Blodwyn Pig

Blodwyn Pig ‎- The Basement Tapes - 2000 - Hux Records

BLODWYN PIG [MICK ABRAHAMS et al] - The Basement Tapes 1969-1974 (Gonzo 194; UK) THE BASEMENT TAPES contains radio sessions and live material recorded from 1969 to 1974, as well as two bonus tracks recorded in 1996. Basement Tapes buy CD music Previously unreleased BBC recordings from the former Jethro Tull guitarist, recorded 1969-1974. Basement Tapes songs Plus two bonus tracks from 1996. Basement Tapes album for sale Blodwyn Pig includes: Mick Abraham. Blodwyn Pig: Mick Abrahams (vocals, guitar); Jack Lancaster (violin, flute, saxophone); Andrew Pyle, Mike Summerland (bass guitar); Clive Bunker, Graham Walker, Ron Berg (drums). Basement Tapes CD music contains a single disc with 13 songs. "Like a lot of people, I approached Blodwyn Pig by way of Jethro Tull. Mick Abrahams was a 'force to contend with' in the original Tull line-up, and he and Ian Anderson came to loggerheads about the direction the group should take. Abrahams split, but the group he formed was no mere spin-off. Blodwyn Pig was every bit the equal of Jethro Tull. Abrahams was and is a first-rate blues guitarist. His electric guitar stylings are instantly recognizable, and he is also a master of acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar. Sax and flute man Jack Lancaster shared Ian Anderson's fondness for imitating jazzman Roland Kirk. Lancaster even replicated Kirk's trick of playing two horns at the same time. The tracks on Basement Tapes were drawn from BBC sessions that Blodwyn Pig did in 1969, and later in 1974 during an abortive attempt to reform the group ( the '74 edition of the band also includes former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker.) These tunes fully illustrate just how eclectic a group Blodwyn Pig was. They feature guitar/sax passages that wail as hard as King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man", plus examples of Abrahams' off the wall sense of humor (best example: "Mr.Green's Blues"). Blodwyn Pig was as good as any band playing between 1969 and 1971---extremely innovative and exciting. Don't miss this one, or the two classic studio albums, "Ahead Rings Out" and "Getting to This." Five stars!" © http://www.downtownmusicgallery.com/Main/news/Newsletter-2014-05-23.html

As a complete fan of Mick Abrahams it was great to take a casual look at the CD'S available for Bloodwyn Pig and find "The Basement Tapes". Great fidelity througout as well as fine blues rock guitar from Mick! In case you dont know Mick Abrahams was a founding member of Jethro Tull and treat yourself to their first album. Mick's tone is always superb as well as his playing and Tull got gradually worse as Ian Anderson tightened his grip on the band. By the time Tull had released "Aqualung " they were on the way to some kind of weird sing song junk, not heavy riffage! I now know why Mick split...he is 100% Blues and Rock. Several of the Pigs hits are here sometimes twice as the original band doing the numbers in early 1970's then again live in 1974 with a version of the Pig that released no album. Remember to put on the track "Drive Me” and turn it up, and check out Mick wailing away....It was a real pleasure to hear a fine guitarist at what he does best, great blues based rock guitar with a great bottom and an amazing jack Lancaster on Sax! If you dont own any "Blodwyn Pig" be sure to purchase " Ahead Rings Out". That is their first album and a must. It contains a great slide track, "Dear Jill". As I have told you before, buy it now and enjoy! Buy this CD!!! – from ***** "A Pig Makes Good " Blodwyn Pig - The Basement Tapes, November 11, 2003 By & © A Customer © 1996-2014, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates © http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SSRB89L27OUZ/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R2SSRB89L27OUZ

Not everybody is as enthusiastic as the Amazon reviewer above about this album. Most of the criticism relates to Mick Abrahams’ “alleged” “sloppy” playing, and not producing his best form on the tracks. Somebody said that Mick Abrahams would have objected to the release of this album. Believe me, this is a very worthwhile release. Most of the tracks were recorded for BBC radio sessions, and they are in no way perfect, either in sound quality or musicianship. Nevertheless, the great Blodwyn Pig were not a prolific recording band and it’s great to see this stuff taken from the vaults and cleaned up. The album features previously unreleased Radio 1 session and live material, recorded between 1969-1974, plus two Mick Abrahams bonus tracks from 1996. Mick Abrahams has never received due credit for his contribution to rock and blues music. He is arguably best remembered for his terrific blues licks on Jethro Tull's debut album, “This Was”, where critics compared him to Eric Clapton. When Mick left Tull he never managed to achieve lasting success as a recording artist, or achieve the world-class fame of his former band mates. He has led various line-ups of his best-known band, Blodwyn Pig, and over the last 25 years or so he has managed to achieve some significant cult status, mainly in England. His laid back, understated, jazz/blues guitar technique is a joy to listen to. Blodwyn Pig was a largely unsung band that made a valuable contribution to the development of progressive rock music. Their unique blend of guitar and horn twin leads set against a backdrop of heavy, prog, blues and jazz packs an almighty punch that may appeal to fans of bands like early Jethro Tull and Colosseum . Blodwyn Pig reformed in 1988 and have recorded some great overlooked albums in recent years. Read more about this great jazz/blues/prog.rock band @ http://www.squirrelmusic.com/ and http://www.allmusic.com/artist/blodwyn-pig-mn0000055174/biography and check this blog for more info on BP. Listen to Mick Abrahams’ Blodwyn Pig’s “Times Have Changed” album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 128 Mb]

TRACKS

1 The Modern Alchemist 4:49
2 Mr. Green's Blues 3:49
3 It's Only Love 3:31
4 See My Way 5:56
5 Blues Of A Dunstable Truck Driving Man 2:47
6 Baby Girl 3:53
7 The Leaving Song 4:53
8 I Know 8:54
9 It's Only Love (Live) 3:16
10 See My Way (Live) 6:35
11 Blues Of A Dunstable Truck Driving Man (Live) 2:10
12 Hound Dog 2:20
13 Drive Me 2:43

All tracks composed by Mick Abrahams except Track 1 by Jack Lancaster, Track 2 by Mick Abrahams, Jack Lancaster, & Ron Berg, and Track 12 by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller

N.B: This album features previously unreleased Radio 1 session and live material, recorded between 1969-1974, plus two Mick Abrahams bonus tracks from 1996: Tracks 1-2 recorded in session for Top Gear 24.3.69. First transmitted 13.4.69. ℗ BBC 1969: Track 3 recorded in session for Top Gear 7.1.69. First transmitted 13.7.69. ℗ BBC 1969: Tracks 4-7 recorded in session for John Peel 17.6.74. First transmitted 9.7.74. ℗ BBC 1974: Tracks 8-11 recorded for Radio 1 'Live in Concert' 15.8.74. ℗ BBC 1974: Tracks 12-13 recorded 1996 at Black Barn Recording Studio in Ripley, Surrey, UK

MUSICIANS

Mick Abrahams - Guitar, Vocals
Andrew Pyle - Bass on Tracks 1-11
Mike Summerland - Bass on Tracks 12-13
Ron Berg - Drums on Tracks 1-3
Clive Bunker - Drums on Tracks 4-11
Graham Walker - Drums on Tracks 12-13
Jack Lancaster - Saxophone, Flute, Violin on Tracks 1-11

BIO

A quirky detour of late-'60s British progressive/blues rock, Blodwyn Pig was founded by former Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams, who left Tull after the This Was album. Abrahams was joined by bassist Andy Pyle, drummer Ron Berg, and Jack Lancaster, who gave the outfit their most distinctive colorings via his saxophone and flute. On their two albums, they explored a jazz/blues/progressive style somewhat in the mould of (unsurprisingly) Jethro Tull, but with a lighter feel. They also bore some similarities to John Mayall's jazzy late-'60s versions of the Bluesbreakers, or perhaps Colosseum, but with more eclectic material. Both of their LPs made the British Top Ten, though the players' instrumental skills were handicapped by thin vocals and erratic (though oft-imaginative) material. The group were effectively finished by Abrahams'departure after 1970's Getting to This. They briefly reunited in the mid-'70s, and Abrahams was part of a different lineup that reformed in the late '80s; they have since issued a couple of albums in the 1990s. © Richie Unterberger © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/blodwyn-pig-mn0000055174/biography

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Blodwyn Pig was one of the core bands of the underground music scene of the late sixties. Main man Mick Abrahams was involved with several R&B bands including THE HUSTLERS throughout the decade and he even played some gigs with SCREAMING LORD SUTCH. In 1967 he co-founded JETHRO TULL along with Ian Anderson but was then ousted from the band in November of the following year, shortly after the release of their debut album ''This Was''. After leaving JETHRO TULL Abrahams formed BLODWYN PIG, the unusual name apparently coined by a rather stoned friend of the band. The original line-up consisted of Abrahams (guitar, vocals), Jack Lancaster (saxophones, flute, violin), Andy Pyle (bass) and Ron Berg (drums). Pyle had played in Luton blues band McGREGOR'S ENGINE, a band that Abrahams had in fact formed earlier in 1967; it also included future JETHRO TULL and BLODWYN PIG drummer Clive Bunker. BLODWYN PIG had an extensive live activity that included appearances at the Isle of Wight and Reading rock festivals. They also completed two US tours that took in performances at both Fillmores and the LA Forum. After recording two successful albums the dreaded musical differences resulted in Abrahams' departure from the band in September 1970. He was actually replaced by two guitarists; one was Barry Reynolds and the other was former YES guitarist Peter Banks, who went on to form FLASH. The quintet failed to see the year out and only managed three or four gigs. With the arrival of replacement guitarist Larry Wallis (UFO, PINK FAIRIES, MOTORHEAD) the band changed its name to LANCASTER'S BOMBERS (later simply LANCASTER) and toured with YES in 1971. In the meantime Abrahams had formed WOMMETT and THE MICK ABRAHAMS BAND, the latter of which released two guitar-driven rock albums; Jack Lancaster featured on the second of these albums. Despite the fact that this group enjoyed success across Europe it also split due to some less than enthusiastic record company support. BLODWYN PIG then briefly reformed in February 1974 with the aforementioned Clive Bunker on drums, but old differences resulted in another split and a disillusioned Abrahams temporarily withdrew from the music business. The two albums released by the original incarnation of BLODWYN PIG, ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) and ''Getting To This'' (1970), were a fusion of heavy progressive blues and jazz, with Jack Lancaster's brass and woodwind providing most of the distinctive jazz colourings. Speaking about the debut album on his website, Abrahams asserts that Lancaster ''brought a mixture of hard hybrid jazz-rock to the album.'' Lancaster was influenced, as was Ian Anderson, by American jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Lancaster often played two horns simultaneously in the manner of his idol, and when combined with his liberal use of overdubs the overall effect sounded like a brass section playing on the albums. ''Ahead Rings Out'', with its iconic cover art, is generally regarded as the jazzier, more progressive of the two albums. However ''Getting To This'' is perhaps funkier and includes a multi-part track that really showcases Lancaster's musicianship. All Music describes their music as ''a stellar concoction of gritty yet flamboyant blues-rock and open-ended jazz'', and in spite of being a bit rough around the edges several tracks on these two albums would be quite at home on early JETHRO TULL albums. BLODWYN PIG has been something of an on-off concern over the years but largely in response to the enthusiasm of fans Abrahams revived the band with a different line-up in 1987. This new version of the band went on to release several albums during the nineties. Lancaster and Bunker formed the eclectic progressive band AVIATOR in 1978, and Lancaster has also worked as a record producer, composer for film and television, and session musician/arranger for artists such as Phil Collins, Brian Eno and Vangelis. Pyle and Berg formed the rhythm sections of JUICY LUCY and SAVOY BROWN, and Pyle played with later incarnations of THE KINKS and WISHBONE ASH. Abrahams himself has continued to release solo albums, while the rift with Ian Anderson has now healed and the pair have successfully collaborated on several projects. BLODWYN PIG was one of the largely unsung bands that have nonetheless made a valuable contribution to the development of progressive rock music. Their unique blend of guitar and horn twin leads set against a backdrop of heavy, prog, blues and jazz packs an almighty punch that should appeal to fans of early JETHRO TULL and COLOSSEUM. © Chris / seventhsojourn © Prog Archives, All rights reserved http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=6289