Forgotten British Rock Bands 1968-74
It’s odd how the “rock canon” venerates bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Cream, The Who, Queen and Blind Faith repetitively and to the point of exhaustion, while ignoring a vast sea of music from that era that’s just as good, and sometimes better than the well known bands. Every year I go through phases where I crave the sort of chunky, bottom-heavy blues based rock that was abundant in 1968-74. New bands occasionally scratch that itch, like Witchcraft (Sabbath), Black Keys (Free), Earthless (Groundhogs), Dungen, Sahg, The Sword, Colour Haze, etc. But I knew there was still plenty of the original stuff I hadn’t heard yet. After enjoying Wishbone Ash’s Argus for many years, I finally picked up some of their other albums. The high quality of reissues from Groundhogs and Australian band Buffalo, two bands I had never heard of until last year, convinced me there was much more to uncover. Below are thirteen old favorites and new discoveries.
- Atomic Rooster, Death Walks Behind You (Elektra/Akarma) 70
Atomic Rooster are a much belated rediscovery. I remember when I was 12 years old, I included them in an attempt to map out the roots of metal. It only took 26 years to actually hear them. It's appropriate that two members contributed to the deranged psychedelic classic, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (1968). Their 1969 debut mixed psychedelia and prog, but the tortured Hammond organ and crunching riffs on "Friday 13th" make them just as valid a proto-metal band as Led Zeppelin. Drummer Carl Palmer left early on to join prog behemoths ELP, and was ably replaced by Paul Hammond for their second album, an early peak that went inexplicably unnoticed by Black Sabbath fans, who maybe have been put off by occasionally noodly prog flourishes, while King Crimson fans perhaps couldn't handle their lumbering thunder. Had they produced just one riff as catchy as Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water," they perhaps would have been huge. Either way, Death Walks Behind You rivals In Rock as an early metal classic. The 2006 Japanese digipack reissue features four bonus tracks recorded at the BBC.
- Free (A&M/Universal) 69
Most people are familiar with Bad Company, and of course the one big Free hit single, "All Right Now." Yet few are familiar with all six of their great to stunning albums. On their 1968 debut album, Tons Of Sobs, they already had a mature, original style that took blues rock and stripped it bare of effects and reverb. Their spare, dry sound would influence artists as varied as Z.Z. Top, Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age, The Black Keys, even Gang Of Four. Remarkably, principle songwriters Paul Rodgers (vocals) and Blues Breakers alum Andy Fraser (bass) were only 18 and 16 years-old, respectively. They reached an early peak on their self-titled second album. Produced by Chris Blackwell, it's languidly paced songs were fluid, powerful and beautiful. The 2005 reissue contains ten bonus tracks of singles and alternative versions. Their biggest seller of course was their third album, Fire And Water (1970). Great album, but I'm supporting the underdogs here. Highway (1971) and their last album, Heartbreaker are just as good, with Rodgers fine tuning his nearly perfect rock 'n' roll voice, and graceful rockers and ballads that Led Zeppelin would envy.
- Hawkwind, Hall Of The Mountain Grill (One Way/EMI) 74
Hawkwind are fairly well known among various music geek circles, due to the cross pollination of interests, from their hippie roots to their involvement with science fiction author Michael Moorcock, space-freak lyricist Robert Calvert, and future Motorhead leader Lemmy Kilmeister, who would be revered by both punkers and heshers. Rather than heavy blues, Hawkwind took psychedelia in a slightly different path than Pink Floyd by focusing on repetitive, rudimentary chords, keeping it raw and weird. The importance of their fourth album, the double live Space Ritual (1973) is a bit overstated. The real gem of Hawkwind's catalog is Hall Of The Mountain Grill, where their machinery is polished to a chrome sheen, their metallic space rock revealing the influence of German bands like Can, Amon Duul II and Harmonia. Dark Side Of The Moon was the most popular soundtrack for planetarium laster light shows. Hall of the Mountain Grill is trippy enough to freak you out without the aid of visual effects. The 2001 British remaster has four bonus tracks.
- Wishbone Ash, Argus (MCA) 72 Definitely not proto-metal, Wishbone Ash totters on a precarious position in which they have similarities to The Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers in their influence of jam bands, and at the same time their wonderful twin lead guitars were used as a template by Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, and perhaps even Television. Their meanderings between hard rock, folk and prog gelled into a cohesive signature sound on their third album, Argus which was actually a hit, even making it to the top 5 in the U.S. The 30th Anniversary remaster adds three bonus tracks recorded live for the Live From Memphis promotional EP.
- The Pink Fairies, Kings Of Oblivion (Polydor) 73
- Groundhogs, Split (UA/BGO) 71
- Budgie, Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (MCA) 73
- Thin Lizzy, Vagabonds Of the Western World (Deram) 73
- Uriah Heep, Look At Yourself (Mercury) 71
- Spooky Tooth, Spooky Two (A&M) 69
- Humble Pie, Rock On (A&M) 71
- Mighty Baby (Head) 69
- High Tide, Sea Shanties (Liberty) 69
Atomic Rooster (Elektra) 70
Atomic Rooster * Death Walks Behind You (Elektra) 70
Atomic Rooster * In Hearing Of Atomic Rooster (Eletkra) 71
Atomic Rooster * Made In England (Elektra) 72
Edgar Broughton Band * Wasa Wasa (Harvest) 69
Edgar Broughton Band * Sing Brother Sing (Harvest) 70
Edgar Broughton Band (Harvest) 71
Budgie (MCA) 71
Budgie * Squawk (MCA) 72
Budgie* Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (MCA) 73
Budgie * In For The Kill (A&M) 74
Buffalo * Dead Forever (Vertigo) 72 [Australia]
Buffalo * Volcanic Rock (Vertigo) 73 [Australia]
Buffalo * Only Want You For Your Body (Vertigo) 74 [Australia]
Captain Beyond (Capricorn) 72 [American]
Captain Beyond * Sufficiently Breathless (Capricorn) 73 [American]
Colosseum * Valentyne Suite (Vertigo) 69
Dust (Kama Sutra) 71 [American Marc Bell Ramone!]
Dust * Hard Attack (Kama Sutra) 72 [American]
The Faces * First Step (WB) 70
The Faces * Long Player (WB) 71
The Faces * A Nod Is as Good as a Wink...to a Blind Horse (WB) 71
The Faces * Ooh La La (WB) 73
Family * Music In A Doll’s House (Reprise) 68
Family * Family Entertainment (Reprise) 69
Family * A Song For Me (Reprise) 70
Family * Fearless (Reprise) 71
Family * Bandstand (Reprise) 72
Fleetwood Mac * Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (Blue Horizon) 68
Fleetwood Mac * English Rose (Epic) 69
Fleetwood Mac * Then Play On (Reprise) 70
Free * Tons Of Sobs (A&M/Island) 68
Free (A&M/Island) 69
Free * Fire And Water (A&M/Island) 70
Free * Highway (A&M/Island) 71
Free * Free At Last (A&M/Island) 72
Free * Heartbreaker (Island) 73
Greenslade (WB) 73
Groundhogs * Thank Christ for the Bomb (UA/BGO) 70
Groundhogs * Split (UA/BGO) 71
Groundhogs * Who Will Save The World? (UA/BGO) 72
Hackamore Brick * One Kiss Leads To Another (Kama Sutra) 70 [American]
Hawkwind (One Way) 70
Hawkwind * In Search Of Space (One Way) 71
Hawkwind * Doremi Fasol Latido (One Way) 72
Hawkwind * Space Ritual Live (UA) 73
Hawkwind * Hall Of The Mountain Grill (One Way) 74
High Tide * Sea Shanties (Liberty) 69
High Tide (Liberty) 70
Humble Pie * As Safe As Yesterday Is (A&M) 69
Humble Pie * Rock On (A&M) 71
Humble Pie * Smokin’ (A&M) 72
Lucifer’s Friend (Repertoire) 73 [German]
Medicine Head * New Bottles Old Medicine (Dandelion) 70
Medicine Head * Heavy On The Drum (Dandelion) 71
Medicine Head * Dark Side Of The Moon (Dandelion) 72
Mighty Baby (Head) 69
Mott The Hoople (Atlantic) 69
Mott The Hoople * Mad Shadows (Atlantic) 70
Mott The Hoople * Brain Capers (Atlantic) 71
Mott The Hoople * Wildlife (Atlantic) 71
Mountain * Climbing! (Columbia) 70 [American]
Mountain * Nantucket Sleighride (Columbia) 71 [American]
The Move * Shazam (A&M) 70
The Move * Message From The Country (Capitol) 71
Night Sun * Mournin' (Zebra) 72
Patto – Hold Your Fire (Vertigo) 71
The Pink Fairies * Neverneverland (Polydor) 71
The Pink Fairies * What A Bunch Of Sweeties (Polydor) 72
The Pink Fairies * Kings Of Oblivion (Polydor) 73
Procol Harum * Shine On Brightly (A&M) 68
Procol Harum * A Salty Dog (A&M) 69
Procol Harum * Home (A&M) 70
Procol Harum * Broken Barricades (A&M) 71
Procol Harum * Grand Hotel (Chrysalis) 72
Spooky Tooth * It’s All About (Island) 68
Spooky Tooth * Spooky Two (A&M) 69
Spooky Tooth * The Last Puff (A&M) 70
Status Quo * Piledriver (A&M) 72
Status Quo * Hello! (A&M) 73
Status Quo * Quo (A&M) 74
Thin Lizzy (Deram) 71
Thin Lizzy * Vagabonds Of the Western World (Deram) 73
Thin Lizzy * Night Life (Mercury) 74
Traffic (Island) 68
Uriah Heep * Very ‘Eavy…Very ‘Umble (Mercury) 70
Uriah Heep * Salisbury (Mercury) 71
Uriah Heep * Look At Yourself (Mercury) 71
Uriah Heep * Demons And Wizards (Mercury) 72
Uriah Heep * The Magician’s Birthday (Mercury) 72
Wishbone Ash * First Light (Sanctuary) 69
Wishbone Ash (MCA) 70
Wishbone Ash * Pilgrimage (MCA) 71
Wishbone Ash * Argus (MCA) 72
Wishbone Ash * Wishbone Four (MCA) 73
Wishbone Ash * Live Dates (MCA) 73
