Tea and Symphony


Band members               Related acts

  line up 1 (1969-70)

- Dave Clem Clempson - guitar

- Jeff Daw - vocals, guitar, woodwind (1969-71)

- Gus Dudgeon -- drums

- James Langeston -- vocals, guitar, woodwinds (1969-71)

- Nigel Phillips -- vocals, keyboards (1969-71)

 

  line-up 2 (1970-71)

NEW - Dave Carroll -- guitar (1970-71)

- Jeff Daw - vocals, guitar, woodwind (1969-71)

NEW - Michael 'Mick' Hincks -- bass (1970-71)

NEW - Bob Lamb -- drums (1970-71)

- James Langeston -- vocals, guitar, woodwinds (1969-71)

- Nigel Phillips -- vocals, keyboards (1969-71)

NEW - Bob Wilson -- guitar, keyboards (1971)

  

 

 

- Bakerloo Mean (Dave Clem Clempson)

- The Dog That Bit People (Michael Hincks and Bob Lamb)

- The Steve Gibbons Band (Dave Carrol, Bob Lamb and

  Bob Wilson)

- Locomotive (Michael Hincks and Bob Lamb)

- Street Dealer (James Langeston) 

- Uriah Heep (Dave Clem Clempson)


 

Genre: progressive 

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  An Asylum for the Musically Insane

Company: Harvest

Catalog: SHVL-761

Year: 1969

Country/State: Birmingham, UK

Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+

Comments: wonderful condition all around; gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 5163

Price: $300.00

Cost: $200.00

 

Yeah, I'll readily admit this one's kind of an acquired taste ...  Based in Birmingham, the group came together in 1968 with a  line-up consisted of singers/multi-instrumentalists Jeff Daw and James Langeston and keyboard player Nigel Phillips.  

 

Playing the local club scene the trio's live show saw them offering up a mix of music and on-stage theatrics.  Under the supervision of manager Jim Sullivan the group's breakthrough came after they began touring with the Sullivan managed blues-rock outfit Bakerloo.  The resulting publicity saw the progressive Harvest label sign both bands.

 

Teamed with producer Gus Dudgeon (who also played drums on the album), the trio debuted with 1969's aptly titled "An Asylum for the Musically Insane".  Featuring nine originals (Daw was credited with most of the songs), this was one of those sets that was simply impossible to accurately describe.  Exceptional eccentric, anyone expecting to hear conventional rock, or even Bakerloo-styled blues rock was probably grossly disappointed by the collection.  On the other hand, anyone into weird instrumentation, oddball time signatures and occasionally arty self-indulgence probably treasured the set.  The collection's 'don't give a damn about popular tastes' was actually one of it's most endearing traits and those goofball charms become more apparent with each spin.  So what's it really sound like?  With backing from members of Bakerloo and the band Locomotive most of the nine tracks were acoustic; the one notable exception being the atypical blues-rocker 'The Come On'.  Tracks like 'Armchair Theatre', 'Maybe My Mind (with Egg)' - great title, and 'Terror In My Soul' offered up a bizarre and unique mix of English folk, music hall, comedy, classical and progressive moves.  Most of the songs featured group vocals, with the trio displaying a surprising knack for tight and attractive harmonies on songs like 'Traveling Shoes'.  While nothing here was conventional, or what you'd call commercial (snippets of 'Nothing Will Come To Nothing' were actually discordant), most of the songs were weird enough to actually be worth hearing, including the bleating pastoral 'Feel How Cool the Wind'.  Elsewhere Harvest actually tapped the album for a single: 'Boredom' b/w Armchair Theatre' (Harvest catalog number HAR 5005).

 

 

I think this is a Dutch issue picture sleeve

 

"An Asylum for the Musically Insane" track listing:

(side 1)
1.) Armchair Theatre   (Jeff Daw) - 3:55

2.) Feel How Cool the Wind   (Jeff Daw) - 3:25

3.) Sometime   (Jeff Daw) - 4:16

4.) Maybe My Mind (with Egg)   (Jeff Daw) - 3:44

5.) The Come On   (Jeff Daw) - 4:32

 

(side 2)
1.) Terror In My Soul   (Jeff Daw - Nigel Philips) - 6:08

2.) Traveling Shoes   (Neil) - 4:27

3.) Winter   (James Langeston) - 3:19

4.) Nothing Will Come To Nothing   (Nigel Philips) - 6:15

 

 


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