SWEET CHARIOT & FRIENDS RARE '70 De Wolfe psych LP HEAR

$

76

Most of the crazy-eyed fans of the UK De Wolfe label are DJs looking for cool beats, groovy breaks and funky go-go rhythms to mix into their growing list of obscure cuts played on their online podcast.  Where names like Reg Tilsley, Johnny Hawksworth and Barry Stoller are mentioned in the same hushed tones usually reserved for people like Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Mother Theresa.  But amid all the beats and breaks, there are still a few legitimate psych rock bands whose only output has been relegated to the tiny independent library label – ask anyone who’s stumbled upon ultra-rare albums like Pop Sounds by the Cool, Who’s Gonna Buy the Lemon Dips, and anything by the Electric Banana.  There’s still some genuinely massive English psychedelia hiding in the vaults of the DeWolfe label.

Here’s another one to add to that list – and one that’s so obscure, it hasn’t even risen to the level of obscurity the Cool and Lemon Dips have gotten to.  This is the 1970 release by Sweet Chariot, called Sweet Chariot and Friends, and it’s an absolute killer UK psych rock album that fans of Procol Harum, Argent and the Bee Gees really need to check out.  Sure, being a DeWolfe album, it’s still meant for use in commercials, so you get a full side of instrumental tracks for that purpose alone.   But the first side is all full vocal, full band, and full-on acid rock bliss.  And besides, the instrumentals ain’t so bad either.

You get the feeling from listening to such rich, ornate chunky freakbeat tracks like “Martha Street” and “Wild Side” that Sweet Chariot couldn’t possibly have been simply a bunch of studio musicians thrown together for the first time to record jingle beds.  And they’re not.  In fact, the band Sweet Chariot holds the possible distinction of being the longest surviving musical group from Manchester, England, having started out way, way back in 1958 as the Chariots.  In 1962, they became Dave Barron and the Chariots, then changed names and leaders again in 1967 to become Jackie Richmond and the Chariots, and finally became Sweet Chariot in 1970 after getting Pete Oliver and Ronnie Grundy from Salford’s the Irwells.  They still talk of reunions, so if you’re from the Manchester area, keep checking those concert listings and club marquees.  Despite their longevity, however, it appears that this ultra-rare album may be their only actual recorded legacy.

But what a great legacy it is – opener “What Will Your Momma Say” is a real nice, moody slice of popsike dominated by a heavy Procol Harum organ and an absolutely killer dramatic pop melody that could’ve easily come from the pens of the Brothers Gibb.  And if “Massachusetts” and “Whiter Shade of Pale” climbed the charts with ease, there’s no reason why this one shouldn’t have done the same.  Except, of course, that it was released on a library album label with absolutely no marketing push behind it, and it wasn’t even intended for radio airplay in the first place.  So hey, I guess I just answered my own question, didn’t I?  But decades later, it’s certainly as enjoyable as any other British Top 10 pop single from 1969, and that’s what really counts.

Likewise the similarly gigantic Great British Psychedelic Trip sounds of “Martha Street” deserves to at least reach Toby Twirl/Tintern Abbey status, with its lush dramatic sound and ornate production.  And on the other end of the spectrum, the hairy, rumbling heavy Chocolate Soup rock of “Wild Side” would’ve put a little fire under Arthur Brown, or the Edgar Broughton Band, who’ve at least had their back catalogue reissued.  Unlike Sweet Chariot, whose sole album is still available only in the original, mega-rare import vinyl edition only. 

But if you’ve got the bucks, the Chariot’s worth splurging for, that’s for sure.  And if you’re still not convinced, check out the Zombies-meets-Deep Purple acid rock sounds of “Beyond the Street.”  With its meandering Jon Lord organ, faroff moaning fuzz guitar and tricky jazz lounge Zombies/Argent melody, it’s the kind of stuff that was better suited as an opening act for Pink Floyd at the UFO Club instead of, say, background music for an Aero Bar ad from 1970.  All I can say is, if I were a marketing director working in London at the turn of the decade and came across this album in my production library, I would’ve dropped some acid and created the freakiest fruit jellies ads in the history of television.  Hey, somebody get Ken Nordine on the phone immediately…

So even if you’re not crate diggin’ for block rockin’ beats and heart-stoppin’ breaks, there’s still plenty of reason to push your way past the ski-capped podcasting DJs and start looking through those dusty old British library collections for more psych rock nuggets like the Sweet Chariot.  Proof positive that there are still a few undiscovered SF Sorrows and Autumn Stones lurking in the very darkest corners of music.  And by that I mean radio station production rooms, advertising agency offices, and right here on eBay.  Your sweet chariot awaits.

 BEAUTIFUL and RARE original 1970 pressing on the UK De Wolfe label here - unreissued and most likely gonna stay that way!  Cover in NEAR MINT shape, vinyl has some light superficial fingerprints, no scratches or marks, plays EXCELLENT to NEAR MINT. 

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 Winning bidder pays $4.50 for media mail shipping plus tracking in the US, $10 air mail to Canada, $16 everywhere else.   Checks and money orders accepted.  Paypal accepted as well.  And please be sure to check out my other auctions for more vinyl obscurities, and I will combine shipping costs on multiple wins.