Dory Previn Mythical Kings And Iguanas / Reflections In A Mud Puddle CD [UK IMPORT, 2 Albums in 1]

Mythical Kings and Iguanas Review by Charles Donovan

A year on from the debut, Previn's cupboard was still bursting with demons. This time out, though, she put her childhood anxieties on hold and dealt with more immediate concerns -- the quest for spiritual fulfillment and the simple need to find a healthy, loving relationship -- in a series of mostly dark, experimental folk ballads. The record bore a more muted sound than its predecessor, but lyrically it was as incisive as ever. With beguiling candor, Previn neatly pinned down the inevitable inequalities of an affair with a younger man ("Whatever you give me/I'll take as it comes/Discarding self-pity/I'll manage with crumbs") on "Lemon Haired Ladies." "Angels and Devils the Following Day" remains a great modern-day fable about psychological abuse versus physical abuse -- wisely concluding that a few punches are nothing compared to chronic mental torture. Mythical Kings and Iguanas also contained "Lady with the Braid," the closest Previn came to an adult radio hit.

Reflections in a Mud Puddle/Taps Tremors and Time Steps Review by Charles Donovan

Dory Previn's third United Artists album was surprisingly easy to enjoy, given that all of side two was given over to a song cycle about her psychotic father. Her alliance with producer Nik Venet was still far from stale, and the exemplary, fluid string and horn arrangements gave Previn's songs a fuller, warmer texture. "Doppelganger," a thrilling "evil twin" narrative, ranks among her most memorable work, and although she loses her footing on some rather tuneless filler (fine material by another artist's standards, below par by hers), Previn hits her stride by returning to a subject close to her heart: her frightful father. Side two's five-song suite, subtitled "Taps, Tremors and Timpesteps," is a revelation. The heartbreaking realization that her parents' vile behavior has spoiled and soured all Previn's subsequent relationships lives on in the memory. She finally absolves her father, but not before attacking him with one of her finest stanzas: "A great grey frog now crouches/On the throne of a former prince/And its endless croaking...croaking/Has no power to convince."

5017261203830

BGOCD383

BGO Records, 1997

Country: UK

Good condition

C01/C06