Tantalized

Original photo by Lenscreep.

Heyday is often described to be a hypnotic album. Would it be called like that if Tantalized was not on it? Maybe, but not that much. This is the real snakecharmer of a song on this album. It is said to be started by Marty jamming in the studio and that's what it sounds too. Most of the songs of the church have developed from jams but the melody has been refined a lot. The jamming heart of Tantalized is still medium raw here, which makes Tantalized such a different beast in their discography. This is a pure Marty-show and he is doing everything that is possible with his guitar. PK surely has his parts but Marty is the real star here. If Seance-album was mostly Steve's relatively stiff "colour-between-the-Mondrian-lines-sketchbook" then Tantalized is the wild Jackson Pollock colour explosion.

This song always appears to me with the sound and playing first and the lyrics are more just another supporting instrument. There are some key lines, like there always is. "Back from software limbo..." and "All that glittered had me mesmerized" are lines that I remember if I really try. This is also perhaps the first song that kept me intrigued with just the title alone. i have read the description of the word many times but it still escapes me. What is tantalizing actually? Still it's that twin guitar attack is like a locomotive coming straight towards me at high speed and Steve singing is waaay behind in the passenger wagon at the back of the train. This song is more for the body, heart and muscle than it is for the head.