THE INCOMPLETE ANGLER: TEN YEARS OF FRUITS DE MER

Tales of vinyl-infested oceans from the Brit psych label.

While his subject celebrates reaching their 10th with a monolithic triple album (reviewed on page 113), veteran author Dave Thompson has written the roller coaster story of this “truly remarkable label” that started with founder Keith Jones’ simple desire to release gorgeously collectible vinyl cover versions of 60s and 70s musical highlights. This was in 2008 when CDs ruled, rendering expansive cover art obsolete, let alone the subsequent tsunami of faceless downloads. Yet there were enough like-minded artists and record buyers to keep Fruits de Mer afloat. Happily, the label now enjoys the kind of cult following that will snap up every beautifully pressed artefact. Writing with the insight and passion of a true fan, Thompson forensically analyses the label’s convoluted releases and bolsters his actionpacked tale by interviewing roster heroes and famous fans, including Judy Dyble, the Pretty Things, Bevis Frond, Todd Rundgren and Carl Palmer, along with the tuned-in psychedelic gaggle who pump the label’s lifeblood. Few in today’s prog-conscious world deserve such literary affirmation as Fruits de Mer, and Thompson does them proud.