The most extraordinary band you will ever come across. Listening to Gong music is a worthwhile experience, just certain precautions have to be taken first. All children and those of sensitive natures should be sent away. Those without a sense of humor should also be banished, and of course the wearing of silver foil hats is a must.
If Barclay James Harvest have a classic album, it was this—‘Once Again’ (1971). Trivia: On opening number ‘She Said,’ John Lees borrowed a blonde Gibson Epiphone acoustic guitar which had been left lying around at Abbey Road by John Lennon.
Long time Mott the Hoople fan Joe Elliott of Def Leppard pulled some golden threads and got some of the best musicians in the business, including players from The Quireboys, Raw Glory, and The Union, to join him for a one-off celebration of songs from Mott the Hoople’s subsidiary bands, such as Ian Hunter’s solo work, the British Lions, and Mott.
This, their first double live album in the days of Vinyl, was recorded at the Rainbow Theatre London and released that same year. It is crammed from start to finish with great songs, magical playing and a band playing at the height of their considerable powers.
Obviously Mott the Dog does not know what angels sound like, but he would not be disappointed if angels sounded like Eva Cassidy. Without doubt, she was the female vocalist of her time.
Chicago (they were only called ‘Chicago Transit Authority’ for this, their debut album, before dropping the Transit Authority bit) is probably the only band in history to start out with a classic ground-breaking debut double album.
After spending the eighties mainly in session work and looking for suitable musicians to work with, Peter Banks went solo in the nineties with this enchanting album called “Instinct.”
Why Angel did not take teenage America and then the world by storm is all a bit fraught.
As for this album, BBC4, at best it is Black Country Communion doing a paint-by-numbers job. At times the band sound like they are playing the same song, but at different times.
Heavy on period mellotron and fired by some delicious violin and electric guitar courtesy of the ubiquitous Urban Blitz, the Doctors’ album opens with a trio of introspective Strange ramblings…
