Gracious!
Band members Related acts
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line-up 1 (1964-65) as Satan's Disciples - Alan Cowderoy
-- guitar, backing vocals - Peter Lawes -- guitar
line-up 2 (1965-67) - Alan Cowderoy
-- guitar, backing vocals NEW - Keith Ireland -- percussion, backing vocals - Tim Wheatley -- bass
line-up 3 (1967-69) as Gracious! - Alan Cowderoy
-- guitar, backing vocals NEW
- Mike Laird -- bass
line-up 4 (1969-71) - Alan Cowderoy
-- vocals, guitar NEW - Tim Wheatley -- bass (replaced Mike Laird)
line-up 5 (1971) NEW - Chris Brayne -- drums, percussion (replaced Robert Lipson) - Alan Cowderoy
-- vocals, guitar - Tim Wheatley -- bass (replaced Mike Laird)
line up 6: (1995) NEW - Richard Ashworth -- lyrics NEW - Sev Lewkowicz -- vocals, keyboards, guitar - Robert Lipson -- drums, percussion NEW - Stuart Turner -- guitars - Tim Wheatley -- bass
guest musicians (1995) - Alan Cowderoy
-- guitar
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- Asylum (Sev Lewkowicz) - Sandy Davis Band (solo efforts) - Frank Farian Corporations (Sandy Davis) - Headwaiter (Sandy Davis and Sev Lewkowicz) - House (Sev Lewkowicz and Tim Wheatley) - The Nightbirds (Sandy Davis) - Pacific Rock (Sandy Davis) - Panama Rags (Sandy Davis) - Poker (Chris Brayne and Tim Wheatley) - Roobardb (Sandy Davis) - Taggett (Tim Wheatley) - Travis and Davis (Sandy Davis and Tim Wheatley)
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Genre: progressive Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Gracious! Company: Capitol Catalog: ST-602 Year: 1969 Country/State: Surrey, UK Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: minor ring wear Available: 1 Catalog ID: not yet listed Price: $80.00
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I got interested
in collecting obscure albums in college and "Gracious!"
was one of the first albums I purchased. Funny to think about it now,
but I can remember finding a copy at a local used record store; being
interested by the cover and the fact I'd never heard of these guys. I
also remember struggling with the decision to pay $10 for it. Wow,
those were the days ... Attending
St. George’s College in Weybridge, 1964 found Alan Cowderoy (guitar) and Paul Davis
(singer/drummer) and guitarist Peter Lawes jumping aboard The Beatles wannabe bandwagon and forming their own band. Given
they were attending a Catholic boys school it only made sense they'd
christen themselves Satan's Disciples, attracting considerable ire from the
school faculty and a reputation for instant martyrdom amongst their
schoolmates.
1969 saw Polydor drop a single from the demo material they'd recorded with Tim Rice, though the album was shelved.
- 1969's "Beautiful" b/w "Oh What a Lovely Rain" (Polydor catalog number 56333)
Polydor put the band on the road, including a two month tour of Germany during which bassist Laird was replaced by band roadie Tim Wheatley. Back in England they hit the club circuit, finding a sponsor when Vertigo President Brian Shepard caught one of their shows at London's Klooks Kleek, offered them a recording contract.
The band's self-titled 1970
album debut teamed them with producer Hugh Murphy (best known for his future
work with the late Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty). Murphy was unfamiliar
with Gracious' material and apparently did not waste a lot of time with the
band, insisting on largely live takes with minor post-recording overdubs and
adjustments. To their credit the band had plenty of live experience
and essentially recorded large chunks of their stage act for the debut LP. The actual
recordings sessions were completed in a couple of days with mixing completed
in an afternoon. Featuring six
lengthy tracks, Davis and
The original English release (Vertigo catalog number 6360 002) featured a different, far less attractive textured gatefold sleeve cover - the artwork featuring what looked like a big exclamation mark ...
1.) Introduction (Paul Davis - Martin Kitcat) - 5:52 rating: **** stars I've
seldom stumbled across a piece of music that manages to blend classical, pop
and progressive influences with such elegance as
"Introduction". Alan Cowderoy's
blazing guitar solo, Paul Davis' sweet voice, Martin Kitcat's
lovely harpsichord fills, Mike Laird melodic fuzz bass and Robert Lipson's
crushing drums made for a fantastic opening track. The album's most
commercial offering, the song sounds as good
today as the first time I heard it in 1982. Opening up with some pastoral Kitcat mellotron washes and Wheatley's overlooked melodic bass, "Heaven" started out with a stately, classical tinged melody. That was only underscored by Cowderoy's tasteful guitar which has always reminded me of Jan Akkerman's work with Focus. About three minutes in the song abruptly switched to a breezy, almost pop-orientation that showcased Davis' commercial voice and the band's knack for harmony vocals. Imagine Badfinger dipping their toes into a progressive pool. "Do you have a clean mind?" I've always loved the little riff Cowderoy pulled out around the six minute mark. Another album highlight. With a modified title, an edited version of the song was released as an instantly obscure American single.
- 1970's "Do You Have A Clean Mind (Heaven - Part 1)" b/w "Do You Have A Clean Mind (Heaven - Part 2)" (Capitol catalog number 2960
Given
the song title I guess the discordant keyboard opening shouldn't have come
as a surprise. Still, Kitcat's dark ominous notes sounding like
something written for a slasher film soundtrack. That was only
underscored by Cowderoy's jarring guitar
work. That made the abrupt shift to something sounding like a Ragtime
tune that had
been recorded at a Western bar fight all the more jarring. And what
you can say about the "can-can" inspired section? Not saying
it was good; just different in a disturbing fashion. From there,
powered by Kitkat's keyboards the song went into some of the LP's most
progressive moves. (side 2) 1.) Fugue in 'D' Minor (instrumental) (Paul Davis - Martin Kitcat) - 5:03 rating: *** stars Showcasing Kitkat's harpsichord and Cowderoy's lute and acoustic guitar the Baroque inspired instrumental "Fugue in 'D' Minor" has always reminded me of something off a Focus album. Very relaxing, though it certainly helps if you enjoy renaissance music. An abbreviated version of the song appeared on the European release non-LP single "Once On a Windy Day".
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1970's "Once On a Windy Day" b/w "Fugue in 'D'
Minor" (Vertigo catalog number 6059 009) The album's longest and most experimental effort "The Dream" sounded like a sounded like a musical collage stitching together cutting floor odds and ends. Starting out with some screaming Cowderoy guitar, it abruptly shifting into a brief slice of Beethoven's "Moonlight" piano sonata. Over the next fifteen minutes the composition bounced all over the musical spectrum including jazzy interludes, some of Cowderoy's toughest lead guitar; a disturbing Davis spoke word segment; a freak-out segment; Latin-percussion, a nod to "Hey Jude", etc. Hardly the album's standout effort, through the Lipson - Tim Wheatley rhythm section somehow managed to keep it mostly on the rails.
© Scott R. Blackerby September 2025
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Kitcat
were credited with writing all the material. I've always wondered if the album was intended
as a concept album as tracks like "Heaven" and "Hell"
seemed to reflect some sort of pseudo-religious theme. If that was the
case, then blame their Catholic upbringings. As for the concept
... if there was one, it was lost on my American ears. About all
I can say is I've always found "Gracious!"
impressive and enjoyable, if erratic. Musically diverse, the
opener "Introduction" offered
up a great mixture of classical, pop and progressive influences; each member
getting a chance to showcase their technical prowess. Kitcat's
harpsichord fills were wonderful. "Heaven" was almost as good with Cowderoy's
guitar work reminding me of Focus' Jan Akkerman. The counterpart
"Hell" found the band at their most experimental. The extended
"The Dream" bounced all over the musical spectrum, including a
touch of psychedelic meltdown. The album's oddest offering, the instrumental
"Fugue in 'D' Minor" sounded like Focus taking on a Renaissance
era tune. Full of
nifty harmonies, intriguing melodies and odd timings and instrumentation,
the set was well worth tracking down. Needless to say, domestic sales were
nonexistent making the set a fairly expensive acquisition.
