Easy Street was an English pop-rock trio that issued two albums on Polydor/Capricorn: Easy Street (1976) and Under the Glass (1977). They evolved from a musical partnership between singing guitarists Ken Nicol and Peter Marsh, who bookended Easy Street with two albums as a duo. Marsh surfaced in the synthpop band Blanket of Secrecy. Drummer […]
The Graham Bond Organization was an English R&B–beat combo that released the 1965 Columbia albums The Sound of ’65 and There’s a Bond Between Us. The members, distinguished by their jazz-crossover pedigrees, achieved virtuoso status on their respective instruments. Bassist Jack Bruce went over to Manfred Mann and relinked with drummer Ginger Baker in the […]
Isotope was an English jazz-rock band that released three albums on Gull between 1974 and 1976. Guitarist Gary Boyle formed the band with veteran jazz bassist Jeff Clyne, who left after the first album and formed Turning Point. The second album, Illusion, features the signature fuzz bass of Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine). Members: Gary Boyle […]
The Idle Race was an English pop-psych band from Birmingham, best known for the 1967 single “Imposters of Life’s Magazine” and the 1968/69 albums The Birthday Party and Idle Race. Singer Jeff Lynne joined Roy Wood in The Move, which morphed into the Electric Light Orchestra. Members: Greg Masters (bass, vocals, 1966-72), Roger Spencer (drums, […]
McDonald and Giles were an English symphonic-rock duo that released a self-titled album on Island in January 1971. The duo consisted of multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and drummer–percussionist Michael Giles, who commenced the project fresh off their one-album stint in King Crimson. Michael cut an earlier album in Giles Giles and Fripp, a pop-psych trio with […]
Giles Giles and Fripp were the English pop-psych trio behind the 1968 Deram album The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp. They consisted of guitarist Robert Fripp and brothers Michael and Peter Giles. After the album, they demoed songs with singer Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention, Trader Horne) and keyboardist Ian McDonald. They morphed into […]
Nirvana was an English orchestral-pop duo comprised of Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos. They debuted with the 1967 rock opera, The Story of Simon Simopath, recorded with the four-piece Nirvana Ensemble. After their 1968 psych hit “Rainbow Chaser,” they released All of Us and the string-laden opus Dedicated to Markos III. Campbell-Lyons continued the name […]
Hatfield and the North were an English jazz-rock band that released the 1974/75 Virgin albums Hatfield and the North and The Rotter’s Club. They were formed by ex-members of Caravan, Delivery, and Matching Mole. Keyboardist Dave Stewart (Arzachel, Egg, Khan) completed the band. Their backing vocalists, The Northettes, included singer Barbara Gaskin (Spirogyra). Three-fourths of Hatfield […]
Colosseum was an English brass-rock band that released the 1969 albums Those Who Are About to Die Salute You (Fontana) and Valentyne Suite (Vertigo). They were led by drummer Jon Hiseman and reedist Dick Heckstall-Smith, fellow travelers in the Graham Bond Organization and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. As an instigator of pop’s shift into maximalism, they […]
Byzantium was an English rustic-rock band that released the 1972/73 albums Byzantium and Seasons Changing on A&M, followed by a self-issued demos album. They were formed and managed by ex-Ora songwriter and frontman Jamie Rubinstein. Guitarist/singer Chas Jankel later served as the keyboardist and musical director of Ian Dury and the Blockheads and issued a […]
Jodo was an English hard-rock/blues band that released the album Guts on Decca in 1970. That same year, two members appeared on the MCA release Green Bullfrog, an impromptu jam session with members of Deep Purple. Members: Rod Alexander (lead guitar, vocals), Brian “Chico” Greenwood (drums), Earl Jordan (vocals), Bill Kimber [William E. Kimber] (vocals), […]
Jasper was an English blues-psych band that released the album Liberation on Spark Records in 1969. Half its members drifted soon afterward into Jodo and Trifle. Members: Nick Payn [aka Nick Payne] (vocals, harmonica, flute), Steve Radford (guitar), Jon Taylor (bass), Brian “Chico” Greenwood (drums), Alan Fealdman (keyboards) Formation Jasper formed in 1967 as Union […]
Please was an English pop-psych band that recorded two albums worth of material during 1968 and 1969. They emerged from Neon Pearl and underwent three iterations over a two-year period. Their constant was drummer Pete Dunton, who moonlighted in The Flies and Gun. Bassist Bernard Jinks formed Bulldog Breed, which cut the 1969 Deram album […]
Westwind was an English folk trio that released the album Love Is… on the Penny Farthing label in 1970. Members: Chris Stowell, Nick Storey, Sarah Dyson The Band Westwind consisted of singer-songwriters Chris Stowell, Nick Storey, and Sarah Dyson. Their light harmonies and arrangements drew from soft ’60s folk-pop à la Gale Garnett, The Seekers, […]
Wild Turkey was an English progressive hard-rock band that released the album Battle Hymn on Chrysalis in 1971, followed by Turkey in 1972. The band was formed by Jethro Tull‘s original bassist Glenn Cornick, who subsequently joined German rockers Karthago and later played in the stateside trio Paris. Members: Glenn Cornick (bass, 1971-74, 1995-97, 2006-14), […]
Racing Cars were a Welsh roots rock band that released three albums on Chrysalis between 1976 and 1978: Downtown Tonight, Weekend Rendezvous, and Bring On the Night. They scored a 1977 UK Top 20 hit with the rustic ballad “They Shoot Horses Don’t They?” The band was led by ex-Ancient Grease frontman Gareth “Morty” Mortimer. […]
Eyes of Blue were a Welsh psych-rock-soul band that released two singles as “The Eyes of Blue” on Deram, followed by the 1968/69 Mercury albums Crossroads of Time and In Fields of Ardath. A name-change to Big Sleep produced the 1971 Pegasus release Bluebell Wood. Keyboardist Phil Ryan became an on/off member of Man and its […]
Agincourt was the first group project of English musicians Peter Howell and John Ferdinando, who started with a pair of home-recorded soundtracks for the local production Alice Through the Looking Glass and the amateur film Tomorrow Come Someday (both 1969). In 1970, they teamed with singer Lee Menelaus in the folk-psych trio Agincourt and recorded […]
Pete Brown & Piblokto! were an English post-psych band that released two albums on Harvest in 1970: Things May Come and Things May Go, but the Art School Dance Goes on Forever and Thousands on a Raft. Brown fronted the Battered Ornaments on their first of two 1969 albums and served as lyricist for Jack […]
Steamhammer was an English blues-rock band that released the 1969/70 albums Steamhammer (aka Reflection), MK II, and Mountains. Guitarist Martin Pugh assembled a new lineup for the 1972 release Speech on the German Brain label, featuring original Renaissance members Keith Relf and Louis Cennamo, who regrouped with Pugh in the 1975 A&M one-off Armageddon. Members: […]
Quiet Sun was an English jazz-rock band from London, initially active circa 1970/71 and briefly reactivated in 1975 by guitarist Phil Manzanera during a break from his main act, Roxy Music. Their singular album, Mainstream, appeared that year on Island/Antilles. Drummer/vocalist Charles Hayward subsequently formed the experimental trio This Heat and later headed Camberwell Now. […]
Third World War was an English rock band that released two albums between 1971 and 1973 on Fly and Track. Along with the Groundhogs, Pink Fairies, and the Edgar Broughton Band, they gave blues rock a fractious twist that presaged punk. Members: Terry Stamp (guitar, vocals), Jim Avery (bass), Paul Olsen (drums, 1971-73), Mick Liber […]
Gracious was an English symphonic/art-rock band that released a self-titled album on Vertigo in 1970, followed by This is…Gracious!! on Phillips in 1971. Each album contained one multi-movement sidelong suite and four short-to-medium-length songs and instrumentals. The band had already split by the time their second album hit the shelves. Drummer Tim Wheatley later surfaced […]
Fusion Orchestra was an English symphonic/art-rock-soul band that released the album Skeleton in Armour in 1973 on EMI. Members: Dave Bell (drums), Mick Sluman (bass, 1969-71), Dave Cowell (bass, harmonica, 1971-73), Paul Jennings (bass, 1973-75), Colin Dawson (guitar), Stan Land (guitar, synthesizer, percussion, horns), Jill Saward (guitar, synthesizer, flute, vocals) Background They sprung from a […]
Manfred Mann Chapter Three was an English jazz-rock/psych band that released two albums on Vertigo: Manfred Mann Chapter Three (1969) and Volume Two (1970). They were a followup to keyboardist Manfred Mann’s namesake R&B/beat combo of the 1960s. He followed this project with the Earth Band for a 13-album run between 1972 and 1987. Members: […]
The Greatest Show on Earth was an English brass-rock band that released the albums Horizons and The Going’s Easy on Harvest in 1970. All eight members initially grouped in the Ossie Laine Show, an R&B covers band that cut an album for the Spanish market. Bassist Norman Watt-Roy later surfaced in Ian Dury’s Blockheads. Members: […]
Trifle was an English brass-rock/funk band that released a standalone single on United Artists in 1969, followed by the album First Meeting on Dawn in 1970. Trumpeter Dick Cuthell became an in-demand sessionist in the years that followed, appearing on albums by Nasty Pop, Burning Spear, Delroy Washington, XTC, The Specials, Chaz Jankel, Linton Kwesi […]
The Masters Apprentices were an Australian rock band from Adelaide that emerged as one of the nation’s premiere beat groups. They issued five singles and one album on Astor between 1966 and 1968, including the Aussie rock classics “Undecided,” “Wars or Hands of Time,” and “Elevator Driver.” After a change in lineup, they advanced into […]
Atlantic Ocean was a Swedish psych band that issued a standalone single on CBS in 1969, followed by the concept album Tranquillity Bay on Love Records in 1970. This was an early band for reedist Björn J:son Lindh (Ablution, Baltik) and musician/composer Greg FitzPatrick, who later collaborated with Samla Mammas Manna. Both played immediately afterward in […]
Serpentine was a Dutch soul-psych band that released the album In the Grass on Pink Elephant in 1970. Later that year, they changed their name to Apartment 1 and issued a second album, Open House. Members: Frank van Tijn (drums, vocals), Peter van der Sande (vocals, guitar, cello, organ, bass), Bob de Laat (saxophone, 1967-69), […]
Apollo was a Finnish psych-rock band that released a self-titled album on Blue Master in 1970. Percussionist Edward Vesala became a prominent ECM recording artist. Members: Edward Vesala (drums, percussion, flute, vocals), Harri Saksala (vocals, accordion, harmonica), Eero Lupari (guitar, vocals), Heimo Holopainen (bass, vocals) Background Apollo formed in 1969 when jazz drummer Martti “Edward” […]
Archie Whitewater was an American brass-rock/soul band that released a self-titled album on Cadet Concept in 1970. Members: Bob Berkowitz (keyboards), Fred Johnson (vocals), Jim Abbott (drums), Lynn Sheffield (alto saxophone, percussion), Paul Metzke (guitar), Peter La Barbera (percussion), Sam Burtis (trombone), Tony Vece (bass guitar), Travis Jenkins (tenor saxophone, flute, vocals) Background Archie Whitewater […]
Aardvark was an English post-psych organ rock band from the Midlands that released a self-titled album on Deram in 1970. Members: Stan Aldous (bass), Frank Clark (drums), Steve Milliner (Hammond, recorder, vibraphone), Dave Skillin (vocals) Background Aardvark had its roots in psych-rockers Rusty Sunday, which featured bassist Stan Aldous (ex-Odyssey) and teenage drummer Frank Clark. […]
The Third Avenue Blues Band (spelled numerically after their first single) was an American brass-rock/soul sextet that released three singles on MCA-subsidiary Revue in 1968/69, collected with other material on the 1970 album Fantastic. Members: Bob Beasley (saxophone), Hadley Hockensmith (guitar, bass), Harold Jones (vocals), Bill Maxwell (drums), Harlan Rogers (vocals, organ, piano), Mark Underwood […]
4th Cekcion was an American brass-rock band from Bellaire, Texas, that released a self-titled album on local-press Solar Records in 1970. Members: Greg Isaacs (vocals, keyboards), Stewart Rojo (guitar), Mike St. Clair (bass), Louie Broussard (percussion), Richard Cantu (woodwinds), Gary Weldon (brass) Background 4th Cekcion formed in Bellaire when brass player Gary Weldon and reedist […]
Ahora Mazda was a Dutch ethno/psych band that released a self-titled album on Catfish in 1970. Members: Peter Abbink (guitar, vocals, piano, trumpet, organ, bass), Rob van Wageningen (flute, saxophone, vocals, percussion, kalimba), Tony Schreuder (bass, percussion), Winky Abbink (drums, 1969-71), Paul van Wageningen (drums, percussion, 1971) Background Ahora Mazda evolved from the Free Art […]
Gas Mask was an American brass-rock band from N.Y.C. that released one album, Their First Album, on Tonsil Records in 1970. Members: Bill Davidson (lead guitar), Richard Grando (winds), David Gross (saxophone), Nick Oliva (keyboards), Bobby Osborne (vocals), Enrico Rava (trumpet), James Strassburg (drums), Ray Brooks (bass, ?-1970), Lynn Welshman (trombone, 1970-?), Michael Moore (bass, […]
Blossom Toes were an English psych-rock/pop band from London that released the album We Are Ever So Clean on Marmalade in 1967, followed by If Only for a Moment in 1969. During the band’s three-year existence, their music evolved from the toy-town style (The Move, The Idle Race) to a gruffer approach in line with […]
Rumplestiltskin was an English hard-rock/psych studio band that released a 1970 self-titled album on Bell Records, followed by a 1972 second, Black Magician, on the German Bellaphon label. The members also recorded instrumental-psych albums as Hungry Wolf and Ugly Custard. Members: Peter Lee Stirling [Peter Charles Greene, aka Daniel Boone] (vocals), Alan Hawkshaw [aka Jeremy […]
Galliard was an English brass-rock band from Birmingham that released the 1969/70 Deram albums Strange Pleasure and New Dawn. Frontman Geoff Brown continued in the mid-’70s jazz-funk combo Muscles. Along with Colosseum, Heaven, Brainchild, the Greatest Show on Earth, and the Keef Hartley Band, Galliard represented a UK wing of the brass-laden jazz-rock-soul sound, reflecting […]
Elias Hulk was an English hard-rock-psych band from Bournemouth, Dorset, that released the album Unchained on Young Blood in 1970. Members: Peter Thorpe [Big Pete Thorpe] (lead vocals), Neil Tatum (lead guitar), Granville Frazer (rhythm guitar), James Haines (bass guitar), Bernard James (drums) Elias Hulk was instigated in 1968 by Bournemouth teenagers Peter Grenville ‘Gren’ […]
Killing Floor was an English hard-rock band that released a self-titled album on Spark in 1969, followed by Out of Uranus on Penny Farthing in 1970. Members: Bill Thorndycraft (vocals, harp, 1968-71), Mick Clarke (guitar), Lou Martin (keyboards, 1968-69, 1971, 2002-present), Bazz Smith (drums, 1968-71), Stuart McDonald (bass, 1968-69, 1970-71, 2002-present), Jon Taylor (bass, 1969), […]
Titus Groan was an English jam-rock band that released a self-titled album and a standalone single on Dawn in 1970. Members: Stuart Cowell (keyboards, guitar, vocals), John Lee (bass), Tony Priestland (saxophone, flute, oboe), Jim Toomey (drums) Background Titus Groan formed in late 1969 when guitarist Stuart Cowell and drummer Jim Toomey teamed with bassist […]
Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera was an English psych-rock band that released multiple singles and a 1968 self-titled album on Direction. After Gantry’s departure, singer/guitarist Paul Brett led them on the 1969 release Ride a Hustler’s Dream. The rhythm section joined the Strawbs and later recorded as Hudson–Ford. Gantry surfaced in funk-rockers Stretch. Members: Colin Forster […]
The Battered Ornaments were an English jazz-rock/psych band that released two albums on Harvest in 1969, the first with singer/poet Pete Brown, who later cut two albums with Piblokto! He also wrote lyrics for Jack Bruce during and after Cream. The Ornaments also included guitarist Chris Spedding, who fronted the band after Brown’s departure. Pete […]
The Surprise Sisters were an Australian vocal group that first recorded as The Cliffmores. After moving to the UK, they changed their name and issued multiple singles and a 1976 self-titled album, charting with the Andy Fairweather Low cover “La Booga Rooga.” Members: Ellen Sutcliffe, Linda Sutcliffe, Patricia Sutcliffe, Susan Sutcliffe The Surprise Sisters comprised […]
New Love Ltd was an American soul trio that sang on the 1978 album So Much to Talk About (Tudo Bem), recorded in São Paulo with funk sextet Interstate 95 and released on Brazilian small-press Giant Records. Two of the singers partook in the subsequent Ingram offshoot Philly Cream. Members: Robert Dunston (Jamil Ali Faraqan), […]
Blind Faith was an English rock band that released a self-titled album on Atco in 1969. The band are noted as one of rock’s first supergroups due to the high-profile backgrounds of its four members: vocalist–keyboardist Steve Winwood (Spencer Davis Group, Traffic), guitarist Eric Clapton (Yardbirds, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Cream), drummer Ginger Baker (Graham Bond […]
Emerson, Lake & Palmer — alternately known by the acronym ELP — were an English symphonic-rock trio that released three studio albums and a live classical recording on Island (UK) and Cotillion (US) between 1970 and 1972. In 1973, the band established Manticore Records for original releases and albums by like-minded artists. As one of […]
Argent was an English art-rock band that released six studio albums and a live double-LP on Epic between 1970 and 1975, followed by a seventh on RCA. They were the namesake of ex-Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent. On their first five albums, Argent was a four-piece with singer/guitarist Russ Ballard, who found success outside the band […]
Capability Brown was an English harmony-rock band that released two albums on Charisma in 1972 and 1973. Half the band continued in the funk-rock combo Krazy Kat. Members: Tony Ferguson (guitar, vocals), Dave Nevin (keyboards, guitar), Kenny Rowe (bass, vocals), Grahame White (guitar, vocals), Joe Williams (vocals), Roger Willis (drums, vocals) Background Capability Brown evolved […]
Babe Ruth was an English hard-rock/soul band that released three albums on Harvest between 1972 and 1975, followed by a further pair of titles on Capitol during the mid-1970s. Members: Jenne Haan (vocals, 1970-75), Alan Shacklock (guitar, keyboards, 1970-75), Dave Hewitt (bass, 1970-75), Jeff Allen (drums, 1970-71), Dave Punshon (keyboards, 1971-73), Dick Powell (drums, 1971-73), […]
Steely Dan was an American jazz-rock/pop band that released six studio albums on ABC between 1972 and 1977, followed by an eighth on MCA in 1980. After a 20-year break in recording, they issued two discs of new material during the early 2000s. Debuting as a six-piece, the lineup trimmed by 1975 to the duo […]
