AARDVARK
Aardvark
(Deram Nova SDN 17) 3/70
‘Sounds as if it was put together in a hurry – the production seems to falter in places. But the group itself seems to have lots of original ideas, and they seem eager to experiment’ – Record Mirror, 28/3/70

Despite some good tunes and vocals, superb keyboard work, freaky arrangements and ballsy production, this album has a problem, and it becomes more pronounced the longer it goes on: there’s no guitar. On the shorter songs it isn’t so much of a drawback. ‘Copper Sunset’ has a mean riff and tough drumming, ‘Many Things To Do’ is catchy, jazzy pop with some ace piano and ‘Once Upon A Hill’ is a great mystical ballad. The rot starts to set in on ‘The Greencap’, however, and much of side two’s lengthy ‘An Outing, Yes’ and ‘Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It’ is nigh-on unlistenable. With some fat, fuzzy fretwork this could have been unmissable. As it is, it’s highly enjoyable in parts, but taken as a whole it’ll probably only satisfy keyboard-prog nuts. (RMJ)

AAUSTR
AAustr
(Holyground HG 113, with booklet) 1970
One of the first established private pressing rarities, this offers an odd mixture of styles, mostly comprising whimsical Beatles-derived hippie pop, and occasionally sounding like a scrappy, low-budget answer to Abbey Road. The best cut is probably the doomy ‘Thumbquake And Earthscrew’, sung by one of the two female members. (RF)

ABACUS
Abacus
(Polydor 2371 215) 1971
This is a marginal case for inclusion, as it was recorded in Germany and the band only features one British member, lead singer and guitarist Chris Williams. The album is reasonable progressive fare, with jazz and classical influences, lots of organ, unexpected time changes, some nifty guitar and a long drum solo. There are some meaty moments and decent riffs, but the vocals aren’t especially strong and most of the material is unmemorable. The best track is the atypical ‘Song For Brunhilde’, a delicate, sitar-dappled ballad. (RMJ)

THE ACADEMY
Pop-Lore According To…
(Morgan Blue Town BT 5001) 3/69
‘A refreshing album that’s impossible to categorise. The songs are about life and the music is jazzy, folky, bluesy – in other words, exciting. Polly Perkins sings with tenderness and sympathy, and there are some fine flute and baritone solos’ – Melody Maker, 29/3/69

The back cover of this oddity proudly states that ‘the Academy isn’t a pop group, the Academy isn’t a folk group, the Academy isn’t a blues group, the Academy just ARE!’ The quartet are indeed hard to categorise, but that’s not an especially good thing here. There are elements of pop, folk, blues, jazz and more, but they never settle into a style for long enough for a mood to emerge. Polly Perkins sings well and the musicianship – featuring acoustic and electric guitars, flute, saxophone and bass – is excellent, but they’re let down by the lack of a drummer or truly outstanding material. The most interesting tracks are the bizarre, propulsive opener ‘Enrol With The Academy’ and closer ‘Yellow Star’, which unexpectedly deals with the Holocaust. (RMJ)

Though it’s usually referred to as ‘psychedelic pop’ or even ‘acid folk’, this is a mainly acoustic mixture of folk and jazz, with Yiddish influences on a few tracks. Although Polly Perkins’s jazzy vocals are excellent (and more than a little reminiscent of Affinity’s Linda Hoyle) and the album is uniformly pleasant, only the heartfelt closer ‘Yellow Star’ really stands out for me. (RF)

ACCOLADE
Accolade
(Columbia SCX 6405) 8/70
‘All the songs are light and gentle, spiced liberally with flute and featuring two opposing acoustic guitars. Although the general mood is sadness, it’s transformed into happiness through the music. This could rest unnoticed on the shop shelves – don’t let it!’ – Disc & Music Echo, 29/8/70

A fine collection of songs, featuring Gordon Giltrap and super-busker Don Partridge (who had a couple of top ten hits in the late 60s). A cover of Eden Ahbez’s  ‘Nature Boy’ takes the song into a swinging jazz workout, complete with vibes solo and strong double bass motif, while ‘Ulysses’ takes you by the hand for a singalong version of Homer’s little tale. The vocals aren’t too strong, but this is the better of their two albums, if only by a narrow margin. (TH)

Accolade 2
(Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1024) 12/71
‘The songs are ambitious, delicate and exceptionally tuneful… You should know already that Don Partridge was far more than just a strolling minstrel. This album proves it beyond all doubt’ – Disc & Music Echo, 8/1/72

Despite the absence of Giltrap, Accolade keep it acoustic on their second outing, adding Wizz Jones to their ranks, employing the same blend of jazz and folk and coming up with some beguiling melodies and lyrics. ‘Transworld Blues’ evokes the spirit of late 60s magic bus-style travelling and the not-very-PC ‘Take Your Rags Off’ sounds a bit forward, even today. There’s a distinct jazz flavour to much of the material, balanced with a strong folk quality but without losing the essence of either. The big let-down on both Accolade albums is the vocals; if they’d had a proper singer, they’d have been truly outstanding. (TH)

AFFINITY
Affinity
(Vertigo 6360 004) 6/70
‘Very fine. They should really go places on the strength of this. The music is really driving, heavy and gut-throbbing. In turn singer Linda Hoyle can turn down the powerhouse voice and render gentle ballad-type things. There’s an incredible 15-minute ‘All Along The Watchtower’, and John Paul Jones did some of the arrangements’ – Disc & Music Echo, 20/6/70

Affinity’s sole album marked a move away from the band’s psychedelic roots towards a progressive jazz-rock sound; indeed, the group gained a residency at Ronnie Scott’s. Although consisting mainly of covers, it’s a masterpiece: opening with a powerful reading of Alan Hull’s ‘I Am And So Are You’ and closing with an eleven-minute blowout based around ‘All Along The Watchtower’, it takes in a cover of Annette Peacock’s risqué ‘Mr. Joy’ and two excellent originals by singer Linda Hoyle, ‘Night Flight’ and ‘Three Sisters’. Sadly, the band’s only other contemporary release was a good non-LP single. After Hoyle’s departure they continued to create interesting music with new singer Vivienne McAuliffe (ex-Principal Edwards Magic Theatre), and the demos later issued as 1971-72 suggest that they could have released a second classic had they stayed together just a few more months. (RF)

This above-average jazz-rock outing is one of the better albums on Vertigo. The band are tight throughout, Linda Hoyle is certainly one of the genre’s better singers, and their compositions ‘Night Flight’ and ‘Three Sisters’ are hook-laden and sparkling. It’s a shame they didn’t have the confidence to rely more on self-penned numbers – the cover versions that comprise the rest of the record are unfortunately hit and miss. The Everly Brothers’ ‘I Wonder If I Care As Much’ is schmaltzy and out of place, whilst ‘All Along The Watchtower’ is far too long and rather soulless. No masterpiece, but worth tracking down. (GH)

AGINCOURT
Fly Away
(Merlin HF 3, with insert) 1970
An astonishingly rare private pressing that could never hope to justify its astonishing value. Inaccurately described as folk, it is in fact a gentle and breezy pop record. Lovely male / female harmonies abound. The lengthy ‘When I Awoke’ is especially affecting. ‘Get Together’ is spirited pop with commercial prospects, ‘Barn Owl Blues’ is a jolly instrumental and the very pleasant ‘Through The Eyes Of A Lifetime’ is a minor epic divided into three parts. For lovers of undemanding pop, the reissue would be well worth seeking out. (GH)

Compared to the follow-up album A Game For All Who Know (released as Ithaca), this sounds rather insubstantial, but taken on its own merits it’s a lovely album of quintessentially English hippie pop, with a light, summery feel. (RF)

CLEM ALFORD
Mirror Image
(Columbia SCX 6571) 11/74
Misleadingly sub-titled ‘the electronic sitar of Clem Alford’, this late addition to the UK Indo-jazz canon effectively showcases the man behind the earlier Sagram and Magic Carpet LPs. Side one is occupied by the title track, which also features the great Amancio D’Silva on guitar. It’s slow to start, but eventually locks into a superb groove, with tight drumming and funky electric piano spurring on the duelling sitar and guitar. Side two is closer to traditional Indian music, and not for fusion fans. There’s an absence of anything ‘electronic’ here, but it will certainly appeal to admirers of Ananda Shankar and the like. (RMJ)

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Alice Through The Looking Glass
(Sound News Productions) 1969
Recorded to accompany an amateur theatrical production of the Lewis Carroll work, the first musical project of Peter Howell and John Ferdinando offers a mixture of instrumental mood music and snatches of dialogue from the play. The result is quaintly charming and sometimes quite psychedelic, but every bit as parochial as the description would suggest. Whilst it’s pleasant enough and certainly quite fearsomely rare, I’m baffled as to why anyone would pay almost four figures to own this. Their later work as Ithaca and Agincourt is far more interesting. (RF)

AMALGAM
Prayer For Peace
(Transatlantic TRA 196) 9/69
Somewhat sombre free jazz, led by alto saxophonist Trevor Watts. Brooding opener ‘Tales Of Sadness’ starts with a lovely Middle Eastern-sounding solo from Watts, before being fleshed out by Jeff Clyne and Barry Guy on bass and John Stevens on drums. They build a fair head of steam, but the mood remains more restrained than the genre often allows. ‘Judy’s Smile’ is separated into three long and frequently exhilarating sections, while the closing title track, featuring bowed bass, is dignified and almost elegiac. (RMJ)

AMAZING BLONDEL
And A Few Faces
(Bell SBLL 131) 4/70
‘Best described as a melodic and uncomplicated Incredible String Band… delightful, pure songs featuring a selection of traditional instruments blended into the 20th Century’ – Disc & Music Echo, 2/5/70

Though you’d never guess it, the duo who made this pseudo-medieval LP had until very recently purveyed hard psychedelic rock as Methuselah. Renaming themselves after Richard The Lionheart’s minstrel, they recorded this debut with ‘Big’ Jim Sullivan producing. It’s sprightly and fairly melodic folk, with blues and pop influences. The best tracks are the Eastern-flecked opener ‘Saxon Lady’ and ballads ‘Season Of The Year’ and ‘Shepherd's Song’. Less successful are the jaunty ‘Bastard Love’ and bluesy ‘Bethel Town Mission’ and ‘You Don't Want My Love’, and it’s no surprise that they pursued the folkier style on subsequent LPs. (RMJ)

AMBROSE SLADE
Beginnings
(Fontana STL 5492) 5/69
Recorded in just under a week after their manager blagged them a deal, this schizophrenic album combines covers of Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa, Jeff Lynne, the Beatles and the Amboy Dukes with one or two proto-Slade tunes. Overall it has something of a US garage feel, and a strong sense of a great band still learning their trade. Jimmy Lea’s violin on ‘Martha My Dear’ is superb, while their take on Zappa’s ‘Ain’t Got No Heart’ would have the great man himself purring with satisfaction. There are a couple of self-penned instrumentals, while versions of ‘Born To Be Wild’ and ‘Journey To The Centre Of My Mind’ are entirely what you’d expect. For me the best track is the Holder / Lea original ‘Pity The Mother’, a haunting garage / psych tune with a strident, ringing riff and some ethereal violin from Lea. It gives a tantalising glimpse of the type of group Slade could have been. Overall it’s no classic, but an interesting early artefact of one of Britain’s best-loved groups. (SC)


AMM
AMM Music
(Elektra EUKS 7256) 1967
One of the first avant-garde albums to appear on a mainstream pop label, the two long improvised tracks here are a dense, often oppressive wall of sound produced by conventional instruments such as piano, guitar, cello, sax and drums, combined with droning feedback, spoken word, transistor radio ambience and ‘found sounds’. The result is noisy and confrontational; some will find it liberating and invigorating, others will find it unlistenable. Either way, it’s an interesting artefact of the authentic UK underground, and arguably more revealing about what was inspiring Paul McCartney et al than any number of flower-power anthems. (RMJ)

ANCIENT GREASE
Women And Children First
(Mercury 6338 033) 1970
‘Well-worn riffs and uninspiring lyrics result in a very average album. Any attraction the tracks might have revolves around a steady mid-heavy beat and swirling organ sounds, variations on a theme favoured by countless groups on both sides of the Atlantic’ – Melody Maker, 17/4/71

An interesting proto-grunge album that wouldn’t have been out of place in early 90s Seattle. Furious rockers like ‘Freedom Train’, ‘Don’t Want’, ‘Mother Grease The Cat’ and the title track hurtle along fuelled by turbo-charged riffs, but the band are less successful when they slow it down and their lack of melody becomes apparent. Unlikely to appeal to anyone outside genre fans. The album was produced by John Weathers of Eyes Of Blue, who also wrote four tracks, while his bandmate Phil Ryan contributed a song and some keyboards. The band was Welsh and their real name was Strawberry Dust. (GH)

MILLER ANDERSON
Bright City
(Deram SDL 3) 9/71
‘Composer / vocalist / acoustic and electric guitarist Anderson proves on this tuneful, exciting album that he is a very bright prospect indeed, and to back his vigorous vocals and sensible lyrics he has many noted helpers’ – NME, 9/10/71

This is considerably better than the legendary Keef Hartley Band axeman’s subsequent LP (as Hemlock), but hardly the work of virtuosity one might expect. Instead it’s mellow country-tinged rock, augmented by some juicy guitar flourishes. It’s classy, but cries out for a standout track to set it apart from similar efforts by other great sidemen such as Dave Mason. Backing Anderson are Mick Weaver, Gary Thain, Neil Hubbard, Lyn Dobson, Harold Beckett, Junior Campbell and others. (GH)


ANDROMEDA
Andromeda
(RCA SF 8031) 9/69
‘More acid rock – plenty of those ear-splitting guitar sounds, sensual bass backbeats, vocals better than usual and an incredible sound for a trio. John Cann’s songs are inventive, the group are good and the LP has been well-produced’ – Record Mirror, 27/9/69

Essentially the hard rock version of Five Day Week Straw People (on whose album, released a year earlier, guitarist John Cann and bassist Mick Hawksworth both featured), Andromeda were one of the strongest early heavy prog bands, mixing strong riff-rock with expansive arrangements. At their best (‘Day Of The Change’) they merged great hooks with complex, guitar-heavy compositions to create songs that were both instantly likeable and that opened new doors with repeated listens. At their worst they take themselves too seriously (and try too hard to be sinister), but when a listener is rewarded with a demented rave-up like the one in ‘Turns To Dust’, that kind of thing can be forgiven. There’s a lot going on here, so it’s understandable that not all of it will work. Most importantly, they move from idea to idea quickly enough for it never to become dull. Some of it is pretty sloppy, which is kind of endearing, like they’re pushing themselves way beyond their limits. I find it very likeably imperfect overall. Also, it’s a rare example of a prog album that’s all guitar, no keyboards. (AM)

ANDWELLA’S DREAM
Love & Poetry
(CBS 63673) 8/69
‘Rather a good underground LP, this – plenty of versatility shown, and some nice sounds, especially on ‘Lost A Number Found A King’, an acidy piece of instrumental with little vocal. The LP has a nice continuity and can be carefully listened to. They run the whole current pop gamut – clever folk, freaky guitar sounds, neo-jazz workouts. The vocals are too British – that’s the only criticism’ – Record Mirror, 23/8/69

Some consider this a minor classic of the psychedelic era, which is overstating the case a bit, but it’s still a nice piece of late-60s rock and roll. It’s not especially original, with Procol Harum and Ogden’s-era Small Faces being obvious influences, but the songs and performances are fine, and there are plenty of small pleasures here. The dual guitar solo that comes in about twice as loud as the rest of opener ‘The Days Grew Longer For Love’ is a clue that they’re more interested in intensity than subtlety. The long recorder intro to ‘Lost A Number Found A King’ shows an interest in old-time folk, and the goofy mid-section to ‘Clockwork Man’ integrates music-hall showmanship and storytelling humour in the manner of the Kinks or Blossom Toes. I suppose it’s hard to tell if they are doing something natural or mimicking the ‘exotic’ influences of the popular bands of their day. Regardless, there’s quite a bit of songwriting variety here, and in many ways the derivative nature of the arrangements is what makes it work. Most notably, the Robin Trower imitations on lead guitar create the most enjoyable moments on the album and elevate it a bit above the usual in the genre. Also, they’re not afraid to rock out (the rave-up on ‘Andwella’ is particularly choice). (AM)

ANNO DOMINI
On This New Day
(Deram SMLR 1085) 5/71
‘Apart from covering ‘So You Wanna Be A Rock N Roll Star’ (and not very well) they tend to fall into the trap of sounding insipid… Two tracks, ‘Badlands Of Ardgurth’ and ‘Hitchcock Railway’, give a hint of what they are capable of, but in all it’s a bad pick of material, not very well produced and shoddily put out in the usual chip-paper Deram sleeve. Shame’ – Melody Maker, 29/5/71

This Irish act are wholly representative of post-60s folk-rock, with decent playing and some cool fuzz tones. Oscillating between heavy riffing (a solid cover of Dion’s ‘Daddy Rollin’ that would rock any psych rave), tight harmonic pop (a take on The Byrds’ ‘So You Wanna Be A Rock N Roll Star’) and acoustic folk (‘The Trapper’), this is worth tracking down. A German version appeared on Decca, with different artwork. (TH)

APPLE
An Apple A Day
(Page One POLS 016) 2/69
‘Dennis Regan is a pleasant vocalist, backed up by a so-so instrumental unit. A dozen tracks, and mostly in the happy-music category. Pleasant to hear’ – NME, 15/2/69

Perhaps the only legendary UK psych band still shrouded in mystery, this (probably) Welsh quintet sound behind the times. Had their LP come out in late 1966, things might have been different. As it is, this is a competent garage record with some biting acid guitar, especially on the two standout cuts, ‘The Otherside’ and ‘Buffalo Billycan’. The former is that rare thing, an emotionally engaging psychedelic rock song, but elsewhere the album is formulaic (pointless covers) and suffers from surprisingly low production values. That said, ‘Doctor Rock’ powers along convincingly and the band must have been an effective club act. The much-touted ‘insert’ was a small leaflet from the Apple and Pear Marketing Council (!), tucked into a few copies, presumably promos. (RMJ)

NEIL ARDLEY
Greek Variations
(Columbia SCX 6414) 9/70
‘The concept behind this album was to give three highly empathetic British jazzmen the chance to display their attitude to the use of Greek moods and modes as applied to jazz., and the results are as varied and interesting as anyone could wish’ – Melody Maker, 12/9/70

The first album under Ardley’s own name and a key item in the Lansdowne Series, this builds upon territory touched on by the New Jazz Orchestra, but with the emphasis firmly on original composition. The first half has Ardley directing a 14-piece chamber orchestra featuring not only Ian Carr and Don Rendell (in the dying days of the Rendell-Carr quintet), but an impressive array of top-rank players including Jack Bruce and Mike Gibbs. The second half features Carr leading a quintet that is effectively Nucleus in all but name, as well as a quartet led by Rendell, on shorter suites maintaining a Greek flavour and ambience. The music is epic, with rich textures and colours that live up to repeated listening. (TH)

ART
Supernatural Fairy Tales
(Island ILP 967) 12/67
A selection of short, sharp psychedelic pop songs made by four guys having fun, before the underground started to take itself too seriously. In the main it has quite traditional values, with strong melodies and tight structures. The 12 tracks feature only a few obvious contemporary trappings (the spectacular bongo blowout on ‘African Thing’, some phasing and Mellotron). There’s a lot of rock strength here (check out the frantic opener ‘Think I’m Going Weird’ and belting ‘Room With A View’), as well as moody acoustic ballads (the brief ‘Flying Anchors’) and winsome pop (‘Love Is Real’). It’s not all great: there’s some quite conventional pop on side two, their roots as R&B band the VIPs show through on a so-so cover of the Young Rascals’ ‘Come On Up’ (with a pretty nifty guitar solo), and their rendition of ‘For What It’s Worth’ (renamed ‘What’s That Sound?’) is pretty unmemorable. Not the most consistent of records, then, but certainly one the most entertaining early British psych LPs. (RMJ)


THE ARTWOODS
Art Gallery
(Decca LK 4830) 11/66
‘The Artwoods have been ploughing the R&B furrow just outside chart territory for a long time, and their devotion to their sources is probably the reason for their failure to jump the fence to bigger success. They make pretty convincing noises on Art Gallery, as good an excursion in home-grown R&B as there’s been in some time’ – Music Maker, 11/66

For my money this is the best LP to come out of the 1960s UK mod scene. Beautifully recorded, it’s a gritty, gutsy, groovy set that sounds like the best club gig you never went to. The musicians, including Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Keef Hartley (John Mayall, the Keef Hartley Band), Derek Griffiths (Satisfaction) and Malcolm Poole (Colosseum, Accolade), are all on fiery form, with Art Wood’s tortured vocals giving the proceedings a final nudge into classic territory. Each and every cut is a winner, with highlights including the impassioned opener ‘Can You Hear Me?’, the swinging ‘Down In The Valley’, an epic ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ (which clearly presages the organ style Lord would bring to Deep Purple) and storming closer ‘Don’t Cry No More’. A terrific, breathless LP that communicates a real love and feeling for its source material. It’s only a shame that – obscure though the covers are – there isn’t a single original composition included. Had they been writers, things might have been very different. Wonderful stuff, nonetheless. (RMJ)

ARZACHEL
Arzachel
(Evolution Z 1003) 7/69
‘Sounding much like the Nice at times, here is an interesting organ quartet that shows sparks of originality and plenty of drive. Not a trailblazer, but there is a fair helping of listenable music’ – Melody Maker, 2/8/69

The late 60s British underground didn’t produce as many records as one might assume, but here’s one that waves the freak flag high. Arzachel could be described as psych, art-rock or early prog, depending on your perspective, but ultimately it transcends labels. Dominating keyboards lead the way into a beefy production with throbbing bass lines, Steve Hillage’s piercing guitar leads and detached, often ironic vocals. Unconventional pop songs dissolve into walls of freaky jamming, and there’s also a sense of parody which contributes to the acid underground feel. Despite vague similarities to Soft Machine, early King Crimson, and Saucerful-era Floyd, there’s really nothing like it. A challenging, impressive album with an originality and artistic boldness that blows away most competition from the time. (PL)

KEVIN AYERS
Joy Of A Toy
(Harvest SHVL 763) 12/69
‘Joy, beauty and mystery abound in this album by the former Soft Machine guitarist. His songs are simple but fascinating, with the warm, hazy and sometimes sinister feel of songs half-remembered from distant childhood. The arrangements, featuring the Soft Machine on some tracks, capture the spirit of the thing perfectly: subtle, mysterious, richly textured and delicately funky’ – Melody Maker, 3/1/70

Ayers began his solo career with this oddity. It sure must have puzzled people at the time: it doesn’t sound like Soft Machine, it’s poppy but his deep voice is hardly the stuff of top 40 radio, and plenty of it is just plain weird. It starts with the world’s bounciest wordless singalong (“la la la”, etc – there are words, but they’re buried somewhere), moves on to songs that might have sounded like mainstream rockers and ballads, except that his voice turns them all into dirges, or parodies, or something… This is as perversely catchy as anything you’ll hear. As you hum along, something always seems to be just slightly off, but you can’t tell exactly what. All the arrangements are like nothing you’ve heard before, and all seem perfectly natural. The oboes on ‘Town Feeling’ most certainly must have influenced Roxy Music; Mellotron is played like a circus organ on ‘The Claretta Rag’ and the lead guitar is pure ear-piercing noise, utterly out of place on such a happy song; ‘Stop This Train’ literally speeds to a start and finish like a locomotive and contains a speaker-to-speaker guitar solo that has all the propulsion of a steam engine. Yes, this album is indeed a joy. (AM)

BACK ALLEY CHOIR
Back Alley Choir
(York FYK 406) 3/73
‘A good selection of traditional and contemporary songs, which they have adapted to a folk-rock style. The musicians have developed from a wide variety of influences and combined to produce a sound reminiscent of the early Fairport Convention… My major gripe is the choir’s singing, which at times is flat and unharmonious… Quite the opposite applies to the instrumentals, which have blended to form a versatile and sensitive accompaniment to a pleasant album’ – Disc, 17/3/73

Much of this is excellent electric folk with a progressive edge, reminiscent of peak Fairport Convention, particularly on ‘Shady Grove’ and a superb, extended cover of ‘Meet On The Ledge’ (the two opening cuts). Some other tracks tend towards more of a singer-songwriter / folk-rock sound, whilst three or four have a rural edge reminiscent of labelmates Wooden Horse. Consequently, the LP has a slightly schizophrenic feel, but much of the material is first-rate, and its mediocre reputation is undeserved. The band also cut two non-LP singles, which are near impossible to find. (RF)

BADFINGER
Magic Christian Music
(Apple SAPCOR 12) 1/70
‘A pleasant surprise. The title is rather misleading – only three tracks are from the film – but the whole is a collection of highly commercial numbers done with competence… Tom Evans captures that warm, wistful charm that distinguishes McCartney’s writing from the other Beatles’ – Disc & Music Echo, 24/1/70

Frankly libellous-sounding (if they hadn’t been signed by the Beatles themselves) Fab Four-inflected pop, before Badfinger found their own identity and really cracked it with the power pop majesty of Wish You Were Here. The LP gets off to a false start with the average McCartney-penned ‘Come And Get It’, but makes up for it straight away with the pop-psych colours of ‘Crimson Ship’, all swirling melodies and Harrison-style reverb guitar licks, and easily the most fun to be had here. Elsewhere, there’s the proto-Glam / Move ‘Midnight Sun’, plus the boys show they can do Lennon as well as McCartney on ‘Beautiful And Blue’. In fact, the more you listen to this, the more you expect Pete Best to come jumping out of the speakers, such is the completist reverence on show here for the Fab Four (‘Rock of Ages’ is ridiculous, for example, being a virtual re-write of ‘Back In The USSR’). Side two does show more ambition, however, and great examples of their pop nous, particularly on the achingly beautiful ‘Walk Out In The Rain’, and opener ‘Carry On Till Tomorrow’. Overall though, unless you’re a mono-browed rock star called Liam or Noel, I suspect most of you would prefer Wish You Were Here. (DS)

BAKERLOO
Bakerloo
(Harvest SHVL 762) 8/69
‘In the nouveau manner of jazz-rock fusions, Bakerloo are yet another group more musically competent than most. They tend to use attractive jazz percussion work combined with mediocre material, but basically they are a quality outfit’ – Record Mirror, 13/9/69

Completely lacking focus, this is a very mixed bag. Opener ‘Big Bear Ffolly’ is a jazz instrumental – surely an ill-advised opening gambit for a new blues band! ‘Drum Bachwords’ is pointlessly rocked-up Bach, ‘Last Blues’ is a dismal dirge which collapses into a five-minute guitar wankathon, which continues uninterrupted into ‘Gang Bang’. ‘This Worried Feeling’ is pointless blues-by-numbers, and ‘Bring It On Home’ never stood a chance against Led Zeppelin’s definitive rendition. Only the 15-minute jam ‘Son of Moonshine’ conveys any sense of excitement, and suggests that the band may have been dynamite live. There is undoubted ability here, especially from guitarist Dave ‘Clem’ Clempson, but Gus Dudgeon’s production is muddy and the execution’s a mess. Was Harvest’s A&R department on strike? (GH)

SYD BARRETT
The Madcap Laughs
(Harvest SHVL 765) 12/69
‘A modest, meandering selection of 13 of his own compositions. It’s the kind of album you could develop a fondness for, but for me it sticks in the same mood too much. I kept wanting the songs to take off and snatch my attention’ – NME, 24/1/70

An objective look at this album shows Barrett retaining an original and often fascinating songwriting spirit, but lacking the ability to function in any sort of real world (i.e. as part of a coherent musical unit). The various different musical backings try their best to do justice to his unique sensibility, but somehow come off as sounding too ordinary to bring out the best in Syd. It’s worth taking issue, also, with the way the album was assembled; yes, Syd’s charm was partly in his off-handedness, but the sloppiness evident throughout, with studio chatter, false starts and one instance of terribly off-key singing, should have been left out. Since the musical backing wasn’t strange enough, it’s as if ‘look what a mess this guy is’ is being shoved into our faces, and it’s not fun to listen to at all. It just makes me feel sorry for the guy. (AM)

COLLIN BATES TRIO
Brew
(Fontana SFJL 913) 9/68
‘Pleasant listening without hang-ups. Bates has a sensitive touch and exudes a gentle charm’ – Melody Maker, 28/9/68

Joined here by bassist Barry Dillon and drummer John Webb, Bates serves up another mixture of originals and seasoned covers such as ‘Days Of Wine and Roses’, with the title track – a pulsating 6/4 blues– standing out as the key cut. As he states in the sleevenotes, ‘In short, not art, but entertainment…’ Full page adverts for the LP were taken out in the jazz press, but it sold poorly, making it hugely collectable. Bates, incidentally, was renowned for knowing literally thousands of songs by memory, ranging from ragtime to modern bop via music hall, show tunes and swing. (TH)

THE BEATLES
Please Please Me
(Parlophone PMC 1202 / PCS 3042) 3/63
‘For a debut LP it’s surprisingly good and up to standard – a goodly number of the tracks on this could be issued as singles and maintain the boys’ chart standard. A good cover pic and excellent sleevenotes make this a worthwhile LP in all senses of the word’ – Record Mirror, 30/3/63

The first Beatles album – it’s hard to believe now that it was released as early as March 1963 – may, in the grand scheme, be their weakest, but it’s really an impressive feat when put in context (at the time albums were afterthoughts, and this one was put together quickly and haphazardly). ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, which also opens their US debut, Meet The Beatles, is an absolutely ideal way to kick off their album career, and Lennon and McCartney were already so good that songs they deemed not up to snuff for singles (‘Misery’, which they tried to give away, ‘There’s A Place’) have stood the test of time as classics. The cover versions are hit and miss, though they pretty much all surpass the original versions. ‘Twist And Shout’, of course, is to this day the most popular cover the Beatles ever recorded. (AM)

Rubber Soul
(Parlophone PMC 1267 / PCS 3075) 12/65
‘Over half the tracks, if recorded by anyone other than the Beatles, would not be worthy of release… there is none of the old Beatles excitement and compulsiveness about them. Previous LPs have been well above average, but Rubber Soul is nowhere near so good’ – Record Mirror, 18/12/65

Rubber Soul was the moment at which the Beatles started looking at the LP as an art form. They had previously released one LP (A Hard Day’s Night) that had no cover versions, but this is the first one they approached purely as songwriters, and the result is arguably their first true masterpiece. To this day, Rubber Soul is considered the model of a great ‘pop’ album, but of course it’s much more than that. It sows the seeds of the experimentation that would create their best music, it shows them growing by leaps and bounds as serious lyricists, and, without fanfare, it sports some surprisingly complex songs. Help was most certainly a step in this direction, but Rubber Soul is the full-blown proof that they were no longer just a beat band. Among the album’s most enduring innovations: sitar on ‘Norwegian Wood’, fuzz bass on ‘Think For Yourself’, multi-tracked lead vocals and gorgeous 12-string guitars on ‘If I Needed Someone’, a hard-rocking guitar solo on ‘Drive My Car’, power pop on ‘You Won’t See Me’, adult lyrical content on ‘Norwegian Wood’, ‘Girl’ and ‘In My Life’, dual lead guitars on ‘Nowhere Man’. There are people who argue that the US version of this album is superior, but I’m sorry: they are crazy. Yes, ‘What Goes On’ is the album’s weakest track by miles and miles, but to me this record is unimaginable without ‘Drive My Car’, ‘Nowhere Man’, and ‘If I Needed Someone’. Those who play the ‘Stones: bad, Beatles: good’ game should note that ‘Run For Your Life’ is as sexist as any Stones song, and perhaps nastier. It’s the one song John Lennon admitted to having regretted writing. As would be expected, it’s got as much musical value as, say, ‘Under My Thumb’, which makes the otherwise loathsome song harder to dislike than it should be. In a continuing tradition of prolific generosity, on the same day as Rubber Soul, the Beatles released a single that’s every bit as good as, if not better than, the album: ‘Day Tripper’ / ‘We Can Work It Out’. (AM)

THE BEE GEES
Odessa
(Polydor 583 049 / 050) 3/69
‘The Bee Gees’ fourth album to date is both their most ambitious and also their most pretentious… Overall it’s pleasant listening, but pomp and circumstance, the Bee Gees should realise, doesn’t necessarily make for a great album’ – Disc & Music Echo, 8/3/69

This sprawling double set came in a notoriously naff red velour jacket, and finds the boys at their most grandiose. Titles such as ‘Seven Seas Symphony’, ‘With All Nations (International Anthem)’ and ‘The British Opera’ give clues to the heights they aspire to, and fail consistently to scale. Opener ‘Odessa (City On The Black Sea)’ has an majestic, cinematic sweep, but at its worst the album is painfully overblown. Elsewhere, though, there’s no keeping down their facility for simple, unforgettable hooks and gorgeous vocalising – ‘You’ll Never See My Face Again’, ‘Melody Fair’, ‘Suddenly’ and ‘Marley Purt Drive’ are all perfect pop. Less impressive are the oddball ‘Edison’, plodding ‘Whisper Whisper’ and faux-country ‘Give Your Best’. Double LPs were all the rage at the time; if only the Bee Gees had resisted the temptation to have a bash, they’d have made one of the decade’s best pop records. (RMJ)

BELFAST GYPSIES
Belfast Gypsies
(Grand Prix GP 9923) 1967 [Sweden / Holland only]
There aren’t many true garage-style 60s LPs from Europe, but among them this could be the best. It’s certainly one of the most extreme. Given a helping hand by the ubiquitous Kim Fowley, the ex-Them members purified the rawest elements of their earlier band, using ‘Mystic Eyes’ and ‘Gloria’ as two basic models. Jackie McAuley does a surprisingly convincing imitation of Van Morrison at his wildest, while the rest of the band lays down three-chord garage punk and jungle Diddley beats with an energy that surpasses even Them. Some variation is offered via a cryptic instrumental and a very good version of Dylan’s ‘Baby Blue’. Over the years, the Belfast Gypsies’ lack of reality checks and common sense have made them a much-loved outfit among younger generations of 60s fans, some of whom even rate this LP superior to the first two Them albums. (PL)


BLACK SABBATH
Black Sabbath
(Vertigo VO 6) 2/70
‘There’s a diabolically pretentious poem inside the double cover, and the music made by this trio is the sort you think you’ve heard a million times before. Lead guitarist Tony Iommi is so influenced by Eric Clapton that one wonders if said gentleman was hired for the session. Sadly unoriginal’ – Disc & Music Echo, 21/2/70

“What is this that stands before me?” asks Ossie (sic) Osbourne at the start of the album’s first track, ‘Black Sabbath’. He manages to answer the question pretty quickly, but it must be one that has troubled legions of Sab fans as they have watched the band mutate throughout the decades. They should return to this tough, heavy record immediately. ‘The Wizard’ is a terrifically heavy, bluesy, almost jazzy track that contends for best song on the album, along with the break-laden ‘Behind The Wall Of Sleep’ and disorientating-but-brilliant prog / metal medley ‘Sleeping Village’. This raw LP is much more about the music itself than the slightly comic ‘devilry’ the band exploited to enormous success on subsequent releases. (JE)

BLODWYN PIG
Ahead Rings Out
(Island ILPS 9101) 7/69
‘An excellent debut with lots of exciting music.Throughout there is contrast, which sustains the interest constantly, while the arrangements show a fine maturity. The album has direction and thought, and gives a great deal of hope for the future of the often-maligned progressive pop genre’ – Melody Maker, 26/7/69

Having departed Jethro Tull after their debut, guitarist Mick Abrahams goes in a bluesier direction here, flecked with prog, jazz and hard rock. None of it is very subtle (excepting the melodic slow blues ‘Dear Jill’ and ‘The Change Song’), but the band plays with considerable energy (check out the funky ‘Sing Me A Song That I Know’), Jack Lancaster’s reed playing lends the music a texture lacking on many similar LPs, and Abrahams’ inventive guitar playing is given extensive space. Both men are at their best on closer ‘Ain’t Ya Coming Home, Babe?’. A good but not quite great album. The US issue has some major differences: ‘Sing Me A Song That I Know’, ‘Up and Coming’ and ‘Leave It With Me’ are replaced with ‘Walk On The Water’ (available only as a 45 in the UK), ‘See My Way’ (from their second LP, Getting To This) and the US-only ‘Summer Day’, a fine heavy blues-rock number. (RMJ)

BLOSSOM TOES
We Are Ever So Clean
(Marmalade 607 001) 11/67
‘This LP is brimming full with clever recording techniques, backing and originality galore. The songs aren’t as immediately catchy as necessary – but doubtless if you bought this LP, they would grow on you. Good vocal work’ – Record Mirror, 1/12/67

Some tout this as one of the all-time great popsike albums, but I think it’s a rather unfocused production mess, its songs drowned in a mass of strings, horns, phasing, sound effects and genre experiments. It does have its moments, to be sure, though for every ‘What’s It For’, which augments a good melody with a strong cello hook and an effective horn arrangement, there’s a goofball example of overkill like ‘The Remarkable Saga Of The Frozen Dog’. They seem more convincing to me when they rock out, as in the opening ‘Look At Me I’m You’, than when in a sub-Kinks music hall mode. A promising and interesting album, it has some exciting bits but it is horribly erratic. Also, ‘Blossom Toes’ is quite possibly the dumbest band name of the psychedelic age. (AM)

BOBAK, JONS, MALONE
Motherlight
(Morgan Blue Town BT 5003) 3/69
‘Not a bad underground set, with poetic lyrics and good guitar among the main assets’ – Melody Maker, 12/4/69

The eerie, dream-scene nature of this album still makes it sound weird amongst the morass of weird psych albums of its time. From the minor-key piano intro and low-key vocal on the title track to the jarring heavy echo and dreamy repetitive ending on ‘On A Meadow Lea’ to the out-of-time organ on ‘House Of Many Windows’, the album is just full of creatively whacked bits that give it its unique flavour. The instrumentation throughout is simultaneously subtle and striking. For example, there is more power to the piano dissonances on the title track than there would be from any extended organ solo, and the guitar playing always seems like a sinister invader rather than some show of instrumental virtuosity. The closing bit, where the earlier songs are briefly reprised in collage form, is one of those tricks that never really works too well, but it’s done in tastefully brief fashion here. Otherwise, this is a near-perfect album, one that seems to have absolutely no precedent or influences, and it should turn the head of any first-time listener. (AM)

BODKIN
Bodkin
(West CSA 104) 1972
This obscure collection of heavy, keyboard-led prog deserves closer scrutiny. Like many of its privately-pressed peers, the musicianship is excellent while the tunes and singing are somewhat lacking. The band finally click into top gear on the closer ‘Plastic Man’, but that’s not to say there isn’t much to be enjoyed on the four lengthy preceding tracks. The album was only originally available as a sleeveless white label: any artwork was added by a dealer who lucked into a job lot. (GH)

GRAHAM BOND ORGANISATION
The Sound of 65
(Columbia 33SX 1711) 4/65
‘Fans will know what to expect, but we urge those not in-the-know to grab a copy of this exciting album. There’s a startlingly effective mixture of sounds here, with half-a-dozen original numbers mingling with the standards… A first-rate album’ – Record Mirror, 1/5/65

This album, which preceded the Clapton-era Bluesbreakers (let alone Cream), sounds remarkably modern today. Bond’s take on blues-rock is jazzier than what would soon become the norm, and between his ever-present Hammond organ and the many saxophones the groove is solid and sleazy. Bond also tended towards some pretty eerie ballads (maybe foreshadowing his later fascination with the occult). As with most blues-rock (or garage) albums of the era, it’s packed with too many familiar covers, and as with any album with Ginger Baker on it, it’s burdened with a drum solo, but if you listen selectively there’s some powerful and unique music here. Also, some of the songs – the drunken-sounding rant ‘Early In The Morning’, the swampy ‘Baby Make Love to Me’ –are just plain weird, which is always a good thing. (AM)

BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND
Gorilla
(Liberty LBS 83056, with booklet) 11/67
‘A knockout! An hilarious, often brilliant first album from a group that combines some marvellous send-ups with switches to jazz and some attractive new songs… Hear it at all costs’ – Disc & Music Echo, 18/11/67

On their debut the Bonzos wittily employed elements of music hall and vintage comedy songs alongside modern pop and jazz, cannily tapping into the nostalgia that was one of the main constituents of Britain’s 1960s counter-culture. It’s not psychedelic music, though. The old-timey influence is most obvious on their ludicrous rendition of the old novelty song ‘Jollity Farm’, while their knack for catchy pop is exercised on tracks like ‘Equestrian Statue’, ‘Look Out, There’s A Monster Coming’ and ‘Piggy Bank Love’. The lyrics contain many amusing references and conceits, their playing deftly walks the line between reverence and parody (check out ‘Jazz, Delicious Hot, Disgusting Cold’), and Vivian Stanshall’s subversive, avuncular vocals are likeable, even on self-indulgent pieces like ‘The Intro And The Outro’ and ‘Big Shot’. All in all, their sense of the absurd carries the day, despite the limited sphere within which they operate here. It’s odd to think that the hopelessly outmoded 1920s music they were sending up was just as distant from 1967 as Gorilla is from today. As a result, Gorilla has dated too. (RMJ)

DAVID BOWIE
The Man Who Sold The World
(Mercury 6338 041) 4/71
‘This remarkable young man (who poses in feminine attire in the sleeve picture) has, as usual, written all his own material for this 9-track album. The lyrics mostly mirror the current unrest in the world, and David sings them in a rather hysterical voice, accompanying himself on a wild, vibrant guitar, backed by – among others – good bass work from producer Tony Visconti’ – NME, 3/4/71

Bowie wouldn’t really hit the big time until his next album, so over the years this interesting effort has been somewhat forgotten. It has definite elements of the style that would be so fruitful for him over the next few years (including the original cover, on which he wears a dress), but it also has its own distinct sound. It’s the heaviest thing he ever did, with an eerie, almost frightening feel to it. The long opening ‘Width Of A Circle’ is something of a horror story, the epitome of this style. The album is mostly very good, though not all of it really gels. There’s a nagging feeling that he hasn’t hit his stride yet, something that would be confirmed by the growth he showed on his next few albums. Even so, he’d never do anything that sounded quite like it again, and it has become a favourite of some fans. (AM)

BRÂN
Hedfan
(Sain 1070 M) 1976
A huge step forward from their debut, this magnificent record is possibly the best album ever to come out of Wales. The music is a seamless blend of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock and acid folk, almost like a mixture of Jefferson Airplane, early 70s Fleetwood Mac and Clannad. Picking individual tracks is almost impossible, but the opening ‘Nodau Hud’ is especially astonishing, with howling slide guitars and sudden shifts of mood and tempo, and the closing ‘Hiraeth’ is exceptionally beautiful and uplifting. Singer Nést Howells quit the band before the recording of their third and final LP, and later featured prominently on the first album by Pererin, far and away the best acid folk band of the early 80s. (RF)

BREAD, LOVE & DREAMS
Amaryllis
(Decca SKL 5081) 6/71
‘The content of this piece would be better represented by its original name of ‘Mother Earth’. Proceeding from an impressive instrumental introduction, this three-part composition by David McNiven rarely approaches the same musical potential. From then on the emphasis is squarely on the lyrics’ – Melody Maker, 3/7/71

After two unexceptional LPs, Bread Love & Dreams made a quantum jump with Amaryllis. Decca awarded the band generous studio resources, judging by the strong production and arrangements. The duo reciprocated by pouring vast amounts of songwriting talent and energy into the project. Leaning towards the West Coast singer-songwriter sector of 70s folk, we are treated to excellent male / female vocal interplay over rich folk-rock instrumentation, augmented by keyboards and effective use of jew’s harp (yep). A couple of numbers reflect an Incredible String Band influence, while others bring in a late psychedelic feel, both musically and lyrically. I don’t know many albums from the era that play through as beautifully as this, taking the listener on a journey through regular songs, conceptual snippets of spoken word, and mysterious sound effects, with a level of realisation that never lets you down. (PL)

MARC BRIERLEY
Welcome To The Citadel
(CBS 63478) 2/69
‘After disappearing off the music scene for a while, Marc Brierley has returned with an album of his own compositions. It falls somewhere between the folk and pop categories, with his guitar accompaniments augmented by a small ensemble featuring Henry Lowther on trumpet and violin, who also contributed largely to the arrangements of the intriguing songs. Although this is not an outstanding album, Marc has the makings of one of our better songwriters’ – Melody Maker, 22/2/69

Brierley’s debut, recorded in October 1968, reflects a clear influence from Donovan’s 1966-67 flirtations with chamber music, and the outcome is generally appealing. He has a charming, intimate voice, which provides needed personality, and his songwriting is generally good. There’s English quirkiness, hints of dreamy ’67 psych, and it’s very much a product of its era. Arrangements include violin, harpsichord and trumpet on top of a small folk-rock band sound. Well worth hearing. Prior to this Brierley had a self-titled EP (Transatlantic TRA EP 147, 1966) in a more pronounced folk style. (PL)

ANNE BRIGGS
The Time Has Come
(CBS 64612) 11/71
‘The production generally is somewhat pedestrian, while Anne sometimes sounds ill-at-ease, which could point towards incompatibility somewhere along the line. Perhaps, on the other hand, she is just a better interpreter of the traditional ballad than she is of her own songs’ – Sounds, 11/12/71

If, like me, you are not a fan of acapella singing, this is the Anne Briggs album to get. The sparse instrumentation (just guitar or bouzouki and voice) is true enough to her traditional roots (whether she actually thought so or not), and her voice, which is as crystal-clear as any you will ever hear, is on fine display. She wrote more than half the songs, and they have a weird mix of innocence and eerieness that suits her voice perfectly. She sounds like a troubled soul who is desperately wishing (or pretending) to forget everything and become a child again. The overall quality of songs is not up to the best albums in the genre, but well above the average, and her singing is as good as it gets. It’s a given that any quality collection of British folk includes one of the Anne Briggs albums; people argue which, but my vote goes here. (AM)

BUDGIE
Budgie
(MCA MKPS 2018) 8/71
‘Good, unpretentious rock à la early Zeppelin. They’ve gone for a live sound on this album, and have been successful… An excellent buy’ – Beat Instrumental, September 1971

This great Welsh band’s greatest gift was never to lose sight of melody and tune, despite the pandemonium they created. Their debut is a heroically bloodied and bruised boxer of an album: crushing riffs, thunderous percussion and leader Burke Shelley’s strangulated yelps all struggle for air beneath future metal supremo Rodger Bain’s murky, gloomy production. Today’s stoner rock can trace its DNA straight back to here. Titles like ‘Guts’, ‘Nude Disintegrating Parachute Woman’ and (especially) ‘Homicidal Suicidal’ say it all. (GH)

BULLDOG BREED
Made In England
(Deram Nova (S)DN 5) 1/70
‘Someone at Decca no doubt thinks this is progressive. It’s awful; musically immature and lyrically banal. The songs, all written by the group, are in a pop vein and the best one can say is that it maintains a strict level of mediocrity’ – NME, 28/2/70

The reissue of this effort touts the inclusion of members of T2 and Gun, and the heaviness of those bands is suggested here in spots. It is, however, a rather diverse album, including baroque pop, popsike, moody blues-rock and even jazz-rock. The production is a bit flat, but the songwriting and performances are pretty strong. There are a couple of weak songs, but overall this is solid and recommended. My pick hit is ‘Reborn’, which has an eerie melody, menacing vocals and cool, mystical lyrics like ‘I could have cut my wrists on a beam of light’. (AM)

VASHTI BUNYAN
Just Another Diamond Day
(Philips 6308 019) 12/70
‘Surely one of the most original records for months is this rambling pastoral crusade. The songs reflect the atmosphere of an 18-month expedition from London to the Outer Hebrides that Vashti made with Robert, Bess (horse) and Blue (dog) in an old green wagon. The very simplicity of the 14 songs is acutely stunning. Vashti’s style of singing is unique (on record, at least). It’s effortless, quiet and full of character, and one can easily imagine her wagoning north, singing through a wonderland of Disney-like splendour’ – Melody Maker, 16/1/71

Few obscurities from this era have received as much latter-day attention as this. Written without a thought to being recorded as Bunyan and her partner Robert travelled north in 1968 to join a Hebridean commune supposedly being established by Donovan (whose Gift From A Flower To A Garden LP had clearly had heavy rotation on their turntable), it’s an artless joy from start to finish. The tunes are memorable, the lyrics tread a deft line between the autobiographical and the poetic, and the backing (from members of Fairport and the Incredible String Band) is wonderfully intuitive and sympathetic, precisely complementing the songs’ rustic bent and melodic flair. In fact, though the instrumentation is entirely acoustic, the album’s feel is far closer to pop than folk. Bunyan’s voice is fragile and not for everyone, but this is a record that never ceases to show its layers – and no matter how often you hear it, it still feels like you’re eavesdropping. (RMJ)

CAEDMON
Caedmon
(no label, with 7" single and insert) 1978
Way up yonder in the Scottish Highlands, Caedmon put out one of the most highly-rated, and certainly one of the rarest, albums within the progressive folk-rock scene. Recorded in an Edinburgh studio as late as 1978, the privately-pressed LP has at its core an early 1970s sound in the Fairport / Pentangle style. Crystalline femme vocals deliver trad-informed songs, which have been explored and expanded with sharp electric guitar leads, adventurous arrangements, and input from jazz and krautrock. Hence, ‘progressive’. The end result may seem too elaborate and cerebral to those groomed on Liege And Lief, but could just as well be taken as a bold, original spin on 1970s Brit folk-rock. (PL)

JOHN CALE
Vintage Violence
(CBS 64256) 7/71 [UK release]
‘Listening to rock and roll sung in a mild Welsh accent is but one of the pleasures of this album, to which CBS have finally woken up, now that it’s been out in the States for a year or more… His songs discard linear meaning in favour of an oblique approach: characters flit in and out without introduction or explanation, and probably the only wholly intelligible lyric is that of ‘Amsterdam’, a ballad which is also the weakest track’ – Melody Maker, 24/7/71

Cale’s solo debut was, unexpectedly, a rather sedate singer-songwriter affair, and he himself has dismissed it as simplistic and unoriginal. He’s excessively modest, though, because it’s actually a terrific light rock record. It’s arguable that his solo career was better than, and more interesting than, Lou Reed’s, and it starts with this charming slice of Welsh whimsy. The absolute highlight is ‘Gideon’s Bible’, a truly stunning pop concoction that makes wonderful use of his viola. While nothing else reaches the heights of that song, the rest is consistently good, with evocative lyrics and surprising warmth throughout. (AM)


JIMMY CAMPBELL
Son Of Anastasia
(Fontana STL 5508) 4/69
‘Softly, wistfully-sung songs of simple philosophy, daily exploits and good advice, which have a lot of charm and appeal… He has a Dylan / Donovan / McWilliams quality that should soon make him a new star’ – NME, 26/4/69

‘Delivered in an appealingly fragile voice (and a Scouse accent), this much-admired songwriter’s solo debut is a combination of stark ballads and wistful pop, with unwelcome elements of humour thrown in. In the former category, ‘Mother’s Boy’ and ‘Elisa Cope Is Dead’ are delights, as is a skeletal rendition of his ‘Michaelangelo’ (better-known to psych fans for its treatment by 23rd Turnoff). In the second, ‘Another Vincent Van Gogh’ and ‘Bright Side Of The Hill’ are winners, as is the Eastern-tinged ‘On A Monday’. Most songs have basic guitar-and-voice arrangements, though there’s occasional flute, percussion and strings. The presence of kazoo on four songs is an irritant, but overall this is a likeable, low-key treat for fans of melodic singer-songwriting, and contains a bumper sixteen tracks. (RMJ)

CAPTAIN MARRYAT  
Captain Marryat
(Thor THOR 1007) 1974
Named after the 19th Century mariner and novelist, this Glaswegian band made just one privately-pressed LP. Its back cover announces that ‘Captain Marryat is a Scottish band, and have been playing together for just under a year. They already have a sizeable following in the pubs n’ clubs circuit and this, their first LP, is a sample of the music that brought them success’. The line-up was Tommy Hendry (vocals, acoustic guitar), Ian McEleny (lead guitar, acoustic guitar), Allan Bryce (organ, vocals), Hugh Finnegan (bass, vocals) and Jimmy Rorrison (sic) (drums, vocals). They were originally intending to record a single, but the engineer at the Glasgow studio they’d booked told them that there was time enough to make a whole album. They therefore taped five tracks they’d already written (‘Blindness’, ‘It Happened To Me’, ‘A Friend’, ‘Songwriter’s Lament’ and ‘Changes’) and finished the LP with an improvised jam (‘Dance Of Thor’). The result came in a drab flipback sleeve, and according to one dealer is ‘a progressive rock rarity with psych flourishes – doom-laden organ plus acid guitar riffs and strong male vocals’. The 250 copies pressed were sold at gigs, and two that surfaced on eBay in late 2008 went for around £3000 each. (RMJ)

CARAVAN
Caravan
(Verve 6011) 1/69
‘Not just another group, as I realised when I heard their recent single, but a very imaginative group who travel through many different musical scenes. Some of it doesn’t come off, but more than enough does. The overall sound is concise yet sometimes curiously tangled, and always constructive. Specially commended is the flautal ‘Love Song With Flute’, and the intriguing and lengthy last track’ – Record Mirror, 15/2/69

This is a transitional piece – a missing link between psych and prog, full of dreamily-produced songs, swirling organ and atmosphere. Only the 9-minute closer goes completely in the direction they’d become known for, with a jam over a tough groove punctuated by an unusual time signature. It’s the LP’s highlight, but not the only reason to listen. There are some bland spots here, but the songwriting is mostly strong and the mix of styles won’t turn off fans of either genre. (AM)

If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You
(Decca SKL 5052) 9/70
‘One of the best albums out this year. It has a full, melodic sound that really flows and the improvisation is tight. The band shines through as being very together, very well-rehearsed. The slightly jazz-orientated sound is reminiscent of Soft Machine, but that’s irrelevant – Caravan have an individual sound and make excellent listening’ – Disc & Music Echo, 12/9/70

I see this as Caravan’s first truly great album, going full-blown towards the still-evolving genre of prog, with a few extended pieces with tight grooves and inventive organ playing. Two hallmarks of their future albums would show first bloom here: long suites listed as several ‘songs’ even though they are actually of a piece, and the occasional brief pop ditty that not only manages not to sound out of place, but really enhances the whole album. You’ll be hard pressed to find a prog band who can write a melody as utterly gorgeous as ‘And I Wish I Were Stoned’, or who can make 5/4 as catchy as they do on the title track. Solid stuff throughout, and one of the finest albums in the genre. (AM)

CATAPILLA
Changes
(Vertigo 6360 074) 7/72
‘Despite the harsh words levelled at this album, I disagree. The thing that troubles most people about Catapilla seems to be whether they are purely derivative. Well, there are similarities between them and Caravan, If and perhaps even the more melodic side of Soft Machine; but, all that aside, the essence of the album is entertaining, and that’s what’s important… Nice reefer-smoking music for stagnant Sunday nights’ – Disc, 19/8/72

Their second album is a bit more polished than the first. Most notable are saxes that sound like they have been put through synthesisers (similar to the oboe on the first Roxy Music album), and there are some pretty hypnotic moments here. Anna Meek cuts back on the screaming and screeching, though she’s just as creepy as ever. I’m not sure her ‘restraint’ is necessarily a good thing, but there’s more of her here than on the debut.  In the long run, though, the length of the songs (just four of them here) is again excessive. Both Catapilla albums create an odd effect on the listener: they bore you most of the time you’re listening, but afterwards you remember liking them more than you actually did. (AM)

CENTIPEDE
Septober Energy
(RCA Neon NE9) 10/71
‘Keith Tippett must receive our eternal gratiutude for what he’s done… A symbol of all the very best developments in music over the past five years… Credit must undoubtedly go to producer Bob Fripp… No one who wants a permanent record of where our music was in 1971 will want to be without Septober Energy’ – Melody Maker, 16/10/71

One of the most excessive double albums of an excessive period, this features an all-star 50-strong orchestra creating four side-long cuts mixing some groovy and heavy fusion with all the excesses of free jazz (screeching and scuttling saxophones, manic outbursts of flailing drumming, Ligeti-like off-key choral sections). With an amazing list of musicians including Ian Carr, Mongezi Feza, Elton Dean, Ian MacDonald, Dudu Pukwana, Gary Windo, Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, Brian Godding, Maggie Nicols, Julie Driscoll, Mike Patto, Zoot Money, Boz Burrell, Roy Babbington, Jeff Clyne and Keith Tippett (plus Robert Fripp producing), this inevitably contains some great moments. But at the same time it’s proof positive that too much of a good thing can be surprisingly bad. (RF)

CLEAR BLUE SKY
Clear Blue Sky
(Vertigo 6360 013) 1/71
‘This trio were only 18 when this was made, and apparently they are semi-professional, so I am loath to damn it entirely. It is, however, the most dull and tedious record I have heard in a long while. The compositions are monumentally flat and unimaginative, and the musicianship – particularly that of the drummer, who is as leaden as a weight – corresponds pretty well to their semi-professional status’ – Melody Maker, 6/2/71

A school sixth-form take on prog and heavy rock. There are a few nice ideas, but the delivery is amateurish. The band (especially the guitarist) seem to have the raw materials to join the greats, but lack the necessary polish. (GH)

COB
Spirit Of Love
(CBS 69010) 11/71
‘This album completely justifies Clive Palmer’s reputation as an innovator. COB is unlike anything on the folk scene… Their tunes are often unpredictable on first hearing, the melody lines taking courses no one else would ever dream of, at times with an Oriental flavour’ – Melody Maker, 6/11/71

The debut album from Clive’s Original Band is indeed an original, or even unique experience. A mosaic of moods and styles more than a coherent collection of songs, Spirit Of Love mixes Arabic drone with rural English folk music, adding sprinklings of Edwardian banjo (a Clive Palmer speciality) and African work song. The band’s powerful personality and the quality of Mick Bennett’s lyrics go a long way towards binding the disparate elements together, and if you’re in the proper, melancholic mood this LP may sound like a progressive folk masterpiece. At other times one may feel that the band sell themselves a bit short, giving too much space to drone and atmosphere, and not enough to their extraordinary songwriting talents, which can be heard in full on awesome tracks such as ‘Music Of The Ages’ and ‘Sweet Slavery’. (PL)

RIC COLBECK QUARTET
The Sun Is Coming Up
(Fontana 6383 001) 8/70
‘Colbeck’s trumpet playing has caused some controversy, and though I don’t think he’s a genius, I do believe his work to be original and honest. He’s a harsh player, with a spurting, asymmetrical quality to his phrasing, often building solos out of a string of seemingly disconnected notes, each quite separate… On the ballads he can conjure up an almost childlike air of despair and loneliness… There are a lot of reasons why you should buy this one’ – Melody Maker, 8/8/70

This may be improvised, but it’s more approachable and less challenging than contemporary work by, say, John Stevens. ‘Aphrodite’ starts with a terrific drum solo from South African Selwyn Lissack, before Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark’s churning double bass joins the fray and Colbeck’s trumpet and Mike Osborne’s alto sax begin to trade fiery solos. ‘Subdued’ features a beautiful sax solo, the turbulent title track sees Colbeck and Osborne’s instruments writhing like angry snakes, and the eerie ‘Lowlands’ opens with suggestive bowed bass before Colbeck and Osborne insinuate themselves in. Colbeck was Liverpudlian, but had contributed to records by Noah Howard in New York in the 1960s. This forgotten album was his only release as a leader, and is highly recommended. (RMJ)

SHIRLEY COLLINS
The Sweet Primeroses
(Topic 12TS 170) 6/67
‘She has an appealing voice and sings intriguing songs. On this disc, the result is everywhere apparent… an eloquent, highly listenable-to disc’ – Music Maker, July 1967

Even by Collins’s lachrymose standards, this minimalistic LP is remarkably mournful. Whether bemoaning enduring poverty on the acapella ‘Rigs Of The Time’ or lamenting a lost loved one to sister Dolly’s quasi-medieval portative pipe organ on ‘All Things Are Quite Silent’, she explores depths of misery uncharted by the gloomiest of goth bands. (RF)

COMUS
First Utterance
(Dawn DNLS 3019, with insert) 2/71
‘A horrid quadruped in the last agonising throes of death? No, it’s a lead singer further gone than Roger Chapman! The production is good, but there’s too much wailing and variations on weak themes. Sometimes it sounds like T. Rex at 94 rpm’ – Record Mirror, 6/3/71

Many albums of the progressive era were genuinely groundbreaking, but few were as unique and other-wordly as this remarkable slice of acid folk. Comus are the death metal of the folk scene, likely to have great appeal outside the genre, even to those (such as myself) who demand electrification. Everyone should hear this LP once; they will never forget the sheer beauty of the ethereal music, the gorgeous, crystal-clear, mellifluous vocals and dark, demonic subject matter and undercurrent. The nightmarish ‘Song To Comus’, ‘Diana’ and ‘Drip Drip’ menace and disturb, while ‘The Herald’ is an entrancing and bewitching thing of great beauty. The songs deal with rape, pestilence, murder and witchcraft, and the LP makes the Wicker Man seem like the Wizard of Oz. What more could anyone want? (GH)

JULIE COVINGTON
The Beautiful Changes
(Columbia SCX6466) 7/71
‘Although there are many moment of great beauty, it’s occasionally flawed by a desire on the part of the producer to project her as some kind of standardised girl singer in the tired old mold… The album comes out this week, and it’s highly likely that it’ll get lost in the flood of releases that pours forth each month’ – Melody Maker, 24/7/71

For the most part, this rather charming baroque LP is in a similar vein to Catherine Howe’s What A Beautiful Place – except Covington didn’t write anything (the songs were by her established colleagues Pete Atkin and Clive James). On the downside, I could easily have done without the occasional vaudeville-style numbers, which may annoy many listeners. But everything changes with the thirteenth and final song, a setting of William Blake’s ‘My Silks And Fine Array’ – an awesome piece of psychedelic folk that equals the best tracks ever recorded in the genre. (RF)

CREAM
Fresh Cream
(Reaction 593/4 001) 12/66
‘The Cream had the good fortune to achieve an almost pre-overnight degree of fame. Their style on this LP is a very mellow and relaxed form of music which oozes confidence. There’s no vocal shouting or instrumental clanging – everything falls neatly into place. Sort of progressive British R&B, if that’s not a contradiction in terms’ – Record Mirror, 17/12/66

Though Eric Clapton’s goal may have been to create a high-quality blues band, it’s notable that on this, and subsequent Cream albums, the best songs are not the bluesiest ones by any stretch of the imagination. I’m sure it would gall Clapton to no end, but Cream were a great singles band. Their albums were spotty, off-hand, and / or indulgent. Fresh Cream is maybe their most consistently good record, mixing blues-rock and straight rock well, and full of solid, concise songs. None of them were as good as ‘I Feel Free’, though, which was left off of the UK version of the album. Clapton is an important guitarist in many ways, and the fat sound he achieved on the Bluesbreakers album and again here is rightfully a huge part of his legend. Nonetheless, his greatest strength during this period was his ability to play just the right thing at the right time. The solo to ‘I Feel Free’ isn’t especially complex, but it completely hits the spot. The genius of it is evidenced when you compare it to the Amboy Dukes’ cover version, where a fine guitarist, Ted Nugent, can’t do anything anywhere near as good. As revered as Clapton was at the time, he was occasionally overshadowed by Ginger Baker. There’s no denying Baker’s talent or influence, but there will be many who find his incessant tom tom use annoying. This album’s ‘Toad’ is probably one of the best drum solos in the context of rock and roll, but it still would have been tedious at a third of the length. The song may well be responsible for the scores of drum solos that followed on hard rock, psychedelic and progressive albums, so Baker is to be blamed for the fact that so many otherwise excellent records had three-and four-minute album-killers on them. (AM)
  
CREEPY JOHN THOMAS
Creepy John Thomas
(RCA SF 8061) 12/69
‘Gutsy, virile singing and fine guitar from the amazingly named Mr. Thomas, supported by bass and drums. It roars along splendidly, but the lyrics get lost, making the whole thing a bit of a mystery’ – Melody Maker, 3/1/70

This superb album may sound messy and under-rehearsed at first, but it greatly rewards repeat plays, in the same manner as obvious influence Captain Beefheart. ‘You’ve Got To Hide’ and ‘One Way Track Blues’ are shambolic yet exhilarating R&B, ‘Trippin Like A Dog And Rockin Like A Bitch’ is as mad and Beefheart-esque as the title sounds, and the Captain’s influence is again obvious on side two’s ’Bring Back The Love’, before the album closes with the surprisingly breezy psych of ‘Moon And Eyes Song’. A really special record. (GH)

CRESSIDA
Cressida
(Vertigo VO 7) 2/70
‘A five-piece group discovered by Ossie Byrne, who was responsible for discovering the Bee Gees. Their first album is all their own material, and is good middle-of-the-road stuff without being boring or reticent. It could appeal to both the pop and progressive-minded’ – Disc & Music Echo, 21/2/70

Cressida have been classified as a ‘prog’ band, but they differ from typical prog bands in many ways. Their songs are short (other than Hatfield And The North, with their goofy mini-songs, can you name another prog album with 12 songs?), as are the solos. Their debut is characterised by highly melodic songs that happen to have some jazzy chord progressions and keyboard-heavy arrangements. It starts out extremely strong, with ‘To Play Your Little Game’ and ‘Winter Is Coming Again’, both of which would sound as natural coming out of an AM radio as, say, a Moody Blues song. Throughout the album they experiment with different rhythms, which generally work quite well. Fans of Spring should like it, as it shares with their LP Mellotrons and occasional martial drumming. The only problem is that they don’t sustain the momentum of the first few songs, and the rest is only so-so. File with Barclay James Harvest, with whom they share not only a similar sound but a similarly inconsistent first album. (AM)