Released some months after the first Floored Genius and sharing its basic artwork and design concept -- even though it was released on a completely different label -- Floored Genius 2 is a wonderful collection of recordings Cope did for the BBC in between his earliest solo days in 1983 and Peggy... [+] Expand

Released some months after the first Floored Genius and sharing its basic artwork and design concept -- even though it was released on a completely different label -- Floored Genius 2 is a wonderful collection of recordings Cope did for the BBC in between his earliest solo days in 1983 and Peggy Suicide's release in 1991. Mick Houghton, who did the liner notes for the other Floored Genius, does the same job here, detailing the various sessions and songs with an appreciative eye. As he indicates, most of the sessions date from his semi-reclusive years in the early '80s, so the collection skews heavily towards the many gems found on World Shut Your Mouth and Fried, along with their relevant singles and B-sides. These generally consist solely of Cope, a guitar and a keyboard/rhythm machine, resulting in stripped down renditions that benefit from warm, glowing production and often gentle but understatedly strong singing from the man himself. Opening cuts "The Greatness and Perfection of Love" and "Head Hang Low" are revelations, Cope using what he has to create excellent renditions that sound like they should soundtrack a magical, rural English sunset. A variety of rarities crop up throughout, including "Hey High Class Butcher" and the more than slightly wacky "24A Velocity Crescent," both of which would later become B-sides. Brief but sharp rips through "O King of Chaos" and "Reynard the Fox" show Cope's more demonstrative side is hardly asleep either. Later tracks include longtime collaborators and musical allies helping out, including Skinner, Moon-Eye Watts, Rooster Cosby, and even his brother Joss on keyboards at points. The Peggy Suicide-era cuts are as worthy as the album in question, including a massive "soul medley" blending the Funkadelic classic "Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow" and the Mothers of Invention's "Are You Hung Up?" with Cope's own freakout "Hung Up and Hanging Out to Dry." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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