Georgie Fame, Stevie Winwood, Ian McLagan and Brian Auger, in the 60’s these were the British masters of the Hammond Organ. Influenced by US Jazz and R’n’B players like Jimmy Smith, Booker T (of the MG’s), “Brother” Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff they added their own take on the style, just listen to Georgie’s “Yeh Yeh”, Mac’s performance on “Afterglow” or Stevie’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” to hear the different styles.

Brian Auger played the Hammond like a demon. He’d recorded with The Yardbirds and been a member of the legendary British R’n’B outfit Steampacket with Long John Baldry, Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll. He formed the Trinity and then in 1967 added Julie Driscoll to the line up to become the tongue twisting Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity.

Julie Driscoll was the archetypal 60’s beauty. Short hair, panda eyes and mini skirts, oh and a voice that knew its way around soul and R’n’B. A Mod goddess, her picture would have adorned the wall of many a Mod boy back then.

The band are best known for their cover of Bob Dylan’s “This Wheel’s On Fire”, which is of course on this album. But they are revered in the Mod and Soul worlds for two other tracks here. First up “Indian Rope Man” (which I also own on a now quite valuable 7”) was written and originally recorded by Richie Havens and later Reggae-fied by Bob Marley as “African Herbsman”.  It’s a Hammond-tastic mover which really highlights Auger’s thunderous style. The other is “Save Me Parts 1 & 2” (which is in my 7” wantlist) which was originally written and recorded by Aretha Franklin but has also appeared as “Help Me” by Ray Sharpe with the King Curtis Orchestra (possibly featuring a young Jimi Hendrix), as “Instant Groove” by King Curtis himself and finally as “Help Me” by Owen Gray. We’ve digressed but both tracks demonstrate the Trinity’s prowess all driven by Brian’s powerhouse Hammond and Julie’s blue-eyed vocals. The word “dancer’ could have been coined just to describe either. 

Other than those two this album doesn’t hold much more for me and if I ever track down a 7” of “Save Me” this album will almost certainly find it’s way to the shop. But it’s a great comp of an oft overlooked 60’s group that really did make some fabulous records.

Save Me Parts 1 & 2 - https://youtu.be/W07qQkigna0

This was the first of Nick Drake’s albums I heard, and it remains my favourite of his. Legend has it that these songs were demo’s that Drake left at the record company offices in a plastic bag without saying a word, but I’m gonna let he truth spoil a good story. Drake had previously told his producer, Joe Boyd, that he wanted his next album to be just him and his guitar and he wanted to record it with Boyd’s engineer John Wood. He and Wood recorded “Pink Moon” in just two consecutive late night sessions in late October 1971. Once finished, Drake personally delivered the masters to Island Records boss Chris Blackwell. The singer was said to be incredibly proud of it.

If I thought “Five Leaves Left” was a very intimate feeling recording this one really feels like you’re sitting in the room with the performer. Drake is the only person heard on the record, his voice, his guitar and a piano overdub on the opening title song. You can hear his fingers fretting the strings, his nails picking at them, you can hear the strings slapping on the fretboard when he pulls them a little too hard, you can hear him breathing. The whole atmosphere is close and personal. The songs are short (or do I mean concise ?), 8 of the 11 songs don’t reach 3 minutes, the whole album runs to less than 30 minutes. Engineer John Wood said of “Pink Moon” that it was "just about right. You really wouldn't want it to be any longer.”. It’s breathtaking. From my first listen I was transfixed by it.

Island had been reluctant to release another Nick Drake album as the sales of the previous two had been so poor. But this album did get a release and was his only contemporary release in the US. “Pink Moon” was released in February 1972. An Island Records press advert said of it "Pink Moon—Nick Drake's latest album: the first we heard of it was when it was finished.”. Once again Drake refused to tour to promote it. Legendary Island A&R manager Muff Winwood was reported as tearing his hair out in frustration and said that had Drake not had (Island owner) Chris Blackwell's fulsome support "the rest of us would have given him the boot”. It sold much less than his previous 2 albums.

After delivering the tapes to Island Nick Drake retreated to his parents home, Far Leys in Tanworth-in-Arden, and all but retired from music. He even considered joining the army ! Just over 2 years later he was gone having sunk into depression and, some say, having “given up on life”. 

Road - https://youtu.be/jpk32L8Bb4c

For Nick Drake’s second album producer Joe Boyd was aiming for a more upbeat, poppier sound. This was achieved by the introduction of an actual rhythm section and some lush orchestration. So we get appearances from the Fairport’s Dave’s Mattacks and Pegg on drums and bass with Richard Thompson again making an appearance on guitar. John Cale guests on a couple of tracks and Pat (aka PP of Small Faces fame) Arnold and Doris Troy (who had previously sung with the Stones and Pink Floyd) supply soulful backing vocals. That’s a heavyweight cast for an album that failed to sell !

After the short instrumental “Introduction” first song proper “Hazey Jane II” is a bouncy, country blues/latin bopper, almost in the style of Love, most unlike anything from his debut album. What follows that is one of Nick Drake’s classics. “At The Chime Of A City Clock” is a superb song, heavily orchestrated and featuring some Jazzy saxophone barking by Ray Warleigh. David Hepworth wrote that the song was "the perfect soundtrack for the dispensing of a cup of tea in a poly-styrene cup, marrying sound and image in a way that made me unsure whether I was watching a commercial or actually in a commercial"

Over on Side 2 we kick off with the title track, an instrumental, and then John Cale’s addition of Viola and various keyboards on “Fly” and “Northern Sky”, the former being as close as we get here to the atmosphere of “Five Leaves Left”. “Poor Boy” is gloriously lifted by the vocals of Ms. Arnold and Troy, their performance instantly conjuring the sound of “the coloured girls” in Lou Reed’s “Walk On the Wild Side” without them ever going "Doo do doo do doo do do doo…”.

Overall “Bryter Layter” does have a Jazzy feel about it (think “Astral Weeks” jazzy) especially the songs featuring Ray Warleigh and Chris McGregor’s piano. Commercially the album was another flop. Reviews were mixed, Record Mirror lauded Drake as a "beautiful guitarist—clean and with perfect timing, accompanied by soft, beautiful arrangements”. Conversely Melody Maker branded the album  "an awkward mix of folk and cocktail jazz" which honestly isn’t unfair apart from the “awkward” bit. Joe Boyd succeeded in lightening up Drake’s sound but shortly after this he upped sticks and moved to America leaving Nick Drake without his mentor and slipping deeper into depression.

Poor Boy - https://youtu.be/TLJFSj3b4q0