Oldish Psych and Prog

From Fort Worth, Texas, this band had quite a prolific output, but with little success. Probably their best known track is D.O.A. from their second album, which is a heavy organ-based threatening piece with police sirens, and is very much in the anti-war, anti-space race, anti-everything vein of the era. Another notable cut Breach Of Lease off their third album is intense, starting slowly and building up to an amazingly heavy climax. The live version is also particularly hot, whilst the humorous Melvin Laid An Egg from the debut is another musical high point.

Actually, Cobb didn't play on the debut album; Rutledge played drums on it and early on, John Nitzinger too was considered (somewhat) a member of the band and wrote or co-wrote many of the songs.

After the live album, Rutledge and Pickens left and Warren Ham joined as a vocalist and woodwind player for the last two albums. For their final album (Whirlwind Tongues), Cobb left and was replaced by drummer Randy Reeder who had previously played in John Nitzinger's band and later played with a group called Alexis. Warren Ham later went on to form the Ham Brothers and released an album as such in 1977. Later still, he went on to play in former Kansas guitarist/keyboardist Kerry Livgren's Christian rock group AD for, we believe, two LPs - Time Line and Art Of The State. In the '80s Warren was also in Black Rose.

(Chris Snow / Hans Hoekstra / Ron Bronholc)

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Formed in November 1968 by Mick Abrahams after he left Jethro Tull. They recorded two good rock albums and toured the US. Their first album had a pig's head on the front cover with a ring through its nose, a fag in its mouth, sunglasses and headphones. The playing on the album is good but it isn't always matched by the material. Still, it had its moments, listen out particularly for some classic progressive rock on The Modern Alchemist and Ain't Ya Coming Home, Babe? which conclude each side of the album. Their second album saw them move away from their blues roots towards a more soulful sound. The See For Miles CD reissue of this contains two additional cuts, both sides of their second 45. In September 1970, after Abrahams had left, Pete Banks joined from Yes but the new line-up just didn't gel and the band split up at the end of 1970.

Mick Abrahams formed his own band. Andy Pyle joined Savoy Brown and was then in a later incarnation of Juicy Lucy with Ron Berg.

The band performed briefly in 1974 (line-up C) but had no vinyl output.

(Vernon Joynson / Huey Walker)