GORDON JACKSON
Thinking Back
(Marmalade 608 012) 7/69
‘Gordon Jackson had the privilege of playing with Traffic before they were called Traffic. Now the ex-Traffic return the compliment by joining him on his first LP, which is produced by Dave Mason and totally written by Gordon. And the resemblance to Traffic, or Mason, Wood, Capaldi & Frog, is uncanny. Try it’ – Disc & Music Echo, 12/7/69

After rubbing shoulders with future rock stars in the Hellions and Deep Feeling, Worcester-based songwriter Gordon Jackson cut a solo LP in 1969. Lots of big names were involved with the project, and the album grew out of a series of late night sessions with whoever happened to turn up. Dave Mason spent enough time with Jackson to receive producer credit, in addition to his outstanding bass playing, and Traffic colleagues Winwood and Capaldi popped in on more than one occasion. This type of haphazard, organic recording process usually resulted in a relaxed, friendly, directionless mess with little lasting value. Jackson’s LP however, is the exception to the rule, and the explanation is simple: he was a very good songwriter. Although the mood is loose and organic, these aren’t ‘jams’, but well-written songs recorded by top-notch musician in a warm, probably stoned, environment. The opening spellbinding folk-rock of ‘The Journey’ gives a clear indication of the good things in store, with its tremendous raga rhythm section, superb minor chord progression, and Jackson’s humble vocals. The goofy 45 pick ‘Me And My Dog’ is the only ‘dog’, while the rest ranges from good to terrific. The bulk of Thinking Back approaches the style and quality of Mighty Baby and Help Yourself, and is to my ears clearly superior to Traffic’s humourless ‘mature’ rock from the same era. (PL)

JADE
Fly On Strangewings
(DJM DJLPS 407) 7/70
‘There is enough that is strange and beautiful on this first album to indicate that Jade have talent… The lyrics avoid many of the usual clichés and, I should imagine, spring from deeply-felt personal experiences, but musically some of the songs are not as strong as they might be’ – Melody Maker, 1/8/70

Backed by studio musicians the calibre of Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship), Terry Cox (Pentangle) and Clem Cattini, this trio cut an excellent electric folk LP that will certainly appeal to fans of Sandy Denny or Mandy Morton. Although the UK issue is rare, the American pressing (credited to Marian Segal & Silver Jade, and packaged in a single sleeve) could a few years ago still be obtained sealed for just a few pounds. It’s a pity that the album was not a commercial success, and that Segal did not become a prolific recording artist, as she was a considerable talent. Back Alley Choir was among the bands to cover her material. (RF)

JAKLIN
Jaklin
(Stable SLE 8003) 10/69
‘A good first album by writer and singer Jaklin, who is backed by solid musicians. A strange teenybopper name, but a good sound’ – Melody Maker, 1/11/69

Keeping traditional blues as his blueprint, Jaklin brings considerable variety to the form, making this well worth checking out for those who find the ‘second blues wave’ of 1968-69 overly earnest and lacking in lightness of touch. The self-penned ‘Look For Me Baby’ is especially catchy, along the lines of early solo Clapton, ‘Early In The Morning’ has a Cream-like heaviness, while ‘The Same For You’ has a more raucous feel, not unlike Alexis Korner (who also recorded the song). ‘Going Home’ is top-notch boogie, and ‘I’m Leaving’ is an unhinged rocker with some terrific piano, not unlike Piblokto. Not all the songs are great, but the LP is definitely worth hunting down – and don’t be put off by the cover, which shows the singer as a suburban Jason King wannabe, with coiffed hair and clipped moustache. (GH)

BERT JANSCH
Jack Orion
(Transatlantic TRA 143) 9/66
‘At first sight the idea is horrifying: a bluesy guitarist who has hitherto concentrated on contemporary subjects singing the big old ballads that are the stock-in-trade of the true traditionalist… In fact his interpretations illuminate the songs from a completely new angle. As sung by him, with brilliant accompaniments, the brutal world that created the old ballads doesn’t seem so very far off’ – Melody Maker, 17/9/66

Keeping up his impressive release schedule, Jansch’s third solo album in a year is perhaps his best. Drawing more deeply from the English folk tradition than its predecessors, none of the songs are self-penned and it has a sinister, gothic vibe. Opener ‘The Waggoner’s Lad’ (featuring John Renbourn) is a wonderfully baroque banjo and guitar instrumental, and clear inspiration for Led Zeppelin’s ‘Bron Yr Aur Stomp’. A rendition of Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face’ is pretty, but soon gives way to the epic title track, featuring some beautifully interwoven guitar lines from Jansch and Renbourn. The second side consists of five further traditional tracks, including a relentless, eerie ‘Nottamun Town’, a droning, raga-like ‘Henry Martin’ and definitive ‘Black Water Side’ (from which Jimmy Page derived further inspiration). A classic record, and surprisingly hard to find. (RMJ)

JASPER
Liberation
(Spark SRLP 103) 11/69
‘A worthy example of modern group musical exploration. While not sensational, there is a lot of playing here that deserves a listen… They use some attractive string arrangements as part of the ‘Liberation’ theme, which runs through the album’ – Melody Maker, 29/11/69

Moody, mysterious and distant-sounding progressive blues with jazzy undertones, which doesn’t impress quite enough to justify its obscene price tag. All the same, the LP quite nicely captures that late 60s, dream-is-over London vibe which Withnail & I translated so well onto the screen 20 years later. The material ranges from the recurrent instrumental theme ‘Liberation’ (all strings and military drums, it brings to mind a late-60s British musician transported back to the American Civil War on acid) to the blues prog of ‘Confusion’ and ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, where flute, harmonica and funky Carnaby organ pass the time with not-quite-out-there-enough guitar. Most of it sounds like it was recorded in one take, there are very few overdubs, and one can’t help thinking that Jasper couldn’t quite believe their luck when they were given studio time, and weren’t quite sure what to do with it. Great name and sleeve though. (DS)

JOE SOAP
Keep It Clean
(Polydor 2382 233) 11/73
‘Clean it is – and fresh. This album is so refreshing it almost tingles. Having said that, I have to admit that it’s hardly the music of the moment. After all, it must be quite a time since we had a blues album in the charts. But rules are made to be broken’ – Disc, 10/11/73

A really nice little album of chugging progressive blues that doesn’t pretend it’s from Chicago. Core members John Tennent and David Morrison wrote all the tracks, and there’s some fine numbers indeed, as well as an ensemble including Mike ‘ELO’ Kaminski on violin and wee Jimmy ‘Wings’ McCulloch on guitar. There’s confident playing on numbers like ‘Lay It On Me’, a controlled blues wig-out of some élan, alongside more considered moments like ‘Whatever The Song Is Now’, a track that, stylistically, isn’t too far away from a Jagger / Richards ditty circa Sticky Fingers. Produced by the ubiquitous Sandy Roberton, it’s well worth tracking down. The duo had made an LP the year before as Tennent-Morrison. (TH)

ELTON JOHN / LINDA PETERS
‘The Warlock Sampler’
(no label, no cat #) 1970
Intended as a showcase for several songwriters signed to Joe Boyd’s Warlock company, this fabled rarity was recorded by Elton John in July 1970, during his dying days as a session pianist. He’s backed by a guitarist (perhaps Caleb Quaye), a bassist and a drummer (thought to be Pat Donaldson and Gerry Conway, from Fotheringay), while on some tracks Linda Peters (later Thompson) takes over the vocals from him. Four tracks are by Nick Drake – ‘Day Is Done’, ‘Saturday Sun’, ‘Way To Blue’ and ‘Time Has Told Me’ (all from Five Leaves Left and all sung by John). ‘Way To Blue’ is the best, though all are interesting as curios. With Peters at the mike, he also tackles three numbers from John and Beverley Martyn’s Stormbringer LP (‘Go Out And Get It’, ‘Sweet Honesty’, ‘Stormbringer’), as well as two by Mike Heron (‘You Get Brighter’, from the Incredible String Band’s Wee Tam And The Big Huge, and ‘This Moment’ from I Looked Up), and two by US folkie / session bassist Carter (‘I Don’t Mind’ and ‘Pied Pauper’). Worth hearing if you get the chance, but don’t expect more than a curio. (RMJ)

JOY UNLIMITED
Turbulence
(Page One POLS 028) 11/70
‘Another one of these imported Continental groups. Turbulence is the suitable title for an unsettled, instantly forgettable bunch of songs’ – Disc & Music Echo, 7/11/70

Fronted by soulful belter Joy Fleming (who sounds rather witchy at times), this lot were German, but their debut LP was only released in the UK with this title, tracklisting and (horrible) artwork. It’s a superbly punchy and funky pop-rock record, featuring fine drumming and some tremendous distorted guitar and organ on cuts like ‘Save Me, Save Me’ and ‘Feelin’’. The best cut is the remarkable ‘I Hold No Grudge’, which hits the sort of slow, string-laden groove that bands like Massive Attack explored three decades later, but almost everything here is cool to some degree. Occasionally they veer close to straight commercial pop, but remain likeable and funky, as on ‘Groove With What You’ve Got’ and a rare cover of the Beatles’ ‘All Together Now’. A terrific and highly enjoyable record, and easily the rarest on the label (far fewer copies have surfaced of this than Apple, for starters). (RMJ)

JULIAN’S TREATMENT
A Time Before This
(Youngblood SYB 2) 6/70
‘With the best will in this world or the next, four sides of echoing organ and female vocals tend to produce intergalactical boredom’ – Melody Maker, 20/6/70

Unique sci-fi prog album that has aged remarkably well and still sounds powerful today.  There are very few guitars (though their brief appearances are memorable), but the music rocks hard anyway, and it has the secret weapon of Cathy Pruden, whose extraordinary vocals create the album’s best moments: the soaring melody line on ‘Strange Things’, the sinister threats she spews in ‘Alda, Dark Lady of The Outer Worlds’. She stands almost alone as a female singer whose voice is equal parts beauty and toughness; someone like her could have turned a million mediocre hard rock albums into keepers. But this has plenty to offer in addition. Savarin may have been first and foremost a fiction writer, but he has a knack for a hook, and certainly a gift for drama. The only other album like this is its companion (credited to Julian Jay Savarin). There’s much debate about which album is better, but I prefer this, not just because of Pruden, but because the songs, while perhaps less complex, are more memorable and have much more pop sense. Note that the US issue is enticing because of the better sleeve, but in order to fit it onto just one LP, almost all of the songs have been shortened, so the UK issue is the only way to hear A Time Before This in its entirety. (AM)

JULY
July
(Major Minor MMLP / SMLP 29) 7/68
‘Five white boys who have brought back an African sound from Tangiers. Plenty of powerful organ from Chris Jackson. Lead singer Tom Newman not only sings the numbers well, but wrote 11 of the dozen of them! A bit way-out and experimental, but worth listening to’ – NME, 13/7/68

This is a funny, puzzling album; a true kaleidoscope. Judging by the crude arrangements and sometimes clearly unfinished songs, it could well have been a quickie cash-in. On the other hand, several elements are right on the money for fans of 1967-68 beat-psych, suggesting that it was made with brains and sound judgment. The mixing and use of various studio effects are effective, particularly the vocal filtering and phasing. The result is a mosaic of ‘hip’ sounds that occasionally come off clichéd and derivative, almost like a neo-psych record. The clever sequencing is an indication of the resourceful shrewdness behind the album. Opening with the undeniably great ‘My Clown’ and ‘Dandelion Seeds’, it’s easy for a casual listener to place the album on a high rung. But with repeat plays the ladder turns into a snake down which July slides, from track three onwards, with temporary footholds gained with the sitar-laden ‘The Way’ and the fine ‘Friendly Man’. The remaining tracks sound to me like unfinished snips of pop tunes, or sound collages in search of a melody. Unless your favourite Syd tune is ‘Jugband Blues’, the lesser tracks aren’t very impressive. All over, July is a fun piece of zeitgeist, but it has limited depth and little lasting musical value for me, apart from the four tracks I’ve mentioned. Some people love this LP, and it’s certainly worth checking out for 1960s psych fans. There’s also a pretty awful 45-only track, ‘Hello, Who’s There?’. (PL)

JUNCO PARTNERS
Junco Partners
(Philips 6308 032) 1/71
‘A good group with a nice LP of the same name. They seem happy in a variety of moods, but even the heavier tracks are not laid on too thickly. There are one or two bluesy things, and mostly just interesting songs, lyrically and melodically, played very well’ – Disc & Music Echo, 6/2/71

An obscure but richly varied album, expertly played and well sung, even if it lacks the killer songwriting that marks true greatness. ‘Minotaur’ is fairly straight heavy but catchy rock, ‘Fly Me High’ is soulful and funky, with tasteful brass, ‘Black Widow’ is another mid-tempo rocker with juicy, acidic guitar flourishes, ‘In The Morning’ and ‘Help Me’ are driving guitar / keyboard-fuelled prog and ‘Reprieve’ is catchier pop-rock. There’s a tendency to lapse into pub-rock by-numbers, but overall this makes for very enjoyable listening and is well worth tracking down, as it seems only to be on the periphery of the collectors’ radar at present. (GH)

KALEIDOSCOPE
Faintly Blowing
(Fontana STL 5491) 4/69
‘A soft-rock world of rainbows, lyres, cloaks, magic and rhubarb’ – Melody Maker, 3/5/69

The second Kaleidoscope LP is more self-consciously psychedelic. The opening title track and closing ‘Music’ are full of mind-altering sound effects and are thrilling examples of how production techniques can turn an already excellent song into something unforgettable. Much of the album covers similar ground to the debut (i.e. the low-key ballad ‘Poem’ is reminiscent of ‘Please Excuse My Face’, they again tell stories about specific people, this time named Tom Bitz and Annie, ‘The Feathered Tiger’ sounds like a children’s song, certain chord progressions are rather familiar) and there’s a small decline in the quality of the songwriting. The more brazen production, though, gives this one a kick that almost compensates for the fact that they don’t exactly say anything new. This isn’t quite as good as Tangerine Dream, but it’s still a lot better than the majority of albums in the genre. (AM)

JOHN KILLIGREW
Killigrew
(Penny Farthing PELS 513) 12/71
‘Most definitely a name to watch. Unlike so many new singer / writers, he doesn’t seem hung up on his own musicianship and is quite happy to leave the arranging and producing in the capable hands of ex-Honeybus writer Pete Dello. What John does, and superbly, is write songs covering a vast range of subjects, from the personal to the wry and general, and sing them in a good rich voice’ – Disc & Music Echo, 8/1/72

Mainstream, piano-led pop, of interest to Honeybus fans because Pete Dello produced and arranged it. None of the tracks are by him, though – all twelve were penned by the enigmatic Killigrew. Some are bland (‘Nothing’s Impossible’, ‘Hey Mocking Bird’), but others are quite good, including the wistful ‘Yesterday And You’ and pretty ‘Just A Line’. Gilbert O’Sullivan and early Bee Gees are obvious comparisons. According to Barry Pritchard of the Fortunes on the back cover, ‘John and his family have lived hard for a long time after illness, financial disasters and one hundred different jobs. His writing has the unmistakable quality of a man who’s been down and back again. He says the simple things well.’ After this album he vanished. (RMJ)

REG KING
Reg King
(United Artists UAS 29157) 12/71
‘Though the songs are of varying quality, there is a slight sameness that prevails. Perhaps a shade more clarity on Reg’s vocals would have helped, but still this album should help him get back on his feet again’ – NME, 11/12/71

On paper this sounds like the answer to a 70s rock fan’s prayers – a progressive outing by the legendary Action singer, with guest appearances from Mighty Baby, Steve Winwood, Mick Taylor, Brian Auger and many others. King possesses one of the great unrecognised rock voices, and whilst brilliant guitarists were seemingly a dime a dozen in the early 70s, few could hold a candle to Martin Stone, or Taylor. So it’s disappointing to report that this is something of a let-down. After a sloppy start, it takes three tracks for a groove to be found with ‘That Ain’t Living’. ‘In My Dreams’ is excellent heavy rock and side two’s ‘Savannah’ is another pacy, riffy rocker. Otherwise the arrangements are overly lush and melodramatic, drowning out the great man’s vocals, which are inexplicably low in the mix. By most standards this is a perfectly acceptable record; but it promised so much more. (GH)

THE KINKS
Face To Face
(Pye NPL / NSPL 18149) 10/66
‘The Kinks get a driving rhythm going on this LP, and get their words heard as well… In quieter vein, there’s still more stories in song… A very varied assortment, all from the versatile pen of Ray Davies – a remarkable achievement’ – NME, 28/10/66

This is generally seen as their first masterpiece, and it is indeed a stunning record. Davies had evidenced a fine storytelling ability, as well as a sharp eye towards social commentary, on singles like ‘Dedicated Follower Of Fashion’ and ‘Well Respected Man’, but he eclipses those songs throughout this album. He shows not only smarts, but good humour and a remarkable reverence for the past (musically and lyrically) that one-ups even Paul McCartney (come on, please don’t tell me you think ‘Honey Pie’ or even ‘When I’m 64’ is better than ‘Sunny Afternoon’). What’s missing is the hard-rocking mod style of their earliest singles. Even songs like ‘Party Line’ and ‘Holiday In Waikiki’ are more ‘pop’ than ‘rock’, despite fine guitar playing and an upbeat style. That’s not a knock; this is brilliant music. It is, however, the beginning of the point at which the Kinks would alienate their original fanbase. The result is that as they made their finest records – some of the greatest music of the 60s or any rock era – they also lost their audience. (AM)

BASIL KIRCHIN
Worlds Within Worlds
(Columbia SCX 6463) 9/71
‘Your guess is as good as mine, but this sounds like feeding-time in the birdhouse at the zoo. Basil Kirchin and Jack Nathan have merged animal noises with instruments to make, the sleeve says, ‘music of overpowering power and originality’. Original? Yes. Overpowering power? I wonder. Anyway, Yoko Ono should love it. And maybe you will. Who knows?’ – NME, 18/9/71

It’s easy to describe an album as unique, but this really is. Divided into two long tracks named ‘Integration (Non-Racial)’ and ‘The Human Element’, it painstakingly combines instruments such as saxophone, bassoon, cello and guitar with what the sleeve calls ‘the cries of animals, birdsong and the amplified sounds of insects’. The effect is simultaneously unnerving, exhilarating, beautiful and ludicrous. The animal noises, ranging from lion to robin, are slowed down and sped up to fit with the music, creating some startling effects. On the back cover Kirchin urges the listener to ‘take it home and isolate yourself, swim underwater and breathe in the music’, and indeed it’s easy to dismiss it as avant-garde meanderings if one doesn’t give it time to sink in. Musicians involved include Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Frank Ricotti and Daryl Runswick. A second volume was issued in 1974, as Worlds Within Worlds Pt. 2 (Island HELP 18). (RMJ)

THE KOOBAS
The Koobas
(Columbia S(C)X 6271) 1/69
‘Sadly, they say the Koobas are no more. These four talented boys recently opted to chuck in the towel as a pop group. But they have left behind a very interesting set of self-penned pure pop songs. The LP shows their skill as both musicians and composers, and it’s a shame they didn’t make it big’ – Disc & Music Echo, 18/1/69

The Koobas were significantly more soulful than most of the popsike bands they get lumped in with. They’re closer to latter-day Action than, say, Skip Bifferty or the Idle Race. As such, this album is quite accomplished, musically: solid rhythm section, sharp moderate tempos, strong vocals. The downside is that the attempts at psychedelia don’t really sound natural. A few sound effects, some in-between-song silliness, and a bit of fuzz guitar are more distracting than they are fun. The album is at its best when they are at their most confident and relaxed – which, thankfully, is most of the time. The songwriting is strong, but what really keeps the album exciting are the subtle arrangements. I love the variety of instruments at the beginning of ‘Mr. Claire’, for instance: bits of piano, strong bass, little lead guitar blips and powerful pre-prog Mellotron. Despite a few blips, it’s a solid record, much better than a lot of the freakier albums of its time. The uninteresting cover of ‘Piece of My Heart’ was unnecessary, though. (AM)

LEAF HOUND
Growers Of Mushroom
(Decca SKL-R 5094) 10/71
‘I’m not sure if the group is called Growers Of Mushroom or Leaf Hound. It doesn’t really matter either, as far as I’m concerned, because this is another of those albums by a Zeppelin / Purple-type heavy outfit with little originality’ – Melody Maker, 30/10/71

This is one of the most controversial of all collectables, no doubt because the price has become so outrageously high (up to £3000). People generally fall into two camps: those who think it’s the greatest hard rock album of all time and those who think it’s uninteresting and nothing but a tenth-rate Led Zeppelin imitation. As is usually the case with something that causes this kind of divisiveness, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It’s definitely more legitimately heavy than most hard rock albums of its era, and while it certainly does take a lot from Zeppelin (and, vocally, from Free and / or Humble Pie), that doesn’t mean it’s not good. I’ve heard a lot of Led Zeppelin wannabes over the years, and I think this is the best of them. Some may not think that is high praise, but it is certainly an unreserved recommendation to any hard rock fan. The guitars are appropriately hard, the beat is unrelenting, the vocals are of the shredded-throat variety, and all of the songs have hooks. They even manage to make acoustic rhythm guitars heavy on ‘Sad Road To The Sea’, and it’s hard to imagine a rocker whose adrenaline level isn’t raised by ‘Stagnant Pool’ or ‘Freelance Fiend’. An excellent album, worth a solid place in rock history – as long as nobody tries to claim it’s better than Houses Of The Holy. (AM)

LED ZEPPELIN
Led Zeppelin III
(Atlantic 2401 002) 10/70
‘Perhaps it’s because we all waited so long, and expected so much, that this album leaves you feeling deflated. The overall effect lacks that funky, exciting live feeling they captured before… The edge seems taken off them by too much loving care in the studio, and the album seems to lack sparkle. Don’t Led Zeppelin care anymore?’ – Disc & Music Echo, 10/10/70

With their third album, Led Zeppelin began to experiment in some intriguing ways. Acoustic guitars and, in particular, alternate guitar tunings, created quite a bit of variety, much of it showing the influence of older musical forms. They still got very heavy with ‘Immigrant Song’ and ‘Out On The Tiles’, the latter of which has a rather remarkable and intricate hook. Once again, though, the best song is a ballad – the country-influenced ‘Tangerine’. Not all the experiments work, and though their fans always liked it, I think ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ is a tedious blues song that does little more than show off how fast Page can play. The lasting charm from Led Zeppelin III is actually the way some of the songs on side two sneak up on you after several listens. It’s an imperfect album, but a rather fascinating one. (AM)

MARIE LITTLE
Factory Girl
(Argo ZFB19) 6/71
‘One gains the impression that Marie’s voice is still progressing towards a maturity that could do full justice to the material she has chosen to sing… Although her performance seems very tense, it would nevertheless be over-zealous to dismiss the album. The content is sensibly divided into one side of traditional and one of contemporary songs’ – Melody Maker, 26/6/71

The album opens promisingly with an eerie version of ‘The Twa Corbies’, unusually arranged for dobro guitar. However, the standard isn’t really maintained, with the remainder of the first side being pleasant but unexceptional traditional folk and the second offering above average orchestrated pop / folk. Ironically, it all comes full circle with the closing cover of Ralph McTell’s title track: another haunting dobro-led piece, and the second best track on the LP. Why the label chose to produce such a schizophrenic work is unclear: purist folkies would loathe the commercial aspects of the second half, whilst mainstream audiences would find side one far too sparse and dour, guaranteeing that almost every purchaser (and there were few) would dislike at least half the album. (RF)

LOCOMOTIVE
We are Everything You See
(Parlophone PCS 7093) 12/69
‘An imaginative, moody and sometimes disturbing set from the organ-bass-drum trio, supported by a jazzy, big-name horn section. It includes the brilliant ‘Mr. Armageddon’, and is a far cry from their first hit, ‘Rudi’s In Love’’ – Melody Maker, 3/1/70

Norman Haines’s shift from chart-friendly ska into heavy duty, guitar-free, keyboard-led prog on this much-delayed LP (its release was originally announced for Fenruary 1969) must be one of the most abrupt changes of musical direction in pop history. There are shades of Gravy Train, King Crimson and especially ELP here, with grandiose opener ‘Mr Armageddon’ standing out as absolutely terrific (a fact acknowledged by Haines when he re-recorded it for his next LP, Den Of Iniquity) – an orchestrated classical overture gives way to pounding keyboards and strong, anthemic vocals. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the LP is somewhat anti-climactic: ‘You Must Be Joking’ is catchy prog in a similar vein to Gravy Train at their best, and ‘Now Is The End’ centres on an excellent, semi-classical keyboard motif. Side two is ill served by the three-part ‘The Loves Of Augustus’, which overcooks its choral Handel inspiration. Oddly, there are also covers of two songs by US electro-psych act The United States Of America. To these ears the album is an improvement on ELP, but if you love rock guitar (as I do) it’s best avoided. (GH)

LONDON ALL-STARS
British Percussion
(Barclay BB 86 / SIBS 1004) 1965 [France / Italy only]
This entertaining LP was made by a studio combo put together by session drummer Bobby Graham and featuring Jimmy Page and John McLaughlin. The band was assembled on behalf of French label Barclay, to provide backing to French singers recording in London such as Sylvie Vartan, Michel Polnareff and label boss Eddie Barclay. In addition to their session chores, they recorded this rarity in February 1965. Three tracks were co-written by Page and Graham (‘Stop The Drums’, ‘Drum Stomp’ and ‘Lord Byron Blues’), and the whole album features prominent guitar-playing from Page, including some cool fuzz on the former and great slide on the latter. There’s also no shortage of organ and drum breaks, making it one of the more enjoyable instrumental LPs of its time. The Italian release had a different cover. (RMJ)

MAGIC CARPET
Magic Carpet
(Mushroom 200 MR 20) 6/72
‘Yet another contrived Western sitar record. Totally unreal, right from Alisha’s quavering, whining vocals to the twinky-twanky jangling sitar of Clem Alford’ – Disc, 24/6/72

This album – which is indeed magical – offers a mixture of haunting sitar and tabla-led instrumentals and delicate folk songs from vocalist Alisha Sufit. Her high, pure, nervous voice may not be to everyone’s taste, but I love this from start to finish: the blend of the two different styles creates a vastly stronger LP than would have been achieved by a collection of Sufit’s songs alone, let alone a collection of Indian-flavoured instrumentals. (RF)

MAGIC MIXTURE
This Is The Magic Mixture
(Saga FID 2125) 9/68
‘A pretty awful group bashing out a variety of styles, presumably in an attempt to do a family album of good clean groupie music’ – Melody Maker, 5/10/68

Though it was recorded in two days flat and released on a budget label, this is one of the more satisfying underground pop LPs of its time, with an immediacy that takes you right back to a sweaty psychedelic dive in London circa 1967. The singing and guitar playing are both of an unusually high standard, and several songs are outstanding. Particular favourites are ‘(I’m So) Sad’, with pounding drums and a piercing guitar solo, the jazzy groover ‘Urge To Leave’ and moody ‘Living On A Hill’ (featuring another great solo), but almost everything here is concise, melodic, imaginative and well-played. The only misstep is a novelty number, ‘Motor Bike Song’, whose gorblimey vocals grate on repeated plays. Nonetheless, this is top-tier UK psych-pop. Drummer Jack McCulloch departed to join Andromeda, then Thunderclap Newman. (RMJ)

WIL MALONE
Wil Malone
(Fontana STL 5541) 7/70
‘Like brown shoes, Mr. Malone don’t make it. He has some nice ideas which are ruined by mediocre arrangements. And he needs to tighten up considerably on his lyrics, which at the moment meander into every post-Dylan trap’ – Record Mirror, 18/7/70

This delicate chamber-pop collection is nothing like as weird as the Motherlight album, or as bouncy as Malone’s work with Orange Bicycle, but in its way it’s just as distinctive. The melodies aren’t especially catchy and his voice isn’t strong (most of the vocals are drawled rather than sung), but the LP has a strange, morose atmosphere, and Malone’s baroque arrangements were clearly done with love and care. Propelled by nimble classical guitar, most songs are more or less straight pop, though several have twists that help the album add up to an intriguing whole. The best cut is ‘I Could Write A Book’, whose jaunty tune is suddenly abandoned in favour of a bizarre solo piano (echoed in ‘Tale To Tell’), only to be resumed as abruptly. Only one track has bass and drums (the oddball ‘At The Silver Slipper’); the rest are backed just by guitar and chamber instrumentation. The fantastic sleeve (don’t miss the stuffed fox) suggests the music is a lot further-out than it is, but this is well worth a spin for popsike fans. (RMJ)

MAUREENY WISHFULL
The Maureeny Wishfull Album
(Moonshine, no cat #) 1968?
A bit of a mystery, this folky LP is attributed to John Williams, Jimmy Page and ‘Big’ Jim Sullivan, but this is almost certainly spurious. Williams, who made a singer-songwriter LP for Columbia in 1967, is definitely present, but it is not at all clear that Page or Sullivan are (Sullivan has no recollection of it). Musically it’s similar to Williams’ other LP – earnest and slightly wistful singer-songwriter material, with some nice guitar picking but no outstanding tracks. Page’s involvement was probably limited to publishing a few of the tracks through his James Patrick Page Music company (several of the songs on Williams’ 1967 album were also published by Page). As for Sullivan, he may have played sitar on some of these tracks, but mostly they consist of plain acoustic guitar and voice (by Williams), with no percussion or studio effects. My guess is that the tracks were taped as demos for a possible second Williams LP, which was never issued; someone enterprising then got hold of them and stuck this out in the late 70s or early 80s, trying to pass it off as a 60s private pressing and thus make a fast buck at record fairs. Certainly there are no known references to the album from its supposed date of release, and nothing else appeared on the label. This still doesn’t prevent dealers from hyping the album to kingdom come – one well-known eBay seller recently described a copy as ‘a pinnacle of any late 60s collection’. Nonetheless, though it has been claimed that only 300 copies were pressed, it doesn’t go for much money. (RMJ)

HAROLD McNAIR
Harold McNair
(RCA SF 7969) 11/68
‘His tenor playing has a sense of urgency about it, but he is much more distinguished and inventive on flute… The rhythm section do an immaculate job in that they are unobtrusive, yet gently prodding and generally swinging… A delight to listen to’ – Melody Maker, 21/12/68

This album became a DJ’s favourite courtesy of one track – ‘The Hipster’. A rasping, growling swinger in 3/4 time, it’s like Roland Kirk in a soundclash with Dave Brubeck, a surefire bet to appeal to all the head-nodders and toe-tappers in black polo necks and shades. The opening cut ‘Mento’ references McNair’s West Indian roots, a nice rhythmic shuffle though a touch cheesy; ‘On A Clear Day You Can See Forever’ is handled well, with McNair’s delicate phrasing and sensitivity in clear evidence; Donovan’s ‘Lord Of The Reedy River’ also comes over well, as you’d expect from a close collaborator of Mr. Leitch’s. On piano is Bill Le Sage, Spike Heatley takes on the bass and Tony Carr brings it on home behind the traps. If anyone can tell me what’s happening on the front cover, I’d be most grateful. (TH)

MEGATON
Megaton
(Deram SML 1068) 8/71
‘Megaton are nothing to go wild about, but a list of personnel in the band would arouse a little more interest in the buyer. Ten heavy tracks that do little for me, you or anybody else’ – Melody Maker, 30/10/71

Few 70s rock outfits have been as completely shrouded by obscurity as Megaton, which is a pity, as their LP is worth investigation. Apparently they were a studio band assembled to showcase a batch of songs by Jimmy Bilsbury and Les Humphreys, of the Magic Lanterns and Les Humphreys Singers, The opening brace ‘Out Of Your Own Little World’ and ‘Niagara’ are punchy, catchy rock songs that could have been hits – their hooks stay fresh in the mind long after the record has ended. The album then proceeds into heavier territory along the lines of Nazareth, with ‘Wanna Be A Hero’ and ‘Fairy Tale Song’ wrapping the hooks in some prog flourishes. Perhaps a little on the light side for true psych and prog heads, but certainly deserving of greater acclaim. The album presumably found more favour in Germany (where it may have been recorded), as pressings from there are far more common. (GH)

MELLOW CANDLE
Swaddling Songs
(Deram SDL 7) 5/72
‘Mellow Candle are not a folk band as such, although they have a similar enthusiasm and tone to Steeleye Span, and no traditional material, on this album at any rate. The band shares the writing, with pianist Clodagh Simonds carrying a lot of it. With the other lady vocalist, Alison Williams, the songs are sung mainly by the girls in harmony. Too stately in places to be rock, and too fast-moving in others to be folk, they rely a lot on the piano, to good effect’ – Disc, 3/6/72

Mellow Candle are frequently cited as a favourite among 70s folk-rock druids. Their album has a near-pop sensibility, driving keyboard arrangements and dazzling female vocal harmonies that may recall the Mamas & the Papas, or even ABBA at times. Yet there’s plenty of substance and reflection beneath the friendly surface, and the album slowly exfoliates its melancholic magic over time. (PL)

MIGHTY BABY
Mighty Baby
(Head HDLS 6002) 11/69
‘Certainly one of the best underground / progressive records issued this month – fantastic cover, inventive and exciting sounds, with plenty of real talent here’ – Record Mirror, 22/11/69

No rock album better approximates an exotic eastern feel without direct eastern instrumentation than this one. Surrounding a batch of likeably melodic songs are ethereal lyrics, unusual guitar tones, unique hooks and strong vocals that morph into wild falsettos. As they would prove with even more authority on A Jug Of Love, they were experts at constructing songs in ways that maximised subtle power (build-up, flow, suspense, surprising changes), and all eight songs here are very strong. In a way, this foreshadows the mellower psych rock and ‘rural rock’ that would be so popular (and which they also would play) in the 70s. Ahead of their time, as were all the greats. Terrific album and one of the most distinctive-sounding of the classic psych records. Tons of great lead guitar too, not the usual bluesy wank. (AM)

MOONKYTE
Count Me Out
(Mother SMOT 1, with inner) 11/71
‘Typical melody lines that result from total lack of inspiration, and long, ‘moody’ chants. I know its their first effort, but they should try to write SONGS, because they aren’t poets’ – Record Mirror, 20/11/71

This is one of the most blissfully, unapologetically stoned records ever made. Yet whilst serious amounts of dope and acid plainly went into its creation, the songs are crisp, concise, melodic and accessible. Most are good; my favourites are the catchy ‘It’s The Same Thing’, sitar-driven ‘Way Out Hermit’ (sample lyric: ‘Won’t you give me God’s address / If love is heaven sent?’) pretty ‘Lost Weekend’ and wasted ‘Jelly Man’. The sleeve, which features a die-cut church spire, must have cost a fortune to produce and is very hard to find intact. (RMJ)

MANDY MORE
But That Is Me
(Philips 6308 109, with inner) 6/72
‘Miss More’s first album shows that she has a very individual and intriguing sense of writing, and her voice (which often sounds as though she might have been near a flu bug) holds your attention and brings a nice sense of human frailty to a collection which is ostensibly about human frailty anyway’ – Sounds, 26/8/72

It’s a pity this appealing singer only made one album, as she has a pure, strident voice and her songs are pretty good, with standouts including the fuzzy Moog of ‘If Not By Fire’ and warm numbers like ‘Listen Babe’. She penned all the material except a sparse, effective cover of the Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’. The LP was produced by Tony Hall (most noted for his association with British jazz artists of the 50s and 60s), and the lovely baroque arrangements are by Nick Harrison, who also undertook string work for the Stones. (TH)

VAN MORRISON
Astral Weeks
(Warner Bros. WS 1768) 9/69 [UK release]
‘The album is as far removed from Them as possible, with Morrison sounding for all the world like Jose Feliciano’s stand-in on eight of his own compositions. The comparison rather deadens the impact of the album, because Morrison can’t better or equal Feliciano’s distinctive style. The songs themselves aren’t particularly distinguished, apart from the title track, and suffer from being stuck in one groove throughout’ – NME, 27/9/69

Astral Weeks remains near the very top of the critical rock canon, despite not being ‘rock’ in any sense, and despite (or because of) being a set of unstructured, meandering songs that eschew any kind or recognisable structure or melody. It’s one of those magical musical accidents, where all the improvisational bits turned out just right, where the musicians found themselves miraculously on the same wavelength, where little moments that pop up out of nowhere take the songs into the stratosphere, where voice is more important than ‘songs’, where lyrics tell stories and form moods without ever needing to cohere completely. If any of it doesn’t work (and it’s hard to imagine that some of it wouldn’t), it’s easy to forget as the next wonderful surprising moment appears. Among the highlights: the bass / acoustic guitar beginning of the opening title track, instantly bringing the listener into a unique world; the slow, meandering fade to the same song; the first notes of the harpsichord on ‘Cyprus Avenue’; Van rambling ‘the love that loves’ ad nauseum on ‘Madame George’; the ‘breathe in, breathe out’ bit in ‘Beside You’; and the great sadness with which the album fades away at the end of ‘Slim Slow Slider’. One of the great pleasures of Astral Weeks is listening to it and realising that when it was being recorded, there was no way Morrison or any of the musicians could possibly have envisioned the great critical acclaim it would eventually receive. It sounds like the happiest accident in the history of recorded music. (AM)

MOTT THE HOOPLE
Mott The Hoople
(Island ILPS 9108) 11/69
‘Yet another fine new group, at their best when playing uninhibited aggressive rock… They can also be gently lyrical, but singer Ian Hunter sounds a little too close to Bob Dylan for comfort, and several songs have a decidedly Dylan atmosphere. Lead guitarist Mick Ralphs, however, could be a writer to watch’ – Melody Maker, 15/11/69

Mott The Hoople was originally Guy Stevens’ attempt to create a mix between Dylan and the Stones, though such a thing was unnecessary – there was no way they could top the Stones’ own version, ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’. The band was hastily assembled, including in Ian Hunter a front man who, at 30, was already older than all the veteran stars of the scene. They were rushed into the studio before they had ever played a concert, which explains the preponderance of cover versions and overlong songs. The only good original (despite dodgy lyrics) is ‘Rock And Roll Queen’, which anticipates the sound of their classic later period. The band has a solid energy and some of the covers are excellent (you’d never think ‘You Really Got Me’ would work as an instrumental, but it does), but this is a slapdash album and it shows. The irony is that even after the band cohered and had more time to produce their records, the next three albums would be every bit as ragged. (AM)

MOURNING PHASE
Mourning Phase
(no label) 1971
The story behind this exceedingly rare and highly-rated test pressing is one of the oddest in British rock. The disc was first discovered in the bowels of a London studio, in a hand-painted cover which credited it to ‘Mike Conn’ with ‘Sandy Denny’ and ‘Eric Clapton’ and dated it as a 1971 recording. The disc has no Denny or Clapton involvement whatever, of course, and instead appears to be the work of an unidentified male/female duo, singing together to a backing of acoustic and electric guitars and occasional cello. The short album is a concept work tracing the flowering and decay of a relationship, and it has been widely speculated that the story was that of the couple who recorded it, particularly as the lyrics are quite venomous on some of the later tracks. Ultimately, its mystique probably outweighs its musical importance, although it does contain some good rough-edged folk-rock and catchy melodies. Contrary to popular opinion, there is certainly more than one original copy in existence: at one point, a particular dealer was rumoured to have no fewer than five in stock. (RF). (GH)

MOUSE
Lady Killer
(Sovereign SVNA 7262) 12/73
Surprisingly, jazz-inclined guitarist and normally leftfield band leader Ray Russell’s most obvious stab at the mainstream is a considerable success. Although there’s a lack of clear musical identity, most songs have genuine commercial appeal. ‘We Can Make It’ and ‘Just Came Back’ are well-above average glam rockers, ‘Going Out Tonight’, ‘Electric Lady’ and ‘It’s Happening To You And Me’ are insistent and catchy pop-rock, and ‘Asher Besher’ is an uproarious heavy metal pastiche. Only two attempts at standard prog rock (‘East Of The Sun’ and ‘Sunday’) and a perfunctory Medicine Head cover fall flat. This is an infectious record, made by an excellent band who are clearly enjoying themselves. Rather short, though. (GH)

NAZARETH
Nazareth
(Pegasus PEG 10) 11/71
‘Nazareth seem to have created an awful lot of noise in a very short space of time, mainly because of their launching in Soho to the accompaniment of dusky strippers. But once you get underneath the surface of their music, you may wonder what the fuss is about… Their sound is mainly hard, heavy and competent, but they lack originality’ – Disc & Music Echo, 11/12/71

This is an excellent debut – mature, solid heavy rock and boogie with strong commercial leanings. Opener ‘Witchdoctor Woman’ is a heavy rock tour-de-force, while ‘Dear John’, ‘Empty Arms’ and the more overtly bluesy ‘Fat Man’ are all chart-friendly rockers. ‘Country Girl’ is a C&W-based ballad with some tasty slide guitar – a style with which the band would reap much future success in the singles charts. The LP’s highlight is their heavied-up take on Tim Rose’s ‘Morning Dew’, arguably the most distinctive of the song’s many covers. Highly recommended. (GH)

BILLY NICHOLLS
Would You Believe
(Immediate IMCP 009) 4/68
Billy Nicholls was a musical wunderkind, a teenager swept into the middle of the musical explosion of London 1967 by famous benefactors like Andrew Loog Oldham. This meant that he ended up on Immediate when the label was running on fumes, but fortunately there was still enough money to pursue the grandiose vision of Nicholls and / or Oldham. Would You Believe is often described as ‘England’s Pet Sounds’, but to me the end product bears a closer resemblance to another Wilson admirer, Curt Boettcher of Millennium and Sagittarius. Like Boettcher and his cohort Gary Usher, Nicholls uses an incessant harpsichord-like sound on many songs, drums with a big orchestral sound, strings and organ for backdrop, and layers of elaborate multi-harmony vocals on top of the waterfall-like soundscape. The good news is that it works, simply because Nicholls’ talent was vast enough to pull off the Wilson-cum-Boettcher trick. His songwriting is strong, the arrangements and production are consistent and elaborate, and I might even feel that Would You Believe presents a more coherent picture than Millennium and Sagittarius. Coming out of Swinging London, a couple of tracks also touch upon the familiar UK beat-psych landscapes of Kaleidoscope or the Hollies, such as ‘Portobello Road’ and the cleverly-titled ‘London Social Degree’. It’s difficult to find an unexpected depth or a sense of personal statement on Would You Believe, but that’s par for the genre – the perfectly crafted pop music is the personal statement, as on any vintage Brian Wilson record. (PL)

NIRVANA
The Story of Simon Simopath
(Island ILPS 9059) 12/67
‘A delightful LP built around a science-fiction story, with plenty of subtle undercurrents thrown in… Tuneful and very competent, this is one of the most adventurous LPs to be issued this month’ – Record Mirror, 30/12/67

History has largely forgotten it, but this is essentially a rock opera (with the fantasy story explained in the liner notes), and as such predates both SF Sorrow and Tommy. Musically, it’s quite a bit more lightweight than those classics; it’s orchestrated pop that owes a lot to the Kinks and the Bee Gees, without approaching the better work of those bands. It has plenty of nice melodies, but is missing the kind of kick that characterises the really good concept albums of the post-Pepper era. In the songcraft department, Nirvana is maybe two notches below, say, the Zombies, which is mostly decent enough for pop junkies. There are charming vocals throughout and one super-catchy song (‘We Can Help You’). This is a reasonably enjoyable artefact, but today a listener can’t help but think that a year later, after psych really took hold, it would have been much more interesting. Indeed, their next album would begin to show some reckless experimentation, and brought them legitimately into the psych era. (AM)

NITE PEOPLE
P.M.
(Page One POLS 025) 10/70
‘Some nice arrangements of well-known songs on this first album from Nite People, who are fairly well-known on the club and college circuit… They sound a bit like the Peddlers with their heavy use of bass and organ, but the use of brass and occasional strings fills out the overall sound to make the album a pretty good step off for the quartet’ – Melody Maker, 3/10/70

This act issued four 45s on Fontana before signing to Page One in 1969. Their album is an organ-heavy collection of progressive-tinged cover versions, both well-known (‘Rock Island Line’, ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’, ‘Delilah’) and more obscure (Frank Zappa’s ‘Peaches In Regalia’ and ‘North Canadian Paradise’ by Dutch labelmates Sandy Coast). They’re clearly a club act, but their music features some meaty guitar, funky drumming and jazz influences, and the arrangements are more imaginative than the norm for such efforts, though the vocals are poor. The sole original is the groovy ‘Funky Hoe’. (RMJ)

NORTHWIND
Sister, Brother, Lover
(Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1020) 8/71
‘A folksy-sounding British instrumental / vocal group, Northwind produce some weird sounds from organ, guitars and insistent percussion, and quite attractive singing you can hear the words to. The songs vary from soft, folk-like ones to driving progressive ones and tuneful ditties. The group gets together well and has plenty of confidence about its music’ – NME, 4/9/71

The cover shot of a deserted beach with receding tide places this firmly in the flimsy, catch-all ‘rural prog’ category. In reality it’s five hippies who obviously liked CSN&Y and deliver a competent, pleasant album on that basis – but while a mint CSN&Y album might set you back £25, this has changed hands for well over £300. The highlight is the extended ‘Castanettes’, which is rockier than the rest of the album and, I understand, used to close their live shows. Although popular as a live band in the North East, obscurity quickly beckoned. (SC)

NUCLEUS
Elastic Rock
(Vertigo 6360 008) 6/70
‘Nucleus are among Britain’s top jazzmen, and the standard of the music goes without saying. Jeff Clyne’s electric bass patterns give a rock feel, but most of the arrangements and solos are pure jazz. If there ever was such a thing as jazz-rock, then this is one of the best examples of it’ – Disc & Music Echo, 27/6/70

The first outing on wax from Ian Carr’s groundbreaking group. One can hear the first stirrings of Nucleus on the final Rendell-Carr album, Change Is, and Carr was out of the starting gate as soon as could be. People persist in saying Miles Davis was the first to pioneer ‘electric fusion’, but in my estimation Nucleus were there at the same time – possibly a little before in actual fact (of course the truth is somewhat more prosaic, with several artists coming to the same point from different directions at the same time…). Keen to break out of the confines of post bop modalism, Carr sought to explore the sonic armoury rock artists had been employing since the mid-60s. The result was this fantastic album, which bristles with ideas and imagination, from the opening track‘1916’ to the very last note. Shortly after releasing it, the band won the top award at the Montreux Jazz Festival. (TH)

OBERON
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
(Acorn OBE LPS 1) 1971
From the murkiest crypts of the progressive folk underground comes this extraordinary LP, with a sound and atmosphere like nothing else. Amateur male and female vocals sing incomprehensible lyrics in a strangely detached liturgical manner, like an apocalyptic splinter church lamenting man’s sin and decrepitude, while lawlessness and plague rage outside the castle walls. There’s nothing twee or cheerful about Oberon, and if any Shakespeare comes to mind it’s Macbeth; the nightmarish banquet scene of that play seems to have found a musical correlate in the inscrutable despair and feverish tempo shifts of ‘The Hunt’. Dark, crude versions of ‘Nottamun Town’ and ‘Summertime’ are interspersed with acoustic guitar and jazzy flute and violin passages, while some of the lyrics heard on the slightly more conventional side 2 seem to reflect a religious sentiment. This is one of those albums where the listener experience is likely to differ vastly from how the band intended it, and indeed Oberon’s naturalistic and slightly demented face may prove too real for some. As the furthest extension of certain elements in rural 70s folk-rock, at least one of the few copies pressed should be preserved in the British Museum. The thick atmosphere of the original isn’t fully captured on any of the reissues, which have probably been heavily sound-processed to deal with the noisy pressing. (PL)

OLIVER
Standing Stone
(Olive OL 1) 1974
A possibly unique example of an extremely limited, privately-pressed album matching and even exceeding its sources of inspiration. For an LP fundamentally rooted in Robert Johnson-inspired acoustic blues, it’s a richly varied piece of work. The production is especially strong, thanks to Oliver Chaplin’s brother Chris, who worked as an engineer on the immortal Hendrix BBC sessions. The acid blues of ‘Trance’, ‘Freezing Cold Like An Iceberg’, ‘Telephone’ and ‘Flowers On A Hill’ (an instrumental) owe much to Beefheart. They are superbly balanced by the lovely folk of ‘Off On A Trek’, ‘Primrose’, ‘In Vain’ and ‘Orbit Your Factory’. The hypnotic acoustic blues of ‘Motorway’ has an insistent rhythm that conjures up images of endless, boring driving and even nods towards Johnson with the line ‘Hellhound is on my tail’. Acoustic blues is usually a limited musical form, but Oliver mixes up his influences (Beefheart / Fahey / Johnson) so originally that he creates something unique. He also keeps the songs short and to the point, thus never boring the listener. A truly remarkable record. Oliver apparently spurned overtures from major labels, such was his contempt for the music business. (GH)

OMEGA RED STAR
From Hungary
(Decca LK / SKL 4974) 12/68
‘A pop group from Hungary. Apparently this is meant to be serious, but it sounds like a take-off of various pop styles, from rock to psychedelic’ – Melody Maker, 11/1/69

A rare collection of Western-style psychedelic pop, recorded when this Hungarian band visited London, apparently at the invitation of the Spencer Davis Group. There’s organ and fuzz guitar throughout, with highlights including the hard-rocking ‘There’s Nothing I Can Do’, schizophrenic ‘Tomorrow’ (with droning verses and an up-tempo freak-out chorus, also featuring the Eastern European sitar equivalent, the citero) and the beautiful, dreamy popsike ‘The Clown’ (with atmospheric flute and acoustic guitar). They released other material as Omega at home, but this was their only UK LP. (DW)

ONE, TWO & THREE
Black Pearls & Green Diamonds
(Decca LK 4682) 7/65
‘Pretty, bubbly and harmless folk music… anyone who enjoys pleasant folk music will buy this’ – Record Mirror, 24/7/65

This has a strong claim to be the rarest folk album to appear on Decca in the 1960s. A trio of two men and a woman from London, they’re superficially similar to Peter, Paul & Mary, though there’s a melancholy edge to some of the material (underpinned by cello and deft guitars) that lends them a distinctive atmosphere. The appealing harmonies also call to mind American act the Goldebriars. The standout is a beautiful rendition of the standard ‘All My Trials’, retitled ‘Bahama Lullaby’. Some songs are a trifle too twee and polite, straying close to the parlour-singing tradition (‘He Wasn’t Just An Ordinary Man’), but there’s plenty to enjoy here for fans of gentle, mellow folk. Seven tracks are by Kenyan songwriter Nimal Mendis, and show a Christian influence. The band went on to issue a rare folk-rock 45 on Decca in 1966, as Sam’s Friends. (RMJ)

YOKO ONO
Plastic Ono Band
(Apple SAPCOR 17, with inner) 12/70
‘Once again the novel and advanced-thinking Yoko Ono comes up with a startling album. Over the beaty tracks laid down by the band are the weirdest noises you could ever imagine…. I’m afraid it’s a bit beyond me, but I’m sure it’s very clever’ – NME, 12/12/70

The album sets its stall out early, with the remarkably punchy ‘Why’ pairing Ono’s banshee wail with shards of Lennon’s staccato guitar, plus a scratchy, funky rhythm that sounds like the product of some early 80s indie band. But thereafter it’s variations upon a theme, setting Ono’s improvisations and glossolalia against slide guitars (‘Why Not’), free jazz (‘AOS’) and acoustic guitar (the seemingly interminable 17-minute CD bonus track ‘The South Wind’). So whilst this is a remarkable album, it ultimately lacks the variety or breadth of vision to make it an all-time classic. (RF)

THE OPEN MIND
The Open Mind
(Philips SBL 7893) 6/69
‘The group have been playing around the London scene for a time, and this, their first LP, is a pretty ordinary group record with all the expected sounds. Some of their stuff is imaginative – ‘Thor The Thunder God’ and ‘Before My Time’ particularly. Not bad, but flowing too much along the stream with everyone else’ – Record Mirror, 21/6/69

This London quartet may not have been especially versatile, but they’re the only band I can think of who were cranking out this brand of post-psychedelic, pop-influenced heavy rock in 1969 – and it works a treat. Though their name (and album cover) could only be products of the late 1960s underground, their music doesn’t wallow in hippy whimsy; in fact, there’s a sense of dread pervading much of the material. Their harmonies (many of them falsetto) come from a mid-60s beat direction, but their no-nonsense riffs and doomy atmosphere presage the work of Black Sabbath et al, and each band member contributes a great deal to the overall sound. All their songs have top-notch hooks and distinctive, wigged-out guitar solos (often reminiscent of ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’ or ‘Tales Of Brave Ulysses’). There’s a lot to enjoy here, from the sharp, snappy psych-pop of opener ‘Dear Louise’ to the tough ‘Try Another Day’, sinister ‘I Feel The Same Way Too’ (sample lyric: ‘The trees will wake up soon / Not knowing what I know…’) and epic ‘Free As The Breeze’. Their finest moment, the stunning ‘Magic Potion’, appeared on a 45 in early August, so the LP can be interpreted as a formula still being refined for that masterpiece. If it had been included, the album would be even better than it already it is – but it’s still an important part of any collection of British psychedelia. (RMJ)

ORANGE BICYCLE
Orange Bicycle
(Parlophone PCS 7108) 9/70
‘They have an impressive list of songwriter credits on this album, so it’s not surprising that these are some of the best sounds they’ve produced so far… They have been trying hard for a hit, and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t be the one’ – Disc & Music Echo, 19/9/70

Under the guidance of talented keyboardist and arranger Wil Malone, Orange Bicycle made several quirky, but largely unsuccessful, psych-pop singles for Parlophone and Columbia in the late 60s. Unfortunately their spark and verve had long since disappeared when they made this, their only album (released only two months after Malone’s solo LP for another label). It largely consists of insipid cover versions, including several by the still largely unknown Elton John, which add absolutely nothing to the originals. The production is nothing special and the vocals sound dreadfully limp. If you want to hear forced and contrived versions of ‘Take Me To The Pilot’, ‘Say You Don’t Mind’ and ‘Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You’ and have nothing better to do with £85, then this album is for you. (SC)

RAY OWEN’S MOON
Ray Owen’s Moon
(Polydor 2325 061) 4/71
‘On guitar or piano or just singing, Ray has a lot to say. Hefty sounds, grindingly aggressive, with big rolling rhythms… Well worth hearing for sheer dynamics’ – Record Mirror, 8/5/71

Despite being released in 1971, this LP by the former Juicy Lucy singer is one of the most authentic takes on late 60s American-style garage rock by a British artist. It starts with an absolute stormer, ‘Talk To Me’ – catchy and incendiary, it should have been a massive hit. ‘Hey Sweety’ is wonderful proto-punk, while ‘Try My Love’ is over-the-top cock-rock. The Hendrix influence is ever present, unsurprisingly, especially on their superb cover of ‘Voodoo Chile’ (renamed ‘Voodoo Child’, with badly inaccurate lyrics). Great fun and unreservedly recommended. Lead guitarist Les Nicol previously played with Methuselah, while drummer Ian McLane had been in Andromeda. (GH)

PANAMA LTD
Indian Summer
(Harvest SHVL 779) 9/70
‘This five-piece group’s Indian Summer will find a welcome spot on my turntable for a long time, with its curious mixture of blues and jug-band music. Easy to listen to, it’s full of guts and soul, and musically perfect… If a few heavy bands could hear this, maybe they would realise you don’t have to be loud to be exciting’ – Melody Maker, 10/10/70

Having wisely dropped the ‘Jug Band’ moniker, the band expand their musical horizons to encompass prog, Eastern mysticism and fairly straight pop. The Sonny and Cher–like duet of the title track works surprisingly well, while another duet, ‘Darkness Brings’, is harder-edged and equally effective. It’s doubtful that this LP merits its very high price tag, but it’s well worth hearing. (GH)

PARAMETER
Galactic Ramble
(Deroy, no cat #) 1970
This amateurish folky psych record has some charm, despite lousy production quality and sloppy performances. The opening ‘Piece For The Wicked’ is an example of all that’s good and bad here: a nice melody, if sung a bit flat, and an entertaining acoustic/electric jam in the middle, with the acoustic lead guitar mixed so high it almost drowns out everything else. Elsewhere some wholly acoustic songs drag a bit.  Unlike, say, Complex, there’s not really a youthful spirit here to enliven the weaker bits, so you may wish that it was only about half as long. But, scattered about, you’ll find a few moments to treasure.  Songs like the dreamy ‘Song For Elaine’, which is so quiet you won’t even notice it at first, the punky ramble ‘Odyssey’, the surprisingly intense ‘Lonely Man’ and especially the freaky, psyched-out title track would sound fab in the context of a compilation. (AM)

This could be seen either as an unholy, under-rehearsed mess or a deliciously malevolent chunk of carbon-encrusted diamond. I subscribe to the latter view. The title track and ‘Piece For The Wicked’ are superbly dense, atmospheric folk-rock with a genuinely sinister vibe. The slurring, shambolic, yet immensely effective ‘Fallen Leaves’ and ‘Harvington Hal’ are reminiscent of John Martyn at his best. There are several rather lovely ditties – ‘Odyssey’ (with more than just a shade of Nick Drake), ‘Sun Gone’ and ‘Emmeline’ – and the basic acid guitar is especially effective on ‘Virgin Child’ and the Tull-esque ‘A Thousand Suns’. It’s raw and occasionally challenging, but the reissue on Kissing Spell is well worth tracking down. (GH)

SAM PARRY
If Sadness Could Sing
(Argo ZDA 155) 1972
This enigmatic Welshman’s sole album is a somewhat despondent collection of acoustic singer-songwriter material. Some songs (the bluesy ‘Ain’t No Place Like Home’, sprightly ‘All I Wanted Was A Walk’ and disapponting instrumental ‘Fusion’) are unremarkable folk-club fare, but he scores higher with more introspective numbers, to which his emotive voice is better-suited. The best is the superbly creepy ‘My Farm’, but the morose ‘Blind Man’, lovelorn title track and wistful ‘Those Summer Days Are Gone’ are quite good too. Overall, though, the lack of a consistent mood makes it hard to recommend. There’s a lot of harmonica, too; if it’s not your favourite instrument, you may well take exception to some of the music here. (RMJ)

OTTILIE PATTERSON
Spring Song
(Polydor 2384 031) 5/71
‘One of the most consistent voices on the British jazz-folk-pop scene, with a collection of well-varied songs, with Jim Sullivan’s eloquent guitar prominent behind. Add in organ, harp, piccolo, strings and that warm, beautiful voice – a worthy album which demands close listening, but repays the effort’ – Record Mirror, 22/5/71

In mid-1971 Polydor reissued four albums that had appeared on the defunct Marmalade label in 1969 – Chris Barber’s Battersea Rain Dance, John Stevens’s Spontaneous Music Ensemble, John McLaughlin’s Extrapolation and Ottilie Patterson’s 3000 Years With Ottilie. In the latter’s case, the title and artwork were changed and the tracks re-ordered and, in several cases, re-mixed. The reasons for this are hard to fathom, as the result is considerably less powerful and vital than the initial release. Key elements from the Marmalade version are muffled or lost here (the forceful bass and drums on ‘Song Of Solomon’ are buried, the perfect vocal on ‘The Bitterness Of Death’ is replaced with a different take, the vocal on ‘Sonnet No. 8’ is double-tracked), and the reprise of ‘Mrs. Pankhurst’ that closed 3000 Years is omitted altogether. It may be that Patterson herself oversaw these changes, of course; but they seem misguided to me. For devotees of the earlier album, this is worth picking up as a curio (and for Patterson’s sleevenotes, not included on the Marmalade issue), but the sequencing makes a whole lot less sense and much of the impact is lost. Given that both releases are extremely rare, readers are recommended to concentrate on finding the former. (RMJ)

PATTO
Patto
(Vertigo 6360 016) 11/70
‘Considering that Patto are named after their lead vocalist, Mike Patto, one would be inclined to think initially that this four-piece band was essentially a vehicle for his talents. Not so! In fact, if anyone is to the fore it’s Olly Halsall, who plays lead guitar, acoustic guitar, piano and vibraphone, and is outstandingly good… The music moves from rock to jazz and back again, but they are hardly a jazz-rock band in the popular concept… Muff Winwood has produced the album with great restraint and simplicity, and I’m very impressed by it’ – Melody Maker, 21/11/70

The first Patto album is distinctive in the world of UK blues-rock / semi-hard rock. The jazzy guitar playing of Ollie Halsall takes it in many unexpected directions, and the band follows suit without forgetting to rock. Mike Patto’s hard edged, boozy vocals and the nimble rhythm section (which often has to work extremely hard to keep up with the weird guitar patterns, the opposite of the usual rock style where the rhythm section creates a beat and the lead instruments follow along) are the final pieces in an exciting whole that teeters on a sharp edge without falling over. The songwriting is pretty strong and well-suited to the band’s strengths, and the amazing musicianship and frantic inventiveness of this makes it loom highest in their legacy for me. (AM)

PERERIN
Haul Ar Yr Eira
(Gwerin SYWM 215, with insert) 1980
Pererin’s albums all fall well outside the timeframe of this book, but they’re classics of 70s-style acid folk and easily the finest Welsh language albums of their type. On this stunning debut the band offers mainly acoustic arrangements with a tranquil, spacey feel, although their forays into electric material are extremely impressive too – witness the thrilling rock segments in the highly psychedelic ‘Royal Charter’. Some beautiful vocals from Nést Howells (ex-Brân) add the finishing touch to a stunning LP. (RF)

PINK FAIRIES
Never Never Land
(Polydor 2383 045, with PVC outer, poster sleeve and inner) 5/71
‘Pink Fairies have one of the nicest-ever covers on their album, but it’s diabolical. A self-indulgent, untogether, unrehearsed row. Shame’ – Disc & Music Echo, 3/7/71

‘Do It’, the punk-like opener here, is a shot of adrenaline straight into the heart. Thereafter the album is surprisingly varied: ‘Heavenly Man’ and the title track are floating, Floyd-esque space rock, while ‘Say You Love Me’ is thunderous proto-metal. By side two the band are running short of ideas, especially on the tiresome ‘Uncle Harry’s Last Freakout’, but overall this is fun, if lacking cohesion. Early copies came in a flimsy printed PVC sleeve containing a gatefold card poster and specially printed inner. The labels for this issue are slightly different to the regular issue, so you can’t mix and match. (GH)

What A Bunch Of Sweeties
(Polydor 2383 132) 8/72
‘The band whip up a storm through eight lengthy tracks. Paul Rudolph’s tasty picking dominates the album in much the way Gallagher, Clapton and Alvin Lee have done, with bassist Duncan Sanderson and drummer Russell Hunter throwing in snatches of solo skill as well as some meaty backing. Thankfully, despite the length of the tracks, it never becomes tedious, the riffs being varied and interesting’ – Disc, 12/8/72

On their second LP the Fairies still represent raucous, anarchic fun more than anything else. Opener ‘Right On Fight On’ is a bona fide classic, built around a riff that’s up there with the very best, while ‘Marilyn’ is a hysterical paean to pox-ridden groupies. On the minus side, while Paul Rudolph is a master of the riff, his solos are less successful and have a tendency to meander; ‘Walk Don’t Run’ suffers especially in this regard. Arguably the most accessible of their albums, but some prudent editing would not have gone amiss. (GH)

Kings Of Oblivion
(Polydor 2383 212, with poster) 7/73
Their third and (by a considerable margin) worst LP sees Larry Wallis taking over from Paul Rudolph. Unfortunately, his thin vocals and more traditional rock guitar rob the band of much of their identity and idiosyncrasy. ‘City Kids’ is a decent rocker to open proceedings with, but thenceforth things go downhill quickly. Only ‘Street Urchin’, the glam rock stomper that closes the album, can be recommended. Unsurprisingly the game was up for a band that, had they seen in the punk revolution, could have been contenders. Their influence should not be underestimated. (GH)

see The Deviants / Twink

PINK FLOYD
Meddle
(Harvest SHVL 795) 11/71
‘One can’t help but feel that Pink Floyd are so much sound and fury, signifying nothing… Stripped of the sense of ethera, the music hardly stands up as more than competent rhythmic rock, while even the use of electronics and spacey atmospherics is not as adventurous as they may seem at first hearing… My basic impression was of a series of effects without any underlying depth’ – Melody Maker, 6/11/71

Meddle is where the Barrett-less version of Pink Floyd found their voice, and while it’s not as fully realised as the four very popular albums that would follow Obscured By Clouds, it retains a kind of charm of discovery that those albums lack. It sparkles with the realisation that all of their previously unfocused experiments were finally leading towards something successful. The opening ‘One Of These Days’ is one of rock’s great instrumentals.  The concept is perfect: create a driving, propulsive groove, and rather than solo over it, add sonic textures and colors to build its intensity. The best Krautrock uses the same method, and the slide guitars and sound effects on this song are worked to perfection. The songs that follow turn down the volume and speed, but benefit from a newly-found melodic sense, and simply blow away anything the Floyd had done in their laid-back style before. The songs have hooks (‘Fearless’, for one, is maddeningly contagious), but – most importantly – the arrangements for once are designed to optimise the songs’ strengths and don’t sound random or off-hand. The only dud is the howling-dog-and-guitar blues of ‘Seamus’, and it only runs 2:15. The 23 ½ minute epic on side two could have been cut by quite a bit, of course, but it also shows a newfound maturity and clarity of purpose, its length sprouting from a really strong base song (which is the direct beginning of the dreamy space-rock style they’d perfect on Dark Side), and its long central sections showing that David Gilmour and Rick Wright had finally come into their own as instrumentalists. A lot of the musical ideas from Meddle would be repeated, especially on Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall, and admittedly in some cases they would be improved.  Nonetheless, Meddle is a classic and occupies a special place in their catalogue. (AM)

THE PRETTY THINGS
The Pretty Things
(Fontana TL 5239) 2/65
‘Here is a raver of an R&B LP, exploiting many new sound effects and some expressive, often relaxed, sometimes hysterical singing. Typical of the forward outlook of the group is ‘Unknown Blues’, written by themselves and featuring weirdly appealing harmonica (from John) and guitar (from Dick)’ – NME, 26/2/65

Dirtier, greasier, and more malevolent and authentic than the Rolling Stones, this is a truly visceral slice of Bo Diddley-inspired R&B. The band’s most exhilarating effect is that just as each song threatens to fall apart, they steady themselves with blasts of unhinged wild guitar, best exemplified on the insane ‘Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut’ and garage rocker ‘13 Chester Street’. Musically there may not be much variety here, but the overload of testosterone and energy make the album a milestone in the genesis of British rock. (GH)

PUSSY
Pussy Plays
(Morgan Blue Town BT 5002) 3/69
‘Pussy is apparently the name of the group, though it’s by no means clear from the sleeve. The music is an amalgam of just about every underground cliché and ‘poetic-cum-significant’ lyric you’ve ever heard’ – Melody Maker, 12/4/69

One of the legendary late 60s Brit-psych rarities, this has a lot of personality and unusual angles. There’s a probable influence from Syd-era Floyd, from which the band drew their own aesthetics, which include prominent use of organ and piano, cutting fuzz-guitar figures, eerie vocal harmonies and good old weirdness. The songwriting is in a 60s mod style, but dark and listless moods dominate, as though the psychedelic party was turning sinister. Instrumental tracks like the mad Moog freakout ‘Comets’ and a well-written nocturne fit well into the Pussy scheme, while ‘The Open Ground’ amazes with nihilistic half-spoken lyrics stacked against a mock-happy pop chorus. Pussy’s music is full of unusual marriages and contradictions, and whether by accident or design the end result is impressive and surprisingly coherent. It may appeal more to Arzachel fans than July fans. (PL)

RAINBOW FFOLLY
Sallies Fforth
(Parlophone PMC / PCS 7050) 4/68
‘The psychedelic cover on this doesn’t come off. But the group are good – their harmonies are strong and their songs are quite interesting. With a big single or some publicity this could be a strong album. The songs themselves vary in style, range and tempo, and will appeal to those interested in more adventurous groups’ – Record Mirror, 4/5/68

An intriguing case of what might have been. As it is, this is one of the better Sgt. Pepper-inspired popsike albums, but only part of what it was meant to be, as the album was actually released before the band had finished its overdubs. What’s left are some nice pop songs with sweet harmony vocals, guitars that are jangly here, flamenco-sounding there, eastern-sounding somewhere else. There may be a few psychedelic pretensions here (though not nearly as many as rare record dealers will tell you), but it’s simply a matter of them listening to the music of the time and absorbing what they were hearing on the radio. There’s a real sense of innocence here: they seem like they watched Yellow Sumbarine the way most children did at the time. Other influences include old-fashioned music hall, rockabilly, even a country-hoedown. It’s a very pretty record, lacking the rock strength of some of the better albums in the genre, but at the same time possessing songcraft that eclipses many of them. It’s hard to say exactly which instrumental additions they intended (the vocal arrangements seem complete, with lots of cleverly layered backing vocals), but I would imagine that more lead guitar and maybe some keyboards would have given the songs a fuller and punchier feel. The end result is quite good, regardless. Some have argued that additional overdubs might have actually done more harm than good, but we will never know. (AM)

MICHAEL RAVEN & JOAN MILLS
Death And The Lady
(Folk Heritage FHR 047) 1972
The dynamic duo of folk guitarist Raven and vocalist Mills recorded a string of excellent albums, of which this may be the masterpiece. Although clearly rooted in trad, the free-spirited 1970s inspired them to explore and experiment, which here takes the form of a rather stunning combination of rural folk ballads, Raven’s extraordinary classical-flavored guitar-picking, and Mills’ yearning yet precise vocals. This album just reeks of class, and could be considered a belated counterpart to Shirley Collins’ & Davy Graham’s vital 1964 collaboration. There’s nothing ‘pop’ or ‘acid’ about it, yet it provides the British folk revival with one of its most compelling raisons d’etre. Hard to find and highly rated among folk specialists, Death And The Lady deserves much greater recognition, not to mention a reissue. (PL)

RED DIRT
Red Dirt
(Fontana STL 5540) 4/70
‘An unoriginal but aggressively exciting debut by a tight and powerful blues band who feature keyboards, steel guitar and gruff vocals. Slightly reminiscent of early Beefheart’ – Melody Maker, 2/5/70

A member of the very select club of major label LPs that have sold for £1,000+, this is a solid, Mountain-like take on blues-rock. Opener ‘Memories’ is excellent dreamy psych, but from then on it’s thunderous heavy blues all the way. The best numbers are ‘Song for Pauline’ (an authentic dirge), ‘Giving A Shot’, ‘Ten Seconds Ago’ and the obligatory ballad, ‘Death Of A Dream’ (which works very well). As with so many of these obscure heavy albums, however, what’s really lacking is one killer track. (GH)

DON RENDELL / IAN CARR QUINTET
Dusk Fire
(Columbia S(C)X 6064) 11/66
‘An excellent group, not just a couple of horns held together by a rhythm section. Garrick’s ‘Dusk Fire’ is a fine composition, while Rendell blows very convincingly on ‘Tam Sanfu’ and ‘Hot Rod’. A most enjoyable and well-conceived album, this contains much more fine jazz than many a more-lauded American product’ – Music Maker, January 1967

This expansive, cinematic work is one of the defining British jazz albums of the decade. On it the fully-formed R-CQ sound comes into its own, with Michael Garrick on piano as well as writing duties, The whole album is a beauty, but the title track alone is worth the price of admission (currently around £500). (TH)

DEL RICHARDSON
Pieces Of A Jigsaw
(MCA MUPS 491, with poster) 10/73
‘Former Osibisa lead guitarist Richardson strikes out on his own with a very enjoyable and confidently-produced album. Tracks like ‘Gypsy Girl’, ‘Jigsaw’ and ‘Kodjo’ contain danceable, rhythmic stuff that should satisfy even the most critical critics… Richardson deserves to score with this one, if there’s any justice’ – Disc, 3/11/73

Having started off in the Sundae Times, Wendell Richardson was Osibisa’s guitarist. His superb but depressingly rare solo LP combines mellow pop (‘Do What You Can’, ‘Road Song’) with ruminative acoustic ballads (‘Gypsy Girl’, ‘Mama Jane’, ‘A Song For Two’) and some melodic funk-rock (the lengthy instrumental ‘Kodjo’). He wrote all the songs, plays fine guitar throughout and sings in an appealingly languid fashion. The flavour is largely reflective, but there are cool electric guitar tones and a nice variety of moods and tempos. The arrangements and production (by Richardson) are also of a high standard, making this a high recommendation. The cover, incidentally, is by Roger Dean (as were Osibisa’s), and the label gives the album title as ‘Pieces Of The Jigsaw’. Very few copies have surfaced, so it’s unclear whether all were issued with a poster. (RMJ)

ROCKIN’ HORSE
Yes It Is
(Philips 6308 075) 11/71
‘A remarkable sound here – Beatles circa ’64 – and the vocals manage to sound like Lennon more often than not. Yet, strangely enough, it doesn’t seem that dated, perhaps because Rockin’ Horse are a good group, instrumentally at least. Vocally they fall short on a few numbers, like the painful ‘Baby Walk Out With Your Darlin’ Man’. But some of the songs are really tight, and then you can hear them at their best’ – Record Mirror, 20/11/71

Beatles-inspired power pop on par with the best of the genre, maybe just a notch below Badfinger. Oddly, the first two songs are in the vein of 64 / 65 Beatles, while the rest is clearly contemporary, with harder guitars, sharper production and more mature song structures. This isn’t a knock on these two songs; they’re swell. But the album really sets fire with the killer ballad ‘Don’t You Ever Think I Cry?’, the hook-heavy title track, the rollicking, trickily-paced ‘Stayed Out Late Last Night’ and the album’s one extended song, ‘Julian The Hooligan’. Lots of clever lyrics too. Jimmy Campbell would have his hand in a number of other records over the years, but this was his finest moment. (AM)

THE ROLLING STONES
Aftermath
(Decca LK / SKL 4786) 4/66
‘The best thing to do with Aftermath is to set the hi-fi on full blast, then sit in the middle of the room and let the noise take you over. If you haven’t got a hi-fi, get hold of two record players and two of the LPs, and play them simultaneously – it’ll be worth it. The whole album is distinctly rock and rolly, and full of potential single hits. I found the drumming particularly exceptional’ – Record Mirror, 16/4/66

Aftermath was the first Stones album to concentrate on their songwriting, containing nothing but Jagger / Richards compositions. Though their previous LPs had some fine self-penned album tracks, they had not yet proven the ability to carry a whole album, and the instrumental experimentation on Aftermath also showed that they were capable of growing far beyond a mere blues band. Most think this album is proof positive that they had become an artistic force to be reckoned with, though a modern assessment suggests they still had some growing to do as songwriters. The 11-minute ‘Goin’ Home’ is rather tedious after a while, for one thing, and a few other songs are rather middling. More than anything, this is an important transition piece, leading the way to the even better work they would produce in a few years. Also, Aftermath, in retrospect, is possibly the most controversial Stones album because of the ugly sexism of ‘Stupid Girl’ and ‘Under My Thumb’, two songs that give music fans like myself, those of us who can’t just shut off our minds and dig the beat, pause. Regardless of any one person’s response to these lyrics, it’s unquestionable that even at their most unpleasant, the Stones made their statements with style. The UK issue of the LP, which was an epic at 53:20 (only 13 and a half minutes shorter than Exile On Main Street) is theoretically superior, because when a band is as good as the Stones, and are at a point of great creativity, more is better. It will always nag, however, that ‘Paint It, Black’, which, among other things, was a huge influence on punk, is only on the shorter US version. Also, ‘Goin’ Home’ makes more sense closing the album. The UK version has it on side one. (AM)

ROOM
Pre-Flight
(Deram SML 1073) 12/70
‘An interesting, laudable but rather joyless set… There’s not an ounce of fun in their music, and precious little enjoyment. They’re not helped by vocalist Jane Kevern, with her sombre voice and ‘God Of War’-type lyrics. Room have clearly put a lot of thought into this album, and they make interesting use of a string and brass section, but really it’s not an album that I want to play again’ – Melody Maker, 26/12/70

To a first-time listener this might sound like a vindication of everything rude that’s ever been said about progressive rock: songs in different parts, dense arrangements, unexpected time changes, heavy orchestrations, unorthodox female vocals… but it’s absolutely worth persisting with. The musicianship is stupendous, with some of the most dextrous drumming and howling guitar on any such record, and the best of the songs are right up there with the best in the genre. The epic title track, which opens the album, has some truly staggering interplay, ‘Andromeda’ and ‘War’ are ambitious and exciting, and the closing ‘Cemetery Junction’ builds to a magnificent climax. Few bands managed to sound so heavy alongside an orchestra, and the lack of keyboards makes this an unusual entry in the prog pantheon. The only weaker moments come with the bluesy ‘Where Did I Go Wrong?’ and jazzy ‘Big John Blues’, which the band apparently didn’t want on the album anyway. Frustratingly, their signature piece, ‘Vehicle’, was apparently recorded at the session but never released, and remains lost to this day. Room were from Blandford in Dorset, and got a recording contract after coming second in Melody Maker’s 1969 talent contest (the winners were Ginhouse). (RMJ)

ROXY MUSIC
Roxy Music
(Island ILPS 9200) 6/72
‘Just everyone’s talking about Roxy Music. Here’s the reason why. It’s computerised funk in a 50s package. It’s IBM rock n’ roll’ – Beat Instrumental, August 1972

Roxy Music did the nearly impossible: they made ‘art rock’ that had none of the trappings of progressive rock whatsoever. No keyboard wank, no high classical pretensions, no impenetrable mystical lyrics, no tedious long instrumental passages, and songs that actually had hooks and melodies. The ‘art’ came not so much from the instrumentation, though Phil Manzanera deserves to be mentioned with the era’s great guitarists – nobody was better at creating tones that perfectly suited individual songs. Also, Andy MacKay’s sax and oboe, and later Eddie Jobson’s violin, gave them a diversity that would always be used to brilliant effect. Instead, the ‘art’ came from sheer weirdness and experimental energy.  Though Bryan Ferry did have a pretentious side, it was always mollified by catchy songwriting and a significant amount of shtick. On the debut album, the shtick came from a persona that mixed the space age with slicked-back 50s doo-wop (the latter had its musical moment in the absurd closing ‘Bitters End’, which Ferry sang as if he were Bela Lugosi). The catchiness came not just from the irresistible single ‘Virgina Plain’ (included only on the US version of the LP), but from the weird hooks everywhere: the breakdown segments of opener ‘Remake / Remodel’, the shimmering synthesised woodwinds on ‘If There Is Something’, the feedback noise on ‘Chance Meeting’, etc. Some of the experiments on side two don’t work perfectly, so this isn’t the most consistent Roxy Music album, but it’s still a brilliant re-invention of rock music, and one of the most colourful records you’ll ever hear. (AM)