Legend of a Mott
Kim Fletcher | Pattaya, Chonburi Thailand | 07/16/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"`Legend of a Mind' is a collection of songs from bands between the years of 1968 and 1974 from the off-shoot record label of Decca Records, neatly called Deram. Deram Records was actually set up in 1966 by the suits at Decca, who had already made the cringe-worthy mistake of turning down the Beatles. They realized then that the young folk of the day did not only want to buy Englebert Humperdink records, but needed something with a bit of street cred that they just plain did not understand. This was a lucky break for them. In the summer of 1967 the Beatles turned the rock world on its head with the release of `Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band', allowing all serious minded musicians to break out of the 4/4 structures of 3-minute songs. There were literally hundreds of bands out there wanting to sign up to a record company to get their sound out to an eager public; some with 2½ -minute songs of cleverness, others with 20-minute epics. Deram was keen to sign them all - the good and the bad - (How would they have known the difference?) and here, spread over three 77-minute discs, is a selection of arguably the best. Some bands on this collection went on to be household names like Thin Lizzy, The Moody Blues, and Camel; some miraculously are still going on today in one form or another like Caravan, Savoy Brown, and Ten Years After; and some went on to become bigger and better things namely Giles, Giles & Fripp of course became King Crimson, who went on to be both household names and are still going strong today. After a fine career Trapeze gave us Mel Galley for Whitesnake; Dave Holland for Judas Priest; and Glen Hughes for Deep Purple, insuring gainful employment for the trio years after they bit the dust. Other bands like Black Cat Bones, Leafhound, and Egg gained legendary status years after they had disbanded. Some bands were plainly a little too ordinary or too way out to make it. East Of Eden had a massive hit single with `Jig-a-Jig', which is included here, but their other material never quite lived up to their early hit, although after the band's demise violinist Dave Arbus turned up on the Who's Baba' O'Reiley playing the fiddle solo that brings the song to a rousing conclusion. Others, alas, only lasted one album, but that is where you come across some unexpected delights. If you like heavy metal guitar riffing to bang your head to, then look no further than the eight minutes of T2's 'No More White Horses'. How Aardvark missed the boat to rock superstardom will always be a mystery. I mean they even had the perfect name. When you walked down your local record store racks Aardvark's album must of been the first album you came across, they would of even been in front of Abba. The marvelously monickered `Once Upon A Hill/Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It' is Aardvark's tour de force over ten minutes of keyboard mayhem that only Keith Emerson or Jon Lord could of equalled.The reason that Clark-Hutchinson did not last long is evident in their sole contribution song title here. It's quite fun just to read the names of the bands with the title of the song(s) they play and then to imagine the sound and see if you were correct.The set comes in a psychedelic cardboard box with each C.D. in a full color replica of one of the albums from Deram. The 48-page booklet includes essays from the people at Deram, plus a full page devoted to each band and some very embarrassing photos from the era (stand up 'Mellow Candle'). At fourteen pounds and fifty pence, the price of a normal single CD, this box set is a real bargain. Whatever your taste you just have to like something. Rummaged by Mott the Dog
Sorted by Ella Crew"
.."Of course it was all different in MY day.."
Shane Pacey | NSW Australia | 06/20/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It seems about the right time for a re-appraisal of progressive rock.By "progressive"I mean the wild,unfettered music that appeared after "Sgt Pepper"not the narrow stream of latter day "prog" (ELP,Yes etc)
The years between 1967-75 produced some of the most audacious music ever made.Much of it appeared on the Deram/Nova label from the UK (alongside other "head" labels like Vertigo,Island,Dawn and Neon)and much of it is captured on this mind blowing box set.
Many of the names featured here would be familiar to the average rock fan of a certain age.The Moody Blues,Ten Years After,Thin Lizzy and Trapezes Glenn Hughes all rightly stake their claim in rock history and are well represented here.(Ten Years Afters album lenghth "Love Like a Man" is a highlight.
It is however the doomed obscurities herein the provide the revelations.
How about Bill Fays "Screams in the Ears",a piece of ornate orchestrated pop that would resonate strongly with fans of Nick Drake and Colin Blunstone?
..or Bulldog Breeds "Austin Osmanspare" a creepy bit of just too late psychadelia?
or T2s "No More White Horses",which mixes a pastoral vocal with tripped out gutar and slamming brass?
It goes on an on,obscure but ridiculously high quality music made with nothing other in mind than expression and creation.
One can scratch the ol' noggin and wonder what happened to acts like Zakkarias (Out-Tim Buckleys Tim Buckley)Clark Hutchinson (I too "wanna be stoned for the rest of my natural life"!)Khan (Steve Hillage..)and Egg who display the most ridiculously synchopated over the top playing on the set.
Also featured are a host of middle level Brit underground names like the truly wonderful Caravan (who couldn't love "Hello,Hello"?)the almost funky Keef Hartley and the ornate sound of Camel.
I'm lucky to own lots of this stuff in it's original form,but much of it is new to me and I'm glad to have it all in one place.
I'm not a nostalgist by any means (Ed Harcourt,Be Good Tanyas,Radiohead are current favourites)but nor do I think the magnificent hairy bands of the past need to wallow in obscurity."
Really cool survey of Decca Progessive bands of the 1970's
B. Margolis | Minneapolis, MN United States | 11/09/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Overall, this is a very valid and useful collection of the some of the best progressive sounds Decca released during the early 1970's. Like UK EMI's "Harvest Festival", also essential, if you like this kind of music, then this is for you. However, a couple of interesting points: first, The Moody Blues' "Legend Of the Mind" is about as progessive as The Partridge Family was! A totally bad choice for the first track. Similarly, really interesting early progressive bands like ASHKAN and SAM APPLE PIE are completely missing from this collection. And, truthfully, some of the tracks selected are really quite medicore examples of this era...but, I guess that speaks to the whole progressive era....lots of good stuff, and some real pretentious clinkers.All in all, a great set and the sound is first-rate."
Track Listings (40) - Disc #1