Pysch/Prog/Folk Thread for Anybody Interested
Posted by: Guido Fawkes on 06 August 2006
JWM - asked if I'd considered a compendium of Prog rock. Well I'm probably not up to the task and as I'll probably drift in to Pysch and Folk and Euro and Space Rock without even noticing, I've titled the thread accordingly. So I'm afraid it's a case of Irk The Purists and lets give it a go. See also the Prog thread.
So where do we start - lets go back to 1926. Janáček’s Sinfonietta was written in the spring of 1926. And yes you know it - it was borrowed by ELP on their first album and called Knife Edge and it was also used to introduce the 60s classic court room drama - Crown Court. So if you haven't got this in your collection then you should have and if you are one of those who posts that he (or she) doesn't like classical music then give it a try.
Of course, when we arrive in the 1960s things start to happen. Perhaps most significant are these albums
Shirley Collins - should be Dame Shirley as she has done more for English music than anybody - Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures - Billy Bragg
Folk Roots, New Roots - Shirley Collins and Davey Graham: it is simple really: collect some of the best songs from our heritage and bring together a superb singer and a very good guitarist. You have a masterpiece.
1. Nottamun Town
2. Proud Maisrie
3. The Cherry Tree Carol
4. Blue Monk
5. Hares On The Mountain
6. Reynardine
7. Pretty Saro
8. Rif Mountain
9. Jane, Jane
10. Love Is Pleasin'
11. Boll Weevil, Holler
12. Hori Horo
13. Bad Girl
14. Lord Greggory
15. Grooveyard
16. Dearest Dear
Growing up listening in a house where jazz, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley dominated, Folk Roots, New Roots was a breath of fresh air - it made me want to listen to music. I've been an addict ever since.
Of course, we have got to mention the Beatles and the Kinks - it is easy: simply buy all their albums: there are no duff ones. But that is obvious and I think my compendium should focus on the less obvious
So lets kick of with the Incredible String Band - it was they that influenced the Beatles. The two albums that you simply must listen to are
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion contains alternating Heron and Williamson songs. Every track is sensational and it combines eastern and western music in a unique way.
"Chinese White" (Mike Heron) – 3:40
"No Sleep Blues" (Robin Williamson) – 3:53
"Painting Box" (Heron) – 4:04
"The Mad Hatter's Song" (Williamson) – 5:40
"Little Cloud" (Heron) – 4:05
"The Eyes of Fate" (Williamson) – 4:02
"Blues for the Muse" (Williamson) – 2:49
"The Hedgehog's Song" (Heron) – 3:30
"First Girl I Loved" (Williamson) – 4:55
"You Know What You Could Be" (Heron) – 2:46
"My Name Is Death" (Williamson) – 2:46
"Gently Tender" (Heron) – 4:49
"Way Back in the 1960s" (Williamson) – 3:11
I'm tempted to say The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is more of the same and in many ways it is, but it contains an epic song: 'A Very Cellular Song' which drifts from one musical style to another and yet maintains its coherence.
"Koeeaddi There" (Robin Williamson) - 4:49
"The Minotaur's Song" (Williamson) - 3:22
"Witches Hat" (Williamson) - 2:33
"A Very Cellular Song" (Mike Heron) - 13:09
"Mercy I Cry City" (Heron) - 2:46
"Waltz of the New Moon" (Williamson) - 5:10
"The Water Song" (Williamson) - 2:50
"Three Is a Green Crown" (Williamson) - 7:46
"Swift as the Wind" (Heron) - 4:53
"Nightfall" (Williamson) - 2:33
So these are my first two recommendations for anybody vaguely interested. I don't think these albums would have surfaced had it not been for Shirley Collins and I doubt if we would have had Sgt Pepper had it not been for the Beatles love of ISB (though it was the ISB's first album from '66 that John Lennon and Paul McCartney both acknowledged).
So where do we start - lets go back to 1926. Janáček’s Sinfonietta was written in the spring of 1926. And yes you know it - it was borrowed by ELP on their first album and called Knife Edge and it was also used to introduce the 60s classic court room drama - Crown Court. So if you haven't got this in your collection then you should have and if you are one of those who posts that he (or she) doesn't like classical music then give it a try.
Of course, when we arrive in the 1960s things start to happen. Perhaps most significant are these albums
Shirley Collins - should be Dame Shirley as she has done more for English music than anybody - Shirley Collins is without doubt one of England's greatest cultural treasures - Billy Bragg
Folk Roots, New Roots - Shirley Collins and Davey Graham: it is simple really: collect some of the best songs from our heritage and bring together a superb singer and a very good guitarist. You have a masterpiece.
1. Nottamun Town
2. Proud Maisrie
3. The Cherry Tree Carol
4. Blue Monk
5. Hares On The Mountain
6. Reynardine
7. Pretty Saro
8. Rif Mountain
9. Jane, Jane
10. Love Is Pleasin'
11. Boll Weevil, Holler
12. Hori Horo
13. Bad Girl
14. Lord Greggory
15. Grooveyard
16. Dearest Dear
Growing up listening in a house where jazz, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley dominated, Folk Roots, New Roots was a breath of fresh air - it made me want to listen to music. I've been an addict ever since.
Of course, we have got to mention the Beatles and the Kinks - it is easy: simply buy all their albums: there are no duff ones. But that is obvious and I think my compendium should focus on the less obvious
So lets kick of with the Incredible String Band - it was they that influenced the Beatles. The two albums that you simply must listen to are
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion contains alternating Heron and Williamson songs. Every track is sensational and it combines eastern and western music in a unique way.
"Chinese White" (Mike Heron) – 3:40
"No Sleep Blues" (Robin Williamson) – 3:53
"Painting Box" (Heron) – 4:04
"The Mad Hatter's Song" (Williamson) – 5:40
"Little Cloud" (Heron) – 4:05
"The Eyes of Fate" (Williamson) – 4:02
"Blues for the Muse" (Williamson) – 2:49
"The Hedgehog's Song" (Heron) – 3:30
"First Girl I Loved" (Williamson) – 4:55
"You Know What You Could Be" (Heron) – 2:46
"My Name Is Death" (Williamson) – 2:46
"Gently Tender" (Heron) – 4:49
"Way Back in the 1960s" (Williamson) – 3:11
I'm tempted to say The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is more of the same and in many ways it is, but it contains an epic song: 'A Very Cellular Song' which drifts from one musical style to another and yet maintains its coherence.
"Koeeaddi There" (Robin Williamson) - 4:49
"The Minotaur's Song" (Williamson) - 3:22
"Witches Hat" (Williamson) - 2:33
"A Very Cellular Song" (Mike Heron) - 13:09
"Mercy I Cry City" (Heron) - 2:46
"Waltz of the New Moon" (Williamson) - 5:10
"The Water Song" (Williamson) - 2:50
"Three Is a Green Crown" (Williamson) - 7:46
"Swift as the Wind" (Heron) - 4:53
"Nightfall" (Williamson) - 2:33
So these are my first two recommendations for anybody vaguely interested. I don't think these albums would have surfaced had it not been for Shirley Collins and I doubt if we would have had Sgt Pepper had it not been for the Beatles love of ISB (though it was the ISB's first album from '66 that John Lennon and Paul McCartney both acknowledged).
Does prog get any better than this .....
People Who Were Going To is a great single or perhaps it was just Nadir's Big Chance.
People Who Were Going To is a great single or perhaps it was just Nadir's Big Chance.
If Arthur Brown is your thing then try his Kingdom Come "Journey" album, drums courtesey of Bentley The Drum Machine! Live thye were an experience not to be missed, Arthur dressed up as Hypodermic Sryinge, telephone Box etc!!! Light show good-both infront and behind at start of show so band appeared to be in the images.
ROTF-agree about VDGG-what prog was all about-Have you read Van Der Graf Generator "The Book" by Jim Christopulos and Phil Smart-published this year.
Nigel Cavendish quotes
"You are making this up, surely?"
How can one make this up, this is prog rock!!
Steve
ROTF-agree about VDGG-what prog was all about-Have you read Van Der Graf Generator "The Book" by Jim Christopulos and Phil Smart-published this year.
Nigel Cavendish quotes
"You are making this up, surely?"
How can one make this up, this is prog rock!!
Steve
quote:Originally posted by rupert bear:
Just to add my opinion that this is a superb and very educational thread. Presumably, ROTF, you're a college lecturer of some sort? If not, you should be.
I noticed a post on Trees earlier - the CD track listing shown is different from the LP, where
Soldiers Three
Murdoch
Streets of Derry
Sally Free and Easy
...work really well as an LP side. 'Derry' sounds like 1970-era Fairport versus the Grateful Dead and is the sound of English rock festivals 1970-71.
....
Hi Rupert
Thank you for the updating the listing for trees
I didn't realise it was different on the elpees
From what it was on the reissued CDs
Still we are not superstitious men and we would prefer coincidence to be thought to be the cause of these untimely incidents
I'm not a college lecturer, perhaps that would be a good job for me. At work I'm an IT person, but at heart I'm a member of a folk rock band. Ideally one as good as this
Anthems in Eden Suite
-A Beginning
-A Meeting - Searching For Lambs
-A Courtship - The Wedding Song
-A Denying - The Blacksmith
-A Forsaking - Our Captain Cried
-A Dream - Lowlands
-A Leavetaking - Pleasant And Delightful
-An Awakening - Whitsun Dance*
-A New Beginning - Staines Morris
quote:Originally posted by steveb:
ROTF-agree about VDGG-what prog was all about-Have you read Van Der Graf Generator "The Book" by Jim Christopulos and Phil Smart-published this year.
Steve
Looks like a very good book - I haven't read it yet, but I definitely should. Thanks.
Do these two groups sound a like?
Were the Stranglers a prog rock group posing as punks or were they just hanging around?
Another group who made a quartet of great albums in its early days was Barclay James Harvest. The group that gave its name to one the most progressive of labels were John Lees (guitar, vocals), Les Holroyd (bass and vocals) Stuart Wolstenholme (keyboards, vocals) and Mel Pritchard (drums). Early adopters of the mellotron, they produced some fine songs, but perhaps didn't quite get the credit they deserved. Pools of Blue was the first BJH recording I ever heard and it was great piece of whirling psychedelia.
The band even released song a called Poor Man's Moody Blues, but a group that released songs as good as Thank You. Vanessa Simmons and the superb: Mocking Man were anything but. Excellent group and well worth a listen - I'd start with Once Again or The Harvest Years if you want a compilation.
Igginbottom had Allan Holdsworth on lead guitar and that's just about all I know about them, except that this laid back prog effort Igginbottom's Wrench is quite good.
The very fine Electric Banana were
Phil May (vocals)
Dick Taylor (lead guitar)
Wally Waller (bass, vocals)
John Povey (drums)
Twink (Drums)
The records are Electric Banana, More Electric Banana and Even More Electric Banana - they also did an album as Hot Licks, but I've not heard it.
OK, so it was the Pretty Things in disguise, but they were in SF Sorrow mode and sounding great. he best bits of Electric Banana are on the CD
Alexander
It'll Never Be Me
I Love You
Grey Skies
What's Good For The Goose
If I Needed Somebody
Street Girl
Blow Your Mind
Eagle's Son
Love, Dance And Sing
Danger Signs
Walking Down The Street
A Thousand Ages Form The Sun
Rave Up
Recently listened to some later Pretty Things albums Sill Torpedeo and Savage Eye - these will not be on my recommended list. Didn't like them at all - sounded very mid-seventies AOR. Hard to believe this was the same group that produced some of my favourite moments on record.
The Autumn Stone is a superb collection of songs by the Small Faces and what an excellent group they were led by Steve Marriot, who when he left the band was forced to eat humble pie, which did neither him nor the other much good artistically at any rate. Drop the small from faces and you get Rod Stewart, but net not go there.
Instead lets recall that the Small Faces made one of the great albums: Steve Marriot, Ronnie Lane, Kenny Jones, Ian McLagan and, of course, Professor Stanley Unwin.
It doesn't get much better than Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Ogden's Nut Gone Flake
Afterglow (Of Your Love)
Long Agos and Worlds Apart
Rene
Song of a Baker
Lazy Sunday
Happiness Stan
Rollin' Over
The Hungry Intruder
The Journey
Mad John
Happy Days Toy Town
Side 1 is full of great songs - especially Lazy Sunday[i] and Side 2 is just wonderful. The age old problem of worrying about the moon and whether it really is made of cheese and whether this should matter to Stan in the scheme of things is the theme. Stan concluds that nothing much really matters as [i]Life is just a boel of All Bran, you wake up every morning and it's ther.
Another Small Faces album, I have is Darlings of the The Darlings of Wapping Wharf Launderette - this is a single vinyl album, not the recent CD box set. It is excellent.
One of my favourite Small Faces songs is Here Comes The Nice
One of my favourite Small Faces songs is Here Comes The Nice. One of my favourite sixties groups was The Attack with John Avery (who went on to form Third World Wat) and John DuCann (who went on to Andromeda and Atomic Rooster). The Attack also included Davy O'List. And, as I said One of my favourite Small Faces songs is Here Comes The Nice.
The Nice were an excellent band and possibly the first prog rock group.
Flower King of Flies
Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
Bonnie K
Rondo
War and Peace
Tantalising Maggie
Dawn
The Cry of Eugene
A superb debut and a remarkable record for 1967.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis and their third album entitled simply Nice were equally compelling.
Keith Emerson never sounded better and with guitarist O'List leaving after the debut, it was Emerson who dominated.
Everybody knows what happened next. Atomic Rooster's Carl Palmer and King Crimson's Greg Lake joing Mr Emerson and, well, you either loved them or hated them.
Interestingly, on the BBC's recent re-run of the programme about Stiff records, it started by playing ELP's rendition of Copeland's Fanfare For The Common Man - now I liked a lot, by no means all, of the Stiff releases, but for me the opening bars of Fanfare was the most compelling piece of music on the whole 3 hour programme.
The Nice were an excellent band and possibly the first prog rock group.
Flower King of Flies
Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack
Bonnie K
Rondo
War and Peace
Tantalising Maggie
Dawn
The Cry of Eugene
A superb debut and a remarkable record for 1967.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis and their third album entitled simply Nice were equally compelling.
Keith Emerson never sounded better and with guitarist O'List leaving after the debut, it was Emerson who dominated.
Everybody knows what happened next. Atomic Rooster's Carl Palmer and King Crimson's Greg Lake joing Mr Emerson and, well, you either loved them or hated them.
Interestingly, on the BBC's recent re-run of the programme about Stiff records, it started by playing ELP's rendition of Copeland's Fanfare For The Common Man - now I liked a lot, by no means all, of the Stiff releases, but for me the opening bars of Fanfare was the most compelling piece of music on the whole 3 hour programme.
ROTF -
Ah... Nice and ELP - I can join in again now!
I was an obsessive during my teenage years, starting a year pre-Fanfare. (Have to agree with you about Fanfare on the Stiff programme.)
Went to see Emo, with various members of the Nice, on his comeback tour (first night in fact, Cambridge Cornex) - having never had the opportunity to see him live first time round, I was very moved by the whole experience (even though of course he's now bus pass rather than Hammond-vaulting age) - I was particularly struck by the length of his fingers! And as for actually seeing THE Moog...
But anyway, chap, what do you know about the (newish?) folk-prog band Circulus? I quite liked their track (on the otherwise pretty undistinguished, I thought) freebie CD with Q magazine.
The track is called 'Willow Tree', which, I grant, does sound like a pot of paint, but musically does have something of the Curved Air, Renaissance and Caravan about it, I thought.
All the best,
James
Ah... Nice and ELP - I can join in again now!
I was an obsessive during my teenage years, starting a year pre-Fanfare. (Have to agree with you about Fanfare on the Stiff programme.)
Went to see Emo, with various members of the Nice, on his comeback tour (first night in fact, Cambridge Cornex) - having never had the opportunity to see him live first time round, I was very moved by the whole experience (even though of course he's now bus pass rather than Hammond-vaulting age) - I was particularly struck by the length of his fingers! And as for actually seeing THE Moog...
But anyway, chap, what do you know about the (newish?) folk-prog band Circulus? I quite liked their track (on the otherwise pretty undistinguished, I thought) freebie CD with Q magazine.
The track is called 'Willow Tree', which, I grant, does sound like a pot of paint, but musically does have something of the Curved Air, Renaissance and Caravan about it, I thought.
All the best,
James
No-one has yet mentioned Spriguns (of Tolgus). Cambridge Folk-Rock band fronted by Mandy Morton. Saw them lots of times when at Cambridge playing at Ceilidhs/concerts-were a good live band. Have one album in collection, Revel Weird and Wild, released 1976 0n Decca. Very collectable band. 
Track listing
1. Trysting Tree (4:01)
2. Outlandish Knight (4:33)
3. Sir Colvin (5:56)
4. Piscie Song (4:03)
5. Nothing Else to Do (2:58)
6. Hasberry Howard (2:54)
7. Lord Lovell (4:48)
8. Laily Worm (3:18)
9. When Spring Comes In (3:09)
Total Time: 35:40
Line-up
- Mandy Morton / lead vocals & acoustic guitar
- Tom Ling / electric violin & vocals
- Dick Powell / electric guitar, keyboards & vocals
- Mike Morton / bass guitar & vocals
- Chris Woodcock / drums
- B. J. Cole / pedal steel guitar (1 & 9)
Steve
Track listing
1. Trysting Tree (4:01)
2. Outlandish Knight (4:33)
3. Sir Colvin (5:56)
4. Piscie Song (4:03)
5. Nothing Else to Do (2:58)
6. Hasberry Howard (2:54)
7. Lord Lovell (4:48)
8. Laily Worm (3:18)
9. When Spring Comes In (3:09)
Total Time: 35:40
Line-up
- Mandy Morton / lead vocals & acoustic guitar
- Tom Ling / electric violin & vocals
- Dick Powell / electric guitar, keyboards & vocals
- Mike Morton / bass guitar & vocals
- Chris Woodcock / drums
- B. J. Cole / pedal steel guitar (1 & 9)
Steve
Any body like this lot - Colosseum. I think they are pretty good, but I only know the first two albums Those Who Are About to Die Salute You and the excellent, Valentyne Suite - the first release on Vertigo. They were formed in 1968 with drummer Jon Hiseman, tenor sax Dick Heckstall-Smith (who sadly died December 2004) and bass player Tony Reeves.
Of a equal interest, are these two albums from Skin Alley
Thomas Crimble - Keyboards, Bass, Vocals
Bob James - Sax, Guitar
Krzysztof Henryk Justkiewicz - Keyboards
Alvin Pope - Drums
Nick Graham - Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Flute
Tony Knight - Drums, Vocals
Interestingly both groups do versions of Walikin' In The Park - a track I disliked intensely until I heard these two bands do it and now I think it is superb.
This is the only Curved Air record I have and mine is on boring black vinyl, but the music is very good.
It Happened Today (Francis Monkman/Sonja Kristina Linwood)
Stretch (Darryl Way/Francis Monkman)
Screw (Darryl Way/Sonja Kristina Linwood)
Blind Man (Darryl Way/Rob Martin)
Vivaldi (Darryl Way)
Hide and Seek (Darryl Way/Sonja Kristina Linwood)
Propositions (Francis Monkman)
Rob One (Rob Martin)
Situations (Darryl Way/Rob Martin)
Vivaldi (With Cannons) (Darryl Way/Francis Monkman)
Anybody got any other CA albums? Are they as good?
I don't know many Scandinavian progressive groups. In fact only one really and only one album by them. Burnin Red Ivanhoe did improvised long workouts built around Karsten Vogel's (soprano sax, alto sax) compositions. Other members: Kim Menzer (flute, violin, trombone, harmonica), Ole Fick (guitars, vocals), Jess Stæhr (bass), Bo Thrige Andersen (drums). Their first album appeared in 69, a double elpee called M144. It is rather good and worth a listen. What a boring cover BTW.
