"…Ain't Gonna Fight No More…"
Welsh
cult band EYES OF BLUE released only two albums at the extreme ends of 1969 –
"Crossroads Of Time" in January and "In Fields Of Ardath"
in December. Yet this legendary pairing of Mercury Records Psych LP classics
have incredibly stayed off the official CD reissue schedules-list for three
whole decades and more. That is until now.
At
last in late 2015 - along comes Mark Powell’s Esoteric Recordings (part of
Cherry Red of the UK) who have reissued both complete with new liner notes,
collaborations from the remaining members of the band and rare bonus tracks
(non-album single sides). And typically Esoteric have done a bang-up job for
both. With the pair regularly clocking in at £250+ for vinyl rarities that few
who love the genre get access to - both of these first-time-on-cd expanded
reissues are welcome news for collectors and the curious alike. Here are the
visionary details…
UK
released 27 November 2015 (December 2015 in the USA) – "Crossroads Of
Time" by EYES OF BLUE on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2522 (Barcode
5013929462243) is a CD Reissue/Remaster of their debut album with one bonus
track and plays out as follows (45:50 minutes):
1.
Crossroads Of Time
2.
Never Care
3.
I’ll Be Your Friend
4.
7 + 7 Is
5.
Prodigal Son
6.
Largo [Side 2]
7.
Love Is The Law
8.
Yesterday
9.
I Wonder Why
10.
World Of Emotion
11.
Inspiration For A New Day
Tracks
1 to 11 are their debut album "Crossroads Of Time" – released January
1969 in the UK on Mercury Records 20134 SMCL and in the USA on Mercury Records
SR 61184 (both Stereo).
BONUS
TRACK:
12.
Q III (Mono). Non-Album B-side of “Apache ‘69” – an updated version of the
1960's Shadows hit "Apache" originally written by Jerry Lordan years
earlier. The 1969 7" single was released in the UK on Mercury MF 1080 and
in the USA as Mercury 72911. However - the US 45 credited the band as EYES OF
BLUE - but the UK issued it used the moniker THE IMPOSTERS. Both songs were
non-album at the time and "Apache '69" (the A-side) is a bonus track
on the "In Fields Of Ardath" CD reissue (Esoteric Recordings ECLEC
2523).
EYES
OF BLUE was a 6-piece and featured Gary Pickford-Hopkins and Wyndham Rees
(Vocals), Phil Ryan (Keyboards), Ray "Taff" Williams (Guitars),
Ritchie Francis (Bass) and John Weathers (Drums). Tracks 2, 3, 5, 9, 10 and 11
written by Ritchie Francis – Tracks 1 and 7 written by Graham Bond (credited
originally as Diane Stewart (his wife) for contractual reasons) – Tracks 4, 6
and 8 are Love, Handel and Beatles covers respectively. The album was produced
by LOU REIZNER and featured 1969 liner notes from Graham Bond – also reproduced
in the booklet.
The
16-page booklet features new liner notes by noted musicologist MALCOLM DOME
with a history of both The Mustangs and The Smokestacks (two bands that gave
rise to EOB), interviews with former band members Weathers and principal
songwriter Francis on the formation of the band, the making of the album and the
disappointing 'no sales' aftermath. There are fabulous colour photos of the
six-piece group (and an early shot of The Mustangs), trade adverts for gigs,
rare foreign picture sleeves - the usual spread of period memorabilia. BEN
WISEMAN – a name that’s graced oodles of these classy reissues – has handled
the exclusively licensed Remaster. Recorded in only 5-days - we're not talking
audiophile here - but we are talking raw power. The audio on songs like Graham
Bond's "Crossroads Of Time" and the funky "I Wonder Why" is
clean, ballsy and full of Psych raunch. This is a great sounding CD reissue...
The
first of two Graham Bond's song contributions opens proceedings – the title
track "Crossroads Of Time" (he doesn't play on the song) and is
quickly followed by the very Prog "Never Care" – big guitars and even
bigger vocal ideas (lyrics from the song title this review). Clearly bands like
Love, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape and The Doors have been influencing our
boys as we hear the Bluesy but evolving Prog rhythms of “I'll Be Your
Friend". Their cover of Love's manic "7 + 7 Is" is similar in
feel to the original - coming on like tripped-out Buddy Holly with the vocals
flanged for extra wild effect – the drums rattling the right speakers while the
keys concentrate on the left (great guitar solo towards it conclusion too).
But
things really do start to rock up when we reach the wicked Prog Boogie of
"Prodigal Son" – the guitar let rip – like Taste on a good day.
"Largo" is a Handel piece given a Mellotron and layered vocal
treatment for its classical pain – and it works (some European territories gave
it a 7" single release – complete with picture sleeve and their cover of
The Beatles "Yesterday" on the flip). "Love Is The Law" is
the second Graham Bond song – more plaintive than the first – a clever
mid-tempo groove steeped in Mellotron and soloing keyboards which sounds very
Moody Blues as the lyrics wax lyrical about a "wounded world" and
"liking the sun". Perhaps the weirdest and most adventurous song on
the album is their wildly inventive cover of "Yesterday" where Eyes
Of Blue Mellotron up the melody and add brilliantly arranged counterpoint
vocals (Psych fans will love it – Fab Four purists will probably need to lie
down). I can't help thinking that the funky and (dare we say it) commercially
catchy "I Wonder Why" would have made for a great leadoff 7"
single from a hard-to-categorize LP - but someone didn't hear it that way at
the time. The album ends on a double whammy of almost Pop rockers that somehow
sounds like Robin Trower got a hold of Procol Harum's Prog leanings and said
'time to rock out boys' - "World Of Emotion" and "Inspiration
For A New Day".
Psych
fans will love the inclusion of the Guitar and Keyboard rocking instrumental
"Q III" – their rare B-side from 1969 in Mono (the band credited as
THE IMPOSTERS in the UK). They will then quickly work out that its equally
hard-to-find cover version A-side "Apache '69" is the bonus track on
the second CD – "In Fields Of Ardath" - also released by Esoteric
Recordings 27 Nov 2015...
Difficult
but brilliant - off its time and yet ahead of it - Eyes Of Blue have carved a
semi mythical name in the pantheons of Psych and Prog lovers - and on the
evidence of this superb but criminally forgotten debut - it's easy to hear
why...
