The Move was an English rock band from Birmingham that achieved UK fame with the 1967–68 pop-psych singles “Night of Fear,” “I Can Hear the Grass Grow,” “Flowers In the Rain,” and “Fire Brigade,” all written by guitarist Roy Wood. After their long-awaited album Move, they charted with the non-album 1968–69 singles “Blackberry Way,” “Wild […]
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, […]
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 […]
Skip Bifferty was an English pop-psych band from Newcastle that released three singles on RCA, culminating with a popular 1968 self-titled album. They moonlighted as Heavy Jelly for the 1969 Island single “I Keep Singing That Same Old Song,” a record-breaker for longest a-side. Select members also recorded with Every Which Way, ARC, and Glencoe. […]
Blossom Toes were an English psych-rock band that released the 1967–69 albums We Are Ever So Clean and If Only for a Moment on Marmalade. During the band’s three-year existence, their music evolved from toy-town whimsy (The Move, The Idle Race) to gruff hard rock. Guitarist Jim Cregan departed soon after their second album. He […]
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 Orange Bicycle was an English psychedelic pop-rock band that released five 1967–68 singles on Columbia (EMI), including the cult classics “Hyacinth Threads” and “Jenskadajka.” In 1969–70, they made four singles and a self-titled album on Parlophone, followed by a 1971 single on Regal Zonophone. Their recordings have since been gathered on retrospective comps, including […]
The Koobas — initially spelled “Kubas” — were an English pop-psych band that released a pair of Pye singles circa 1965/66, followed by six singles on Columbia (EMI) between 1966 and 1968. After the band’s breakup, their self-titled album appeared on Columbia in 1969. Bassist Keith Ellis played on the first album by Van Der […]
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown was an English psych-rock band that released the single “Devil’s Grip” on Track Record in 1967, followed by a self-titled album (co-produced by Pete Townshend) and the single “Nightmare” in 1968. The band is best known for the shock theatrics of vocalist Arthur Brown, whose hair-lighting antics ignited performances […]
Velvett Fogg was an English psych-rock band that released a 1969 self-titled album and the Tornadoes cover “Telstar” on Pye Records. Guitarist–singer Paul Eastment recorded a subsequent album with folk-rockers The Ghost. Members: Frank Wilson (vocals, organ), Graham Mullett (drums), Mick Pollard (bass), Ian Leighton (guitar, 1968), Paul Eastment (guitar, vocals, 1968-70) Background Velvett Fogg […]
Forever Amber was an English pop-psych band that self-released the 1969 album The Love Cycle. Keyboardist Christopher Parren surfaced behind Hudson–Ford and teamed with Maggie Bell in Midnight Flyer. Members: Michael Richardson (vocals), Anthony Mumford (bass, vocals), Richard Lane (lead guitar, vocals), Christopher Jones (rhythm guitar, vocals), Christopher Parren (organ, piano, harpsichord, vocals), Barry Broad […]
Kaleidoscope was an English pop-psych band that released two albums on Fontana: Tangerine Dream (1967) and Faintly Blowing (1969). In 1970, they issued From Home to Home on Vertigo as Fairfield Parlour. Their proposed fourth album (a double) was recorded in 1970/71 but vaulted until 1991, when it appeared as White Faced Lady. Members: Peter […]
Tomorrow was an English psych-rock band that released two singles on Parlophone in 1967, belatedly followed by a self-titled album in 1968. Guitarist Steve Howe attained virtuoso status in the ’70s lineup of Yes. Drummer Twink later co-founded the Pink Fairies. Members: Steve Howe (guitar), John “Junior” Wood (bass), Keith West (vocals), Twink [John Alder] […]
Pussy was an English pop-psych band that released the 1969 album Pussy Plays on Morgan Blue Town. Members: Dek Boyce (vocals), Jez Turner (bass), Peter Whiteman (keyboards, mellotron), Steve Townsend (drums), Barry Clark (guitar, 1969-?), Gary Peters (guitar) Background Pussy sprung from The Creepers, an unsigned Hertfordshire beat group with singer Dek Boyce, bassist Jez […]
Rainbow Ffolly were an English popsike quartet that was briefly active during the late 1960s. The band demoed an embryonic concept LP that they had hoped to rerecord in a lavish studio setting. EMI, however, found the demos fit for release. Members: Johnathon Dunsterville (vocals, guitar), Richard K. Dunsterville (vocals, guitar), Roger Newell (bass), Stewart […]
July was an English psych-rock band from Ealing that released a self-titled album on Major Minor in 1968. The band evolved from beatsters The Tomcats, which issued a string of 1965/66 singles for the Spanish market. Guitarist Tony Duhig and keyboardist Jon Field subsequently formed Jade Warrior, releasing a string of albums on Vertigo and […]
The Fox were an English pop-psych band from Brighton that released the album For Fox Sake on Fontana in 1970. Members: Steve Brayne (guitar), Alex Lane (keyboards), Tim Reeves (drums), David Windross (bass, 1968-70), Nick Apostilides (vocals, 1968), Winston Weatherill (guitar, 1968-70) Discography: For Fox Sake (1970)
The World of Oz was an English pop-psych band from Birmingham that released four singles and a self-titled 1969 album on Deram. Members: Christopher Robin [Chris Evans, aka Garbo] (vocals, guitar), Tony Clarkson (bass), David Kubinec (guitar, organ, 1968), David Reay (drums, 1968-?), Geoff Nicholls (organ, 1968-69), Rob Moore (drums), Peter Beckett (guitar, 1969) The […]
Grapefruit were an English pop-psych band from London that, amid numerous Columbia (EMI) singles, issued the album Around Grapefruit on Stateside in 1968, followed by Deep Water on RCA in 1969. The nameplate was briefly resurrected in 1971 by bassist Alexander Young and Easybeats George Young (his brother) and Harry Vanda for the Deram single […]
The Deviants were an English psych-rock band that self-released the album Ptooff! in 1968. It was picked up by Sire, which released the group’s 1968/69 efforts Disposable and The Deviants. Frontman Mick Farren became a rock writer and occasional solo artist. Guitarist Paul Rudolph and bassist Duncan Sanderson formed the Pink Fairies. Members: Mick Farren […]
The Gods were an English psych-rock band that released the 1968–69 Columbia albums Genesis and To Samuel a Son. They morphed into Head Machine for the 1970 album Orgasm on Major Minor. Frontman Ken Hensley and drummer Lee Kerslake played briefly with Toe Fat and landed lengthy memberships in Uriah Heep. John Glascock went onto […]
The End was an English pop-psych band from Surrey that released six 1965–68 singles on Philips, Sonoplay, and Sonet, followed by the 1969 album Introspection on Decca–London. Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman produced and managed the band, which masqueraded under the names Polos Opuestos and Timothy Grass. In late 1969, The End’s final lineup morphed […]
Angel Pavement were an English chamber-pop/psych combo that was active during the late 1960s. Despite numerous recordings, the band’s output was limited to two 1969–70 singles on Fontana. In 2003, archival label Tenth Planet/Wooden Hill rectified the situation with Maybe Tomorrow, which collects the band’s surviving recordings. Members: Alfie Shepherd [aka Clive “Alfie” Shepherd] (lead […]
The Attack was an English psych-rock combo that issued four singles on Decca in 1967/68. The band distinguished itself as one of the more thunderous purveyors of the freakbeat/pop-psych sounds then in vogue on the UK scene. Sadly, the band’s lineup never stabilized and no proper album materialized during their existence. Guitarist John Du Cann […]
Timebox was an English rock combo of the late 1960s that included vocalist Mike Patto and guitarist Ollie Halsall in their first of three joint band ventures. With aspiring chops and exploratory song-craft, the band issued a string of singles but never managed to get an album released during their three-year existence. Nonetheless, they recorded […]
Jason Crest were an English pop-psych band from Tonbridge that issued five singles on Philips circa 1968/69, later collected with six additional tracks on a retrospective disc by archivists Wooden Hill. The band briefly morphed into High Broom for a standalone single on Island in 1970. Vocalist Terry Clarke subsequently released an album apiece with […]
