(Diversions, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing.)
I know it's impossible to keep up with everything posted on Aquarium Drunkard, but I implore you to not miss this installment of Diversions. Why? Because the guys behind the UK's Wolf People have assembled an eleven track '60s/'70s psych-rock medley that you absolutely need in your life. Skip your other blog reads for the day if you have to, but do check this out. To celebrate being signed to an American label (Jagjaguwar) despite never having visited the states, the band chose 5 songs from the US and 5 (+1) from the UK. They’re mostly psych-rock. They’re all great. We begin with the UK...
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Edgar Broughton Band - House of Turnabout(from Edgar Broughton Band on Harvest Records)
Here is an English band with heavy Beefheart influences so it’s little wonder that they’re a favourite of ours. They represent something quintessentially English; a sturdy, no-nonsense antidote to the more whimsical and theatrical psychedelia that was rife around that time. They were from Coventry but moved to Notting Hill and became involved with the underground scene that spawned a lot of great and often underrated bands like Mighty Baby (see below), Quintessence, Hawkwind, Pink Fairies and Deviants.
This track from their 1971 self titled album (the one with all the meat on the cover) never fails to knock me out. It seems to me that when America turned towards introspective singer songwriters at the turn of the decade, Britain was on the verge of something more gritty and politically aware which would eventually mutate into punk, and this to me is a great example of psychedelic rock with a proto-punk tinge to it.
Edgar Broughton Band were a festival staple in the early 70’s and most freaks from the time will have fond memories of their epic “out demons, out” set closer, something I wish I could have seen in the flesh.
MP3: Edgar Broughton Band - House of Turnabout
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