tisdag 28 januari 2014

John Morgan - Kaleidoscope (Progressive Rock UK 1971)


240:- (24-Bit Limited Remaster Edition. Utgången utgåva.)

Formed from the ashes of psychedelic blues legends Spirit Of John Morgan, this talented yet arguably overlooked keyboard player continued his career with the underground indie label Carnaby Records.

However, the arrival of Kaleidoscope in 1971 failed to achieve the applause it deserved at the time leaving Morgan in the midst of progressive rock’s obscured past.

Kaleidoscope makes its long-awaited and welcome return to CD with detailed liners affirming Morgan's deserved place in progressive rock history.


Keyboard player and vocalist John Morgan was a Graham Bond afficianado who turned toward psychedelia as the 1960's wore on. Billed originally as The Spirit of John Morgan, the band was successful enough to get booked into the Marquee and other top clubs, and cut three albums. Their self-titled debut into 1969 was followed by two more LPs in 1970 and 1972 (credited simply to John Morgan) for the Carnaby label. He also cut a single for British RCA in the early 1970's.

Kaleidoscope is an exercise in funky R&B-inspired psychedelic music. Keyboard heavy, it can sometimes fall into the trappings of weird/bad ’70s rock, but the spirit of the ’60s is alive and present in all these tunes. Morgan’s band sounds at times like a heavier Crosby, Stills & Nash, Morgan himself recalls the soulful delivery of Spencer Davis Group-era Steve Winwood.

01. Psych Wheels  05:28
02. Kaleidoscope of Life  07:58
03. Sky Rider  03:08
04. Sandy Mouth Bay  05:50
05. Evil City  06:27
06. Make Ye Merry  04:32
07. Cow Cow Boogie  02:20
08. Anthole Highlander  01:52
09. Entertrainer Rag  02:43
10. 303  04:34