At long last! London Stone is nothing like I imagined it would be. Judging by the album artwork I expected something way more rustic, maybe a lot of strings. What I got is more of the matured guitar rock that Bevis Frond is known for. I should mention now that this is the first I’ve heard of The Bevis Frond. I was still a youngster when the bands breakthrough success (1991’s New River Head) was released. In today’s musical climate the best thing that London Stone has going for it is ambition, unfortunately. It is not the great long lost album that some were hoping for (the band’s record label decided not to release it here back in the early 90’s). The album is almost an hour and twenty minutes long with the extra demo’s tacked on, and a lot of it sounds the same. It’s kind of surprising that this is seeing the light of day now that we are well into the 00’s. In the linear notes the brain behind The Bevis Frond, Nick Saloman, goes on about the record and why he thinks it failed to be heard until now. It’s funny that he touches on various reasons besides the possibility that it might actually be a sub par record. There are many sections and a bunch of songs that are worth admission, including the adventurous guitar work of “Coming Round” and the honesty of “Freedom Falling.” The scorching guitar work and stomping rock and roll on London Stone can at last now always be considered when discussing the band, but as it stands New River Head is still their most significant achievement.
