Edwards Hand - Stranded (1970 uk, wonderful psychedelic rock with baroque drops, japan remaster)

Having worked with George Martin on their self titled debut, Edward's Hand began recording at Morgan Studios in 1970, attempting to create a harder and more progressive sound than before. There where no nervous second album vibes here! The album is comprised of evocative and intelligent progressive pop songs immaculately produced featuring Edward's and Hand's distinctive harmonies to the fore. 

The second half of the album is effectively a concept of alienation and isolation, covered in the seven minute title track and the twelve minute epic Death Of A Man. which includes an incredible "orchestra duelling-with-moogs" mid section followed by a beautifully majestic and Beatles like coda. Stranded marks its reissue here on CD with the inclusion of the original artwork by Revolver cover artist and long term Beatle friend Klaus Voorman. 

The line drawing of a Southern Sheriff, ties in with the lyrics of Sheriff Myras Lincoln - a song about an American racist policeman - and was subsequently banned and replaced with different artwork by RCA in the US. Clearly more confident and adventurous lyrically on this album, Edward's Hand also had more time with George Martin during the pre-production stages. This preparation time, an intelligent lyric writing team and Georges complex yet concise orchestral arrangements give their second LP a much worldlier and unique feel.

Edwards Hand were the first group that George Martin arranged and produced after The Beatles. This is the band's second album and was originally released in 1970. It features some stunning string arrangements by George Martin from the first sessions to be mixed at his then new Air Studios.

The cover art is a controversial caricature of a US Sheriff by "Revolver" Beatles artist / friend Klaus Voorman. This artwork was banned by the US label and was subsequently replaced with different artwork on the original US pressing of the album. It is re-instated on this release. Edwards Hand were formally the short-lived Picadilly Line who released the ultra rare album The Huge World of Emily Small, whilst Rod Edwards was also a key member of legendary UK folk band Jade. 

Stranded features John Wetton's first guest appearance on an album, just before he joined Family and Jimmy Litherland of Colosseum. The band is virtually the same grouping that backed Marianne Segal and Dave Waite on the legendary Fly On Strange Wings album by Jade.

This preparation time, an intelligent lyric writing team and George's complex yet concise orchestral arrangements give their second LP a much worldlier and unique feel.

Tracks
1. US Flag - 4:51
2. Sheriff Myras Lincola - 6:01
3. Revolution's Death Man! - 4:04
4. Encounter - 2:39
5. Hello America - 2:37
6. Stranded - 7:07
7. Winter - 1:40
8. Death of a Man - 12:11
....i. Die When You Must Die
....ii. The Strife Is O'ef the Battle Done
....iii. He Is Gone
....iv. This May Sound Strange
....v. The Sentence Is Life
All songs written by Rod Edwards and Roger Hand

Edwards Hand
*Rod Edwards - Keyboards, Vocals
*Roger Hand - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*James Litherland - Electric Guitar
*John Wetton - Bass
*Clem Cattini - Drums

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Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean (1968 uk, inspired orchestrated psychedelic rock, 2005 japan issue)

Blossom Toes were the twee-est band of all time-- twice as twee as the Dukes of Stratosphear covering "(Listen to the) Flower People" in front of an audience of animated chipmunks, thrice as twee as a Keane painting magically brought to life by a sprinkling of fairy dust and singing the Fluff Fluff Fluff Fluff and Cuddleyness catalogue. Originally the Ingoes, one of ten million British blues bands who desperately wanted to be the Yardbirds, they hooked up with their idols' manager Giorgio Gomelsky; just as flower power was taking off, they were directed to become psychedelicists and change their name, for reasons having less to do with LSD than pounds-shillings-pence. 

The Toes claim their songs were all written by the time somebody played them an acetate of Sgt. Pepper's in the studio. If so, "Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever" seems to have hit them like an acid bomb, because virtually every song here can trace its DNA to the Beatles' psychedelic moment, from the harmonies to Kevin Westlake's Ringofied drumming to the quick-changing orchestrations accompanying the chime of their twelve-string guitars to their general sense of persistently tuneful music-hall whimsy as the corridor behind the doors of perception. 

They don't waste time getting around to it, either: The opening track begins with a backwards-guitar fade-in before singer/guitarist Brian Godding exclaims "Look at me I'm you! Look at me I'm you!" Godding was the band's main songwriter, although guitarist Jim Cregan also gets in a couple of good ones, especially "When the Alarm Clock Rings" (later recycled as the closing track of the Nuggets II compilation), and Westlake contributes a song called "The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog", which is as look-at-me-I'm-high as you'd guess. 

And virtually everything on the original album works beautifully-- they'd spent years streamlining their attack on stage, including a stint backing up Sonny Boy Williamson, so the spaced-out playfulness of their lyrics and singing is balanced out by fine, tough musicianship. "Hurry up, sleep, take me/Or I'll be late for tea," they croon, but even as an overdubbed French horn paraphrases the "Penny Lane" coda, Westlake and bassist Brian Belshaw are playing crushingly hard. 

The bonus tracks appended here mostly just demonstrate how quickly the bloom came off the blossom: a few demos and live tracks meant to suggest what the "real" Toes sounded like without the album's ludicrous overdubs (not nearly as much fun), and a forced-sounding cover of Bob Dylan's "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" from a 1968 A-side. Two years later, they made a heavy, dull second and final album, If Only for a Moment, which has also just been reissued; the new edition includes the single "Postcard", the only trace of whimsy that remained in them after Clean. 

The summer of 1967 produced lots of phenomena, and the historical condition for the Blossom Toes to be not just twee but wonderful might have been one of them. The only reasonable response in 2007 to hearing them chirp "I will bring you plastic flowers/You can play with them for hours" in druggy harmony is to conclude that they're a brilliant put-on. But they were for real-- or at least not wholly fictional-- and, for a few gorgeous, candy-colored months, they kicked ass up and down the Royal Parks.

by Douglas Wolk

Tracks

1. Look at Me I'm You (Brian Godding,Giorgio Gomelsky) - 3:55 

2. I'll Be Late for Tea (Brian Godding) - 2:42 

3. The Remarkable Saga of the Frozen Dog (Kevin Westlake) -  3:02 

4. Telegram Tuesday (Brian Godding) - 2:37 

5. Love Is (Brian Godding) - 2:41 

6. What's It For? (Jim Cregan) - 3:03 

7. People of the Royal Parks (Kevin Westlake) - 2:20 

8. What on Earth (Brian Godding) - 2:52 

9 .Mrs. Murphy's Budgerigar (Jim Cregan, Kevin Westlake) - 2:38 

10.I Will Bring You This and That  (Brian Godding)  - 2:55 

11.Mister Watchmaker (Brian Godding) - 2:22 

12.When the Alarm Clock Rings (Jim Cregan) - 2:26 

13.The Intrepid Balloonist's Handbook Vol. 1 (Jim Cregan) - 2:12 

14.You (Brian Godding) - 2:45 

15.Track for Speedy Freaks (or Instant LP Digest) (J. Cregan, B. Godding, G. Gomelsky, K. Westlake) - 1:29

Blossom Toes

*Brian Godding - Guitar, Vocals, Keyboards

*Jim Cregan - Guitar, Vocals

*Brian Belshaw - Bass, Vocals

*Kevin Westlake - Drums

*John "Poli" Palmer - Percussion, Vibraphone

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