This little known album has just been reissued on cd,so i thought i would write a wee bit about it.

Phil Chesterton
Gerry Morris
John Hollis
John Da Costa

Got together in Ilford,England,and met ex RCA label man Tony Atkins who had become a independent producer.Phil Chesterton,Gerry Morris and John Hollis had all been members of UK 60s harmony pop band The Cymbaline,and John Da Costa had been a member of The Flies,both with exemplary UK pop and psych pedigrees,so i thought this album may interest us on good people on here.

GERRY MORRIS-ONLY THE BEGINNING(1973)

Before i go into the Lodestone album,i MUST mention a 1973 album by Gerry Morris titled"Only The Beginning"released on the small York label,as it is a fabulous late Beatles,Badfinger,Sleepy Hollow like album,full of very good pop nuggets with a couple of more psych orientated numbers ALL written by Gerry,and was also produced by Tony Atkins,who produced the Lodestone album.

LODESTONE-TIME FLIES

The majority of the tracks are written by Phil Chesterton as co-writes with Gerry Morris,or on his lonesome,with John Da Costa supplying 3 numbers and John Hollis with one.

An idea to make a concept album based on a journey into time and outer space,was suggested,and on they went with the encouragement of Tony Atkins,who being newly set up as a independent producer was wanting new bands who wrote original material and the publishing.

This album is very enjoyable indeed,and NOT as ghastly as the concept idea would have you believe or for that matter the rather badly dated looking gatefold sleeve artwork.

This has everything that 1971 could throw at a music fan,including classical influenced moments with orchestration supplied by students from Royal College of Music,keyboard driven progressive rock moves with organ,harpsichord and possibly early synth,some marvellous lighter progressive pop moments with a tiny slither of psych and treated vocal parts making an appearance,and vocal arrangements which lifts the whole album and those influences can be happening in the same song,and unbelievably it ALL hangs together marvellously,because at the heart of it are good well written songs,with an accessable but still different sound with a sympathetic production job,and good playing.

My picks are Overture,Castle/The Fault,I Awake,World Wall One,Liberation,We Arrive(part1),Space Shanty and The Second Leaving.

THIS album WILL appeal to progressive AND pop music enthusiasts,as BOTH are prominent in vibe and sound,and i feel THIS album deserves to be heard by more people,as i am sure MANY will enjoy it as much as i have,and i hasten to add i was surpringly very receptive to it as i'm on my third spin of it,and each time i'm enjoying it more,as its full of depth,accessable and sometimes complex arrangements,but at its centre are some delightful experimental left of centre pop moments,that DO reel you in,and you're hit with more progressive rock moments,its a fabulous mix.

Philips records took the option to pick up the album,but unfortunately it was only available in Germany,Austria and Switzerland,and NO release happened in the UK,which was a shame ,as that means hardly anyone will have heard it since then in old blighty.

This legitimate cd re-issue IS remastered by band member Gerry Morris,and it sounds great,he also does the 1 page of liners,giving a summarised account of its fruition,which is a shame as i'd loved to have had a booklet with this,and it also comes in a jubilee case.
So scarce packaging,and issued by Explore Rights Management.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING!!

Thanks for the reco!

Is there somewhere to find the Gerry Morris album in higher res than YouTube?

Thanks for that Stuart, will give Loadstone a listen. I have the Gerry Morris LP on York Records and also a 2013 issued CD edition as a mini LP CD on Big Pink Records from South Korea which is a good quality edition, for instance see:

https://www.discogs.com/release/5545412-Gerry-Morris-Only-The-Beginning

It's an album that also deserves a proper and wider reissue on CD. I wonder who owns the rights to the York label / Yorkshire TV stuff? There must be enough singles at least for a CD compilation of the label (Whistle's 'The Party Must Be Over for instance).

PM

I still reget having sold the Gerry Morris LP that I incredibly found in my local shops for a few Lira (it was before Euro) but I didn't like it them for some reason. Still have the Lodestone album, which I like it even if it's not a masterpiece

And it's true the York label would need a boxset on its own, like the many Tony Atkins/Gerry Morris & Co. collaborations

Hello Paul, it's the Big Pink cd I have, and it sounds splendid to my ears.
That label has reissued some fine albums not issued elsewhere.

Mr Polite Society, I've no idea where you can hear the Gerry Morris album in good quality, but it's possibly worthwhile to search eBay, Discogs, Amazon etc to see if there are any cheap reissues available.

Gian, you'll not be the only one who has sold on albums, and later regret it as one's personal music taste can change,t must be a sickening reminder when you realise an album was a keeper.