Big Sleep/ Bluebell Wood Orig UK LP RARITY Pysch Prog

$

206

Big Sleep

Bluebell Wood (LP)

Condition:

Cover= Near Mint

Vinyl=Near Mint

Much sought after vinyl album in beautiful condition. No scratches, no ringwear- just beautiful!

 Bluebell Wood by Big Sleep - (Pegasus PEG 4) 1971 . . . . Personnel:_Phil Ryan (Organ, Piano) _Ritchie Francis (Bass, Piano, Vocals) _John "Pugwash" Weathers (Drums, Vocals) _Raymond "Taff" Williams (Guitar) _Gary Pickford-Hopkins (Vocals, Guitar) . . . . Released in 1971 on the Pegasus label, Big Sleep's “Bluebell Wood” represents a brief stepping stone between the Eyes Of Blue and several other groups who feature in Man's history. Big Sleep was the name chosen in an attempt by Mercury's UK A&R chief Lou Reizner to revitalise the Eyes Of Blue, but the group never performed live under the new name and folded within months of its release. Of the players in this short-lived project, Phil Ryan would quickly join Pete Brown's Piblokto! for a few months before teaming up with Clive John and forming the abortive Iowerth Pritchard and The Neutrons. Phil's next step was to join Man. John 'Pugwash' Weathers would follow Gary Pickford-Hopkins into Wild Turkey and then join Graham Bond's Organisation before Gentle Giant beckoned. Weathers would eventually become Man's longest-serving drummer, taking the stool between 1983 and 1995. "Bluebell Wood" is an accomplished album, although the quirky nature of the production does sometimes fail to integrate the music into a seamless whole. Sombre in overall feel, with two keyboard players the album is laden with piano/organ textures. 

    The album opens with 'Death Of A Hope' from John Weathers which features a liberal sprinkling of strings and an almost orchestral arrangement. Gary Pickford-Hopkins supplies the next track, 'Odd Song', with its subtly syncopated acoustic beat. Another Weathers song follows, 'Free Life'. The five remaining tracks all stem from pianist and bassist Ritchie Francis and these nicely bridge the gap between sixties pop and seventies progressive rock. 'Aunty James' includes some simple but beautifully appropriate organ fills from Phil Ryan, and then 'Saint And Sceptic' is introduced with some baroque wah-wah guitar from Williams. The title track, 'Bluebell Wood', is a progressive tour-de-force, mainly instrumental but with an occasional quasi-mystical lyric thrown in to season the recipe. 'Watching Love Grow' is a straight-forward acoustic-tinged ballad which leads to the final track, 'When The Sun Was Out', which seems slightly misplaced being a more obviously commercial number, perhaps conceived as a single. Very rarely comes up for sale. And a great album to listen to. Fans of Cressida with LOVE this one!