Just received this cd this morning,a band i knew nothing about,and had heard nothing from.

It was their name that caught my eye,i thought what a bloody great name for a band!!
Paul Devonshire
Roger Hillier
Paul Lindsay
Mark Sugden

First of,this band only released 1 three track EP in their lifetime,in 77.......which was discovered by Austin Matthews decades later,a collector via an online purchase of this EP,who offered to assist in putting an album together of their recordings,after contacting Mark Sugden.An album was issued in 2020,and sold out quickly,but this is the cd version.

The cd is in 3 stages,with 3 different line ups,but Roger Hillier who was the main songwriter and keyboard wizard and Mark Sugden the drummer,percussonist and vocals were the mainstays in all 3 line ups.Which covers 5 years of the lifetime of the group.

The first 3 tracks were recorded through 1972-73,and they are heavily influenced by Soft Machine,but for us enthusasiasts of music 50 years later you can put the sound with the likes of Supersister,Matching Mole and hints of Caravan.So yes a fair dollop of jazz influence peremeates throughout,all 3 line ups.

"Vamp Till Ready","Joke Without Words" and"Freak Show"are predominantly instrumental,and are very much in the mould of Soft Machine 2 and 3.So on first hearing ,i was pleasantly surprised,as some jazz infected sounds don't click with me,but this hit the spot.Not too noodly or show offy,which can be a complete turn off for me,as sometimes all the noodling seems unnecessary and goes nowhere.

I was even more surprised to find that the following recordings up to 1977 kept to the same type of sound and vibe,THAT Soft Machine and Caravan sound with leslied speaker organ very much in place,and pleasing to hear.

You do have the likes of sax,Trombone,clarinet and flute in the mix,but never too obtrusive,it's the organ and keyboard work that is prominent with a groove bass line and steady drumming keeping it all together.

The final line up,which features on the 3 track EP are:
Paul Gillieron
Harlan Cockburn
Roger Hillier
Malcolm Barrett
Mark Sugden

The ONLY line up with a guitarist in Harlan Cockburn.Plus there are more vocals in the 3 songs,on this 7" release.It's all rather quirky,and dare i say it,rather catchy with"You Are What You Eat",a kinda semi commercial vibe with a strong Caravan influence,it really is a pure English sounding piece of progressive arty music.
"Do The Azimuth",has sax and guitar to the fore,this has a different sound to it,a more lively,but with a tinge of funk in it(to my ears anyway),and in truth my least favourite song on the cd,with its dissonant,and arrangement giving a vibe of dissarray.
"Rat Brain Incision"the guitar again is omni present along with the burps of sax,and a groovy bassline,with electric piano,in this rather manic 2 minute instrumental.

In 1976,this line up had recorded a song"More Feathers,More Dogs"which i don't want to keep saying it,could be Caravan from the mid 70s,it really could,with clarinet and THAT organ,and keyboard sound.

Seelie Court have included an informative booklet,with photos and the story of this band.How close they came to getting signed by Island Records,but because of some faceless record exec,they along with others where shown the door!!

....and for those making decisions between eating, heating and listening, it's available from the usual source.

Enjoy
PPP

I've been waiting some 2 years for someone to release this.

The majority of Seelie Court releases leave me bored rigid. But the early Canterbury-sound tracks here are the exception.

https://thegay.com/videos/683600/mark-kroner-max-holden-rod-barry-kevin-miles2/

Wallace,yes there are some of the Seelie Court cds,that unfortunately don't do much for me musically,but ya know i'm glad to have them none the less,as my collection does benefit from their presence,as many of the albums Seelie Court reissue or release are very rare,and hardly been heard by anyone,so i'm grateful that at least some company,Seelie Court in this case,are finding sources for those albums,give information about the band and album,and attempt to clean up the many private press albums Seelie Court appear to be attracted to,to give the best possible sound recreation from mucky tapes,old cassette copies,50,40,30,20 years old pieces of vinyl,being the only source....in a way this IS a kind of archiving,the preserving of UK musical history,of albums and unreleased recordings from local bands,acetate albums,Vanity projects,tiny releases on small local labels,private releases,demo tapes,home recordings and live recordings.

ALL rare as hens teeth,and it shows away from the glam and glitz of success,many throughout the UK in small towns,big cities and villages where writing,creating,rehearsing,recording as a band or singer,that only their family have ever heard,or their friends if lucky,some even got a small release on a small local label,and have 90 pressed at the most with DIY period art too,on some albums,so NO,not everyone is going to enjoy,every Seelie Court release,but im blooming glad they are still being made available to 60s and 70s psych,folk and prog enthusiasts,and i'm thoroughly enjoying the more folk,folk/rock type albums......but bravo to the people,teams,individuals,companies who seek this material out,and take the time and affort of all aspects,to see it being made available to an eager buying listener.......

Whats NOT to like??

I got the ltd vinyl edition as soon as it came out, it's very good. Austin Matthews maybe just "rediscovered" them, as the Ep was alread known in the circuit of punk/independent releases fans, and was actually listed in the amazing 45 Revolutions "bible" (2007)