Gravy Train – Gravy Train Label: Vertigo – 6360 023 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold Country: UK Released: 1971 Genre: Hard Rock, Psychedelic Rock Audio codec: FLAC | lossless Tracklist: A1. The New One 5:15 A2. Dedication To Sid 7:17 A3. Coast Road 6:46 A4. Enterprise 6:20 B1. Think Of Life 5:10 B2. Earl Of Pocket Nook 16:11 Personnel: Alto Flute, Flute [Simultaneous Alto And Tenor], Vocals – J.D. Hughes Bass, Vocals – Les Williams Drums – Barry Davenport Vocals, Lead Guitar – Norman Barratt Despite their name (meaning easy money in northern slang), this Lancashire band failed to achieve much success during their short career. The history of Gravy Train began in the very late 60s, when after the breakup of the soul band Spaghetti House, four of its members decided to create a small cover band performing songs by Jethro Tull, Cream and other famous contemporaries. The original line-up included bassist Les Williams, drummer Barry Dawnpoth, guitarist Dave Rigby and brass and keyboard specialist John Hughes. Dave quickly broke away from the group because he wanted to play country, and Norman Barratt from The Hunters was invited to take his place. From that moment on, covers were abandoned, and the musicians began writing their own material based on Barry's jazz ideas and Norman's sense of melody, who also had an outstanding voice. In addition, the group often used non-traditional time signatures and loved to organize long improvisational jams. In 1970, the quartet found itself involved in the art event "The Construction Company", which brought together musicians and poets under one sign. There, "Gravy Train" performed in conjunction with "Sleep", who worked in the spirit of "Barclay James Harvest", and the management, common to both groups, invited a London producer in order to get a contract. Jonathan Peel, who was that committed person, made a choice in favor of "GT", and the group soon found itself under the roof of the prog label "Vertigo". The debut album, preceded by the single "So You're Free", was an interesting mixture of the Canterbury School, the harshness of "Black Sabbath", the eccentricity of "Pink Floyd" and the folkiness of "Jethro Tull". The influence of the latter group was especially noticeable, although Hughes, who played the flute, was not such a bright leader as Ian Anderson. The album was produced by Jonathan Peel, who took on the work with the group on the second album. "(A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man" also did not give the group a special breakthrough, although many critics consider this work to be the best in the discography of "Gravy Train". The solo parts became more dense and controlled, the structure of the compositions improved, vocal harmonies appeared, and the most interesting moment was the division of the album into two parts: the first - a ballad and the second - a drive-rock. By the time "(A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man" was released, the band had already traveled half of Europe, and the musicians had the opportunity to perform both in student clubs and at invited royal concerts (as happened in Denmark). It must be said that throughout their career, the band almost never headlined, but instead supported other performers from The Nice to Nazareth and from Poco to Ten Years After. In 1972, the term of cooperation with Vertigo expired, and the ensemble settled on the Dawn Records label. The album Second Birth, with which the group debuted in the new place, did not live up to its name, and critics gave a disapproving verdict. One of the reasons for the failure of the record was the misunderstanding that arose between the musicians and the same Peel, who was sitting in the producer's chair. As a result, they had to say goodbye to this guy, and Vic Smith was invited to supervise the recording of the next album. Under his leadership, the group fully developed its hard aspirations, which manifested themselves on the previous release, which earned the approval of many listeners. Before the Staircase To The Day sessions began, a second guitarist, George Lynon, joined the lineup, and several session players were brought in. Unfortunately, the fourth album was the last in Gravy Train's discography, and the band broke up shortly after its release