File Under:
Psychedelic Folk / Songwriter

last update: 20.04.2012
Register to the Newsletter

Sound:

Links:

Purchase:

• PtolemaicTerrascope - a huge 24-page article
                                                about Mac McLeod
• CMT.com - article about Mac MacLeod by 
                                                 Richie Unterberger

CD: 7,95 Euro -  >Order Here<

Distributed by the Surreal Peppermint Store, 
your specialist concerning Psychedelic
Delights for Body & Mind.

Further Reviews:

• AMBER waren ein Duo aus dem Umfeld des schottischen Singer / Songwriter und Acidfolk Königs Donovan Leitch (u.a. "Hurdy gurdy man", "Atlantis") und somit darf man auch bereits auf die Musik der beiden damals noch jungen Herren schließen. Es ist sicher eine einfache, geradlinige Musik, melancholisch, aber lebensfroh, nachdenklich, aber voller Glück und Zufriedenheit. Akustische Gitarre, verspielte Sitarläufe, dezente Rhythmen mit perkussivem Charakter und ein sehnsuchtsvoller, sanfter Gesang bestimmen das 1971 aufgenommene, aber erst im Jahre 2000 posthum auf LP veröffentlichte Werk, welches mit sechs Songs bestückt gerade auf knapp vierundzwanzig Minuten Musik kommt. Mager, eventuell, aber es gibt ja die Repeat Taste und daher kann man sich die fünf schönen Nummern und den Alternativetake von "Sea shell rock me" den ganzen Tag über wieder und wieder anhören. Und ich muss sagen, dass ich mir das gute Stück bereits zum wiederholten Mal gebe und die wunderschöne, friedfertige Stimmung, die kleinen, einschmeichelnden Melodien und das zwar nicht ausufernd wilde, aber trotzdem gute Spiel der Musiker verpackt in zauberhafte Songs mich erst langsam in Fahrt bringt. Da sind noch ein paar Durchläufe mehr drin. Dieses Minialbum bringt einem Bilder von betört in der Abendsonne tanzenden Hippies in langen bunten Gewändern oder splitternackt in den Kopf, die Atmosphäre ist entspannt, frei und lebensbejahend. Auch wenn die Songs an sich strikt durchkomponiert sind, die instrumentalen Momente haben schon jammigen Charakter und ziehen Dich mit ihrer Lockerheit so sehr in ihren Bann, dass Du geneigt bist, mit Stiften auf Kaffeetassen, Gläsern oder den Schirmen von Bürotischlampen herumzuklopfen und mitzusingen. ~Reviewed by Sascha Maurer for Metal District (Sept 2011)

• Acid Folk! I’m a big fan of ‘old’ acts like Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Gary Higgins, Bert Jansch, Nick Drake and recent groups like Espers, Mount Eerie and Six Organs Of Admittance. The great thing about a lot of re-release's of great albums from the rich musical past, is that they are able to trace certain musical lines or styles back to long forgotten origins. For example, I was really happy a couple of years ago with the forum-mentioned oldies on stonerrock.com. Without those posts, I most likely wouldn’t be familiar now with Jerusalem, Gandalf, Bedemon, Stonewall, Budgie, Bloodrock, Death SS, Comus, Power Of Zeus, Iron Claw, Iron Man, Salem Mass, Sapphire, Wicked Lady and Zior. As a lot of readers of Doommantia.com are probably amateur musical ‘historians’ like myself, I think this release is a pretty interesting album for anyone interested in the realm of psychedelic folk. With stoner, doom etcetera a lot of music is dubbed easily as ‘psychedelic’ or ‘progressive’. This release gives you at least an insight into the early days of acid folk or psychedelic folk. The sound is overall warm & friendly (compare that to your evil Comus or Black Widow album(s)) with percussion, sitar, tabla and calming vocals. The recordings of the English duo known as Amber date back to the years 1970 – 1971. In the year 2000 their recordings have been released for the first time on vinyl, but only as a very small print. Mac MacLeod (guitar) and Julian McAllister (vocals) knew each other since the early sixties and met for jam sessions. Amongst other projects MacLeod was playing the second guitar with Donovan on his first national tour until MacLeod and McAllister met again in 1965 in England. And for our musical history nerds: the actual sitar on this album is lent by Donovan – and Donovan had once been given the instrument by George Harrison? Amber had been together from February 1970 to April 1971. They manage to record two sessions, which are found on Pearls Of Amber. In May 1970 they recorded Sing On The Sunlight, Sea Shell Rock Me (alternate version) and Earlie In The Morning. On the 14th of April 1971 they recorded Sea Shell Rock Me, White Angel and Swan In The Evening. The nicest thing I can say about these tracks is that they tend to get under your skin very slowly, in perfect Six Organs Of Admittance tradition. McAllister’s voice is a great one and it’s not hard to imagine a different future for Amber if only they managed to have get their recordings released in the heyday of psychedelic rock and folk. The album is out via Merlins Nose Records (a label specialized in psychedelic rock and acid folk since 2009) since the 5th of September as a CD remaster. ~Reviewed by Sandrijn van den Oever for Doommantia (Oct 2011)

• It was a pleasant surprise to see this mini-LP re-released on CD. In fact it is more like an EP with two bonus tracks, one of which is an alternate version of the first track. Mac Macleod in the leaflet explained how he once played second guitar on Donovan’s first international tour in 1965, ending up in Scandinavia, where he started to play with bands like The Other Side, Exploding Mushroom and Hurdy Gurdy (with one LP of bluesrock mixed with sitar tracks) before returning to England in 1968. Julian McAllister had acquaintance with Donovan too. Mac and Julian rehearsed with Donovan to play on the American tour, which never happened because of visa problems. Mick Softley then started playing with them, with Mike Thompson on bass, problems with Mick’s personality made it so that they fell back to being a duo, which was first called Soft Cloud. Some success at local folk clubs led to the birth of Amber, with Julian playing guitar and Turkish saz and Mac on guitar, sitar and tabla. Ray Cooper played more percussion. Despite several successes, a bit of bad luck and bad promotion didn’t make more of the band commercially. These taped recordings are all that was left from this period. Especially the first track, “Sea Shell rock me” shows the band’s full potential, where the picking recalls Bert Jansch, the voice and the combination of sitar with guitar and tabla a combination of Donovan and Chris Thompson, a great song and sound to remember from a similar quality as the last two artists mentioned. The song after, White Angel” is bluesier, with a combination of strummed and picking guitar parts, and usage of some tambourin. “Swan in the evening” is less attractive than the opener as a song although it has some sitar too, is accompanied by strummed rhythm guitar and what sounds like congas with some cymbal percussion. Also “Sing on the Sunlight” is a more common song with a sing-a-long song theme, strummed rhythms and a fast picking part. The last track, after the alternative take with different more improvised guitar, is another bluesier song with country folk dual harmonies, strummed rhythm guitar and percussion, has something more of a folk café orientated song. It is a shame this is all that was left of this period, what is left behind is worth remembering. ~Reviewed by Gerald van Waes for psychedelicfolk.com (Oct 2011)

• Das britische Duo AMBER existierte nur für kurze Zeit von 1970 bis 1971. In diesem Zeitraum spielte man in zwei Studio-Sessions die Songs ein, die hier auf “Pearls Of Amber“ die Quintessenz des Schaffens der Folk-Psychedeliker darstellen. Merlins Nose Records lassen nun die vergangenen Zeiten wieder aufleben und veröffentlichen dieses kurze Tondokument der Blumenkindergeneration auf Silberling. Die beiden Musiker McAllister und MacLeod verbreiten ruhige, meditative Stimmung, die durch die eine oder andere Rauchware in sanfte Nebelschwaden gehüllt wird und präsentieren fernöstlich beeinflussten, geradlinigen psychedelischen Folk. MacLeod stammt aus dem musikalischen Umfeld von DONOVAN, der seinerseits über GEORGE HARRISON die Sitar für sich entdeckte und McAllister ist mit seiner warmen Stimme der geeignete Sänger zur Umsetzung dieser kleinen, funkelnden Songs. Wer daher den Zeiten von “Love and Peace“ nachtrauert oder es bereut, niemals dabei gewesen zu sein, kann in diese entspannten, scheinbar locker aus dem Handgelenk geschüttelten Jams eintauchen und sich zurück in die frühen Siebziger transportieren lassen. Angesichts der kurzen Spieldauer des Albums muss man für einen ordentlichen Trip in die goldenen Hippie-Vergangenheit aber ein paar Mal die Repeat-Taste drücken.. ~Reviewed by Ralf Stierlen for Hooked on Music (Oct 2011)

• Doppelreview mit Path of Prakriti's "Axis Mundi": Irgendwie können die Geschichten um beide Bands nicht unterschiedlicher sein und dennoch haben sie sehr viel gemeinsam. Das Label “Merlin’s Nose” veröffentlicht zwei Perlen, die den wahren Metallern unter uns sicherlich verborgen bleiben werden, aber wer psychedelisch angerauchten Folk mag, BOB DYLAN und die BEATLES schätzt und nach stürmischen Zeiten einen ruhigen, entspannenden musikalischen Hafen ansteuern möchte, muss die Alben kaufen. Bei AMBER ist es so, dass die Aufnahmen bereits aus dem Jahre 1970/1971 datieren, aber 2000 erstmals als kleine Vinylauflage veröffentlicht wurden. Nun haben sich die Leute bei Merlins Nose gedacht, dass es Verschwendung sei, sowas in irgendeinem Regal versauern zu lassen. Und ja, das wäre es. Keith MacLeod hat die Sitar von DONOVAN geliehen bekommen, der sie wiederum von George Harrison (THE BEATLES) geschenkt bekam. Die Sitar trägt dich dann bei dem Opener “Sea shell rock me” davon, und die anderen Songs sind ein tolles Zeitdokument, was in London in den frühen Siebzigern möglich war. Warm und wundervoll. PATHS OF PRAKRITI klingen ebenfalls, als wären sie aus dem London der späten Sechziger entsprungen, wurden aber erst 2006 gegründet und die Songs auf diesem Album sind hauptsächlich zwischen 2009 und 2011 entstanden. BOB DYLAN und JOHN LENNON, das psychedelische Movement der Sechziger wird eingefangen in eine dermaßen authentische Produktion eingebettet, dass ich wirklich erst nachschauen musste, ob es sich auch um alte, längst vergessene Aufnahmen handelt. Die Songs sind tief und die eingesetzte Sitar dient mir als Bindeglied der beiden Bands. Entspannt wegtrippen könnt ihr hiermit ganz hervorragend. Für Fans der genannten Stilrichtung und Bands ist es sicherlich ein absoluter Pflichtkauf, wenngleich auch nicht die Hits der genannten Musiker reproduziert werden, sondern der Pioniergeist, das “Anderssein”, die orientalischen Einflüsse und der Mut, sich seinem inneren Frieden zu stellen. ~Reviewed by Chris for Amboss Magazin (Oct 2011)

• Il n’est jamais trop tard pour bien faire. Amber, par exemple, aura attendu près de quarante ans pour voir son œuvre rééditée et bénéficier d’une diffusion à la mesure de son talent. L’histoire de ce duo folk psychédélique anglais commence effectivement à la fin des années 60, dans la région de St. Albans, ville situé à une trentaine de kilomètres de Londres, dans le riant comté du Hertfordshire. On y trouve une bande de joyeux hippies qui constituent la garde rapprochée de Donovan, célèbre barde folk à qui l’on doit des classiques immortels comme "Season of the witch", "Hurdy gurdy man" ou "Mellow yellow". Il y a Julian McAllister, Mick Softley, Maddy Prior et Mac MacLeod. Ce dernier part jouer avec divers groupes en Scandinavie en 1965 et revient en Angleterre en 1968, tout comme Julian McAllister qui, lui, a fait un crochet par la Turquie, ramenant dans sa besace une connaissance accrue de la musique folklorique anatolienne. Les deux garçons se retrouvent au concert des Rolling Stones à Hyde Park en juillet 1969. Ils s’apprêtent à partir en tournée aux États-Unis avec Donovan mais des problèmes de visa les laissent cloués sur le sol de leur Grande-Bretagne natale. Pas de carrière avec Donovan, donc, mais une possibilité de monter un groupe avec Mick Softley (guitariste chanteur), Candy Carr (percussionniste) et Mike Thompson (bassiste). La formule du quintette foire rapidement en raison de conflits de personnalités et Mac MacLeod et Julian McAllister se retrouvent seuls, décidant de continuer en duo sous le nom d’Amber. L’expérience des deux musiciens amène Amber à concocter une musique basée sur le folk et ce que l’on n’appelait pas encore à l’époque la world music, en l’occurrence les influences Asie Mineure de Julian McAllister. Le chemin d’Amber vers la célébrité est jonché d’une multitude d’obstacles qui vont bien évidemment propulser le duo vers les portes grandes ouvertes de l’oubli. Certains groupes ont fait leur réputation dans des salles comme le Marquee de Londres, Amber rassemblera ses plus nombreuses audiences dans la rue, dans le quartier de Portobello à Londres. Lorsqu’un manager potentiel vient les voir en concert à la Roundhouse, il part avant leur passage sur scène, les ayant pris pour un autre groupe. Quand Keith Relf (mythique ex-chanteur des Yardbirds) les enregistre aux Olympic Studios de Londres en février 1971, il les délaisse rapidement au profit d’un autre groupe appelé Medicine Head. Tout ceci fait qu'Amber reste un obscur petit duo folk qui se sépare en avril 1971 avec à son actif une demi-douzaine de morceaux qui peuvent juste constituer un EP sorti à quelques dizaines d’exemplaires et rapidement oublié dans la masse. Il faut attendre 2011 pour qu’un label allemand du nom de Merlins Nose Records daigne repêcher ces enregistrements et les exposer au soleil blafard du 21e siècle. Et là, à l’écoute de ces quelques titres rescapés du temps, on replonge tête baissée dans l’ère psychédélique, les cheveux longs, les colliers de perles, les kaftans, le patchouli et le franchissement de l’Himalaya en sandalettes. Amber a sans doute réalisé dans le domaine du folk psychédélique britannique quelques-uns des meilleurs morceaux du genre. Amber pérégrine allègrement sur des routes indiennes grâce à l’utilisation du sitar et déambule sur les côtes des Cornouailles par le biais d’un folk assez influencé par Donovan. La production n’a pas toujours l’occasion d’être affinée et le duo présente ses morceaux tels qu’il les a interprétés dans le studio. Les conditions de diffusion un peu improvisées n’ont en effet pas permis à Amber de peaufiner le son de ses compositions. Mais le tout reste d’une écoute très agréable et constitue un témoignage fort sur ces tranquilles années 70 où l’on aspirait à la paix de l’âme et à la quiétude de l’esprit. Le morceau "Sea shell rock me" est présenté sous deux versions différentes, histoire de remplir un peu le CD qui reste un peu court avec ses six morceaux. Ah, si seulement Amber avait eu un peu de chance! ~Reviewed by François Becquart for Music in Belgium (Oct 2011)

• Se non fosse per la passione quanti dischi del passato rimarrebbero in uno stato di "dimenticanza" perenne? Quante piccole perle obliate dal tempo potrebbero essere ascoltate da pochissimi o da chi per sua fortuna ha vissuto il periodo d'uscita del materiale? Se c'è un motivo per ringraziare un certo tipo di label è proprio il fatto di riportare a galla in alcune occasioni dei gran bei lavori totalmente irreperibili sino a quel momento e la Merlin Nose è sicuramente una di quelle che si sta applicando non poco. Il settore in cui l'etichetta si muove è quello del rock psichedelico e dell'acid folk, il periodo compreso fra gli anni Sessanta e Settanta è il riferimento essenziale per quanto riguarda le release curate e fra le sue prime uscite troviamo una raccolta delle studio session degli Amber, formazione britannica autrice di soli sei brani pubblicati per la prima volta unicamente in versione vinilica nel 2000 tramite una piccolissima label che secondo le mie informazioni dovrebbe chiamarsi Shagrat. "Pearls Of Amber", questo è il titolo del platter, vede adesso la possibilità di una distribuzione anche sotto formato cd, la sua durata è minima, si parla di neanche venticinque minuti di musica d'altri tempi, legata a un naturalismo spirituale e fortemente influenzata dalla natura bluesy che in quel periodo portava in auge artisti come Donovan. Lo stile del duo composto da Keith "Mac" Macleod (chitarra, tabla, sita, percussioni e cori) e Julian McAllister (voce e chitarra) accompagnato nell'occasione da Ray Cooper in veste di guestmusician (tabla) è ricollegabile per più di un punto a quello di un'altra band loro conterannea dell'epoca, i The Incredible String Band. Si è avvolti da atmosfere soft e sognanti, dal suono del sitar (un po' troppo basso nel mix) pronto ad adornare con i suoi tratti orientali un'aria che fa percepire la febbricitante voglia di psichedelia. "Pearls Of Amber" regala emozioni soprattutto con le due versioni di "Sea Shell Rock Me" dall'incantato velo romantico e con la sommessa vivacità di una carezzevole "Earlie In The Morning", pur lasciandosi ascoltare per intero con una semplicità disarmante dato l'appeal dolciastro e di compagnia che il sound acustico e la vocalità in alcuni frangenti suadente di McAllister riescono a far brillare. Un piccolo gioiello dedicato ai fan dei già citati The Incredible String Band, dei più odierni Kula Shaker aggiungendo, perché no, coloro che hanno da sempre apprezzato la componente di tale tipo in un pezzo di storia intramontabile che come monicker ha Led Zeppelin, se siete fra questi "Pearls Of Amber" dovreste di sicuro acquistarlo. ~Reviewed by Mourning for Aristocrazia (Oct 2011)

• Honestly, if they never existed you feel you’d have to invent them. In fact you wonder whether this is not an elaborate spoof. Forgotten sessions that languished in the vault for almost thirty years before their first release on Nigel Cross’s Shagrat imprint in the year 2000 - a limited edition psychedelic-folk cult outing on which one of the lead instruments was a sitar, lent by Donovan, and which had in turn been given to him by George Harrison. I mean, you could be forgiven for checking the date to see if it isn’t St Stupid’s Day again already. Anyway sure enough this is the real thing: five original compositions (and one alternative take) courtesy of Englishmen Keith ‘Mac’ MacLeod and Julian McAllister, and featuring guest musician Ray Cooper who went on to be a minor celebrity as a hired-out bongo basher to practically everyone you care to mention over the next thirty years. Mac Macleod will of course be familiar to some (sadly, a very, very few) reading this as a veteran of Terrastock #3 in 1999. Veterans of the mid-60s Hertfordshire folk scene that also spawned Mick Softly, by the time they recorded these sessions in London in 1970 and 1971, McAllister and MacLeod, appear steeped in eastern influences. A couple or three years too late for it to be part of the zeitgeist and already sounding a bit dated, nonetheless “Sea Shell Rock Me” (two versions) and “White Angel” stand reasonable comparison with most of what obvious influence Donovan (McLeod had toured with Mr Leech as far back as 1965) and Incredible String Band had done in their late 1960s heyday or for that matter the Pentangle posse were doing about the same time. While “Sea Shell...” is impeccably hippy-dippy, a folksy love song and arguably the highlight here, the latter is almost soulful, close your eyes and you could almost imagine Jefferson Airplane belting out something very similar. “Swan In The Evening” again builds around a sitar and also crashing cymbals, but whether this adds to or detracts from a stirring yet plaintive number will depend very much on your point of view and listening mood. The other favourite here, though, is “Sing On The Sunlight”, a thoroughly decent, quite joyful folk ballad, stripped down to guitar and a nice blend of McAllister’s pleasing tenor and tuneful background harmonies from MacLeod. Given this level of freedom and space you begin to glimpse Amber’s real potential away from the at times cloying sitar and other eastern baggage. “Earlie In The Morning” is the final track here, although it was recorded as part of the first session in 1970, and is a real Heinz 57 of yee-hah cod-Appalachian country blues; mystical folk lyrics involving maidens pledged to the tides and the sea, competent vocal harmonies, and that bloody tabla. Of its time, you suspect - an unspectacular but respectable enough offering and if you didn’t already bag a copy at the time of its original if belated release, probably a worthwhile addition to the collection of the more committed acid-folk fan. For further reading on Mac Macleod, here’s a link to our archive feature from Ptolemaic Terrascope issues 28 and 29: terrascope.co.uk/MyBackPages/MacMacleod.pdf ~Reviewed by Ian Fraser for PtolemaicTerrascope (Nov 2011)

• Without the press info, I would have thought that AMBER is a relatively new band, which clearly shows that 'Pearls Of Amber' still sounds fresh and is full of energy. However, the fact is that these recordings date from 1970/1971 and this is the remastered CD reissue on Merlins Nose Records, because up to now 'Pearls Of Amber' has only been released in 2000 in a small vinyl edition which is no longer available in stores and is out of print. Now you might be wondering who is AMBER. Well, it was an acoustic duo consisting of Julian McAllister (guitar, lead vocals) and Keith 'Mac' MacLeod (lead guitar, tabla, sitar, percussion), whereby MacLeod was also guitarist on Donovan's first tour. With this in mind, AMBER takes you on a peaceful journey through the soundscapes of folk, blues and psychedelica. Tabla and sitar ensure an Indian flavour, and you really do get the feeling that you're sitting in a old VW bus on your way to Nepal. While listening to 'Pearls Of Amber', the legendary hippie trails come back to life and the daily routine fades into the background. This is mainly due to the fact that both musicians are doing an excellent job here. They give a heartfelt performance that persuades with its authenticity. Actually, I am not the biggest fan of this kind of music (even though I love old blues, psychedelica and a bit of folk), but AMBER manage to enchant me because their music is dynamic, melancholic and intense. To my surprise, the second session on this CD has been produced by no other than Keith Relf who was the founder of The Yardbirds and one of the co-founders of Renaissance. It's really astonishing that AMBER did not record more material in the 1970's, because both were musicians of immense talent. This reissue will be completed with an informative booklet that includes photos, lyrics and informative liner notes written by Mac MacLeod. So, light the incense, and enjoy! ~Reviewed by KK for Cosmic Lava (Nov 2011)

• "Amber was a duo consisting of Julian McAllister, (guitar, lead vocals), and Mac McLeod, (lead guitar, sitar, tabla, percussion, backing vocals). For this direct recording they had help from Ray Cooper on tabla on the first few tracks". This is excellent psychedelic folk music recorded during the height of the experience back in 1970 and 71. The original version of this album was originally released in 2000, as a vinyl print, but it hasn't been available on CD until now. The sitar and tabla music is some of the best I've heard. The wonderful folk lyrics and vocal sounds take you right back to some of the greats of the genre from that era. All of the tracks are worthy of attention, even after 40 years. They take you right back to that magic era and remind us all of how wonderful it was to be alive and young. My favorites have to be Sea Shell, Rock Me, White Angel, and Sing on the Sunlight. ~Reviewed by Mark Johnson  for Sea Of Tranquility (Jan 2012)

• This great psych folk EP was recorded over forty years ago in the UK and previously released on 10” vinyl in 2000. Pearls of Amber was a London-based duo formed by Keith ”Mac” MacLeod (lead guitar, tabla, sitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Julian McAllister (guitar, lead vocals) and these recordings also feature guest musician Ray Cooper (table). This remastered, 23-minute-long CD has six acoustic-driven songs that all sound really good. ”Sea Shell Rock Me” is a pretty folk ballad with Eastern vibe bringing to mind The Incredible String Band. Also included is a one minute shorter alternative version. What a great mood! The track “White Angel” does not have any sitar (that they had borrowed from Donovan who had got it from George Harrison…) but the tabla still give it some ethnic flavor. ”Swan in the Evening” is again a more Eastern sounding and mystical track, and it sure is a great song too. ”Sing on the Sunlight” is a positive acoustic folk piece in the early 70’s spirit and has no sitar or tabla and the shortest track on the release is the little bit bluesy “Earlie in the Morning” that has the table again. This is very nice, high-quality hippie folk from the era of genuine psychedelia! The booklet includes MacLeod’s recollections from the good old times, the lyrics and a couple of pictures. ~Reviewed by Dj Astro  for Psychotropic Zone (Feb 2012)

• Amber was the English psychedelic folk duo of Keith “Mac” MacLeod and Julian McAllister, and these are the only recordings they made in 1970/1971. MacLeod (guitar) and McAllister (vocals) had known each other since the early 60's, had met for jam sessions and traveled through the world independently of each other. MacLeod played second guitar with Donovan on his first national tour and the sitar used on this album was lent by Donovan who had been given the instrument by George Harrison. SEA SHELL ROCK ME: I’m a 60's music fanatic. If I could get in a time machine I’d go back to 1967 and do it all twice, so getting an opportunity to review a new CD of 60's music is pretty cool and probably as close to the time machine as I’ll get. The CD starts with the three tracks produced by Keith Relf, who had been the Yardbirds lead singer and supposedly quite the super freak! Recorded at Olympic Studios February 14, 1971, happy hippie music that’s not commercial or ordinary but fresh and real with a production that makes it sound as if it was just recorded!…”dancing in the sun, like a child I ran back to you”…Julian McAllister doing some nice vocals. Of course you have to compare this to “The Incredible String Band” who admittedly were doing a more original and unique version of this sound. I guess that’s why they’re famous!! WHITE ANGEL: reminds me of the Michael Knust stuff on Fever Tree’s “Another Place, Another Time”. Lotsa tabla on this one. Not sure if it’s MacLeod or guest musician Ray Cooper?! As nice as these tracks are I can see why they didn’t get airplay or a proper release, they’re not trying to be a product, just being what they were, English hippies in 1971. SWAN IN THE EVENING: nice melody. Hey now, I could imagine this being played on English Pirate Radio!! Really tight uptempo with some nice cymbal flourishes! Consistently good vocals and lyrics thru these tracks though the sitar was probably a bit passé by 1971!?!? SING ON THE SUNLIGHT: another beautiful slice of 1970 England. These songs are so rockin’ you almost want to hear them with a full rock band!! This track begins the three songs recorded May 10, 1970 at Denmark Street. SEA SHELL ROCK ME (ALTERNATE VERSION): okay, this is an earlier version of track one! The vocals aren’t recorded as clear and the track seems a bit slower, quirkier, but also a beautiful track! EARLIE IN THE MORNING: the lyrics tell an interesting story of spending the night with “Earlie in the Morning”…funny without being goofy like a lot of 60's bands! Well, that’s the last song and you just wish they had recorded about twenty more of this quality! Maybe when I get back to 1970 in the time machine I’ll get that done!! ~Reviewed by Carlton Crutcher for Aural Innovations (Mar 2012)