GRACIOUS This Is Gracious 1971 VERY RARE ORG. UK LP PSYCHE/PROG. Philips

$

355

S h i p p i n g :

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Double vinyl cost $ 14.00

7” single cost $ 7.00

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Double vinyl cost $ 18.00

7” single cost $ 8.00

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D E S C R I P T I O N :

FORMAT: LP

ARTIST: GRACIOUS

TITLE: THIS IS GRACIOUS!!

LABEL: PHILIPS

NUMBER: 6382 004 SMP

MONO/STEREO: ST.

LABEL DESCRIPTION: -

GRADE & DESCRIPTION (COVER):  EX ++  (SEE PHOTOS SCANS) .

GRADE & DESCRIPTION (RECORD): EX ++ TO  MINT - RECORD HAS BEEN WASHED WITH V.P.I. CLEANER.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

GRACIOUS

This Is ... Gracious !!

1971-UK ORIGINAL VERY RARE FIRST PRESSING

PHILIPS INTERNATIONAL  STEREO 6382 004

MATRIX NUMBERS:  6382 004  1Y//1 420 - 6382 004  2Y//1 420

A heavy progressive outfit whose recordings all attract interest from collectors.

Basically we're talking progressive symphonic psych rock here with a lush mellotron sound.

Vocalist Paul Davis later guested on the Jesus Christ Superstar album.

Side A:

 "Supernova"
1.Arrival of the Traveller
2.Blood Red Sun
3.Say Goodbye to Love
4.Prepare to Meet Thy Maker

Side B:

5.CBS
6.What's Come to Be
7.Blue Skies and Alibis
8.Hold Me Down

- Paul Davis: vocals, 12-string guitar, timpani
- Martin Kitcat: Mellotron, piano, electric piano, harpsichord, vocals
- Alan Cowderoy: guitar, vocals
- Tim Wheatley: bass
- Robert Lipson: drums

1971 UK release of the ultra rare (more then the 1st album) and collectable 2nd Gracious LP - "This is Gracious"

on the Phillips label 6382 004.

MEGA RARE, SUPERB ALBUM !!!

For every Yes, ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, etc., there were many more lesser known prog rock bands. Bands like Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator, Caravan, Cressida, Beggars Opera, Spring, etc. all created some great music but were often forgotten in the mists of time, but those who found out about these bands gave high praise to many of these albums, and for good reason. Gracious was yet another one of these bands. They released two albums and then disappeared. Gracious formed in the mid 1960s at a Catholic school in the well-to-do stockbroker belt of Surrey, England (south of London, Surrey was also home to Genesis as well) playing typical pop covers. The band was known as Satan's Disciples at that time, probably to cause a stir, since the school they went to was religious in nature. But as the '60s came near an end, and the band members graduated, the progressive scene started with the likes of King Crimson, Colosseum, Rare Bird, Yes, Genesis, etc. The band started writing original songs, and changing their name to Gracious. They even had the pleasure of being King Crimson's opening act! And that inspired Gracious' keyboardist Martin Kitcat to buy a Mellotron. They then signed to Vertigo and released their debut in 1970, which was entitled Gracious! (with the exclamation mark). The album was also released in America on Capitol Records (making that one of the more collectible artists on that label), but with a different cover!

In 1971, the band recorded their followup This Is... Gracious, but Vertigo Records rejected it and it wouldn't be until 1972 when Philips Records released it, by which point the band broke up.

This album features artwork by Roger Dean, but looks very little like any of the artwork he's done for Yes. Anyway, the Mellotron hype of Gracious is totally justified on this album, as it's used on every cut! This time the band dropped the classical influnces, the harpsichord and electric piano is gone, leaving the Mellotron and standard piano to dominate. The music tends to rely more on grooves, and is perhaps a bit more accessible and song-oriented than their debut, but still quite progressive.

The album starts off with the wonderful side-length suite "Super Nova". It's a four movement suite (actually it was supposed to be a five movement suite, but it couldn't all fit because of time contraint of the LP). The music starts off deceptively in Krautrock territory, sounding like something Amon Düül II or Tangerine Dream were doing at that time. That movement was called "Arrival of the Traveller". But then they quickly enter British prog territory with the "Blood Red Sun" section. "Super Nova" in general features some killer jamming, as well as some great acoustic ballads (that is "Say Goodbye to Love" and "Prepare to Meet Thy Maker"). All the music of "Super Nova" was about astronauts returning to Earth only to find it destroyed by a super nova (Morgan Fisher did something similar for his 1972 prog rock album Nova Solis).

The second half of the album consists of four cuts that are plastered with Mellotron and lots of great melodies and jams, like "C.B.S.", "Blues Skies and Alibis", and "Hold Me Down". The stunning ballad "What's Come to Be" was supposed to be included in the "Super Nova" suite but wasn't. If you like King Crimson, the Moody Blues, Gentle Giant, or early British prog in general, you're sure to enjoy these kind of albums!