Andwella


Band members                             Related acts

  line up 1 (1967) as Mission

- Gordon Barton -- drums, percussion

- Dave Lewis -- vocals, guitar, keyboards

- Nigel Portman-Smith -- bass, baking vocals

 

  line up 1 (1968) as Andwella's Dream

- Gordon Barton -- drums, percussion

- Dave Lewis -- vocals, guitar, keyboards

- Nigel Portman-Smith -- bass, baking vocals

 

  supporting musicians:

- Wilgar Campbell -- drums

- Bob Downes -- sax, flute

 

  line up 3 (1970) as Andwella

- David Lewis -- vocals, guitar, keyboards, flute

NEW - Jack McCulloch -- drums (replaced Gordon Barton)

- Dave McDougall -- keyboards

- Nigel Smith (aka Nigel Portman-Smith) -- bass, vocals

 

  line up 4 (1970)

- David Lewis -- vocals, guitar, keyboards

- Jack McCulloch -- drums

- Dave McDougall -- keyboards

NEW - Dave Struthers -- bass, vocals (replaced Nigel

  Portman-Smith)

 

 

 

 

- Andromeda ( Jack McCulloch)

- Andwella's Dream (Gordon Barton, Dave Lewis, and

  Nigel Portman-Smith) 

- Bent Frame (Dave McDougal

- The Bridge (Jack McCulloch)

- The Five Day Week Straw People (Jack McCulloch)

- Khan (Nigel Portman-Smith)

- Dave Lewis (solo efforts)

- The Magic Mixture ( Jack McCulloch)

- Magna Carta (Nigel Portman-Smith)

- Jimmy McCulloch and White Line ( Jack McCulloch)

- The Method (Dave Lewis - Dave McDougal

- One In a Million ( Jack McCulloch)

- The Pentangle (Nigel Portman-Smith)

- Razar (Gordon Barton)

- The Societie (Dave McDougal - Dave Struthers)

- Wild Country ( Jack McCulloch)

- A Wild Uncertainly (Gordon Barton)

 

 

 

 


Genre: rock

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  World's End

Company: Dunhill

Catalog: DS 50095
Year:
 1971

Country/State: Northern Ireland

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 1

Price: $50.00

 

Having added keyboardist Dave McDugall to the line-up, 1970 saw the band return to Andrew Cameron Miller's CBS affiliated Reflections label.  For some reason ABC Dunhill acquired US distribution rights.  Now working as Andwella (goodbye to the Dream), the band released 1970's "World's End".   Co-produced by Dave Lewis, label owner Miller and John Hawkins, the album was recorded in London's Trident Studios.  With singer/multi-instrumentalist David Lewis responsible for ten of the eleven compositions, the collection all but abandoned Andwellas Dream's earlier psychedelic sound in favor of a more conventional blues-rock attack.  Lewis handled lead vocals and while had a somewhat anonymous voice, his performances were uniformly enjoyable.  As reflected on the instrumental 'Michael Fitzhenry', 'Open On To Your Mind' and 'Just How Long' he was also a credible lead guitarist.   Complete with horn and string arrangements, most of the eleven songs would have sounded right at home on FM radio.  You could also tell what Lewis and company had been listening to in their spare time.  With a jazzy sheen 'Hold On To Your Mind', 'Reason for Living' and 'Shadow of the Night' reflected a distinctive Stevie Winwood and Traffic vibe.  As a big Traffic fan, that didn't bother me at all.  'Back On the Road' bore more than a passing The Band influence, while the ballad 'Lady Love', 'I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her' and 'Just How Long' were more commercial offerings.

 

I've always wondered if the cover image was supposed to be an image of Jesus Christ ...

 

"World's End" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Hold On To Your Mind   (David Lewis) - 3:52   rating: **** stars

The good news was 'Hold On To Your Mind' started the album off with a blazing rocker.  The percussion rich melody was irritatingly good.  Lead singer Lewis  was quite impressive and the lyrics were far better than your standard early-'70s self-indulgent sludge.  The bad news is the opening was a blatant rip off of The Stones' 'Sympathy for the Devil'.   Kudos to them given if you were going to appropriate material you might as well borrow from the best.  Add to that they were clever enough to blend The Stones-inspired opening with what sounded like late-period Steve Winwood and Traffic.  Easy to see why it was released as a single:

- 1970's 'Hold On To Your Mind' b/w 'Shadow of the Night' (Reflection catalog R.S.3)

2.) Lady Love   (David Lewis) - 4:16   rating: **** stars

I'm usually not a fan of big ballads, but powered by Lewis' lovely voice and some tasty bass from Portman-Smith , 'Lady Love' was an exception to the rule.  The track was tapped as a Dutch single:

 

 

 

 

- 1970's 'Lady Love' b/w 'Just How Long' (Pink elephant catalog number PE.22.556-H))

 

 

 

3.) Michael Fitzhenry (instrumental)   (David Lewis) - 3:30   rating: *** stars

Perhaps it was the prominent flute arrangement, but the blues-rock instrumental 'Michael Fitzhenry' has always reminded me of a Traffic effort.  Drummer Gordon Barton's fills shone on this one.  As a big Traffic fan, the Traffic comparison was a good thing ...  This one always drops my blood pressure by a couple of points.

4.) I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her   (Dave Lewis) - 3:00   rating: **** stars

The orchestrated ballad, 'I'm Just Happy To See You Get Her' seemed to be the band's bid for commercial acceptance.  Not only did it have a really strong melody, but it unleashed the band's lovely harmony vocals.  Beautiful

5.) Just How Long   (David Lewis) - 3:18   rating: **** stars

Powered by Barton's opening drums, another strong melody and the nice combination of Lewis' guitar and McDougall's organ, the rocker  'Just How Long' was another album highlight.  To my ear this one had sort of an early Uriah Heep feel.  This is probably the track I would have picked as the single.

6.) The World's End (Part 1)   (Bobby Scott) - 2:57   rating: *** stars

My experience has been bands that dive into extended instrumental suites are normally just looking to fill out album space, or want to show off their sophistication.  In the case of Adnwella the two part title track was a totally different beast.  The lone non-original, the instrumental 'Part 1' melody was nothing short of beautiful and could easily be applied to a movie soundtrack.

7.) World's End (Part II)   (David Lewis) - 2:27   rating: **** stars

Adding a forlorn Lewis vocal to the melody made the song even better.

 

(side 2)
1.) 
Back On the Road   (David Lewis) - 3:22   rating: **** stars

The album's breeziest tune, 'Back On the Road' managed to blend a great country-tinged melody with some Band-styled harmonies and one of the prettiest trumpet solos I've ever heard.  Every time I hear the multi-part harmonies I think of 'The Weight'.   Another beautiful tune.

3.) I Got a Woman   (David Lewis)  - 2:58   rating: **** stars

'I Got a Woman' incorporate sort of a Bossa Nova flavor into the jazzy grooves.  Slinky and quite sexy with an awesome guitar solo that would have made Carlos Santana happy ...  The song was tapped as a promotional US single:

 

 

 

 

- 'I Got a Woman' b/w World's End (Part 2)'' (Dunhill catalog number D-4275)

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.) Reason for Living   (David Lewis) - 3:11   rating: *** stars

As reflected on 'Reason for Living' Lewis clearly had a knack for penning pretty melodies.  In this case the only real complaint came from the rather abrupt ending.

5.) Shadow of the Night   (David Lewis) - 3:36

The closing track 'Shadow of the Night' was another tune that's always reminded me of late-inning Stevie Winwood and Traffic.  Similar to Traffic, the song had a jazzy vibe, kicked along by Bob Downes sax and flute.

 

 

 

 


Genre: rock

Rating: 2 stars **

Title:  People's People

Company: Dunhill

Catalog: DS 50105
Year:
 1971

Country/State: Northern Ireland

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 1

Price: $50.00

 

Prior to the release of their second studio album under the Andwella nameplate, the group underwent a personnel change; original bassist Nigel Portman-Smith replaced by former The Societie bassist Dave Struthers.  Following the personnel change 1971's "People's People" marked a modest change in musical direction. Unfortunately with this album all traces of the band's earlier psych and progressive interests disappeared.  Co-produced by front man David Lewis and Andrew Cameron Miller, Lewis again served as the band's creative leader; responsible for all eleven songs; handling lead vocals and lead guitar. This time out Lewis seemed interested in expanding the band's musical horizons into pop ballads and stabs at Americana.  The big problem with those decisions came in the form of the absence of quality material.  The album was all but smothered by the presence of way too many bland ballads,  By my count eight out of eleven songs including 'The World Of Angelique', 'Four Days In September' and 'Lazy Days'.  Taken individually some of these weren't bad, but when you were force fed so many ballads in one sitting, it quickly became mind numbing.  Elsewhere tracks like 'Saint Bartholomew', the single 'Mississippi Water' and the title track came off as third tier Robbie Robertson and the Band knockoffs. While I still liked Lewis' voice, his new found interest in mimicking Dylan ('I've Got My Own'), wasn't particularly ingratiating.  Bottom line - song-for-song the album simply failed to match "World's End".

 

 

 

 

The European release featured the same track listing and track order, but different artwork.

 

 

 

 

"People's People" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) She Taught Me To Love (David Lewis) - 3:15 rating: **** stars

Whenever I hear the ballad 'She Taught Me To Love' I'm caught off guard.  Not that the song's any great shakes (though it was of the album highlights), rather hearing David Lewis' gritty vocals it's hard to believe these guys were Irish.  Elsewhere, I've always loved Dave Struthers' bass line.

2.) Saint Bartholomew (David Lewis) - 3:00 rating: *** stars

'Saint Bartholomew' reflected a distinctive Americana vibe - to my ears the track bore more than a passing to Robbie Robertson and the Band doing a Dylan cover.  Actually anyone who liked 'The Weight' was liable to appreciate this one.

3.) The World Of Angelique (David Lewis) -  2:26 rating: ** stars

Opening up with some nice Lewis acoustic guitar, 'The World Of Angelique' was a pretty, if fragile ballad.  Nice Lewis vocal, but just too sensitive singer/songwriter for my tastes. The skat ending didn't do anything to improve the track.

4.) Mississippi Water (David Lewis) -  3:28 rating: ** stars

'Mississippi Water' found the band going back to Americana - This time out the song came off as being too cute for its own good.  Add to that Lewis' voice sounded raw and strained. Dunhill tapped it as a single:

 

 

 

 

- 1971's 'Mississippi Water' b/w 'All for You' (Dunhill catalog number D-4291)

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.) I've Got My Own (David Lewis) -  2:36  rattig: **** stars

'I've Got My Own' was another pretty and commercial ballad, made mildly interesting for the fact Lewis seemed to have trotted out his best Dylan stylings. I'm usually not a big fan of horns, but the trumpet solos were gorgeous.  Shame the song faded out so early.

 

(side 2)
1.) 
Are You Ready (David Lewis) -  2:30 rating: ** stars

The upbeat, bouncy, keyboard powered  'Are You Ready' was clearly written with radio airplay in mind.   Given Lewis was such a talent guy, it was hard to believe this was the best the band could do.  I didn't find the melody particularly compelling and the lyrics sounded like Beach Boys castoffs.  The track was tapped as a single throughout the European market:

- 1971's 'Are You Ready' b/w 'People's People' (Reflection catalog R.S. 6)

2.) Four Days In September (David Lewis) -  3:47  rating: ** stars

Hey, how about breaking things up with a big, maudlin ballad?  Well, that's a great description for 'Four Days In September'.  You can almost picture Lewis sitting at his keyboard working up a lyric that was guaranteed to make introverts and English majors cry.  Horrible.  ANd now for something a little different.  The Japanese band Off Beat do a cover of the tune.  YouTube has a clip of them performing the song in what appears to be someone's kitchen closet.  The space is so small, half the band is missing.  And while I don't understand Japanese, it's hysterical to see them introduce the song holding a copy of  the album in hand.  Bet a copy costs a little more in Japan that here in the States.  Their cover's surprisingly nice.  Four Days in September / Andwella Cover / OFF BEAT - YouTube

3.) Lazy Days (David Lewis) -  1:24   rating: ** stars

Ballad anyone?   Well, at least this one was super short.

4.) People's People (David Lewis) -  3:16  rating: ** stars

The title track was their most successful attempt at mimicking The Band.  That still didn't make it a great performance.

5.) Behind The Painted Screen  (David Lewis) - 3:26  rating: ** stars

About the only thing I can say about the keyboard powered ballad 'Behind The Painted Screen; was it momentarily reminded me of an Irish version of Billy Joel.  Mah, I didn't thh=ink that was a good thing either.  

6.) All For You (David Lewis) -  2:11 rating: ** stars

To be honest, by the time I got to the final ballad 'All For You' I was happy to be at the end of the album.  This time out the combination of the organ backing and Lewis somber delivery recalled something out of Gary Brooker and Procol Harum's catalog.  

 

 

 

 

 

BACK TO BADCAT FRONT PAGE

BACK TO BADCAT CATALOG PAGE

BACK TO BADCAT PAYMENT INFORMATION