1970: Paths that unleash and finish

Dandelions having their day

The charming Keith Noble, 1970.

Between 1969 and 1970, it felt like a school reunion for Pink Floyd. The tour with Syd Barrett and Tailboard was something far from their routine as a proper band, which was the usual routine for Tailboard themselves. But the new promising band seemed a bit apart from what they were in a few months back, mostly disinterest coming from part of the members.

"There was times that the entire group didn't came to the sessions, like, what the hell? They are supposed to be here, record new stuff for the album, but none of them came!"

 -Roger Waters

In fact, the ones that were committed on finish the album were Keith Noble, the lead vocalist, and Bob Klose, former 'modern-era' Pink Floyd member and guitarist. Willie Wilson was sometimes absent as he was negotiating his entry to the country rock band Cochise, and Clive Metcalfe was nowhere to be found. Still, Andrew King gave a ultimatum to the group to release their album and fulfil their contract, if needed.

Thus, this was the case of Tailboard. The band finished the recording sessions of Mr. Compromise in April 1970, and just sorta entered into a hiatus until it effectively announced their break-up. Some of the members still pursued career as session musicians, while some others retired, becoming professors. That was the case of Keith Noble and Clive Metcalfe. And that's how we reach the end of Tailboard, folks. But not before I show their album, of course.

The album was named Mr. Compromise, an ironically fitting name to the sessions. It was promoted by Blackhill and it was promoted by the folk-oriented Ashes and Silver. The single failed to chart in the United States and reached number 28 in UK Singles Charts before falling out quickly. The group did a short tour as part of their contractual obligations before entering into a hiatus and breaking up.

"It was relatively a good period. It was nice to meet with the guys for a last time before we've parted on our own ways. I still gave a few shots as a songwriter, but nothing too radical, and I thank the Pink Floyd and Syd a lot by helping us during that time, but it was too much business that I preferred to stick around being a professor, haha!"

-Keith Noble

Tailboard – Mr. Compromise

Tailboard - Mr. Compromise (1970)

Genre: Folk rock, psychedelic folk

Total: 43:03

All lyrics written by Keith Noble.

Side A - 20:01

1. "Mr. Compromise" - 3:28

2. "Narcissus" - 3:53

3. "Secretary Jane" - 4:07

4. "Red-Current Tide" - 1:57

5. "Up and Down Way (of It All)" - 3:43

6. "Only When I Laugh" - 2:53

Side B - 23:02

7. "Dandelions Have Their Day" - 4:52

8. "Weather" - 7:01

9. "King of the Icemen" - 5:40

10. "Ashes and Silver" - 5:29

Mr. Compromise is the debut and only studio album by British folk group Tailboard. Tailboard was a group active between 1969 and 1971, with one-off reunions in 1979, 1991, and 2003. The group was mostly formed by former members of pre-Pink Floyd, except for Willie Wilson. Mr. Compromise was released in 29 May 1970 by Blackhill Records in the United Kingdom only, being released in the US in 1992.

The album was recorded between 1969 and 1970 with the assistance from the members of Pink Floyd. Tailboard was promoted by Blackhill as a new hot folk group, backing Syd Barrett in the tours throughout Europe and the United States. The setlist was composed by the album's catalogue, plus the hit song "A Summer's Song", composed by Keith Noble.

Although it was promoted by the label, Mr. Compromise only reached number 43 in the UK Album Charts., passing unnoticed by the general public, despite being well-received by the critics and attracting a fraction of fans and Pink Floyd fanatics. Currently, the record is quite overlooked by Pink Floyd completionists, while the publishing rights were bought by Pink Floyd Records, being re-issued in 2020. The cover was drawn by fellow singer-songwriter and friend Syd Barrett.

Locking doors and switching lights (Atomic Rooster)

Vincent Crane and his kitties.

As it was told before, the first line-up from the Atomic Rooster wasn't going to last too long. Carl Palmer would leave to form Emerson, Lake and Palmer, while Nick Graham would become an organiser to the Glastonbury Festival. To fill up the roles, John Du Cann picked the bass while Martin Steer picked the drums, beginning the second incarnation of Atomic Rooster in less than a year.

As a few remaining songs from the previous album were lying unreleased and not recorded, Atomic Rooster started to record their second album. The sessions of this album would prove to be very useful to the band, particularly to Du Cann, who was seen as a skilled songwriter, as Brown was mostly missing in action throughout the sessions.

The lead singer of  the group finally appeared consistently in the final stages of the album, and it was his idea to merge several unreleased songs from the past sessions into Creepy Monsters. Brown also suggested to re-record What's Happening, the B-side of Nightmare, a single from the Crazy World of Arthur Brown era. The idea was accepted due to Arthur Brown being seen as the frontman of the group by the label and because the length would increase.

By early September, Death Walks Behind You would be announced and the fans of the new band would be caught by surprise, as the album would be released late that month. At the same time, Atomic Rooster was rising as one of the main hard/progressive rock-driven bands at the time, along with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. The group would perform later that year at Top of the Pops to promote the album.

Atomic Rooster – Death Walks Behind You

Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You (1970)

Genre: Progressive rock, hard rock

Total: 46:54

Side A - 22:35

1. "Death Walks Behind You" (John Du Cann, Vincent Crane) - 7:28

2. "What's Happening" (Arthur Brown, Crane) - 3:56

3. "I Can't Take No More" (Du Cann) - 3:33

4. "Gypsy Escape" (Brown, Crane, Du Cann) - 7:38

Side B - 24:19

5. "Tomorrow Night" (Crane) - 3:56

6. "Creepy Monsters" (Brown, Crane, Dalby, Du Cann) - 5:57

a. "Creep"

b. "Metal Monster"

c. "Night of the Pigs"

d. "Trouble"

7. "Gershatzer" (Crane) - 7:58

8. "No Time" (Brown, Du Cann) - 6:28

Death Walks Behind You is the second studio album by the British band Atomic Rooster, released on 21 September 1970. It was the first album with bass player John Du Cann, who co-wrote and sang in a lot of the songs. The album was produced by the band themselves and released by Blackhill Records, and features the William Blake monotype Nebuchadnezzar.

The album spawned one of the band's most successful singles, Tomorrow Night, which reached number 11 in the UK Singles Charts. The sessions of Death Walks Behind You lasted a month, while the new line-up of the band was formed in June of the same year, less than a month after the release of the more successful Galactic Zoo Dossier. Some songs were previously recorded and written by Arthur Brown, such as the medley of Creepy Monsters and What's Happening? (previously recorded as the Crazy World of Arthur Brown).

Atomic Rooster's new album was considered a bit underwhelming by the critics, while the fans considered a great effort. Throughout the years, Death Walks Behind You became re-evaluated and considered one of Atomic Rooster's classic records. It reached number 90 in the US Billboard 200 and number 12 in the UK Album Charts.

A dilemma over needs and desires

Soft Machine (except Kevin Ayers) in 1970 (Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper and Daevid Allen).

Oh boy, and here we are with the Soft Machine again! After Woodstock, the group would gather at the Pye Studios and begin to record the sketches of what would become their third album. During the sessions, the rift between keyboard player Mike Ratledge and Daevid Allen would enlarge, as both were divergent in the direction that the band should take in the next few years. While Mike wanted the group to pursue a jazz-rock direction, Allen wanted the band to go further on the experimentation done in the last album.

The sessions of the new album were quite turbulent, with the rift between the two members: "We were kind of a powerful band on our own, I believe. But problems were caused by the ambitiousness of some members. Kevin was the good-looking boy of the group, I was the fun spirit, Rob was the typical drummer, Hugh was the quiet one, and Mike was the one who gave the texture to the music.", Daevid Allen.

At the time, Soft Machine was backed by the recently-formed backing band The Whole World, which assembled David Bedford on additional keyboards, Elton Dean on alto saxophone, Lol Coxhill on saxophone and zoblophone, a young Mike Oldfield on bass, guitar and backing vocals, and Bridget St. John on backing vocals. The group helped to increment the arrangements of the album and providing help in later tours.

During the same sessions, the band also recorded the unreleased album The Garden of Love, a fairly more avant-garde and jazz-rock project widely associated with David Bedford. The project was shelved due to objections of the management of Blackhill Enterprises, recalling the same fate as the Crazy World of Arthur Brown had. However, Facelift and Out-Bloody-Rageous, two of the songs which emerged from these sessions, were performed live by the Soft Machine after the departure of Daevid Allen, and released in the debut of Mike Ratledge's Pigling Band. The Dillema also originated from the same sessions.

"Magick Brother was the main reason to why we didn't make another double album. We like to experiment, we like jazz, but we most liked free-time. A lot of our songs are about living in peace and tranquillity and that's what we've always managed to do. And the sessions of that album were the opposite. I'd rather spend the rest of my life in Deià than touring."

 -Kevin Ayers, 1993

Blackhill Records announced Magick Brother as the third album of the Soft Machine. Lunatics Lament was released as the promotional single, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Charts, number 37 in the Billboard Hot 100, and number 14 in the Billboard Hot Rock Songs. The album was widely promoted, focusing in the ambitiousness of the band as their newest peak in music. Pretty Miss Titty, released as Pretty Miss Diddy, also made a minor success in Europe.

"That record [Magick Brother] was a quite nice record. We put a lot of useless effort into it and that other failed project [The Garden of Love], but thankfully we were recompensed as we deserved."

 -Robert Wyatt, 2005

Soft Machine and the Whole World – Magick Brother

Soft Machine and The Whole World - Magick Brother (1970)

Genre: Canterbury scene, progressive rock, art jazz, experimental rock

Total: 91:14

Disc One (Early Morning) - 43:53

Side A - 19:33

1. "Chainstore Chant/May I?" (Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers) - 4:52

2. "Pretty Miss Titty" (Allen) - 4:05

3. "Town Feeling" (Ayers) - 4:54

4. "Clarence in Wonderland" (Ayers) - 2:06

5. "Rational Anthem" (Allen) - 3:43

Side B - 24:20

6. "Mystic Sister & Magick Brother" (Allen) - 5:55

7. "We Know What You Mean" (Ayers) - 3:23

8. "Stop This Train (Again Doing It)" (Ayers) - 6:05

9. "Rivmic Melodies" (Ratledge, Wyatt, Hugh Hopper) - 8:57

a. "Hulloder"

b. "Dada Was Here"

c. "Thank You Pierrot Lunaire"

d. "Have You Ever Bean Green?"

e. "Out of Tunes"

Disc Two (Late Night) - 47:21

Side C - 25:22

10. "Lunatics Lament" (Ayers, Allen) - 4:53

11. "Ego" (Allen) - 3:57

12. "The Dilemma" (Robert Wyatt) - 6:14

13. "Princess Dreaming" (Allen) - 2:56

14. "Girl on a Swing" (Ayers) - 2:49

15. "Fredfish/Hope You Feel Okay" (Allen) - 4:33

Side D - 21:59

16. "Esther's Nose Job" (Mike Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper) - 11:13

a. "Fire Engine Passing with Bells Clanging"

b. "Pig"

c. "Orange Skin Food"

d. "A Door Opens and Closes"

e. "10:30 Returns to the Bedroom"

17. "'Cos You Got Green Hair" (Allen) - 5:05

18. "Rheinhardt & Geraldine/Colores Para Dolores" (Ayers) - 5:41

Magick Brother is the third studio album by the Canterbury scene band Soft Machine (entitled Soft Machine and the Whole World). The album was co-produced by the Soft Machine and Peter Jenner and released in 14 October 1970 by Blackhill Records in the United Kingdom and Europe, and by CBS Records in the rest of the world. Magick Brother was recorded in a year period, right after the previous album, in late 1969 to August 1970. It is the last album featuring lead guitarist Daevid Allen, who left the band to form Gong.

As the previous album was defined by its jazz tones, the experimentation of Magick Brother is considered wider and far more complex, and the key element of the album, alternating between structured the suites of Rivmic Melodies and Esther's Nose Job, and the more fast-forward and mainstream Lunatics Lament and Clarice in Wonderland, with surrealistic lyricism mostly charged by Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen, influenced by comedy, philosophy, and love.

The record was considered the Soft Machine's breakthrough in the United Kingdom by leading the UK Album Charts for three weeks, and number 39 in the US Billboard 200, being certified Gold. Lunatics Lament was the first single to be released, followed by Pretty Miss Titty. We Know What You Mean was the last song released as single, backed by The Dilemma.

Rolling Stone defines the album as 'the perfect crossroads between experimental, pure jazz, and mainstream music', ranking it in number 167 in the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time. The concept of the album is refined by the songs set 'in the early morning and the late night of a Saturday'. It was regarded very influential by its contemporaries, such as Brian Eno, and later recognised by David Byrne as a key record to the composition of Talking Heads' Remain in Light.

Too lovely to understand

Daevid Allen with Gong, ca. 1970s.

With the release and the success of Magick Brother, the Soft Machine begun to prepare themselves and rehearsal for the next tour. Daevid Allen was the one that was actually amused with the success and the subsequent tour, while Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper were indifferent, and Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt were far more worried.

"I'm not a man of performances. Knowing that we did great with the album, I panicked for the rest of the week, considered going to Deià to distress, but Jimi Hendrix called me a day and he calmed me down. He wasn't used to call people, but specifically that day he wanted to talk with us about the album and other stuff. That encouraged me to go on tours."

-Kevin Ayers

"That was the time that I drank the most, apart from certain tours. I was actually feeling anxious all the time, it certainly wasn't going to be a few tours here and there like with Exiled from Canterbury, it was going to be a longer tour that we were used to."

-Robert Wyatt

However, in the middle of the tour, in Marseille, the tensions between Daevid and Mike finally broke out. The fight led to Allen promptly quit the band in the middle of the tour, leading the band to rearrange themselves to the next gigs. Daevid's songs were taken off the setlist, except for Pretty Miss Titty being sung by Kevin, but most of the setlist was replaced by improvisations, previous songs, and unreleased songs from The Garden of Love.

The Magick Brother tour lasted from November 1970 to July 1971, and Daevid split off the band in February 1971. He went and formed Gong, while the group passed through various incarnations, such as Pierre Moerlen's Gong. As of Soft Machine, but mostly Kevin Ayers, who was already exhausted, he was the one that felt Daevid's departure more than anyone, while the company tried to ease such a casualty.

"If I learned something with his [Daevid Allen] departure, surely it was about building confidence enough, and overcome the fear to be the frontman. Probably the first exercise was The Hat Song. It was a singalong between the audience and the band, trying to give some good vibrations to the audience. It was very helpful, really, in a few months I was doing far better than in the previous tours altogether."

-Kevin Ayers

Author's comment:

In this chapter, we've seen a lot of new changes and ends for some bands. Tailboard was a special band that I wanted to do something with it, but only Keith Noble had an album so we are seeing them departing from this timeline sooner. Initially was planned to do a Soft Machine entirely with Daevid Allen, but in some point there the albums were just not as good as I thought. In Magick Brother, the only different track there is The Dilemma, which is a heavily edited version of Moon in June.

Oh, and by the way, sorry about the sudden absence! I'm having final exams in college, and I'm transferring to another one! So I'll be a little bit absent in the next two weeks, but I'll try to release a new chapter as soon as possible, then return to the regular schedule. Anyway, thank you for you patience, and to enjoy A Crazy Gift of Time! :)

Sources:

• Tailboard - Mr. Compromise
• Keith Noble and Bob Klose - Mr. Compromise
• Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You
• Atomic Rooster - Death Walks Behind You
• Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come - Galactic Zoo Dossier
• The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - Nightmare/What's Happening?
• Soft Machine - Magick Brother
• Gong - Magick Brother
• Kevin Ayers - Joy of a Toy
• Kevin Ayers and the Whole World - Shooting at the Moon
• Soft Machine - Volume Two
• Soft Machine - Third

1969: Woodstock

Regarding Woodstock...

Yes, Woodstock is here too! 1969.

For Blackhill, August of 1969 was certainly a month of defining events. From the tour including Pink Floyd Sound, Syd Barrett, and Tailboard, which carried to the eventual crisis in the company during the 70s, to the Woodstock and Isle of Wight Festivals for promoting the artists, certainly, August 1969 was the month that transformed the company into a gateway between the underground and the mainstream.

Right before the Pink Floyd Sound/Syd Barrett/Tailboard tour begun, Blackhill negotiated some of their artists to perform in the Woodstock Festival, as did with the Isle of Wight. "The negotiations with... the Foulk Brothers were far more organized than the Woodstock one. I really can barely say if there was any negotiation with the Woodstock organizers since everything seemed so improvised.", Keith Noble.

In the end, Soft Machine, Edgar Broughton Band, Tailboard, and initially, Syd Barrett agreed to perform (declining to perform one day before the concert). David Bowie declined the idea since he was working on his upcoming album as did Pink Floyd Sound (although both performed later on the Isle of Wight Festival).

"Well, I was up to perform in the Isle of Wight, and I was preparing myself for the tour with the Floyd, and then, two weeks before, Drew [Andrew King] asked if I was going to perform in the Woodstock Festival and I agreed with that. I was scheduled for Sunday, so I had a good ammount of time to think about that decision, even if I was in NY at the time *laughs*. And honestly, until today I feel pity for Kevin and Robert, they didn't like large audiences and had to deal with a shit-ton of people. Actually, they influenced me to decline to perform. Tailboard seemed chilled about that, though."

 -Syd Barrett, 1984

Robert Wyatt leaving the stage in Woodstock.

Soft Machine was billed for the Saturday, right after Santana. When the band first arrived on stage, it was noticed a massive amount of people cheering the newcomers, shocking Kevin Ayers. "So, I didn't know about the audience until we went to the festival... When we were backstage, Robert just said to me to not see the outside, otherwise, I was going to panic. He was quite right, I panicked. But Daevid [Allen] handled the entire thing, so I chilled out a little bit.", said Ayers.

The performance of Soft Machine ended up being shorter, rearranging the setlist right on stage. The band decided to focus on Daevid's songs and instrumentals, including songs that weren't released at the time, such as Esther's Nose Job and Lunatics Lament. After the performance, Soft Machine attended a meeting with Jimi Hendrix back in New York, and then returned to England.

Tailboard's Woodstock was... different. The group was recently formed, and Woodstock was their first relevant performance, although, the band was billed to perform right after Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The group performed their entire (then unreleased) album, plus A Summer Song. According to the frontman Keith Noble, the crowd was very receptive to the band, even though it was 5 a.m. when they arrived on stage. In backstage, the band talked with CSN&Y, and the jazz group, Blood, Sweat & Tears. Tailboard would return to England on Wednesday.

Joe Cocker playing his well-known "air guitar" on stage.

Greasy Asylum was billed as the first band to perform on the daytime Sunday, arriving on stage 2:00 p.m. and performing throughout one and a half hours a big set consisting of tracks from Look Inside the Greasy Asylum and Delta Lady, two medleys and cover renditions of Joe Cocker and Leon Russell. The performance of Greasy Asylum is considered by many as one of the highlights of the festival, along with Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and many others.

A few days ago, Delta Lady was released as the second Greasy Asylum's studio album by Shelter Records and distributed by Blue Thumb Records in the United States, as a way intended to promote the band with the Woodstock Festival. The strategy was effective since Delta Lady managed to be ranging between positions 43 and 45 for three months on Billboard. "It was Blue Thumb's idea, not ours. We've just agreed since we had a contract.", Leon Russell.

The Woodstock Festival served as a stair to bands such as the Greasy Asylum, becoming one of their most remarkable shows. Even though members expressed bitter feelings towards the audience, it was a consensus that the performance was pretty enjoyable to everyone, despite Cocker's reluctance to venture again after that year. "As I said, 1968 and '69 were pretty intense, but Woodstock was like an eclipse ... it was a very special day.", Joe Cocker.

Soft Machine, Live in Woodstock, August 15th, 1969

Setlist

1. "Memories" (Hugh Hopper)

2. "Hope for Happiness" (Kevin Ayers, Ratledge, Brian Hopper)

3. "You Don't Remember" (Daevid Allen, Robert Wyatt)

4. "I Should've Known" (Ayers, Ratledge, Wyatt, Allen, H. Hopper)

5. "5 and 20 Schoolgirls" (Allen)

6. "A Certain Kind" (H. Hopper) [sung by Daevid Allen]

7. "We Did It Again" (Ayers)

8. "Gong Song" (Allen)

9. "Esther's Nose Job" (Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper)

10. "Lunatics Lament" (Ayers, Allen)

11. "Rational Anthem" (Allen)

12. "Magick Brother" (Allen)

13. "Why Are We Sleeping/Once I Awakened" (Ayers) [sung by Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen]

14. "Singing a Song in the Morning" (Ayers)

Greasy Asylum, Live in Woodstock, August 17th, 1969

Setlist

1. "Dear Landlord" (Bob Dylan) [JC]

2. "Something's Coming On" (Joe Cocker, Chris Stainton) [JC]

3. "Delta Lady" (Leon Russell) [JC/LR]

4. "Feelin' Alright" (Dave Mason) [JC]

5. "Crystal Closet Queen" (Russell) [LR]

6. "Let's Go Get Stoned" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) [JC]

7. "Dixie Lullaby" (Russell, Stainton) [LR]

8. "Medley: Jumpin' Jack Flash/Young Blood" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Doc Pomus) [JC/LR]

9. "Hitchcock Railway" (Don Dunn, Tony McCashen) [JC]

10. "Something to Say" (Cocker, Peter Nichols) [JC]

11. "Medley: Of Thee I Sing/Yes I Am" (Don Preston, Russell) [LR]

12. "With a Little Help from My Friends" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) [JC]

[JC] = Joe Cocker

[LR] = Leon Russell 

Tailboard, Live in Woodstock, August 18th, 1969

Setlist

All tracks composed and performed by Keith Noble, except when noted.

1. "Mr. Compromise"

2. "Narcissus"

3. "Secretary Jane"

4. "Red-Current Tide"

5. "Up and Down Way (of It All)"

6. "Only When I Laugh"

7. "Dandelions Have Their Day"

8. "Weather"

9. "King of the Icemen"

10. "Ashes and Silver"

11. "A Summer Song" (Keith Noble, David Stuart)

1969: Such a Crazy World

Most unfortunate

Syd and Iggy the Eskimo, 1969.

After a return from the North American leg of the tour, Syd returned to the studios in April 1969 under the supervision of Peter Jenner. Syd continued with Willie Wilson, but since Vincent Crane continued with Arthur Brown and Rick Wills started to work as a session musician for Jackie Lomax, he was with no options but to ask for his old friends to help him to record the successor of Rooftop in a Thunderstorm.

"I knew that the folks of  Pink Floyd did an amazing album [Are Going Insane!], and I looked for some help besides of Jenner who... couldn't do anything but produce. So technically I was kind of inclined to ask for help to the people I dismissed a few years earlier. Yeah, I was seeing the roles being reversed in that moment."

-Syd Barrett, 1984

As Pink Floyd was touring and performing throughout the United Kingdom, it was easy for Syd to approach the band in one of their gigs. "At first my reaction was something like 'Why did you travel from London to Birmingham just to ask us to help you in your album?' But, yeah, he was Syd, he could do whatever he wanted.", David Gilmour. In the same meeting between the band and the artist, Roger and Syd retreated and apologized to each other. In the end, the members agreed to help Syd on his record.

Back at the studios, Syd decided to dismiss Jenner while the band took control of the production. In most of the week, Syd recorded acoustic tracks such as Terrapin, (She's a) Dolly Rocker, Wouldn't You Miss Me? and Golden Hair under the supervision of Gilmour, who played the bass guitar along with Willie Wilson. Although the situation seemed comfortable to the crew, Peter Jenner and Andrew King established a deadline for three weeks.

"Yeah, that was one of the fucking problems that made me quit the music industry a few years later. Peter [Jenner] was becoming an asshole up to me, Andrew [King] was sometimes nice, but never changed his opinions, and Steve [O'Rourke] was virtually the only one in the management who understood me."

-Syd Barrett, 1986

In the next studios, Soft Machine [at the time, Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper (who provisionally replaced Kevin Ayers), and Mike Ratledge] were recording their second album, Exiled from Canterbury. Since both bands (including Syd) were friends since the UFO Club times, they would often visit each studio to see what both bands were doing. During a visit, Syd decided to invite Soft Machine to play along some of the songs that remained unrecorded.

On the same day, Soft Machine and Syd rehearsed and jammed, recording four songs in sequence, No Man's Land, No Good Trying, Clowns and Jugglers I, and Love You. "Syd's idea to bring Soft Machine and record some tracks with them was amazing, it spared us a lot of time.", Nick Mason. Most of the songs recorded with Soft Machine received little or no overdubs, except for "Love You" which included a piano performed by Richard Wright.

With a similar idea, Pink Floyd also rehearsed and performed the remaining tracks of Syd, including another version of Clowns and Jugglers that would become Clowns and Jugglers II and the single version. "To be honest, I think that Soft Machine's take on Clowns and Jugglers was bloody awful. Sometimes noisy, sometimes irregular, but Syd liked after all, even if I was saying to keep it out of the album.", Roger Waters.

Syd managed to finish his album, sparing two weeks until the deadline, leaving the album to his former bandmates to mix. "Hmm, yeah, most of the mixing portion was under my supervision, since I liked to do this more than the guys. Syd also liked the result of the final product, so everyone reached an agreement.", Nick Mason.

The album was entitled Clowns and Jugglers, after the two versions recorded for the album. Clowns and Jugglers II was released as single as Octopus, backed by Double O Bo. The single was quite successful in Britain and France but failed to reach the charts in the US. Syd decided to also release Silas Lang, Here I Go and Late Night as singles, with the last two being successful in Britain and throughout Europe. In the United States, Late Night received certain attention in the West Coast.

Syd Barrett – Clowns and Jugglers

Syd Barrett - Clowns and Jugglers (1969)
Genre: Psychedelic folk, acid rock
Total: 43:54
All tracks written by Syd Barrett, except when noted.

Side A - 21:34
1. "Butterfly" - 3:00
2. "Silas Lang (Swan Lee)" - 3:13
3. "No Man's Land" - 3:03
4. "No Good Trying" - 3:26
5. "Clowns and Jugglers I (The Madcap Laughs)" - 3:27

6. "Double 'O Bo" - 2:57
7. "Love You" - 2:30

Side B - 22:20
8. "Clowns and Jugglers II (Octopus)" - 3:47
9. "Here I Go" - 3:11

10. "Terrapin" - 5:04
11. "(She's a) Dolly Rocker" - 3:02
12. "Wouldn't You Miss Me?" - 2:02
13. "Golden Hair" (Syd Barrett, James Joyce) - 1:59
14. "Late Night" - 3:10

Clowns and Jugglers is the second studio album from English singer-songwriter Syd Barrett. The album was released on 16 September 1969 in the United Kingdom by Blackhill Records and on 24 September 1969, being distributed by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by Pink Floyd under the pseudonym of Arnold Layne and is the last one featuring Willie Wilson.

In later years, Peter Jenner would sue Syd, earning the role as producer along with the Pink Floyd. The album was recorded in two weeks, most compromising of Syd's acoustic songs in a week, and another week with sessions featuring Pink Floyd and Soft Machine. The lyrical themes of Clowns and Jugglers include surrealism, personal feelings, and romantic songs in general.

The album is characterized by less experimentalism from the previous album (seen mostly in the first track) and more folk and rock-oriented tracks. The suggestion was given by Andrew King, who looked for songs similar to the ones found in Rubber Band records. At the time, the record became more popular than the predecessor, as the youth identified with some of Syd's lyrics.

After the release, the press reacted negatively first, but then the album received mixed-to-positive reviews in general. Syd released four songs as singles, Clowns and Jugglers II (released as Octopus), Silas Lang, Here I Go and Late Night. The public reaction was positive after all, with the album reaching number 5 in Britain while it reached number 99 in Billboard Top LPs. After Clowns and Jugglers, Syd wouldn't release an album until 1971, focusing on touring and the start of his career on acting.

A little swap

Marc Bolan and Mickey Finn, members of T. Rex, 1969.

After Beyond the Rising Sun or the Beginning of Doves, Marc Bolan and T. Rex would record and release three more albums in a year span: the folk-oriented My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows (July 1968); Prophets, Seers & Sages: The Angels of the Ages (October 1968), and the more rock-oriented Unicorn (May 1969).

 

The second, third, and fourth albums by Tyrannosaurus Rex.

However, as time passed by, it was more than a fact that Marc Bolan was the frontman and the mind behind Tyrannosaurus Rex, while Rick Wills and Willie Wilson were becoming rather... side members. This being said, Bolan recruited Mickey Finn to be a part of the band, playing percussion instruments, except for the drums, still played by Willie, even though that line-up wouldn't stay for more than a few days, given the fact that Willie Wilson would leave the band for Tailboard.

As for Rick Wills, the bass player would still stay in Tyrannosaurus Rex until 1971, being replaced by Steve Currie. After his departure, Wills would move to Peter Frampton's backing band, then the Small Faces, before finally settling in Foreigner for 14 years. And with that, Tyrannosaurus Rex, now known as T. Rex, would follow the same path as OTL for a few years until we jump back into it.

But all of it's going to burn

Arthur Brown during a performance.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, led by no other than the God of Hellfire himself, Arthur Brown, was another rising band under the Blackhill Records, and the first one outside the Rubber Band-Pink Floyd faction to make a hit song with Fire, ironically, becoming Blackhill's best-selling single for a while, reaching number 2 on Billboard Hot 100 and topping the UK Singles Charts.

However, his band often associated with singer-songwriter Syd Barrett due to Vincent Crane, the keyboardist for both, sometimes even performing or touring together. Drummer Drachen Theaker was replaced by Carl Palmer due to his aviophobia. Following the successful eponymous debut record, the band recorded their second album, Strangelands.

Crazy World of Arthur Brown's Strangelands. Certainly an album that no one will forget.

Arthur Brown's second album Strangelands was panned by critics at the time. In an article titled "Strangelands or How To Not Ruin Your Band's Rising Career", music critic XX harshly describes the album as 'dissonant', 'nonsensical', 'painfully experimental', and outside from everything that people expected from their last album. Strangelands was released only in 1971 and didn't chart in the United States, while in Britain the album reached number 19, before falling.

Personally, the band entered into a risky situation with the label that even the God of Hellfire himself was surprised, after temporarily retiring to a commune. The band itself avoided to talk about the record, and behind the scenes, requested to Brown more participation in the band's business and records, and the label wanted a change from style.

"Well, the high management wanted us to change our style. The thing is that we were already searching for a specific new style, even though things went wrong with Strangelands. I didn't want to stick with the same style we've used on The Crazy World [of Arthur Brown]."

 -Arthur Brown, 1973.

For Blackhill, Strangelands became their first failure, ironically, coming from the ones who gave them their best-selling hit. With the expensive Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett/Tailboard tour in September, the management started to be more cautious in a lot of ways, by avoiding 'too much experimental/nonsense' records and simply not doing such an ambitious tour.

For the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, a few things were reformed. The band itself, was dissolved, becoming Atomic Rooster. Arthur Brown, Vincent Crane, and Carl Palmer stayed in the group, being joined by guitarist Andy Dalby and bass player Desmond Fisher. From then, the band would take a progressive turn, sometimes flirting with the experimental and hard rock scenes.

As years passed, critics would reevaluate the record, being more moderate, and even considering it innovative in several aspects, developing a cult following around the album. Groups such as Animal Collective drawn a few inspirations from aspects of the album's ambiency.

Come on and enjoy us

Willy Prairie and Joe Prairie... perhaps; 1969.

As the band released the successful A Doll's House, John Lennon, influenced by his wife, wanted the group to release a full experimental record with the outtakes and tracks of the sessions, similarly to the then-unreleased Revolution 9.

"Well, John was deeply into Yoko's influence, and persuaded us to make something... similar to Revolution 9. Actually we wanted to do something different, and we had those jams recorded in 1968, but we didn't want to go under that avant-garde rubbishness, so we moved to do a 'novelty record'. And thus, teaming up with Billy Preston, The Prairie Wallflowers were born!"

-Paul McCartney, 2013 

"Well, Paul had his idea to that documentary about 'how does Beatles produce their albums', and I hooked with them to help to record it. And one day John came to me wondering if I would like to join them to record a few more stuff to an 'untitled alternate project' to Get Back, and then told me to choose a new name."

-Billy Preston, 1995

The idea for Joe Prairie & The Prairie Wallflowers popped up after a reunion of the Beatles in George's Kinfauns, after a listening of the unreleased tapes of the 1968 sessions. The name for the group came from the song Los Paranoias. The concept of a Beatles' record under an alias seemed interesting and was approved by the manager Brian Epstein, who booked sessions for them in secrecy at the Trident Studios.

Paul picked the frontman's name, Joe Prairie, while John named himself as Stu Prairie as a tribute to his late friend and early member of The Beatles, Stuart Sutcliffe, Billy Preston chose Willy, George used Nelson and Ringo chose Leon.

The album was recorded over three days, then mixed by George Martin, packed to release with a shot of The Beatles' rooftop concert. Joe Prairie's name was first mentioned in an interview with Paul McCartney and John Lennon on BBC, announcing the new, non-Beatle album, with the premiere release of the single 'Come and Get It' two days later. Next, Brian clarified that the album was made with recordings dating since the sessions of 1968.

Joe Prairie & The Prairie Wallflowers – Back in Your Safely Beds

Joe Prairie & The Prairie Wallflowers - Back in Your Safely Beds (1969)

Genre: Jam band, rock and roll, psychedelic folk, experimental

Total: 41:32

Side A - 20:51

1. "Can You Take Me Back? (There You Are, Eddie)" (Joe Prairie) - 4:05

2. "Dig It" (Joe Prairie, Stu Prairie, Tom Prairie, Nelson Prairie, Leon Prairie) - 0:50

3. "Suzy Parker" (J. Prairie, S. Prairie, T. Prairie, N. Prairie, L. Prairie) - 2:00

4. "Wild Honey Pie" (J. Prairie) - 0:54

5. "What's The New Mary Jane" (S. Prairie) - 6:12

6. "(You're So Square) Baby I Don’t Care" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 0:42

7. "Maggie Mae" (traditional, arr. The Prairie Wallflowers) - 0:40

8. "St. Louis Blues/Heart of the Black Country" (J. Prairie/W. C. Handy) - 1:10

9. "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" (S. Prairie) - 4:21

Side B - 20:41

10. "Blue Moon/I Will" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart/J. Prairie) - 2:57

11. "Come and Get It" (J. Prairie) - 2:30

12. "Apple Jam" (J. Prairie, S. Prairie, T. Prairie, N. Prairie, L. Prairie) - 2:20

13. "Medley: Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Blue Suede Shoes" (Robert Blackwell, John Marascalco/Charles Calhoun/Carl Perkins) - 3:18

14. "Step Inside Love" (J. Prairie) - 1:34

15. "Los Paranoias" (J. Prairie) - 3:58

16. "Ain't She Sweet" (Jack Yellen, Milton Ager) - 2:08

17. "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" (Bill Katz, Ruth Roberts, Stanley Clayton) - 1:56

Back in Your Safely Beds is a studio album, parallel to the Get Back project, released by The Beatles plus Billy Preston under the pseudonym of Joe Prairie & The Prairie Wallflowers. The album is filled with studio jams and remaining content spanning from the sessions back from Umbrella, A Doll's House, and the upcoming Abbey Road and Get Back albums. The album was recorded by the band in secrecy, then mixed and produced by George Martin.

The album is comprised of several cover versions of rock and roll numbers, studio jams, and experimental compositions of the group. The album was revealed when Paul McCartney and John Lennon were interviewed, while a few days later, Apple/NEMS issued Come and Get It as the lead single for the album. Back in Your Safely Beds was received with a big interest and generally positive reviews by music critics, citing it as an impressive way to reuse discarded songs into a new work. The album peaked in number 3 in UK Albums Charts and reached number 7 in Billboard Top LP's.

Musicologist and author Ian MacDonald said that the pseudonym strategy to release more experimental music was very helpful, since if the band released the album under their own name it was going to be a critical failure similar to Magical Mystery Tour.

Beach Boy Carl Wilson mentioned Back in Your Safely Beds as a heavy influence on Beach Boys' Carl and the Passions. The same concept was revived on George Harrison's supergroup, The Traveling Wilburys, with Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. Forgotten for a while, the record was later re-evaluated by the fans and received a cult following status. John Lennon later referred to the album as one of his favorite records during The Beatles. The band would later revive the concept in 1976 as their last work before the hiatus, but shelved the album.


Author's comments:
The idea for Joe Prairie & The Prairie Wallflowers was loosely inspired by the Beatles' experimental albums in Strawberry Peppers and Something Creative, but I didn't want to... make another version of those albums (which are amazing, by the way). Then, the idea for the band emerged as a way to reutilize some of the unused material, like the cover numbers from The Beatles that were recorded during that period.

And, as I said, no more New Yardbirds, or any plot related to Led Zeppelin. Instead, however, there will be an alternative version of Atomic Rooster with the inclusion/fusion of Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. The main issue is that Led Zeppelin and Renaissance had two very different styles to work with.

Sources:
Syd Barrett - Clowns and Jugglers:

• Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs
• Syd Barrett - Opel
• Pink Floyd - The Early Years

Joe Prairie & the Prairie Wallflowers - Back in Your Safely Beds:

• The Beatles - White Album (Deluxe Edition)
• The Beatles - Let It Be
• The Beatles - Anthology 2
• The Beatles - The Black Album [bootleg]

1969: All This Crazy Gift of Time

From the past!

Pink Floyd a few years back, performing as Sigma 6, 1963.

"Out of all years, one of the most strangest ones was 1969. I mean, I accidentally met Clive [Metcalfe] and Keith [Noble] during a walk in the park. And then, a few weeks later, there was me, David, Rick and Nick producing their album, their try to reach the stardom. Oh, and Rado [Klose] was there too, doing his guitar work as usual."

-Roger Waters, 1976

The meeting between Roger and his two former bandmates led to the entry of both to the Blackhill Records. At the time, Clive and Keith Noble were reforming their duo into a band, searching for a drummer and another guitarist. Roger suggested Rado Klose, who just returned from the military service and Willie Wilson, who recently left Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group was formed under the name of Tailboard. Andrew King was appointed as the manager of the band, leaving Steve O'Rourke to Pink Floyd and Peter Jenner to Syd Barrett.

Tailboard:

Keith Noble - lead vocals, acoustic guitar

Rado Klose - lead guitar

Clive Metcalfe - bass guitar, violin

Willie Wilson - drums, percussion

Tailboard started to perform as the backing band to Syd Barrett (joined by Egg's keyboardist Dave Stewart), sometimes performing their own acts with Keith Noble. "Tailboard was like the second half of Pink Floyd, an amalgam of previous incarnations of former members into one, solid ball.", Roger Waters. Through the second half of 1969, Syd Barrett and Tailboard (billed as Syd Barrett & Tailboard) joined Pink Floyd on a tour through the United Kingdom and Europe, rising their popularity on the Old World.

Dutch poster promoting a concert of Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett/Tailboard tour, 1969.

Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett & Tailboard
Setlist (excerpt from Antwerp, Belgium; September 30th, 1969):
Syd Barrett & Tailboard
1. "Clowns and Jugglers" (Syd Barrett)
2. "Here I Go" (Barrett)
3. "Mr. Compromise" (Keith Noble)
4. "Apples and Oranges" (Barrett)
5. "Up and Down Way" (Noble)
6. "Golden Hair/Terrapin" (Barrett, James Joyce/Barrett)
7. "Weather" (Noble)
8. "Arnold Layne" (Barrett, David Bowie)
9. "Only When I Laugh" (Noble)
10. "See Emily Play" (Barrett, Bowie)
11. "Late Night" (Barrett)

First Encore [Syd Barrett & Tailboard/Pink Floyd]
1. "Astronomy Domine" (Barrett)
2. "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules" (Roger Waters, Richard Wright, David Gilmour, Nick Mason)
3. "Interstellar Overdrive" (Barrett, Vincent Crane, Rick Wills, Willie Wilson)
4. "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason)

Pink Floyd
1. "Grantchester Meadows" (Waters)
2. "Biding My Time" (Waters)
3. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (Waters)
4. "The Nile" (Waters, Gilmour)
5. "Ibiza Bar" (Waters, Gilmour)
6. "See-Saw" (Wright)
7. "Embryo" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason)
8. "Cymbaline" (Waters, Gilmour)

Second Encore [Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett & Tailboard]
1. "A Summer Song" (Noble, David Stuart)
2. "Point Me at the Sky" (Waters, Gilmour)
3. "The Bike Song (Singalong)" (Barrett)

Although the tour seemed enjoyable by the bands and artists involved, the expenses of the tour caused problems to everyone, especially to Blackhill Enterprises. The costs of the tour was one of the main reasons that forced their label, Blackhill Records, to become extinct a few years later. For those who were involved, the main exit was to record a new album to pay the charges.

"At least we had fun! *laughs*; But sure it was fantastic to tour with Pink Floyd [Sound] and Syd, the problems started to appear a few days after the last concert when the bill came to almost everyone in Blackhill. We almost had no chance to tour again, but Andrew [King] was very kind to talk with us about that. I even own a bootleg which I bought a few months after the tour. They didn't want to release a live record, so I bought one by myself."

-Keith Noble, 2009

"Recording 'Basking in the Sunshine...' was... quite spontaneous. Since Peter Jenner yelled at us due to the high cost of the tour, we were quite obliged to make a new record. Anyway, we met in the front of the studios and Roger said something like 'Well, let's make another record, aight?', and we just started jamming for a while until new ideas came during the jam. We also had a few bits from 'Are Going Insane!' which we started to work on it later. [...]"

-Richard Wright, 2001 (Wearing the Inside Out: Stories Inside the Pink Floyd)

As long as they lie perfectly still

Robert Wyatt performing with Soft Machine at Ronnie Scott's, 1969. During that time, Soft Machine was temporarily reformed with Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, and Hugh Hopper.

In late 1968, the Soft Machine briefly disbanded. Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen (along with his partner, Gilli Smyth) were found at their retreat in Deià, Robert Wyatt stayed with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Laurel Canyon, and Mike Ratledge went back to England. After a month, Wyatt reformed the band with Mike Ratledge (keyboards), Hugh Hopper (bass) and Andy Summers (guitar), who left the band at the end of a series of gigs in the UK. Wyatt couldn't reach Kevin and Daevid Allen at the time.

"I never liked to have any kind of commitment or obligation, I always had a free spirit, actually the entire band had a free spirit, to be honest. That's why I never liked to tour and why I was afraid from the success in the United States. I was fearing that my lifetyle could be dragged from me, replacing it with a robotic lifestyle of touring and recording, and that almost happened. That's why I wrote 'Am I Really Marcel?', for an example.

But Jimi was the one who wanted me to continue with music. This was evident when he gave me my acoustic guitar. I was quite happy, and that gave me confidence enough to continue in the music business instead of simply retiring."

-Kevin Ayers, 2008 

In February, Soft Machine started to record their second album with Hibou, Anemone and Bear, and As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still. During the recording sessions, the band developed Esther's Nose Job (which was shelved to Magick Brother) while Hugh Hopper wrote Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening. "Yeah, part of the songs composed before the arrival of Kevin and Daevid were dropping a hint on 'em. And somehow they liked these songs.", Robert Wyatt.

During the recording sessions, Syd Barrett, who was recording his second studio album Clowns and Jugglers, invited Soft Machine to play along, recording four out of six songs of the first side of Syd's album. "I knew that Robert, Mike, and Hugh played along with Syd when I arrived in London and I was glad for them. Hopefully, I could bring him for our session right before he could embark on his tour with Pink Floyd.", Kevin Ayers.

Kevin, along with Daevid and Gilli arrived in London in late May 1969. Surprised with the sudden news that Robert reformed Soft Machine without both, Kevin and Daevid argued with Robert and Mike about the issue. "Well, that was the start of my departure from Soft Machine. I couldn't believe that they did that to us.", Daevid Allen. "The main problem there was Mike. He didn't want me to be on Soft Machine again.". The personal conflicts between Daevid and Mike would result in Daevid's departure from Soft Machine during the Magick Brother tour.

Throughout June and July, Soft Machine focused on the songs from Kevin and Daevid. Syd Barrett would be invited by Kevin to play the lead guitar on the track Singing a Song in the Morning. The album was named Exiled from Canterbury from the incident which Daevid wasn't allowed to enter the United Kingdom, with the entire band staying out of Britain for almost one year. After the sessions of Exiled from Canterbury were finished, the band immediately started to record their next album, Magick Brother.

Exiled from Canterbury was announced as the second album by Soft Machine, while the release was scheduled to October 1969. Singing a Song in the Morning b/w Gong Song was released as promotional single and earned a new hit from the band by topping in Britain Singles Charts and peaking in number 12 in Billboard Hot 100. The band did a promotional concert in London but opted to focus on the follow-up of the album.

Soft Machine – Exiled from Canterbury

(L-R): UK version; US version

Soft Machine - Exiled from Canterbury (1969)

Genre: Canterbury scene, psychedelic rock, jazz-rock

Total: 43:44

Side A - 21:11

1. "A Concise British Alphabet" (Robert Wyatt, Hugh Hopper) - 1:23

2. "5 and 20 Schoolgirls" (Daevid Allen) - 4:30

3. "Hibou, Anemone and Bear" (Mike Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper) - 5:58

4. "Song for Insane Times" (Ayers) - 4:00

5. "As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still" (Ratledge, Wyatt) - 2:30

6. "Singing a Song in the Morning" (Ayers) - 2:50

Side B - 22:33

7. "Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening" (H. Hopper) - 2:30

8. "Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)" (Ayers) - 2:53

9. "Gong Song" (Allen) - 4:11

10. "Glad to Sad to Say" (Allen) - 3:43

11. "The Lady Rachel" (Ayers) - 5:17

12. "All This Crazy Gift of Time" (Ayers) - 3:57

Exiled from Canterbury is the second studio album by Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, produced by Nick Mason and Soft Machine. It is the first album with Hugh Hopper being credited as an official member. The album was recorded between February and July 1969 at the Abbey Road Studios and released on 10 October 1969 by Blackhill Records in the United States and 24 October 1969 by CBS Records in the United States. It was first recorded under the trio, Robert Wyatt–Mike Ratledge–Hugh Hopper, but then Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen arrived to complete the band. The album's cover didn't have the participation of Daevid Allen, who appeared in the portrait on the wall.

The album differs from Hope for Happiness by having minimal or no extended jams (differently from the predecessor, which was mostly composed of suites and jams). Most of the album walks into a folk, psychedelic, rock-oriented direction, but still, jazz is the main element of the record. According to Robert Wyatt, the album has dadaist influences and was inspired by the Mothers of Invention's Absolutely Free. It is considered to have unusual lyrics for the time, and the central key to be considered an influent psychedelic record at the time.

With the release, the record received initially mixed reviews but as time passed, Exiled from Canterbury was considered Soft Machine's biggest effort in the 60's. The album peaked in number 2 in UK Album Charts and number 59 in US Billboard Top LPs. Most of the success of the album was due to the hit of the promotional single, Singing a Song in the Morning. After the release, Blackhill released The Lady Rachel as the second single, becoming one personal favorite of the fans being performed in later tours.

Back to the greasy asylum

Joe Cocker, 1969.

The Greasy Asylum has experienced a regular status as celebrities after the release of their debut album and the lead single With a Little Help From my Friends. In the United States, the group toured and performed at several large festivals, such as the Newport Music Festival and the Denver Pop Festival. And though the band was formed by six members, Joe Cocker and Leon Russell were mostly regarded as the frontmen and the minds behind the band's creative outputs.

After the end of the US tour, Greasy Asylum gathered at the ARS Studios and started to record the second album. The recording sessions of the group dragged the attention of the public after the contribution of Beatles' George Harrison and Ringo Starr in two songs (Dixie Lullaby and Hurtsome Body) and vocals from Jackie Lomax and Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, working as an influence for the hype of the follow-up to Looking at the Greasy Asylum.

"Everything happened when the bosses [George Harrison and Ringo Starr] entered in the studio to see what we were doing there. At the time they were recording with Jackie Lomax, I think, because he contributed with some vocals later, and suddenly I see George and Ringo picking the instruments and playing along with the band. That was quite surprising, we jammed the two songs and edited to fit them in the record."

-Leon Russell, 1978

In July, producer Denny Cordell convinced the organizer of Woodstock Festival, Artie Kornfeld of booking the Greasy Asylum for the Festival. At the time, the group had finished the sessions and embarked on a short UK tour followed by another leg in the United States, both supported by Jackie Lomax and Rita Coolidge. "Looking back then, the early Greasy Asylum years were pretty intense for everyone on that recording-touring routine. We liked that, but at the same time it just looks that we sort of abused our bodies during the tours.", Joe Cocker.

Greasy Asylum released Delta Lady, the title track, backed with another, longer, version sung by Leon Russell. The song managed to be a hit in Britain, but a minor hit in the United States. The album was scheduled to be released on 12 August 1969, three days before the Woodstock Festival.

Greasy Asylum – Delta Lady

Greasy Asylum - Delta Lady (1969)

Genre: Rock, pop-rock, blues rock

Total: 40:10

Side A - 19:46

1. "That's Your Business Now" (Joe Cocker, Chris Stainton) - 2:56

2. "Dixie Lullaby" (Leon Russell, Stainton) - 2:35

3. "She's So Good to Me" (Cocker, Stainton) - 2:56

4. "Hurtsome Body" (Russell) - 3:39

5. "Something" (George Harrison) - 3:32

6. "A Song for You" (Russell) - 4:08

Side B - 20:24

7. "Hummingbird" (Russell) - 4:02

8. "Delta Lady" (Russell) - 2:51

9. "I Put a Spell on You" (Russell) - 4:12

10. "Bird on the Wire" (Leonard Cohen) - 4:30

11. "Darling Be Home Soon" (John Sebastian) - 4:49

Delta Lady is the second studio album by the British-American rock band Greasy Asylum. The album was produced by Leon Russell and Denny Cordell and released on 12 August 1969 in the United States by Shelter Records and on 18 August 1969 in the United Kingdom by Apple Records. Delta Lady was Greasy Asylum's last album under the Apple Records label after the disagreement of the band with Allen Klein, who became Apple Records' manager until early 1971.

The album is comprised of Leon Russell's songs, some of them performed by Joe Cocker, and cover versions by Cocker himself. Delta Lady is also remembered by the contributions of Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr in two songs and backing vocals of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. Something, written by George, would be later performed by himself on The Beatles' Abbey Road.

In the United States, the record reached number 43 in Billboard Top LPs while reached number 3 in UK Album Charts. Greasy Asylum released the title track as single, becoming a hit in Britain and a minor hit in the US. That's Your Business Now was released as single in 1970 backed by Death of the Flowers, failing to chart. Something and A Song for You were released simultaneously, both of them being reasonably successful.

Author's notes:
Hello everyone!
Finally back with a new band, and the return from another band. Anyway, in the next post, Woodstock! There'll not be a lot of changes, but I'll mostly focus on Woodstock.
And regarding Tailboard, recently I've discovered that Keith Noble, a member of previous incarnations of Pink Floyd released an album in 1970 (with contributions of Rado Klose!). The initial idea was to sign Keith as a solo artist, but I found that Clive Metcalfe, another member, had a duo with Keith called "The Tailboard Duo", so the idea evolved to a band.

Hope you like it! :)

Source:
Soft Machine - Exiled from Canterbury

• Soft Machine - Volume Two
• Kevin Ayers - Joy of a Toy (plus Bonus Tracks)
• Gong - Magick Brother

Greasy Asylum - Delta Lady

• Joe Cocker - Joe Cocker!
• Leon Russell - Leon Russell (1970)

1968: Records and Festivals

More beautiful than a dustbin

Soft Machine performing at the Ce Soir On Danse, 1968.

David Bowie during a photo session.

Despite not performing in Britain for a while, this was an opportunity to Soft Machine as the opening act for Jimi Hendrix Experience to promote the band, which was receiving attention in Europe. During the break of the tour, the Soft Machine booked sessions throughout April 1968 at the Record Plant in New York to record their first full-length album. The band was helped by Chas Chandler, in charge of production, and Brian Hopper, who was assistant producer and arranger.

At the same time, David Bowie was also recording his debut solo album in the same place in which the band was recording their album. Bowie was finishing a portion of his record since he was there since February 1968, while the band just started to re-record demos which were done during the sessions of Shooting at the Moon and record new stuff which was played during the tour in the US.

"So we were chatting at the studio when Kevin saw that bowl-haired, skinny picture walking around the studio, and that was when we surprisingly met Bowie, who was also recording his album there. We actually hadn't that kind of friendship until that moment, he looked very shy, but excited to meet us, and I can't say that I didn't feel the same for him. *laughs*"

-Robert Wyatt, 2006

"Me and the folks from Soft Machine almost went bankrupt at that time *laughs*. We hanged out almost every day in NY, it was a fun moment until I had to return to London to finish some stuff for my album. It was during the sessions of Cygnet Committee when I developed Lover to the Dawn, and part of the concept of the album. It was a hidden story inside the album, virtually, which came at the last moment."

-David Bowie, 2001

The Soft Machine recorded the album in one month. The title track, Hope for Happiness, along with the Side B was recorded in one take, while Why Are We Sleeping? received overdubs, such as the backing vocals in the chorus. After the sessions, the band left the mixing part with Chas Chandler and Brian Hopper, mixed at the Olympic Studios.

Hope for Happiness was announced by Blackhill Records and quite promoted in magazines and newspapers. A Certain Kind was released as the promotional single for the album, backed by Priscilla. The single became a hit in the United Kingdom and France, topping in the French Single Charts while it peaked in number 6 in Britain. In 2017, singer-songwriter Weyes Blood would release a cover version of the song.

"It was not our best, but it was a satisfying work, though. It's quite strange to see the evolution from that extended play to our debut album, we really looked to ourselves as professionals."

 -Daevid Allen, 2005

As for David Bowie, he still proceeded to record the album back in London with producer Tony Visconti, as suggested by Marc Bolan. Lover to the Dawn was a sort-of whimsical song besides the others, a trigger into Bowie's mind to shift his thoughts towards the album. Bowie worked on the track for one week, recording sixteen takes. The new name of the album, Cygnet Committee, was related to the track, to the revolutionaries and the committee which was formed afterward.

The album was announced with certain anticipation as Cygnet Committee. In the Heat of the Morning was the lead single, receiving good reviews in general, which appointed several similarities with the Bee Gees work. The single was backed by a version of Life is a Circus, by Roger Bunn. In the Heat of the Morning peaked in number 12 in Britain, while it failed to chart in the US, and peaked in number 46 in West Germany.

Soft Machine – Hope for Happiness

Soft Machine - Hope for Happiness (1968)

Genre: Canterbury scene, psychedelic jazz, acid rock, freakbeat

Total: 41:59

Side A - 23:39

1. "Box 25/4 Lid" (Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper) - 0:49

2. "Hope for Happiness" (Kevin Ayers, Ratledge, Brian Hopper) - 8:49

3. "You Don't Remember" (Daevid Allen, Robert Wyatt) - 3:42

4. "I'd Rather Be With You" (Ayers) - 3:38

5. "She's Gone" (Ayers) - 2:28

6. "A Certain Kind" (H. Hopper) - 4:13

Side B - 18:20

7. "Save Yourself" (Wyatt) - 2:26

8. "Priscilla" (Ayers, Ratledge, Wyatt, Allen) - 1:03

9. "Lullabye Letter" (Ayers) - 4:32

10. "We Did It Again" (Ayers) - 3:46

11. "Plus Belle qu'une Poubelle" (Ayers) - 1:03

12. "Why Are We Sleeping?" (Ayers, Ratledge, Wyatt, Allen) - 5:30

Hope for Happiness is the debut, full-length studio album by the Canterbury scene band Soft Machine. The record was recorded in April 1968 at the Record Plant Studios in New York, produced by Chas Chandler and Brian Hopper, and released by Blackhill Records in the United Kingdom on 29 June 1968, and by CBS in the United States on 01 August 1968. The album was recorded during the "period-on-exile" by the band since lead guitarist Daevid Allen couldn't enter the United Kingdom for a year.

Soft Machine's record is characterized by long and extended jams (such as the title track and the entire second side), pop, love, and beat-oriented songs, and its whimsical lyrics, mostly by Kevin Ayers, who co-wrote 8 out of 12 tracks. A Certain Kind, the lead single, was a hit in the United Kingdom, France, and parts of Europe, while the second single, Why Are We Sleeping?, was more successful in the United States, but essentially in the West Coast, in San Francisco.

The album was commercially successful, reaching number 4 in the UK Album Charts, topping in France, and peaking in number 79 in the Billboard Top LP's & Records. In later years, Hope for Happiness gained a status as a cult favorite. It is regularly reissued with the Shooting at the Moon EP.

David Bowie – Cygnet Committee

David Bowie - Cygnet Committee (1968)

Genre: Progressive folk, baroque pop, psychedelic rock

Total: 39:45

Side A - 20:52

1. "Uncle Arthur" - 2:07

2. "She's Got Medals" - 2:23

3. "Come and Buy My Toys" - 2:07

4. "Maid of Bond Street" - 1:43

5. "We Are Hungry Men" - 2:59

6. "Lover to the Dawn" - 9:33

Side B - 18:53

7. "Let Me Sleep Beside You" - 3:20

8. "The Gospel According to Tony Day" - 2:46

9. "Little Bombardier" - 3:23

10. "Did You Ever Have a Dream" - 2:05

11. "Karma Man" - 3:03

12. "In the Heat of the Morning" - 4:16

Cygnet Committee is the debut solo album by David Bowie after the break-up of Rubber Band. The album was recorded at the Record Plant Studios in New York between February and April 1968, and at the Trident Studios in London between May and June. The album was produced by Mike Vernon and Tony Visconti and released by Blackhill Records on 27 September 1968 in Britain and on 29 September in the US. The album, along with Space Oddity, is considered a part of the transition of Bowie to the Art rock and Glam rock influences.

According to Bowie, Cygnet Committee has a hidden concept, which is more noticeable on We Are Hungry Men and Lover to the Dawn. Themes of the album focuses around loneliness, anti-war music, dystopian themes, day by day issues and social concerns. By most of the musicologists, Cygnet Committee is the start of a story hidden in a portion of Bowie's records, such as Space Oddity, The Man Who Sold the World, even Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs.

The record was very successful, receiving generally positive reviews by the critics. It peaked in number 3 in Britain, and number 102 in Billboard. In the Heat of the Morning was released as single. In an analysis, the contrast between Bowie's Cygnet Committee, Bolan's Beyond the Rising Sun or the Beginning of Doves, and Syd Barrett's Rooftop in a Thunderstorm Row Missing the Point was evident, since while Bowie shifted towards an art-oriented direction, Syd preferred to move into an experimental verge on his career, and Bolan pursued a more psychedelic folk-sound.

Hyde Park - June 29th, 1968

The Fleetwood Mac performing at the Hyde Park Festival, June 29th, 1968.

In 1968, the Blackhill Enterprises held the first music festival at Hyde Park, between 27 and 30 June of that year. Famous artists and bands in Britain and some American ones were invited to perform at the festival. It was opened by directors Andrew King and Peter Jenner, and following them, Jethro Tull was the first band to perform at the festival.

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd at Hyde Park, 1968.

Pink Floyd first appeared on stage on the night of June 28th, around 7PM. The group performed Keep Smiling People entirely and performed four more songs from the previous album as the encore. Live footage was shortly recorded from songs such as Careful With That Axe, Eugene, and The Massed Gadgets of Hercules. Bootlegs are widely available, but Pink Floyd released an official recording in the boxset of The Early Years.

Setlist
Keep Smiling People
1. "Let There Be More Light" (Roger Waters)
2. "See-Saw" (Richard Wright)
3. "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (Waters, Wright, David Gilmour, Nick Mason)
4. "Corporal Clegg" (Waters)
5. "Julia Dream" (Waters)
6. "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason)
7. "Paintbox" (Wright)
8. "It Would Be So Nice" (Wright)

Encore
9. "Reactioning" (Waters, Wright, Gilmour, Mason)
10. "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (Waters)
11. "I Must Tell You Why" (Michael Magne, Gilmour)
12. "Remember a Day" (Wright)


Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett, a few days before the festival.

Barrett's performance started on the evening of June 29th, 5PM. For the highlight of the concert, he invited two of the Pink Floyd members, David Gilmour and Richard Wright, and also Arthur Brown, to play on a few songs from the Rubber Band albums. Syd released some of the recorded stuff from the Festival as B-Sides for his singles. He recalls the concert as one of the most wonderful gigs that he ever made.

Setlist
Rooftop in a Thunderstorm Row Missing the Point (provisionally titled 'Just a Syd Barrett Album')
1. "Vegetable Man" (Syd Barrett)
2. "Apples and Oranges" (Barrett)
3. "In the Beechwoods" (Barrett)
4. "Pow R. Toc H." (Barrett, Vincent Crane, Rick Wills, Willie Wilson)
5. "Scarecrow" (Barrett)
6. "Scream Thy Last Scream" (Barrett)
7. "The Gnome" (Barrett)
8. "Jugband Blues" (Barrett)

Encore (featuring David Gilmour and Richard Wright from Pink Floyd; and Arthur Brown)
9. "Astronomy Domine" (Barrett)
10. "Interstellar Overdrive" (Barrett, Crane, Wills, Wilson)
11. "Matilda Mother" (Barrett, Hilaire Belloc)
12. "Arnold Layne" (Barrett, Bowie)
13. "See Emily Play" (Barrett, Bowie)
14. "The Bike Song" (Barrett)


Soft Machine

Soft Machine with Jimi Hendrix Experience.

During the break of Jimi Hendrix's tour, Soft Machine recorded the debut album and received an invitation of Blackhill to perform at the festival, which all agreed. The group, supported by bass player Hugh Hopper and guitarist Andy Summers, arrived a day earlier, due to problems with Allen's passport, and performed their usual setlist at the time. The group appeared at the festival in the afternoon, about 4PM. In 2004, Soft Machine would release the official live album of the performance.

Setlist
Hope for Happiness/Shooting at the Moon
1. "A Certain Kind" (Hugh Hopper)
2. "Love Makes Sweet Music" (Kevin Ayers)
3. "Memories" (H. Hopper)
4. "That's How Much I Need You Now" (Robert Wyatt)
5. "You Don't Remember" (Daevid Allen, Wyatt)
6. "Jet-Propelled Photograph" (Ayers)
7. "Save Yourself" (Wyatt)
8. "Lullabye Letter" (Ayers)
9. "She's Gone" (Ayers)
10. "Hope for Happiness" (Ayers, Mike Ratledge, Brian Hopper)

Encore
11. "I Should've Known" (Ayers, Ratledge, Wyatt, Allen, H. Hopper)
12. "We Did It Again" (Ayers)
13. "Why Are We Sleeping?" (Ayers)

Sources:

Soft Machine - Hope for Happiness

• Soft Machine - Faces and Places Vol. 7
• The Soft Machine - Volume One

David Bowie - Cygnet Committee

• David Bowie - David Bowie (1967; Deluxe edition)
• David Bowie - David Bowie (aka Space Oddity)