Mirage -

Mirage was an English jazz-rock band that released the album Now You See It… on Compendium in 1977. The band featured journeyman guitarist Brian Godding (Blossom Toes, Julie Driscoll, Centipede, Magma), saxophonist George Khan (Mike Westbrook Orchestra, Solid Gold Cadillac, Arthur Brown, Robert Wyatt), drummer Dave Sheen (Ben, Jonathan Kelly’s Outside), and bassist Steve Cook (CMU, Gilgamesh).

Members: Brian Godding (electric guitar, acoustic guitar), Steve Cook (double bass, electric bass), George Khan (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute), Dave Sheen (drums, percussion)

Now You See It… (1977)

Now You See It… features three songs per side: four composed by Khan (“King’s Heads,” “Always Leaving,” “Elephants’ Tales,” “Ballade”) and two written by Godding (“Time Less Words” and “Underneath The Arches And Beyond”).

“Time Less Words“

“King’s Heads”

“Underneath the Arches and Beyond“

“Elephants’ Tales“

The album was produced by Mike Dunne, whose other technical credits from the period include albums by Hugh Hopper, National Health, Sundance, Darryl Way’s Wolf, Flash, Badger, Yes (Close to the Edge), Jon Anderson (Olias of Sunhillow), and Mott The Hoople.

Subsequent Activity

Mirage backed Annette Peacock on her 1978 release X-Dreams, after which the members drifted to separate shores.

Cook joined Soft Machine for their 1978 release Alive And Well Recorded In Paris and subsequently played on albums by Joji Hirota and Mike Westbrook.

Sheen rounded out 1978 with credits on albums by Soft Head, Iona, and two releases by jazz-rockers Paz. During the early 1980s, he did a three-album stint in Kevin Coyne’s backing band.

Godding’s later credits include backing work for Coyne, Westbrook, and Meic Stevens. In 1988, recordings by three of Godding’s unsigned ’80s-era projects were compiled on the Reckless Records release Slaughter on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Discography: