The Day After The Sabbath 74 Merda Dream Deram label special

The Day After The Sabbath 74 Merda Dream Deram label special

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During my searches I often find great bands that had releases on Deram, it was clearly a forward-thinking label that was not afraid to take risks on the new hard rock and progressive sounds of the late 60s and early 70s, along with cutting-edge pop of the time. Here is a compilation of some of the best, most of which make their TDATS debuts. There are many other bands that I could have included (Eyes Of Blue, Room, Walrus and Zakarrias are just a few) but I have used them previously and wanted to keep this comp mostly fresh.

A bit of history :- Deram Records was originally set up in 1966 as an outlet for a new recording technique called Deramic Sound, which used the latest recording technology of the time to make stereophonic sound more natural and convincing. It was a subsidiary of Decca records, the name "Decca" dates back to a portable gramophone called the "Decca Dulcephone" patented in 1914 by musical instrument makers Barnett Samuel and Sons. That company was eventually renamed The Decca Gramophone Co. Ltd.

And so we begin......Jerusalem  made one album that was produced by Deep Purples Ian Gillan, who wrote these words for the s/t albums liner notes: "This is the first album by Jerusalem, a band which excites me very much; they are rough, raw and doomy with their own strong identity. As they are young and a bit green, they dont follow many rules, so their material is almost crude - but still immensely powerful in content. I believe that, whenever possible, the work of writers and players in their formative stages should be recorded; before inhibition and self-consciousness set in, before fire and aggression die down, and while they are still absorbing influences and doing things which others might consider uncool. Most important though, before they might develop that self-imposed rigidity which afflicts so many. I hope none of these things happen to Jerusalem, well have to wait and see......I hope you like it as much as I do." This album has since been remastered by Rockadrome.

Keef Hartely Band

Keith Hartley started his career as replacement drummer when Ringo Star left Liverpool outfit Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Keith later helmed a number of albums starting with Half Breed, from which this track Think It Over is taken,  featuring Miller Andersons awesome wah guitar. Miller will come back to us on track 7....

Rockets are bit of a fun entry here, they were a Paris band whos only Deram release was the Canadian issue of their 1976 debut LP. They mainly played a glammy synth/pop sound but I like the track here, and its NWOBHM-ish guitar runs.

Bulldog Breed were a kind of early version of the wonderful band T2 (See Vol2 & Vol40), they both shared Keith Cross (guitar), Peter Dunton (vocals, drums) and Bernard Jinks (bass). Their single album, 1969s Made in England is well worth checking out as a good example of where hard rock riffs were mutated out of heavy psych.

Clark Hutchinsons total output was patchy at best, but the track here Free To Be Stoned is their worthy passport to underground rock history. This paean to the weed is uniquely fun, groovy and something you must hear at least once in your life!

Stud featured Taste drummer John Wilson, Taste bassist Richard "Charlie" McCracken and Blossom Toes guitarist Jim Cregan. They made a couple of albums that were a curious, mainly unfocussed mixture of prog, jazz and hard rock, but they turned out a few good tracks and Sail On is breezy, catchy prog-lite with a tough backbone that will sound good while cruising to your next destination.

Miller Anderson was a Scottish guitarist who was in two of the other bands here, Keef Hartleys as mentioned, and later in Chicken Shack who comes up soon. He is great singer and player, though most of his solo material is quite soft, Nothing In This World is probably one of the most infectious and instantly likeable tracks I have ever come across. Miller has played with other names like Savoy Brown, and pertinently he played on John Lords blues project shows last year.

Chicken Shack

Chicken Shack are up next, a catch-all blues band that has included many musicians of status over the years, including Christine McVie (Then known as Christine Perfect). Stan Webbs guitar is at times totally blistering when he really lets go, and Daughter Of The Hillside is a great example, his tone and magical use of wah is pure rock fury.

We take a rare departure towards jazz on the next track, Johnny Almond was a multi-instrumentalist who went on to John Mayalls Bluesbreakers and Mark-Almond. On his music machine albums Almonds talents include tenor, alto and baritone saxophones, flute, alto flute, organ, vibes, mellotron and bass clarinet. Get ready for big grooves with Solar Level.

Very little is known of Megaton, other than they included English guitarist Les Humphries and keyboardist Jimmy Bilsbury (both were previously in the Les Humphries Singers) who recorded this sole album in Germany. Its an weird mix of hard rock and latin percussion. At times it clearly borrows from Led Zep, but it is also equally based on soul and funk. Though its probably best described as a shameless exploitation album of the kind that there were lots at this time, it has some great moments and lots of its own period character. The singer is rumoured to have been Nicky Moore, later of Hackensack, Tiger and Samson.

Soulful groove continues with Sunforests track Magician in the Mountain. They were three American girls (Terry Tucker, Freya Houge and Erika Eigen) who sought a fortune together in London, got noticed by a Decca talent scout straight away and quickly recorded one album which did not do well, but their spot in history was cemented by Stanly Kubriks use of two songs for the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange; Overture to the sun and Lighthouse Keeper.

Frijid Pink

A bloggers favourite, Detroit band Frijid Pinks claim to fame in their time was a heavy cover of House Of The Rising Sun. Other than that their first two albums are some well-regarded frantic fuzzy blues with great vibrato vocals. The band was so popular in their native Detroit area that a fledgling Led Zeppelin (who were just then getting started from the remnants of The Yardbirds) opened for them at Detroits Grande Ballroom. Frijid Pink often shared billing with the likes of the MC5, The Stooges and The Amboy Dukes.

The compilation ends with the UKs East of Eden. They used a novel mix of instrumentation including electric violin, with studio effects, to become one of the earliest progressive rock bands. I was happy to find a rare example of a 60s promo video for the track "Northern Hemisphere" here.

TRACKS

01. Jerusalem - When The Wolf Sits (1972)
       from album jerusalem
02. Keef Hartley Band - Think It Over [edit] (1969)
       from album half breed
03. Rockets - Ballade Sur Mars (1976)
       from album rockets
04. Bulldog Breed - I Flew (1969)
       from album bulldog breed
05. Clark Hutchinson - Free To Be Stoned (1970)
       from album retribution
06. Stud - Sail On (1971)
       from album stud
07. Miller Anderson - Nothing In This World (1971)
       from album bright city
08. Chicken Shack - Daughter Of The Hillside (1972)
       from album imagination lady
09. Johnny Almond Music Machine - Solar Level (1969)
       from album patent pending
10. Megaton - Wanna Be Your Hero (1971)
       from album megaton
11. Sunforest - Magician In The Mountain (1969)
       from album sound of sunforest
12. Frijid Pink - End Of The Line (1970)
       from album frijid pink
13. East Of Eden - Northern Hemisphere (1969)
       from album mercator projected

Thanks for listening! Rich.

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