- Ken Elliott -- vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, glockenspiel, chimes (1974-)

- Kieran O'Connor (RIP 1991) -- drums, percussion, xylophone, vibraphone,

  backing vocals (1974-)

  supporting musicians:

- Chris Amson -- sequencer (1975-)

- Hugh Banton -- keyboards, synthesizers (1975-)
- Steve Cook -- bass (1975-)

- Rob Elliott -- vocals  (1975-)
- Tony Elliott -- vocals, bongos (1975-)

- Brian Gould: -- keyboards, synthesizers (1975-)

- Pepi Lemer -- vocals (1975-)
- Pete Lemer - keyboards, synthesizers (1975-)
- Tony Utah -- percussion (1975-)

 

- The Balham Alligators (Kieran O'Connor)

- Baker Gurvitz Army (Peter Lemer)

- Chillum

- Fungus (Ken Elliott and Kieran O'Connor)

- Moving Finger ( Kieran O'Connor)

- Second Hand (Ken Elliott and Kieran O'Connor)

- Van der Graaf Generation (Hugh Banton)

Genre: progressive

Rating: 3 stars ***

Title:  Things To Come

Company: Janus 

Catalog: JXS 7008
Year: 1974

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG / VG+

Comments: still in shrink wrap; cut lower right corner

Available: 1

catalog ID: 5557

Price: $15.00

Krautrock, schmockrock ...  True, German bands were at the forefront of 1970s-era electronic music.  That said, they weren't the only pioneers in the field - witness The Silver Apples, or these guys ...  multi-instrumentalist Ken Elliott and drummer Kieran O'Connor - collectively known as Seventh Wave.

Prior to forming Seventh Wave the pair had recorded a couple of albums as members of Second Hand (I've also seen it referenced as Secondhand).  After Second Hand called it quits, in 1973 they decided to continue their musical partnership as Fungus.  Fungus managed to release one self-financed single before mutating into Seventh Wave (1973's 'Premonitions Pt. 1' b/w 'Premonitions Pt. 2' (Fungus catalog number FUN 1).   

Signed by the small Gull label (the Chess-affiliated Janus label acquiring American distribution rights), the duo made their recording debut with 1974's "Things To Come".  Co-produced by O'Connor and Neil Richmond, the album's 14 tracks were really difficult to accurately describe.  Interesting for a duo these guys managed to sound like an invading army. complete with what sounded like banks of synthesizers.  Portions of the album reflected the same cold distance you'd associate with Krautrock.  In fact the brief opener 'Sky Scraper', 'Smog, Fog and Sunset' and a remake of the earlier 'Premonition' would not have sounded out of place on an early Kraftwerk album.  That said about a third of the album was surprisingly commercial.  The fact it had any commercial potential was made even weirder given Elliott didn't have much of a voice - he somehow managed to bounce from sounding like one of the Chipmunks on 'Old Dig Song' to recalling Levi Stubbs being strangled on 'Fail to See'.  Elsewhere 'Metropolis' managed to somehow incorporate what sounded like Atari video game sounds, bits of atonal cityscape noise, and Beach Boys-styles harmonies - I'm not making that up !   Elsewhere Gull tapped the album for a pair of UK singles:

- 1974's 'Metropolis' b/w 'Festival' (Gull catalog number GULS 3)

- 1974's 'Fail To See/\' b/w 'Things To Come' (Gull catalog number GUL 10)

"Things To Come" track listing:
(side 1)

1.) Sky Scraper (instrumental)  (Ken Elliott) - 
2.) Metropolis   (Ken Elliott) - 
3.) Intercity Water Rat (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
4.) Escalator (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
5.) Old Dog Song   (Ken Elliott) - 
6.) Smog, Fog and Sunset (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
7.) Fail to See   (Ken Elliott) - 

(side 2)
1.) Premonition (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 

2.) Festival (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
3.) Ever So Slightly   (Ken Elliott) - 
4.) Communication Skyways (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
5.) Things to Come (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
6.) 1999 ½ (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 
7.) Dance of the Eloi (instrumental)   (Ken Elliott) - 

left to right: Brian Gould, Ken Elliott, Keiran O'Connor, Pepi Lemer,