Relatively Clean Rivers – Relatively Clean Rivers

Variant with "RPL" in deadwax seems rarer and sound different than the 8/5 . I own both versions.

The sole output from the SoCal collective Phil Pearlman's 1970s group has little resemblance to those earlier free-form experimental days. This group was likely a studio-only band who recorded an LP over the course of more than a year. Nearly 50 years on, the album still stands tall even amongst the more popular groups of its time. Pearlman's "no-expenses-spared" approach resulted in a charming and carefully-crafted rural-rock masterpiece. Collectively it feels like a piece of art where every fiber has some deeper meaning, whether it was intentional or not.

Reviewers have compared the sound of Rivers to that of the Van Morrison, but none of these comparisons really hit the spot; Rivers has the same laid-back rural approach as some others, but there are songs which are neatly spliced soundscapes ("Babylon") and those which have prevalent psychedelic effects such as backward recording ("A Thousand Years"). There's a strong religious element, which you might only realize after reading more about Phil Pearlman. The album feels more self-analytical, or even apocalyptic, yet it has a Christian backstory which is ultimately quite compelling, but too long to detail here.

Like the other Phil Pearlman LPs, there has never been an official reissue of this album, and all reissues are, and likely forever will be, sourced from noise-reduced vinyl dubs. A high-resolution transfer from an original pressing has recently been posted online and offers excellent sound quality, far outpacing the various bootlegs; Google search and Blogspot are your friends. The original pressings also have stunning artwork in a silvery-framed cardboard cover, which absolutely feels like the several-thousand-dollar item that it is. It's hard to explain the spiritual feeling of this album without holding it in your hands.

If you're just getting into obscure music and stumbled upon this album, get ready for one stoned-out ride. There's a lot of overrated "outsider" no-talent garbage hyped by private press dealers worldwide, but this is NOT one of them. Rivers is one of the exceptionally rare cases where the lack of major-label production actually improved the resulting product tremendously. So don't hesitate to snatch up an original copy, if you're lucky enough to find one...

I know Phil Gadahn (formerly Pearlman) has his reasons for not wanting this out there (that have nothing to do with the music and everything to do with his son's transgressions), but I can't give my money to the crook(s) behind Radioactive/Fallout/Phoenix/etc.

This is a great record that deserves a legit reissue, and it's a shame that we probably won't get one.

This record deserves a proper reissue after all. It´s a shame how this record is simply ripped off by releasing bad boots which are circulating since decades, after all these boots aren´t really collectable after all and aren´t a good investigation, man, you know.
A certain drop-out named Mr. Phil Pearlman is writing and playing good and catchy melodies here which may get stuck in your ears once you heard èm. A real late US psychedelic banana-folk gem you won´t want to miss after hearing it one-time. Same goes for the "Electronic Hole" album by his band "The Beat Of The Earth" when you are looking for best west-coast obscurities which will make you feel better any day you pull this uplifting music out of your collection and get on with this strange kind of hippie-trucker. Feel free. Even as good as surfing around in the country without a real aim, but nevertheless hitting a point in your life. Really desirable. Get it.