line-up 1 (1964-65)

- Melvin Davis -- guitar

- Ritchie Francis -- bass, guitar ,vocals

- David Thomas -- drums, percussion

  line-up 2 (1965-66)

- Ritchie Francis -- bass, guitar ,vocals

NEW - Wyndham Rees (RIP 2024) -- vocals 

- David Thomas -- drums, percussion

  line-up 3 (1966-68)

- Ritchie Francis -- bass, keyboards, guitar vocals

NEW- Gary Pickford-Hopkins (RIP 2013) -- vocals

NEW- Phil Ryan (RIP 2016) -- keyboards

- Wyndham Rees (RIP 2024) -- vocals 

NEW - John Weathers -- drums, percussion (replaced 

  David Thomas)

NEW- Ray "Taff" Williams (RIP 2013) -- lead guitar

  line-up 4 (1968-69)

NEW - Ray Bennett -- lead guitar (replaced Ray Williams)

- Ritchie Francis -- bass, keyboards, vocals

- Gary Pickford-Hopkins (RIP 2013) -- vocals

- Phil Ryan (RIP 2016) -- keyboards

- John Weathers -- drums, percussion

- Ancient Grease (John Weathers)

- Ray Bennett (solo efforts)

- Big Sleep (Ray Bennett, Ritchie Francis, Gary Pickford-Hopkins

  and Phil Ryan)  

- Broadcast (Gary Pickford-Hopkins)

- Pete Brown and Piblokto (John Weathers)  

- The Bystanders (Ray Williams)

- Faded Glory (Phil Ryan and Wyndham Rees)

- Flash (Ray Bennett)  

- The Flying Aces (Phil Ryan)

- Ritchie Francis (solo efforts)

- Gentle Giant (John Weathers)  

 The Imposters

- Buzzy Linhart

- Man (Phil Ryan and Ray Williams)  

- Jackie McLean & The MacBand (Ray Williams)

- Network (Gary Pickford-Hopkins)

- The Neutrons (Phil Ryan)

- Gary Pickford-Hopkins & Friends

- Phil Ryan and the Crescents

- Tetsu & The Good Times Roll Band (Gary Pickford-Hopkins)

- Wild Turkey (Gary Pickford-Hopkins and John Weather)

Genre: progressive

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  In Fields of Ardath

Company: Mercury

Catalog: SR 61220

Year: 1969

Country/State: Neath, UK

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: --

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 5263

Price: $60.00

Formed in Neath Wales, singer Wyndham Rees, guitarist Ray Williams and bassist Ritchie Francis had all been members of the early-'60s R&B and cover band The Mustangs.  By 1966 the band was performing as Eyes of Blue settling on a line-up featuring former Smokestacks vocalist Gary Pickford-Hopkins, ex-Smokestacks keyboardist Phil Ryan, drummer John Weathers and lead guitarist Ray Williams. The quintet's initial break came when they won Melody Makers' 1966 Beat Contest; the prize being a recording contract with Decca's newly formed Deram label.  Teamed with producer Noel Walker, Deram demanded the band record cover material resulting in the release of a pair of quickly obscure singles:

- 1966’s "Up and Down" b/w "Heart Trouble" (Deram catalog number 45-85001)  

- 1967’s "Supermarket Full of Cans" b/w "Don’t Ask Me" (Deram catalog number 45-85003).

Having been dropped by Deram, the band’s next break came when Mercury’s London based A&R man Lou Reizner played one of the group’s tapes for American producer Quincy Jones.  Jones was in London starting work on a score for the film “The Toy Grabbers” (renamed “Mother” when released in the States).  Deciding he needed a more contemporary sound for the movie, he subsequently recruited the band to help score the film 

The resulting publicity led Mercury to sign them, resulting in the release of 1968’s “The Crossroads of Time”.

Following another movie project; they scored music for “Connecting Rooms” and even had a brief role in the film, they returned to the studio for the second album. 

Following a series of personnel changes that saw vocalist Wyndham Rees eased out of the band and guitarist Ray Williams replaced by Ray Bennett the band released their second album -1969’s “In Fields of Ardath”.  Produced by American Lou Reizner (Quincy Jones furnished the liner notes), the album saw the band stepping into the business of concept albums.  The title track and several of the songs built around the theme of reincarnation.  To quote the liner notes:

“The title of the album stems from the interest of Eyes of Blue in the supernatural and the occult.  Ardath is the title of a book by Marie Corelli published in 1897.  The theme of the novel is based on the story of reincarnation.  According to the book the field of Ardath is located near the ruined city of Babylon. Corelli’s characters find evidence for this presumed location in the Book of Esdras.”   

Admittedly that description left me puzzled.  Here's some additional information I found on Wikipedia: "The Fields of Ardath are a mystical meadow of ancient Babylon, symbolizing unity and diversity. It represents a place where individuals can find their personal experiences while contributing to a unified entity. This concept is often seen in sacred dance circles and Sufi semas, where each dancer adds a unique input to the whole, radiating light as a whole. It  also symbolize a place on Earth where one physically journeys to, representing the reincorporation of lost parts of the soul and the healing of karma. It is a healing measure that involves disturbances to create necessary healing and information for soul growth and reintegration."

Featuring a largely original collection of material with writing contributions from all the band members, their sophomore album wasn't particularly focused.  Progressive influences predominated on tracks like the extended opener "Merry Go Round", "Door (The Child That Is Born On the Sabbath Day)" and the atmospheric instrumental "Extra Hour" but the band seemed more interested in broadening their musical horizons.  This time around there were a host of influences including country-rock ("Chances"), English blues ("After the War"), pop ("Little Bird") and even a scratchy tribute to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt ("Souvenirs (Tribute To Django)").  The combination of Ray Bennett's lead guitar and Phil Ryan's Hammond B-3 and keyboards provided the album with a thick and elaborate texture.  As lead vocalist Pickford-Hopkins raspy voice remained an acquired taste, though to be perfectly honest, he was occasionally all but drown out by the elaborate arrangements. While nowhere near as much fun as the debut the collection wasn’t a complete wash out.  Perhaps not a big surprise, but to my ears they were at their best when sticking with more mainstream rock oriented material – in this case "The Light We See" (featuring a killer backward guitar solo), their cover of Graham Bond’s "Spanish Blues" and the closing instrumental "Apache ‘69" which featuring some nice Bennett lead guitar served as the LP highlights.  It was all pleasant, but hardly the forgotten classic some dealers would have you believe.

"In Fields of Ardath" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Merry Go Round (From the Film Toy-Grabbers) (Ritchie Francis) - 9:05 rating: *** stars

Penned by bassist Francis, and showcasing Gary Pickford-Hopkins' vocals, "Merry Go Round" opened up with a distinctive medieval sound before abruptly shifting into a performance that showcased a an ever-shifting mixture of the band's commercial and progressive sides. Pickford-Hopkins' raspy voice took a while to warm up to.  He reminded me a bit of Family's Roger Chapman.

2.) The Light We See (Gary Pickford-Hopkins) - 2:12 rating: **** stars

Reflecting the band's R&B roots, "The Light We See" was one of their most mainstream offerings.  Taking full advantage of the moment the Ritchie Francis -  John Weathers rhythm section responded with a short Weathers drum solo, while Francis' bass served as the song's primary instrument.  Well that was the case until Bennett's backwards guitar solo kicked in.  Pretty intense.

3.) Souvenirs (Tribute To Django) (instrumental) (Django Reinhardt – Stephane Grapelly) - 2:39  rating: ** stars

Complete with vinyl hissing, "Souvenirs (Tribute To Django)" was one of three instrumentals.  The song showcased guitarist Bennett on what was a sweet nod to jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and his Quintette Du Hot Club De France.  The song was seeming inspired by Reinhardt's 1954 album "Souvenirs De Django Reinhardt Volume 1".  Enjoyable but an odd piece compared to the rest of the collection.

4.) Ardath (John Weathers) - 2:35 rating: *** stars

"Ardath" was a pretty enough ballad, but Pickford-Hopkins' waivery voice made it clear he wasn't very comfortable with the song's high range.

5.) Spanish Blues (Graham Bond) - 3:48 rating: *** stars

Given the band's interest in the occult, I guess it wasn't a surprise they'd do a cover of Graham Bond (who had a similar interest in the subject).  Powered by Ryan's Hammond B-3 organ, their arrangement of Bond's "Spanish Blues" bounced between funky and jazzy-jam.  Bennett turned in one of his most melodic solos on the track.  Musically the cover stuck close to the original melody, though missing in action was Bond's extensive sax work.

(side 2)

1.) Door (The Child That Is Born On the Sabbath Day) (Phil Ryan) - 6:45 rating: *** stars

Powered by Ryan's Hammond B-3 "Door (The Child That Is Born On the Sabbath Day)" was the LPs best example of their efforts to meld progressive, rock and pop.  Imagine Uriah Heep organ coupled with elaborate Yes-styled arrangements, a band of Gregorian monks momentarily stumbling into the studio,  some surprisingly catchy vocals and a musique concrete closing section

2.) Little Bird (Ritchie Francis) - 2:35 rating: *** stars

Hard to explain why but complete with colliery brass backing the bouncy pop effort "Little Bird" sounded like something that the band had recorded much earlier.

3.) After the War (Gary Pickford-Hopkins) - 3:27 rating: ** stars

A straightforward blues number, "After the War" would not have sounded out of place on an early Fleetwood Mac, Chicken Shack, Savoy Brown, or Ten Years After LP.  Professional, but nothing most have not heard before.

4.) Extra Hour (instrumental) (Phil Ryan) - 2:25 rating: *** stars

The atmospheric instrumental "Extra Hour" offered up an interesting mixture of Ryan 's classical keyboards, Bennett's jazzy guitar and female background vocals that reminded me of Clare Torry's performance on Pink Floyd's "Money".

5.) Chances (Ritchie Francis) - 2:59 rating: **** stars

The lonesome opening harmonica solo gave the ballad "Chances" an unexpected  country and western flavor.  Totally unexpected, it was the album's prettiest and one of the most memorable performances. 

6.) Apache ’69 (instrumental) (Jerry Lordan) - 4:27 rating: *** stars

Their remake of The Shadows' "Apache" was another track that seemed out of place surrounded by the other material. The melody remained intact, the main difference being the remake slapped some Hammond and fuzz guitar on top, giving the end results a slightly psych edge. Shame the track faded out as it was starting to cook.   Was it an improvement over the original?  Nah.  In one of those mysterious marketing moves the track was included on the US version of the album, but was not included on the original UK album.  Even more confusing, Mercury released the track as a US single.

- 1969's "Apache '69" (instrumental b/w "Q III" (instrumental) (Mercury catalog number 72911)

In the UK the single was released under the name The Imposters.  The non-LP "B" side instrumental "Q III" was credited to "Lylall Glas" which was Welch for Eyes of Blue.

- 1969's "Apache '69" (instrumental b/w "Q III" (instrumental) (Mercury catalog number MF 1080)

For Eyes of Blue fanatics, the band recorded a 1971 album under the pseudonym Big Sleep and provided backup to fellow Welshmen Strawberry Dust (aka Ancient Grease). Following the band’s breakup various members reappeared in other project:

- Ray Bennett joined Peter Banks in the band Flash and released a 2013 solo album.

- Ritchie Francis released a solo album.  

- Gary Pickford-Hopkins went on to join a series of bands including Wild Turkey, Rick Wakeman's band, Network and Broadcast, as well as releasing a 2003 solo album.  He died of cancer in May 2013.

- Phil Ryan joined bassist Ray Williams in several iterations of Man, along with stints with The Neutrons and Pete Brown and The Flying Aces. Having relocated to Denmark, he passed on in April 2016.

- John Weathers hooked up with Pete Brown and Piblokto, followed by stints in Strawberry Dust, Graham Bond's Magic, Man, The Grease Band and Gentle Giant.  

© Scott R. Blackerby January 2025