East Londoners Hokus Poke consisted of Clive Blenkhorn (lead vocals, guitar), Roger Clarke (guitar, vocals), Smith Campbell(bass, vocals) and Johnnie Miles (drums). Blenkhorn had previously played in a band called Mystic Sid (originally named Black Sabbath, blissfully unaware of the already active Birmingham bunch!). Clarke, meanwhile, had been with the Justus 5 and soul bands the Grenades and the Freddy Mac Extravaganza.
Hokus Poke landed a residency in the Thomas A-Becket pub in the Old Kent Road, and came to the attentionof songwriter-producer Kenny Lynch, who became their manager and obtained them a contract with Philips in 1971. The sessions for their lone album took place at George Martin's Air studios in London, and the results crept out on the fabled Vertigo imprint early the following year, with barely any promotional support. The label refused to approve the title the band favoured, First Poke, so it was named Earth Harmony instead.
Although safely within the progressive genre, it hints at an apprenticeship in the late psychedelic period, combining the progressive ambitions of acts such as Genesis and Wishbone Ash with the bare-knuckle enthusiasm of Budgie and Atomic Rooster, as well as the pastoral approach of similarly unsuccessful acts Northwind and the Parlour Band. In particular, the pairing of Clarke's steel guitar and Blenkhorn's masterful riffing with a solid rhythm section distinguished cuts such as the powerful Sunrise Sunset (The Sunset) and blazing Hag Rag.
It's surprising that more contemporary listeners weren't convinced of their worth, despite appearances on radio shows such as Sounds Of The Seventies. Following lacklustre sales, Vertigo denied the band a chance to make a follow-up, and they split soon afterwards, little expecting that collectors and prog connoisseurs would compete to pay hundreds of pounds for copies decades later. Clarke went on to play with Sailing Shoes, while Campbell teamed up with members of fellow Vertigo alumni Clear Blue Sky to form the Needle, and drummer Miles joined Kala, who made a self-titled LP for Bradleys in 1973.
CD Liner-Notes
1. H.P. Boogie (Clive Blenkhorn, Roger Clarke, Smith Campbell) - 6:02
2. Sunrise Sunset (The Sunset) (Clive Blenkhorn, Roger Clarke) - 7:14
3. Big World Small Guy (Roger Clarke, Smith Campbell) - 5:03
4. Down In The Street (Clive Blenkhorn) - 3:56
5. Hag Rag (Johnnie Miles) - 5:13
6. Living In Harmony (Clive Blenkhorn) - 5:07
7. Time And Space (Clive Blenkhorn, Johnnie Miles, Roger Clarke, Smith Campbell) - 4:23
8. The Poke (Clive Blenkhorn, Roger Clarke) - 3:47
Hokus Poke
*Clive Blenkhorn - Guitar, Vocals
*Smith Campbell - Bass
*Roger Clarke - Guitar, Steel Guitar
*Johnnie Miles - Drums
