EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND/SING BROTHER SING SHVL 772 (-70) UK

 

  UK psych blues band formed 1968 in Warwick as "Edgar Broughton Blues Band", but after starting to involve psych elements in their music skipping the Blues from the name. Though not from the performance, which can clearly be heard on this second album. Even if a blend of various styles as folk, rock, jazz and psych it still rests on a blues foundation, sometimes hard to hear but you know it's there. Closing my eyes in the listening chair I'm taken on a bumpy ride through hard and soft, sweet and ugly, ordinary and absurd. Sounds like one of those period albums where the bands just did what they liked themselves without any regard to sales or public acclaim. It can be hard to take in at once, but still very honest and refreshing, especially in comparison to all the calculated crowd pleasers flooding the music scene today. Favorite tracks - the Captain Beefheart-ish heavy blues  "Old Gopher" and the hard rock "Momma's Reward". Full album below if You dare. Originally issued on vinyl in Germany, Italy, France and Japan, but to my knowledge not in US. UK 2004 CD on Harvest (07243 8 64124 2 3) came with eight bonus tracks. Premiere UK had label as shown here, without the EMI logo, in a laminated fold/out cover with lyric/credit/doodle inner.  (HÄVL*)