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- Philamore Lincoln (aka Robert Cromwell Anson, Julian Covey,

  Julian Covey, Philip Kinnora -- vocals, flute, guitar

  supporting musicians:

- Clem Cattini -- drums, percussion

- Les Hurdle -- bass

- Jimmy Page -- guitar

- The Brian Auger Trinity (Philip Kinnora)

- Julian Covey and the Machine

- The Don Rendell New Jazz Quintet

Genre: rock

Rating: 4 stars ****

Title:  The North Wind Blew South

Company: Epic

Catalog:  BN 26497
Year: 1970

Country/State: Nottingham, UK

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor cover wear; demo stamp on back cover

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 31206

Price: $100.00

So let me warn you that you'll need a map to keep track of this one.

The artist known as Philamore Lincoln was born Robert Cromwell Anson.  He took up drums at an early age and after a mandatory stint in the Royal Air Force, turned his attention to becoming a professional musician.  Adopting the stage name Phil Kinnora, throughout the early 1960s he worked with a number of jazz bands; including the Peter King Quintet, the Ronnie Scott Quintet and The Don Rendell New Jazz Quintet.  (I'm not a psychologist, but it was interesting to note the name was apparently inspired by Anson's favorite jazz drummers -  PHIL Seaman; Tony KINsea and Bobby ORR.)   Having relocated to London, 1963 saw him working with The Brian Auger Trinity.  Unhappy being a sideman, in 1964 Kinnora struck out on his own adopted a new stage name - Julian Covey.  He also decided to jump into rock and roll, forming the band The Machine; quickly morphing into Julian Covey & the Machine.   Going through a never-ending stream of personnel changes, Covey and company spent the next three years touring. 1967 saw them signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records, releasing a one shot single.  Surprisingly the 45 was even release in the States:

  US release:

- 1967's 'A Little Bit of Hurt' b/w 'Sweet Bacon' (Island catalog number 40505)

  UK release:

- 1967's 'A Little Bit of Hurt' b/w 'Sweet Bacon' (Island catalog number WIP 6009)

By late 1967 the band had called it quits.  Time for a another name change.  Goodbye Covey; welcome Philamore Lincoln.   Lincoln spent several months supporting Graham Bond, before diving into a solo career that found him signing with Brian Epstein's NEMS label, where he released another single before NEMS collapsed in the wake of Epstein's suicide.

- 1968's 'Running By the River' b/w 'Rainy Day' (NEMS catalog number 56-3711)

For anyone interested, a gentleman by the name of Nick Warburton contributed an amazingly detailed biography/performance history/discography on Anston/Kinnora/Covey to the Garage Hangover website: https://garagehangover.com/julian-covey-the-machine/

Two years after his debut single as Philamore Lincoln, the man reappeared with his first and only album - 1970's "The North Wind Blew South."  Produced by James Wilder with brothers Glyn and Andrew Johns engineering, the album offered up a consistently interesting mix of genres including folk ('Early Sherwood'), country ('Lazy Good for Nothin'') and plenty of pop-psych moves.  Lincoln may have looked like a stoned Hendrix wannabe, but the man had a highly versatile and commercial voice.  He also had a knack from penning radio-friendly hooks that combined a variety of then-popular genres.  Virtually every one of these ten tunes had commercial potential.  Against that backdrop it was hard to pick favorites, but my top-three would be 1.)  'You're the One', 2.) 'The North Wind Blew South', and 3.) 'The Plains of Delight'.

This is nothing more than speculation on my part, but I'm guessing that the song actually date back to the 1968 NEMS sessions with Mike Vickers.  CBS/Epic had distributed NEMS product and when the label collapsed several of the NEMS acts reappeared CBS/Epic.  The album also included 'Rainy Day' which had been the "B" side of the earlier NEMS single.  Ignoring the business end of the equation, songs like the title track, 'You're the One' and 'When You Were Looking My Way' had a distinctive late-'60s vibe.  

The album was also interesting from a marketing standpoint in that it was released in the US and Canada, but not the UK.  Epic released the two Lincoln singles in advance of the album and their failure to sell may have convinced the label there was no market for the album in the UK.  Note the US release stressed the Lincoln's English links - "produced in England by James Wilder"

"The North Wind Blew South" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) The North Wind Blew South   (Philamore Lincoln) - 3:10   rating: **** stars
Wow - Imagine the psych record Donovan always wanted to record, but never got around to.  With a beautiful, laconic melody Lincoln's slightly stoned vocals and what sounded like an electronically treated bagpipe solo, the title track just screamed '60s zeitgeist.  Yes, I know it was released in 1970, but it sure sounded like it was recorded earlier than that.  Regardless, it was a killer tune.

2.) You're the One   (Philamore Lincoln) - 3:02   rating: **** stars

'You're the One' offered up a mesmerizing mash-up of Zombies-styled psych-pop, hard rock guitar and Indian musical influences (check out the tablas).  Another awesome performance showcasing Lincoln's wonderful voice.  Wish this one had been longer.   Jimmy Page reportedly provided the blazing guitar solo.  The track was released as a promo single in the US and UK:

- 1970's 'You're the One' b/w 'The Country Jail Band' (Epic catalog number 5-10594)

3.) Lazy Good for Nothin'   (Philamore Lincoln) - 2:29   rating: ** stars

'Lazy Good for Nothin'' was a  jarring switch in musical direction.  Always wonder why English musicians are so enamored with country music?  

4.) Early Sherwood   (Philamore Lincoln) - 3:16   rating: *** stars

Well, he was born in Sherwood so I guess this was a memory of childhood  ...  Almost a mini-suite, 'Early Sherwood' started out as a folk tune, reflected a touch of Ray Davies and then morphed into the album's most experimental offering.

5.) Rainy Day   (Philamore Lincoln) - 2:25   rating: *** stars

As mentioned, 'Rainy Day' had previously seen daylight as the "B" side pf his debut single.  Musically it was a bouncy, relatively straightforward pop tune.

(side 2)

1.) Temma Harbour   (Philamore Lincoln) - 2:59   rating: **** stars

Mary Hopkins released her cover a couple of days before Lincoln's album was issued.  Hopkins had the hit and named the parent album 'Temma Harbour'.  Interestingly, her cover wasn't all that different than Lincoln's original.  More pop than samba.  Lincoln's original sported a breezy, samba-flavored performance that has always reminded me of a Donovan performance.  Complete with wave and seagull sound effects this one was ...  well relaxing comes to mind.  It always reminds me of something out of Asturd Gilberto's catalog.  By the way, there really is a Temma Harbour - it's a cove in Tasmania.

2.) The Plains of Delight   (Philamore Lincoln) - 3:16   rating: **** stars

I'm a massive fan of the pop-psych genre; folks like Curt Boettcher, Millennium or Brian Wilson at his sandbox best are high on my list of musical idols.  And that's all you need to know to understand why the lysergic 'The Plains of Delight' is such a blast.  With a dreamy, pastoral melody, 'The Plains of Delight' was the perfect Sunday summer morning song.  Best acid oboe ever recorded !!!  

3.) The Country Jail Band   (Philamore Lincoln) - 2:36  rating: **** stars

Damn, I never would have expected the man to trot out a surprisingly impressive Elvis.  Loved the blazing telecaster solo (Jimmy Page?) and the slightly discordant sax solos.  Interesting choice for a British promo single:

- 1970's 'The County Jail Band' b/w 'You're the One' (CBS catalog number S 5007)

4.) When You Were Looking My Way   (Philamore Lincoln) - 3:15  rating: **** stars

Say what you will, there was no denying Lincoln's flexibility.  There literally did not seem to be a musical genre he wasn't comfortable with.  Spotlighting his wispy, slightly out of breath little boy voice, 'When You Were Looking My Way' showcased the man at his most commercial.  A breezy, insidiously catchy pop tune, it's hard to imagine Columbia didn't tap this one as a single.

5.) Blew Through (instrumental)  (Philamore Lincoln) - 5:18   rating: ** stars

The instrumental 'Blew Through' ended the album was a standard slice of "strip bar" blues.  Unlike most of the album, this one  sounded completely out of place.  It sounded  like an in-studio jam with more of those discordant saxes and an extended organ solo.  Kind of boring ...  It all made sense given the song was reportedly a Graham Bond Organisation outtake.  

And from there the man seems to have disengaged from music.  He produced a pair of albums for the progressive band Paladin (featuring a couple of his Julian Covey band mates) and then seemingly retired from music.

Forty years after its initial release, in 2010 the English Grapefruit Records imprint reissued the album in CD format (Grapefruit catalog number CRSEG011).   In 2018 Epic finally got around to reissuing it (Epic catalog number 397304).