"Hey Hey Hey" and "'Til Tomorrow Comes" by Eight Miles High

It is apparently nearly eleven months since I reviewed the last Eight Miles High release (their EP consisting of the songs "Freedom Street", "Let You Down" and "Rainy Day") which came as a bit of a surprise when I checked. I think that was probably because after beginning a hiatus in 1993, recent years have witnessed a relative deluge of material: the EP being preceded by contemporary recordings "Fox" and "Breathless" and the sharing of a 1991 live session.

Now they're back again with "Hey Hey Hey" and "'Til Tomorrow Comes" and still with the original lineup of Simon Kelly (vocals), Simon Ward on bass guitar, Mark Patrick (keyboards), Greg Sibley playing guitar (and writing the songs) and Gary Cody on drums. How many bands of that longevity can boast that?

The former definitely shows how the passage of time has added to the nature of their music: I'm not sure a young band could have written this one. It's a mature & reflective song which grooves along soulfully: it reminds me more in fact of some of the blue eyed soul tracks of the early 1980s rather than anything particularly from the band's own heyday of a decade later: which is desirable as I'm sure Eight Miles High are not back in the game for a nostalgia trip nor revisit what they did thirty years ago. It addresses social & moral concerns which are as worrying today as they were when this style was more prevalent. You can hear the sadness & sense of reproach in the singing.

If you could flip the single over, you'd find something rather different: positive where the "A" side is melancholic, somewhat summery in tone (nice scheduling). Again a groove, albeit a gentle & rather luxuriant one this time, more soul and plenty of tasty keyboards & drums to propel it.

Eight Miles High are certainly back & looking far more forwards than backwards: I'm not sure how relevant their backstory is given the quality of the new material: it stands entirely on its own and is in no sense a postscript to their Phase One. I'd hope that younger listeners will enjoy & appreciate these songs purely on their own merits which are considerable.

They do seem to be back on a regular basis (Simon Ward advises of more new songs to come): I suppose the big question is of getting these tracks into live performances. They clearly are in excellent form as a band though I appreciate that individual circumstances may create factors not there in 1990.