‘Release of an Oath’: Jane Weaver on a moving psychedelic masterpiece
Jane Weaver is perhaps one of the best examples of an artist who has consistently worked hard at her craft, yet only later on in her career has she really received her flowers. A consistently adventurous voyager in the realm of psychedelic pop, the Liverpudlian artist has 12 albums to her name, yet only really began to get noticed by those around her after the halfway point in her catalogue to date.
Being as meticulous and attentive to her creative process as she is, it would be right to make assumptions that her knowledge of other boundary-pushing music is also extensive and that her points of reference can often come from far-reaching places. Weaver’s compositions make nods to a variety of artists before her, with some of the more immediately noticeable comparisons on recent albums such as 2021’s Flock being the likes of Broadcast, Cocteau Twins and Tom Tom Club for the way she fuses pop melodies with more abstract instrumentation.
Things go a lot deeper than that, though, and Weaver’s earlier work was more informed by the psychedelic folk movement of the 1960s and ‘70s than it was by the later synth-oriented sounds from the following decades. Given that, hearing about some of the records that have shaped her life and directed her down the paths that she would take in her musical career would surely be an educational experience for anyone looking to dive further into the obscure.
In a feature with streaming platform Tidal, Weaver listed five of the most impactful records in her life and discussed how they have changed her work and outlook on the creative experience. While there were inclusions for some of the more instantly obvious references such as the aforementioned Broadcast as well as Kate Bush, she also dished out praise for the work of Serge Gainsbourg and Hawkwind at the same time as extolling a lesser-known gem from the late ‘60s.
Speaking about The Electric Prunes’ 1968 album Release of An Oath, she claimed that her initial exposure to the record was through having heard the record’s most famous track, ‘Holy Are You’, and realising that the lead composer of the album was acclaimed producer David Axelrod. The psychedelic rock that they produced on the record was full of whistles and bells and tasteful orchestral flourishes, and while the sound could be perceived as dated in the modern age, it would have been seen as an audacious blending of two disparate styles at the time.
“This record gives me the shivers and makes me feel like crying,” Weaver disclosed. “It’s as if it’s so evocative it belongs to some higher astral plane. It’s connective and spiritual in equal measure; it’s almost not enough, but when you hear some of the string arrangements, it makes you want to burst.”
Weaver would add that her spiritual Catholic upbringing and having been surrounded by songs of praise as a child added to her experience of the album, saying that some of the passages feel hymnal to her and evoke feelings of being surrounded by worship.
While she alluded to Axelrod being one of her main reasons for falling in love with the record and its luscious arrangements, she praised the album for both having a sense of clarity and unruliness in terms of the overall production, saying that drum patterns “change within the song like someone is still working it out.” Nevertheless, Weaver still rates the group’s effort as being one of the most important records of her life, concluding that “it’s got everything I love about the beginnings of symphonic rock, and I never tire of it.”
