Oldish Psych and Prog

Originally known as The Soul System this group signed to Decca late in 1966, having chosen the new name of The Attack. They seem to have undergone several line-up changes although vocalist Richard Sherman and bassist Gerry Henderson seem to have been core members throughout. Their first 45 was a reasonable attempt at the Standells' classic punk song, which had also been tackled in the US by The Ohio Express.

Their next release Hi Ho Silver Lining lost out in the Chart battle to Jeff Beck's version and also led them into controversy in the music press when they claimed Beck had nicked the song from them. The flip side, a frantic hard edged rocker with some fine guitar work, was adapted by John Peel for one of his Radio London jingles. At this point Davey O'List left to join The Nice and shortly after Alan Whitehead departed to The Marmalade.

Surprisingly, having already been bruised by theJeff Beck clash, their record label had the lack of foresight to issue their version of Created By Clive on the same day that The Syn's version appeared on their Deram subsidiary. The result was stalemate when in actual fact the song deserved better. The 45 spawned another strong flip side - Colours Of My Mind - great vocals, prominent organ and some sitaresque guitar work.

Their final 45, Lady Orange Peel was a slow, rather offbeat effort, which came with a short guitar solo but really weak vocals. Not surprisingly, it met with little commercial success. The flip, Neville Thumbcatch, which tells the story of a man and his allotment is frankly awful.

Despite their lack of 45 success the band began work on an album which was to have been called Roman Gods Of War. According to Record Mirror it was scheduled for release on 15 March 1968, but it never appeared. Sadly, the band were no more and all we have to remember them by are their four 45s which fortunately have been well covered on recent compilations and the retrospective Magic In The Air release.

The 1990 Reflection album is comprised of rarities by the band, mostly taken from acetates. It includes a different version of Hi Ho Silver Lining, the swinging sixties style Neville Thumbcatch, the psychedelic Lady Orange Peel and what some would term freakbeat compositions like Anymore Than I Do and Try It.

Brian Davidson also later joined The Nice. The remainder of The Attack later evolved into Andromeda.

01. Prelude 2:20
02. The Leaving Of The Country Lover 4:16
03. Young Man's Fancy 5:18
04. Easy Come, Easy Go 3:33
05. Solo 2:41
06. Sailing 4:35
07. Lesson One 3:02
08. Festival 4:26
09. Weaver's market 3:45
10. Depression 3:24

Eddie Baird / vocals, guitar
Terry Wincott / vocals , guitar, percussion, flute, crumhorn, piano, recorders
+
Paul Rodgers / vocal
Steve Winwood / bass
Sue Glover / vocal
Sunny Leslie vocal
Simon Kirke / drums
Adrian Hopkins / harpsichord and string arrangements
Jack La Roche / strings conductor

01. The Paintings 1)Seascape 6:14
02. The Paintings 2)Landscape 7:41
03. The Paintings 3)Afterglow 3:42
04. A Spring Air 3:43
05. Cantus Firmus To Counterpoint 3:24
06. Sinfonia For Guitar And Strings (from the suite 'For My Ladys Delight') 3:13
07. Dolor Dulcis (Sweet Sorrow) 3:29
08. Lament To The Earl Of Bottesford Beck 3:30

John David Gladwin / second guitar, lead vocals, double bass, tabor, tubular bells.
Terence Alan Wincott / vocals, flute, recorders, harmonium, pipe organ, mellotron, bongos, assorted percussion.
Edward Baird / first guitar, vocals, dulcimer, twelve string guitar, percussion.
+
Adrian Hopkins / harpsichord and string arrangements Jaque La Roche / strings conductor

After Hourglass, Duane and Gregg Allman teamed up in 1969 with Butch Trucks of the Thirty-first of February, Berry Oakley and Dick Betts (from Second Coming) and Jay Johanny Johanson. The Allman Brothers Band was essentially a blues rock fusion act with some country and even classical influences. Fired by Duane Allman's inventive lead and slide guitar work, and supported by their two drummers (an idea probably inspired by the Grateful Dead), the group soon became very popular, especially in the South (they were established near Macon, Georgia).

Their first album was released in 1969 and recorded in New York by Adrian Barber. It contains five Gregg Allman originals plus a Muddy Waters cover and Don't Wan't You No More by Spencer Davis. The inside of the gatefold sleeve shows the group naked, sitting in a river.

Reinforced by Thom Doucette, a bluesy harmonica player, Idlewild South was recorded in Macon, Miami and New York and produced by Tom Dowd and Joel Dorn. All their material was original, except a version of Willie Dixon's Hoochie Coochie Man.

Their third album, the double Live At Fillmore East, is one of the greatest live sets ever and was recorded in New York in 1971. With only seven cuts, two of them over 19 minutes, there are no wasted notes and no useless jams. It helped secure the Allman Brothers Band reputation as a hot live act second only perhaps to the Grateful Dead.

The follow-up, Eat A Peach was also a double album, partly recorded live. It is notable for the 34 minute jam of Donovan's First There Is A Mountain, which takes up two sides of the album. The inside gatefold is a psychedelic drawing with magic mushrooms and various hallucinations.

Duane Allman died in 1971 and Berry Oakley in 1972, both in motorcycle accidents in the same Georgia area. The group's subsequent releases are more Southern Rock and Country oriented and are out of scope of this book.

1. Who, How, Where, When, Why? (2:15)
2. That Morning (:58)
3. Please Step Quickly In (When You Enter This Room/Thirty Years Ago) (4:48)
4. Your Exemption Isn't Recognized (For Thirty Years) (1:40)
5. I Have Given up Trying to Decide (A Delectable Breeze) (1:56)
6. I've Come into a Country (1:56)
7. It's Been Night in Here for Years (1:26)
8. Camera Is Rising (2:19)
9. It's Possible (1:15)
10. To Commemorate Your Visit (1:10)
11. It's Painful, Beautiful (1:00)
12. Well I See You're Grateful (2:09)
13. It Seems So Long Ago (1:59)
14. Office (3:00)
15. I Heard Every Word (:50)
16. Exit Mr. Taft (1:34)
17. Light of the World (1:12)
18. Now the Prison's on the Outside (1:06)
19. What Was That? (When a Poet Says a Flower) (1:19)
20. Here in Camera (:55)
21. What Was Camera? A Chimera (1:03)
22. Forecast Was Weak (1:04)
23. My Exemption Is Withdrawn (1:06)
24. I Said Freeze (2:13)
25. Melusina Asked for Water (A Recipe a Remedy) (1:18)
26. But Taft Is Still at Large (2:59)
27. Alright Melusina (2:42)
28. Your Sacrifice Is Meaningless (1:31)
29. Now You Know as Much as I (2:32)

Lyrics By - Peter Blegvad, Music By - Anthony Moore

Vocals [Forecast] - John Harris (9)
Vocals [Hardwick] - Nicole Tibbels
Vocals [Melusina] - Dagmar Krause
Vocals [Taft] - Quentin Hayes
Vocals [The Clock] - Ewart James Waters
Brass - John Eacott , Michael Kearsley , Peter Davies , Phillip Eastop* , Richard Bissill
Brass [Leader] - Terry Edwards
Performer [Musician] - Balanescu Quartet, The , Chris Lawrence*
Woodwind - Dai Pritchard , David Heath , Richard Skinner
Woodwind [Leader] - Kate St. John