"Incident At A Free Festival - Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – 20 Tracks from 1969 to 1975 by Deep Purple, Manfred Man Chapter Three, Andwella, Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Atomic Rooster, May Blitz, Paladin, Curved Air, Stack Waddy, BJH, Edgar Broughton Band, Stray, Library Music from Steve Gray, Dave Richmond, Alan Parker and Alan Hawkshaw, Slowload, Leafhound, James Hogg [a band], Jonesy and more (November 2023 UK Ace Records CD Themed Compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Chasing Shadows..."

 

RATING: ****

SOUND: **** to *****

PRESENTATION: *****

 

On Page 17 of the booklet for this very hip Ace Records compilation (from those hairymen arbitrators of good taste Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs) is a Promo Picture (no less) of the seriously obscure Slowload who managed a few singles on the largely Gilbert O'Sullivan based MAM Records label. Where do Ace get these things from – never mind locate the decidedly un-PC B-side "Big Boobs Boogie" – a flip to a Loving Spoonful cover on the A? The naffly named but very 1971 period B-side by Slowload was presumably put there to spare punters record shop emporium embarrassment (I will do anything for a slide guitar mate – well almost anything).

 

Such is the way with these Stanley/Wiggs themed-compilations – not all of which I have liked I must say. But this November 2023 one is a great listen and the boys have even put it out on a 2LP limited edition such is their hirsute confidence (God bless 'em). Thematically, picture muddy fields and Rock festivals in the country (and on islands) in the afternoon where the second and third tier bands of the day (most only just past debut albums on deeply Avant Garde labels) get to regale the weary mob before the headliners hit the stage that night. Prog Rock, Guitar whig-outs, some Funky rhythms and even Osibisa-type grooves meets with four Library Music slots to provide that eclectic underground scene vibe. And for the main part, it so works. Good song choices, discoveries too, some very cool 45-single sides that have stood the 50-year test of time. To the Meat Pies and the Afghan Guys...

 

UK released Friday, 24 November 2023 - "Incident At A Free Festival - Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDCHD 1619 (Barcode 029667109123) is a 20-Track themed-compilation (on CD and 2LP formats) that plays out as follows (CD, 78:25 minutes):

 

1. Chasing Shadows – DEEP PURPLE (November 1969 UK Third Studio LP "Deep Purple" on Harvest SHVL 759, Lead Vocals by Rod Evans)

 

2. One Way Glass – MANFRED MANN CHAPTER THREE (November 1969 UK LP "Manfred Mann Chapter Three" on Vertigo VO 3, Lead Vocals by Mike Hugg)

 

3. Hold On To Your Mind – ANDWELLA (October 1970 UK 45-single on Reflection R.S. 3, A-side, featuring David Lewis)

 

4. Hot Pants – ALAN PARKER and ALAN HAWKSHAW [Guitarist and Keyboardist with Blue Mink] (1972 UK Music Library LP "Flute For Moderns" on KPM Music KPM 1080)

 

5. Do It – PINK FAIRIES (January 1971 UK 45-single on Polydor 2058 089, B-side of "The Snake")

 

6. Tomorrow Night – ATOMIC ROOSTER (September 1970 UK 45-single on B&C Records CB 131, A-side, featuring Vincent Crane)

 

7. Taken All The Good Things – STRAY (May 1970 UK Debut Album "Stray" on Transatlantic Records TRA 216, featuring Steve Gadd and Del Bromham)

 

8. Out Demons Out – EDGAR BROUGHTON BAND (April 1970 UK Non-Album 45 7" single on Harvest HAR 5015, A-side)

 

9. For Mad Men Only – MAY BLITZ (May 1971 UK Second and Last Studio LP "The 2^nd Of May" on Vertigo 636 0037)

 

10. Back Street Luv – CURVED AIR (June 1971 UK 45-single on Warner Brothers WB 8029, reissued and charted as Warner Brothers K 16092 - featuring Sonja Kristina, Francis Monkman, Darryl Way, Ian Eyre and Florian Pilkington-Miksa)

 

11. Ejection – HAWKWIND (2011 Remastered Version from the Back On Black ROVO13LP reissue of their third studio album "Doremi Fasol Latido" – recorded during those 1972 sessions)

 

12. Meat Pies 'Ave Come But Band's Not 'Ere Yet – STACK WADDY (October 1972 UK second album "Bugger Off" ("Bugger Off! on the artwork) on Dandelion Records 2310 231)

 

13. Lovely Lady Rock – JAMES HOGG [Band name not an individual] (June 1972 UK debut Non-LP 45-single on Regal Zonophone RZ 3054, A-side)

 

14. Third World – PALADIN (May 1971 UK Debut Album "Paladin" on Bronze Records ILPS 9150, featuring Lou Stonebridge, Derek Foley, Peter Solley, Pete Beckett and Keith Webb)

 

15. Taking Some Time On – BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (June 1970 UK Debut LP "Their First Album" on Harvest SHVL 770)

 

16. Ricochet – JONESY (January 1973 UK 45-single on Dawn DNS 1030, A-side, an abridged edit of a track on their 1972 "No Alternative" LP)

 

17. Led Balloon – STEVE GRAY (1973 Various Artists Library Music LP "Fusion: Contemporary Styles In Electro-Pop" on KPM Music KPM 1121, credited as Steve Grey on the LP)

 

18. Big Boobs Boogie – SLOWLOAD (June 1971 UK Non-LP 45-single on Mam Records MAM 27, B-side of "On The Road Again")

 

19. Freelance Fiend – LEAFHOUND (October 1971 UK Debut LP rarity "Growers Of Mushrooms" on Decca SKL-R 5094, featuring Peter French later with Atomic Rooster)

 

20. Confunktion – DAVE RICHMOND (1975 Various Artists UK Library Music LP "Rock Spectrum" on KPM Music KPM 1163)

 

Across its 20-pages, Bob Stanley explains the choices and history of both the tunes and the bands - "Incident At A Free Festival" being a sort of tribute compilation to mid-afternoon slots by uppercoming combos who needed to win the crowd (unlike most of the headliners). The text as you can imagine is hugely informative and is accompanied on almost every name with photo memorabilia from the period - a Pink Fairies Music Press advert for the stand-alone 7" single "The Snake" b/w "Do It" - cool 45 labels like "Tomorrow Night" by Atomic Rooster on B&C Records abutting with Curved Air giving it some "Back Street Luv" on Warner Brothers (magic both of them). Stack Waddy's "Bugger Off!" LP on Dandelion up to a £2.09 advert by Decca for Leafhound's legendarily rare LP "Growers Of Mushrooms" of which there are said to be less than 500 copies.

 

The listen is very Prog Rock meets Hard Rock meets Funky Rock meets Flute and Synth Library Music on KPM and I must admit I mucked about with the track list's playing order on my CD player (I sequenced 13, 14, 15, 4, 5, 6, 7, 3, 10, 1, 2, 8, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20). There is a truly amazing clarity across the presentation of what amounts to recordings from 1969 right through to 1975 - all of it sounds good, clear, punchy and in the cases of say Paladin and Hawkwind and May Blitz - better than ever (Remasters courtesy of Ace's long-standing Audio Engineer NICK ROBBINS - a man with vast experience handling material like this). To the listen...

 

It opens with Deep Purple, Rod Evans as Lead Vocalist not quite convincing like Ian Gillan would do. Better for me is Mike Hugg taking the vocals on Manfred Mann's Chapter Three song ""One Way Glass" - a cool fusion-type tune that Trifle covered on their December 1970 UK LP "First Meeting" (Dawn DNLS 3017) - see my review for the 3CD Grapefruit Box Set from 2017 called  "One Way Glass: Dancefloor Prog, Brit Jazz & Funky Folk 1968-1975". Tremendous Drums and Poptastic Flute fill out a hammering Andwella while Members of Blue Mink - Alan Holdsworth and Alan Parker - moonlight on a Library Music LP with guitars and flute - one of those expensive and rare sets you can never find. 

 

Paul Rudolph of Pink Fairies puts in a blinding guitar solo for their sought-after B-side "Do It" - he who would eventually replace Lemmy in Hawkwind. Normally hard-rocking Stray manage a very swish groove with their "Taken All The Good Things" - teenagers getting it on in 1970. Can't say I'm enamoured with the sheer crazy of Edgar Broughton's "Out Demons Out" (some love it) and the riffage of the May Blitz track "For Mad Men Only" is a little too plodding for my refined pallet. Although it's a staggering 50-years plus since teenagers like me lusted after Sonja Kristina of Curved Air as they synth-trashed our groovy brains in 1971 with "Back Street Luv" - it still thrills and feels like that woman would sort out your lurve-life in a Brompton bike shed in no time at all. 

 

Trashy, grungeing, full of Pre-Punk attitude and snotty holler - the Hawkwind "Ejection" track for appeared as a Bonus on the 2001 EMI CD reissue for the band's 1972 third album "Doremi Fasol Latido" - Bob Calvert living up to his rep for balls-to-the-wall (here they use a 2011 Mix). The Stack Waddy track is fun at best, only OK at worst but the obscure band James Hogg is a brilliant inclusion/choice - their "Lovely Lady Rock" being a died-a-death debut 45 on Regal Zonophone that I must admit in 30 years of collecting seriously - I've never seen. And on it goes to Jonesy and Leafhound blowing our Prog-addled minds with Mellotron tales of Crimson alternatives and freelance mushrooms (yum yum). The four instrumental Library Music pieces give different flavours to the listen and make available on CD for the first time tracks we enthusiasts would rarely get a look in on.

 

Ace (of the UK) have also issued "Incident At A Free Festival" on a 2LP 20-Track Double-Album (no extras) on Ace Records XXQLP2 120 (Barcode 029667022019) – while Rough Trade have an exclusive – 300 Copies only on Denim Blue Vinyl on Ace Records XXQLP2 120RT - both also issued Friday, 24 Nov 2023.

 

I haven't loved-to-worrisome-oblivion every Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs compilation outing they've done for Ace Records, but as an entry in a good series of finally representing the underdogs - "Incident At A Free Festival" rocks. And that gatefold vinyl double is surely gonna make some black-stuff fanatic a very happy (mushroom) bunny indeed. Pass me the Wellingtons boys...I'm goin' in...again...