Seventh Wave -

Seventh Wave was an English electro–psych duo that released the 1974–75 Gull albums Things to Come and Psi-Fi. Keyboardist–singer Ken Elliott and percussionist Kieran O’Connor hailed from Second Hand and Chillum. Elliot also cut a 1972 instrumental album as part of the studio–library project Vulcans. Before Seventh Wave, they demoed the Things to Come material on an acetate credited to Fungus.

Members: Ken Elliott (keyboards, vocals), Kieran O’Connor (percussion)

Background

Seventh Wave was the third official group name for Ken Elliott and Kieran O’Connor, who first teamed as mid-Sixties schoolmates. Their first band, Second Hand, made the 1968–71 albums Reality and Death May Be Your Santa Claus. Second Hand morphed in Chillum for a 1971 album of free-psych.

After Elliot’s 1972 Vulcans project, he and O’Connor cut a 1972 acetate titled Metropolis under the name Fungus. This formed the basis of their first Seventh Wave album on Gull, a new label with fellow signees If, Isotope, and Judas Priest.

Things to Come

Seventh Wave released their first album, Things to Come, in May 1974 on Gull.

Ken Elliott composed the album’s fourteen pieces (eleven song-length tracks and three interludes). Most pieces segue into mini-suites, including the opening trifecta “Sky Scraper” / “Metropolis” / “Intercity Water Rat” and the closing tetralogy “Communication Skyways” / “Things to Come” / “1999 ½” / “Dance of the Eloi.”

Elliott plays clavinet, mellotron, electric and upright piano, and three synthesizers: ARP, Moog, and the EMS Synthi AKS. He also makes use of percussion (chimes, glockenspiel) with drummer Kieran O’Connor, who plays mallets (xylophone, vibraphone) and assorted sundries (congas, castanets, claves, sleigh bells).

A1. “Sky Scraper” (2:17)
A2. “Metropolis” (4:25)
A3. “Intercity Water Rat” (0:48)
A4. “Escalator” (0:26)
A5. “Old Dog Song” (4:12)
A6. “Smog, Fog and Sunset” (3:11)
A7. “Fail to See” (4:05)

B1. “Premonition” (3:15)
B2. “Festival” (2:05)
B3. “Eversolightly” (4:33)
B4. “Communication Skyways” (4:42)
B5. “Things to Come” (1:46)
B6. “1999 ½” (1:09)
B7. “Dance of the Eloi” (1:45)

Sessions occurred in Northwest London at Chalk Farm Studios, also used for the 1974 UA title The Long Hello (a Van der Graaf Generator spinoff). O’Connor produced Things to Come with DMBYSC soundman Neil Richmond, who also worked beforehand with the Edgar Broughton Band and Zappatta Schmidt. The album was co-engineered by Chillum guitarist Tony McGill.

Things to Come displays a soft-hue areal impression of a tidal wave by artist Michael Priddle (1947–2011), who also painted the cover Creatures of the Night, the 1977 album by Isotope-spinoff Turning Point.

Gull issued “Metropolis” as a May 1974 single (b/w “Festival”), followed in November by “Things to Come” (b/w “Fail to See”). In the US, Things to Come appeared in December 1974 on Janus.

Psi-Fi

Seventh Wave released their second album, Psi-Fi, in August 1975 on Gull. It contains ten numbers by keyboardist Ken Elliot, who co-wrote one (“El Tooto”) with producer–engineer Neil Richmond, portrayed on the backside as a third member.

Elliot and Kieran O’Connor play respective “multi-keyboards” and “multi-percussion” with assorted guests, including CMU/Gilgamesh bassist Steve Cook (“Aether Anthem,” “El Tooto”), Rock Workshop percussionist Tony Utah (“Camera Obscura”), and VdGG organist Hugh Banton, who plays ARP and mellotron on “Manifestations.”

Future Gizmo keyboardist Brian Gould plays the Crumar Stringman on “Only the Beginning” and “Star Palace of the Sombre Warrior.” Former free-jazz bandleader and concurrent Baker Gurvitz Army keyboardist Pete Lemer plays ARP and RMI synth on half the tracks. DMBYSC vocalist Rob Elliott (Ken’s brother, recently of Strider) sings on “Astral Animal,” “Camera Obscura,” and across Side A apart from “Manifestations,” sung by jazz vocalist Pepi Lemer.

A1. “Return to Foreverland” (3:47)
A2. “Roads to Rome” (3:12)
A3. “Manifestations” (5:41)
A4. “Loved By You” (2:45)
A5. “Only the Beginning” (7:58)

B1. “Aether Anthem” (1:29)
B2. “Astral Animal” (3:08)
B3. “El Tooto” (2:11)
B4. “Camera Obscura” (9:01)
B5. “Star Palace of the Sombre Warrior” (6:25)

Sessions occurred at Chalk Farm, where Richmond maintained “console control.” Gould’s post-Gizmo band, HPC, released a 1991 disc titled Camera Obscura.

Psi-Fi appeared in a ‘radium man’ cover by Gull graphic artist John Pasche and photographer Phil Jude, whose images also grace 1976 albums by Automatic Fine Tuning, Neil Ardley (Kaleidoscope of Rainbows), and Patrick Moraz (The Story of i).

Glam photojournalist Mick Rock (Cockney Rebel, David Bowie, Queen) snapped the back-cover portrait shots, which cast the three band members at twenty-year intervals: 1930s show pianist (Elliott), 1950s rockabilly singer (O’Connor), and 1970s glam icon (Richmond).

Gull lifted “Manifestations” as a September a-side backed with “Only the Beginning” (part one), which appeared as a Dutch a-side (b/w “Loved By You”).

Discography: