scratchy parody of the Andrews Sisters, tackling the harmonies with sped-up vocal tapes, but as soon as "Any Old Time Will Do" kicks off, it's clear that this is a shining, glittering pop record. There isn't much of his signature absurdist humor or quirky studio effects, apart from the jaw-dropping "You Sure Got It Now," a masterwork that Wood claims "sounds like the Andrews Sisters backed by John Mayall," yet it isn't missed since the studiocraft on Mustard is quite alluring. Where Boulders felt homemade, almost pastoral, Mustard is unabashedly grand, bolstered by endlessly layered harmonies, chiming keyboards, and cavernous productions. The Beach Boys influences shine brightly on "Why Does a Pretty Girl Sing Those Sad Songs" and "Look Thru' the Eyes of a Fool," and are inescapable on the gorgeous ballad "The Rain Came Down on Everything." Wood never really rocks out until the multi-segmented closer, "Get on Down Home" and even if it's the one misstep, it hardly detracts from the pop wonders that precede it. Mustard might not equal the brilliantly maverick Boulders, yet it's easily one of the best, most cohesive records Wood ever made and one of the few to capture him as a (relatively) focused pop craftsman. [Edsel's 1999 CD reissue of Mustard is graced by no less than seven bonus tracks, all A- and B-sides of non-LP singles, highlighted by "Oh What a Shame" and "Indiana Rainbow."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music GuideTracks
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Mustard | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (1:30) |
| Any Old Time Will Do | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (4:13) |
| The Rain Came Down on Everything | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (6:35) |
| You Sure Got It Now | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (5:30) |
| Why Does a Pretty Girl Sing Those Sad Songs | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (4:34) |
| The Song | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (6:36) |
| Look Through the Eyes of a Fool | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (2:56) |
| Interlude | Roy Wood, Sean Deason | Roy Wood | (1:24) |
| Get on Down Home | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (7:32) |
| Oh What a Shame [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (3:51) |
| Bengal Jig [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (2:13) |
| Rattlesnake Roll [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (4:02) |
| Can't Help My Feelings [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (5:13) |
| Strider [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (2:51) |
| Indiana Rainbow [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (3:54) |
| The Thing Is This (This Is the Thing) [*] | Roy Wood | Roy Wood | (5:45) |
