SWIRL VERTIGO CRESSIDA "ASYLUM" 1971 PROG PSYCH (DIRTY HAMMOND) MELODIC BEAUTY

$

54

      LONG AGO (RARE) ANALOG SECOND PRESS
                         SWIRL VERTIGO
      ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                          
                  = CRESSIDA =
                     "ASYLUM"
            ..|/\|...............................................|/\|..                                      UK - VERTIGO - AC-025



Long gone, somewhere near 25 years ago ('87?) , due to demand of this groups desperately sought 1971 album, their was a single fold cover released (orig was a gatefold) on the VERTIGO SWIRL label. This pressing sold out overnight and is less seen than the 1970 initial issue.
Angus Cullen, voice and guitar, were part of it; John Heyworth, guitar on the first disc (1968-1970); John Culley, guitar on the second disc (1971); Lol Coker, organ (1968-69); Peter Jennings, keyboards; Kevin McCarthy, bass; Iain Clark, percussion. The mainly Scottish quintet recorded only two albums between 1970 and 1971, inaugurating the famous Vertigo label.
After a very promising first album, Cressida (made two great Lp's) proceeded with stunning artwork for their 2nd album sleeve. Guitarist Heyworth had left (but not completely) and was replaced by Culley and flute player McNair also joined (but his interventions will be few). With this jacked-up sound, it is no surprise that Cressida sounds even more enthusiastic, more instrumental, and their melancholy reaching another state of fulfillingness.

The majority of the tracks are still in the short and concise manner of the first album, but there are two monster tracks making the difference. After a short title track (reminding you of the debut album), as soon as you enter the 9-min+ Munich (with strings and the organ wailing gently), the track never really takes off until the last two minutes, but are those two minutes ever wild. Shorter but charming songs, Post Office, Survivor, Reprieved refer again to the debut album. With Lisa, the strings come back, but not always well-inspired as they sometimes draw on the syrupy flavour. Summer WE is one of the better tracks on the album, but every proghead reading this review is waiting for the almost 12-min closer Let Them Come. Starting out with Strings, the track slowly develops into a Savoy Brown-like groove, until the rhythms takes over and exchanging wild call and response with the strings and brass section before stopping full dead to zero and back up again with Cullen pulling his finest vocal prowess, drawing spine chills and goose bumps.

Both of Cressida's albums are minor-masterpieces, and both make a must-hear obligation to progressive rock fans who are into early-70's UK prog. Overall this album contains major highlights that add up to the fact that serious collectors are willing to pay $800 and much more.

Molte band, negli anni a cavallo tra i Sessanta ed i Settanta in Inghilterra, si formarono per un breve momento, il tempo di creare magari uno, forse due, album, per poi cadere nell’oblio. Anni splendidi in cui molti stili musicali nuovi nascevano, molti artisti si facevano avanti a raccontarsi; le idee, soprattutto, circolavano veloci. Prima o poi dovremo ricordarci di loro, dare una mano di vernice digitale ai loro lavori per riscoprirne i suoni, quasi fossimo archeologi di un’epoca d’oro. Il gruppo dei Cressida nacque nel 1968, un momento storico della musica che molti denominano proto-progressive, e ne facevano parte Angus Cullen, voce e chitarra; John Heyworth, chitarra nel primo disco (1968-1970); John Culley, chitarra nel secondo disco (1971); Lol Coker, organo (anni 1968-69); Peter Jennings, tastiere; Kevin McCarthy, basso; Iain Clark, percussioni. Il quintetto prevalentemente scozzese incise due soli album tra il 1970 e il 1971, inaugurando insieme ai Colosseum, Black Sabbath, Manfred Mann ed altri la celeberrima etichetta Vertigo.Asylum, registrato agli I.B.C. Studios di Londra e pubblicato nel 1971, prodotto da Ossie Byrne, nonostante l’insuccesso, rimane un bel lavoro, fatto molto bene a partire già dalla immaginifica copertina metafisica di Marcus Keef, con un’eccellente freschezza melodica, interessanti infiltrazioni di jazz ed un linguaggio già pienamente progressive. John Cullen prenderà il posto di John Heyworth nella line-up e ci saranno due importanti ospiti: Harold McNair, al flauto, con un passato di collaborazioni con Donovan, Ginger Baker e John Martyn e Paul Layton dei New Seekers alla chitarra acustica, ma soprattutto nel disco ci sarà un’orchestra, diretta da Graeme Hall, a sottolineare la matrice sinfonica dei brani. Entrambi gli album dei Cressida sono oggi considerati tra i più nitidi esempi del proto-progressive di marca anglosassone, degni testimoni del loro tempo e sono stati ristampati in vinile dalla Vertigo nel 1987.

1.  Asylum (3:33)
2.  Munich (9:33)
3.  Goodbye post office tower, goodbye (2:50)
4.  Survivor (1:34)
5.  Reprieved (2:28)
6. . Lisa (5:08)
7.  Summer weekend of a lifetime (3:25)
8. Let them come when they will (11:44)