Babylon -

Babylon was an American symphonic-rock band from Florida that released an eponymous album on self-press Mehum in 1978. The band morphed into Helicopter for a further self-issued title, Insect Perfect, in 1981.

Members: Rick Leonard (bass, vocals, bass pedals), Doroccus (lead vocals, synthesizer, electric piano), Rodney Best (drums, percussion), David Boyko (guitar), Gary Chambers (synthesizer, piano, electric piano, vocals)

Origin

Babylon formed in 1976 in St. Petersburg, Fla., when singer and keyboardist Doroccas teamed with bassist Rick Leonard, guitarist David Boyko, drummer Rodney Best, and keyboardist Gary Chambers, who used an elaborate multi-board setup.

They developed a theatrical and harmonically intricate style comparable to Yes, Genesis (circa Nursery Cryme), and fellow stateside acts Ethos and Mirthrandir. Babylon’s live act included slide projections with numbers enacted by their cape-wearing frontman.

The Album

Babylon released their singular album on one-press Mehum Music in 1978. It features three group-composed epics (“The Mote In God’s Eye,” “Dreamfish,” “Cathedral of the Mary Ruin”) and the 10-minute Chambers-Boyko-Leonard opus “Before the Fall.”

The original LP has the sides labeled as The First Side and The Other Side.

Doroccas and Chambers are both credited as playing the Orchestron, a short-lived Mellotron alternative marketed by Vako Synthesizers Inc. during the mid-1970s.

Babylon ran aground at decade’s end. Doroccus and Boyko regrouped in the post-punk combo Helicopter, which issued the album Insect Perfect on self-press Overweight Rat Records in 1981.

In 1989, Babylon concert recordings from the late ’70s were issued across two discs on Greg Walker’s Syn-phonic label. A decade later, the Babylon album was reissued on said label. It was reissued a second time in 2010 by Japanese archivists Belle Antique.

Discography: