CD: Locomotive - We Are Everything You See
2003 Eclectic Disc Records
Remastered Edition
Locomotive - We Are Everything You See (1970/2003 Remastered Expanded Edition)
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Album: Locomotive - We Are Everything You See (Remastered Expanded Edition)
Released: 1970 (2003)
Styles: Psychedelic-, Jazz-Rock, Proto-Progressive
Eclectic - ECLCD1006
A welcome reissue of the sole album by this legendary Birmingham band led by keyboard player Norman Haines.
Originally released by Parlophone in early 1970, this superb album was an incredible fusion of psychedelia, jazz and early progressive rock.
Locomotive originally featured Traffic's Chris Wood among their ranks and their album features guests such as Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophone.
Remastered from the original master tapes and featuring the classic "Mr. Armageddon", the Eclectic Discs reissue includes bonus material including "There's Got To Be A Way" and the mono single versions of "Mr. Armageddon" and "You Must Be Joking", (both of which have never appeared on CD), and several other single only tracks. - Eclectic Discs Review
Locomotive were one of the finest bands to inhabit the West Midlands music scene of the later 1960s. Led by keyboardist Norman Haines (previously of the Brum Beats) Locomotive recorded a series of great singles and one acclaimed (though largely ignored) album before disbanding in 1970. The group was managed by local jazz trumpet player Jim Simpson who was also part of the original line-up. He managed a number of other local groups as well - most notably Black Sabbath. Eclectic Discs, a great new label conceived by re-issue consultant Mark Powell, have now re-issued Locomotive's album We Are Everything You See and have included some rare bonus tracks not previously available on CD. Though recorded at the end of 1968, the album was not released until more than a year later by which time the pop music scene had undergone some heavy changes.
The Eclectic Discs re-issue is packaged with the fully-restored original artwork and liner notes. Audio quality of the CD is excellent as the tracks have been digitally re-mastered from the original master tapes. Recorded at the end of 1968 (although not released until a year later) Locomotive's We Are Everything You See was produced at the famous Abbey Road Studios by the late Gus Dudgeon who also produced Brum band Tea & Symphony. He later went on to produce Elton John. Several tracks on the album were co-written with Nigel Phillips from Tea & Symphony - a band also managed by Jim Simpson.
For those not familiar with this album, We Are Everything You See is a wonderful mix of late 1960s British psychedelia and early progressive rock with some tracks having heavy jazz overtones. The material is light-years removed from Locomotive's previous singles which were Jamaican ska based and included the band's only chart hit Rudi's In Love. The instrumentation on the album is second to none featuring the group's regular line up of Norman Haines (lead vocal & keyboards), Mick Hincks (bass & vocal), and Bob Lamb (drums & percussion). The sessions featured an impressive brass section consisting of tenor saxes Bill Madge, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Chris Mercer and Lynn Dobson along with trumpet players Mick Taylor and Henry Lowther.
The first track Overture is a fine instrumental piece as performed by a classical string quartette. It gives way to the thundering hammond organ-driven Mr. Armageddon, probably one of the most amazing examples of late 1960s psychedelia ever recorded by a British band. The heavy Hammond workout combined with the booming brass chorus of saxophone and trumpet is far removed from any of the band's previously released material (and no Hammond organs were harmed during the recording of this track - we hope!) Unfortunately, Mr. Armageddon was too much for many record buyers of that time who were expecting more dance-oriented material along the same lines as Rudi's In Love.
The next album track Now Is The End - The End Is When was composed by trumpet player Mick Taylor. The jazzy intro soon gives way to a foreboding vocal against a pounding instrumental backdrop. The obscure lyrics proclaim - eyes paint their own illusion... now is the end, the end is when. - fascinating stuff once you get into it! The next song, the Norman Haines composed Lay Me Down Gently, shifts tempo such as a car shifts gears up and down a challenging race track. Few tracks on this CD would be appreciated on the dance floor, but headphones-only fanatics won't be disappointed!
The Haines/Phillips composed Nobody Asked You To Come rates amongst my favourites on the album. Hammond-driven and featuring a wonderful hypnotic fade-out at the end - if only it could go on forever! You Must Be Joking also appeared as the b-side to one of the band's singles - sounding almost like the sequel to Mr. Armageddon along with its catchy chorus. The lyrics are just as dark too and are apparently about committing suicide - not a good track for those who are clinically depressed! Day In Shining Armour unites the Hammond with the wonderful Mellotron to produce some great sounds interspersed with heavy bass - and drum solos??
The Loves Of Augustus Abbey Part One features a church service intro complete with ethereal vocal and then goes straight into the next title Rain on which Mick Hinks sings the lead. It's a great track that wouldn't have seemed out of place on Genesis' Trespass album. The Loves Of Augustus Abbey Part Two (complete with a hooting owl fade-out) is followed by Coming Down/Love Song For The Dead Che which features a very Gary Numan-like vocal and probably the only track on the album that approaches conventional rock - obviously a strong number if it was ever performed live by the band. The song was actually a cover of the U.S. psychedelic group United States Of America - a band known as pioneers of experimental music.
A final rendition of The Loves Of Augustus Abbey (Part Three), takes us to the final track on the original album which is titled Time Of Light And Darkness. The song features a jazzy mid-section but by far its most distinct feature is the sound of the Mellotron which provides a suitable out-of-this world atmosphere - and what a strange trip it has been! A nice change too from the guitar-heavy material that characterised much of the music from that era.
As well as Locomotive's album, the Eclectic Discs re-issue includes a generous selection of bonus tracks starting with the single (mono) version of Mr. Armageddon that has a different intro from the album version. There's Got To Be A Way - the original b-side of the single, is also included and what a great track it is (you can almost dance to this one!). Lots of great Hammond with horns, and some high range Queen-like vocals. I'm Never Gonna Let You Go (apparently a cover of a Question Mark and The Mysterians song) is probably the closest on the CD to a real commercial pop record. Released in 1969, the song should have made the charts but at least it gets a well deserved opportunity to be heard once more on this re-issue.
The final rare Locomotive single (issued early in 1970) is also included on this CD. Roll Over Mary backed with Movin' Down The Line have none of the jazz influences of the earlier material and are very much typical of the period as done in a heavy rock style. Not surprising really as Norman Haines had left the band before it was recorded with the remaining members soon re-emerging as the progressive rock outfit The Dog That Bit People.
In all, Eclectic Discs' Locomotive re-issue more than does justice to the band's recordings. It stands up to repeated listenings and provides a fine slice of late 1960s psychedelic rock - well recommended! - Brum Beat Reviews, Locomotive, We Are Everything You See
Eclectic Discs expand their excellent catalogue of reissues with this superb lost gem.
Locomotive came from the West Midlands and released a number of singles and this album in 1969 then promptly split up in 1970. Originally released by Parlophone in early 1970, this superb album is fusion of psychedelia, jazz and early progressive rock. Locomotive originally featured Traffic's Chris Wood among their ranks and their album features guests such as Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophone.
Remastered from the original master tapes it includes bonus material including "There's Got To Be A Way" and the mono single versions of "Mr. Armageddon" and "You Must Be Joking", (both of which have never appeared on CD), and several other single only tracks. It is also packaged with the fully-restored original artwork and liner notes.
The album was recorded the group's regular line up of Norman Haines (lead vocal & keyboards), Mick Hincks (bass & vocal), and Bob Lamb (drums & percussion)and also included a brass section consisting of tenor saxes Bill Madge, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Chris Mercer and Lynn Dobson along with trumpet players Mick Taylor and Henry Lowther.
Lovers of early UK prog (e.g. early Crims, VDG) will find much to love here. The lack of guitar is not missed at all - Haines' driving Hammond takes center stage and pushes the music forward, with great support from the other musicians.
The first track Overture is a fine instrumental piece as performed by a classical string quartette. Standout track is Mr. Armageddon, genuinely of the great 'lost' tracks. The album is worth it just for this track alone. - Space Rock Review
This Birmingham-based band included Chris Wood who was later a founder member of Traffic. They enjoyed a Top 30 hit at the time with their ska-styled "Rudi's In Love". Nowadays their rare album attracts interest from connoisseurs of progressive rock. Far and away the best track on it is "Mr. Armageddon", a stunningly powerful slice of doomy psychedelia with brass, which deserved far more success than it achieved when issued as a 45.
The album, produced by Gus Dudgeon, also includes versions of "Coming Down" and "Love Song For the Dead Che" (songs written by Joseph Byrd and performed with his band The United States Of America on their album). Certainly an album well worth investigating but avoid paying well in excess of ?100 for an original.
Locomotive member Norman Haines had earlier played in a mid-sixties beat band called The Brumbeats, but not the band who issued a 45. Haines soon became Locomotive's main songwriter, writing their first 45, "Broken Heart", a soul-based number. The flip was a version of the bluebeat number, "Rudy - A Message To You". The Jamaican influence remained with Haines when he wrote "Rudi's In Love", a dance number which became a hit in the short-term but a millstone in the long-term since it prevented the group from being taken seriously as a progressive rock band which is what they really wanted to be. This was a great pity cause their next 45 was the excellent "Mr. Armageddon", which was their finest moment and had the potential in 1969 to be a hit, but instead it flopped. Their fourth single was a cover of ? And The Mysterians' "I'm Never Gonna Let You Go", a much more poppy offering, though the flip, "You Must Be Joking", was a progressive rock number also featured on their album. When this, too, bombed, the writing was on the wall and Mick Hincks and Bob Lamb soon departed to form Dog That Bit People. Norman Haines went on to form Sacrifice (who did not record) but after their demise EMI released an album of their material credited to the Norman Haines' Band. It is now one of the very rarest artefacts of UK progressive rock and much coveted by collectors. - Taken from "The Tapestry of Delights"
Locomotive, a Birmingham, England band formed in the mid 1960s, started their recording career with a soul-based ballad Broken Heart released on the Direction label in 1967. This was followed in 1968 by the reggae-influenced Rudi's In Love which scored the band a top thirty hit for their new label, Parlophone. By the time the follow-up single, the Hammond organ ladened Mr Armageddon, was released in 1969, the band had changed direction somewhat. A rather doomy psychedelic prog song punctuated with great slabs of brass, the song deserved to be a big hit but failed to catch the attention of the public and sadly flopped. An album was prepared for release but was inexplicably held back until early 1970 by which time the musical environment had moved on and We Are Everything You See was left languishing in the racks.
Even a cursory skip through the tracks conveys the realisation that the album could only have been recorded in the 1960s, the musical freedom, experimentation and characteristic sound just screams out that We Are Everything You See is a lost classic. Centred around keyboard player, vocalist and main song writer Norman Haines the rest of the group comprised the unusual combination of Mick Nincks on bass and vocals, Bob Lamb on drums and Mike Taylor on trumpet. Notice anything? No guitar! Strangely enough, I didn't even notice the lack of guitar until I came to write this review, it simple doesn't figure as any 'spaces' in the music are filled with excellent brass and woodwind, expertly supplied by Dick Heckstall-Smith, Bill Madge, Chris Mercer and Lyn Dobson on saxophones, Henry Lowther on trumpet and Chris Wood on woodwind. (And yes, it is the same Chris Wood who went on to join Traffic while Dick Heckstall-Smith will be familiar to fans of Colosseum).
So what is the only album by Locomotive actually like? A heady fusion of psychedelia, jazz and early progressive rock it certainly lives up to the reissue label's name, eclectic. Starting with an overture (performed by members of the famous Hall? Orchestra) things really launch off with the opening chords of the aforementioned single Mr Armageddon. The contrast with the gentle, almost pastoral, string opening is startling and is a wake-up call for what follows. A great song, the combination of brass and Hammond is simply fantastic. Fans of Atomic Rooster will lap this up with uncertain glee. Fortunately, the remainder of the album continues in a similar vein, with strong writing and adept performance being standard on each track. This album embodies what progressive rock was all about first time round, the quality, the diversity, the originality and the surrounding musical environment. And let's not forget the willingness of the record labels to let groups develop and go with their instincts. Each track is a joy to listen to, although there are some obvious highlights. The remarkable You Must Be Joking features some very good falsetto vocals (also present on Lay Me Down Gently), a chirpy woodwind part (unexpected after the lyric "What a peculiar twist when she cut her wrists"!) and a great sax solo. A Day In Shining Armour is a bit funkier, driven along by some great bass and drums, while the orchestrated Rain has possibly the only appearance of keyboard vibes!
A rather tame cover of The United States Of America's Coming Down / Love Song For The Dead Ch? is saved by a lovely flute solo by Chris Wood and some decent harmony singing while the original album is rounded off nicely with the rousing Time Of Light And Darkness. The six bonus tracks comprises the a and b sides of three contemporary singles, the first two of which were released in 1969, and the last one, containing two unique tracks, was released simultaneously with the album in 1970. Three of the non-album tracks I'm Never Gonna Let You Go, Movin' Down The Line and Roll Over Mary, bare testament to the more pop aspects of the sixties sound, with I'm Never Gonna Let You Go being almost soulful.
Locomotive will certainly appeal to fans of 1960s/early 1970s progressive music, particular people with a penchant for keyboard (and in particular Hammond organ) prog. This reissue is of exceptional quality and the booklet promises to contain lots of rare photos and additional information, although as Eclectic don't provide booklets with their review copies it is hard to judge!.. - DPRP Reviews - 2004
"We Are Everything You See" ist ein geradezu geniales Werk. 1969 in einer Mischung aus Psychedelic, Jazz und frühem Progressive Rock eingespielt und 1970 von EMI/Parlaphone Records veröffentlicht, gab es bereits 1988 ein LP-Reissue auf Zap! und 1995 ein CD-Reissue auf Shoestring. Doch jetzt endlich haben Eclectic Records das CD-Release so vollständig und hochwertig gemacht, wie es sich für diese ausgezeichnete Scheibe gehört. "We Are Everything You See" ist das einzige Werk der in Birmingham ansässigen Band geblieben, 5 Singles zwischen 1967 und 1970 wurden nebenher auf den Markt gebracht, die meisten Songs davon sind als Bonustracks auf der CD enthalten (unter anderem die bisher nicht auf CD veröffentlichten Mono-Versionen von Mr. Armageddon und You Must Be Joking). Norman Haines (key, voc, später Sacrifice, Norman Haines Band), Mick Hincks (b, voc, später Dog That Bit People), Bob Lamb (dr, später Dog That Bit People), Mike Taylor (tr) und die Gäste Lyn Dobson (sax), Dick Heckstall-Smith (sax, Graham Bond Organisation, Coloseeum), Henry Lowther (tr), Bill Madge (sax), Chris Mercer (sax) und Chris Wood (fl, später Gründungsmitglied in Traffic) spielten die 13 Songs des Albums ein. Die früheren Hits der Band, wie Rudi?s In Love sind nicht auf die CD gekommen, dieses Release beschäftigt sich ausschließlich mit dem rockorientierten Material von Locomotive. Nach der "Overture", einem mit klassischem Instrumentarium eingespielten, fabelhaften Instrumental geht die Band gleich in die Vollen: "Mr. Armageddon" ist ein Psychedelic Monster mit dem damals typischen Beatklang. Hartes Schlagzeug, fette Bläsersätze, blubbernde Orgel und ein Gesang, der einem die Hosen auszieht! Ein perfekter Song, der als 45er Single ausgekoppelt wurde - und floppte - war wohl zu anspruchsvoll. "Now is the End - The End is When" wechselt zwischen Jazz und Rock, von der aktiven Bläserschar und einer gnadenlos tränenrührend kompetenten Rhythmuscrew angetrieben. Ein paar Songs später kommt der nächste Hit. "You Must Be Joking" rasselte in den Siebziger Jahren durch jede Radiostation. Die Muse hatte den Komponisten tüchtig zu Boden geknutscht, hier stimmt alles, wo hat man je eine kompliziertere Bass-Figur in einem Hit gehört. Die Attribute gehen hochrangig weiter, ein dritter Hit ist mit der Ballade "Rain" vertreten, doch nicht die Hitlastigkeit des Albums (die es nicht gibt), sondern die musikalische Qualität machen den Reiz der Musik aus, wie das dreiteilige, charmant-komödiantische "The Loves of Augustus Abbey" zeigt. Zum einen ist es dieser Klang des frühen Progressive Rock, der ein lautes, hartes Schlagzeug in den Vordergrund mixt, von unglaublichen Bassnoten begleitet. Dann die nonchalante Orgel, die fetten Bläser, der Humor der Kompositionen und hin und wieder auftretende kitschfreie Streicher! "We Are Everything You See" riecht förmlich nach musikalischem Frühling, nach Aufbruch. Diese Pioniertat kann nur gewürdigt werden. Ein absolutes Highlight! - Ragazzi - website für erregende Musik
01. Overture (1970) [0:02:03.03]
02. Mr Armageddon (1970) [0:04:25.09]
03. Now Is The End, The End Is Now (1970) [0:03:14.41]
04. Lay Me Down Gently (1970) [0:03:58.61]
05. Nobody Asked You To Come (1970) [0:03:15.29]
06. You Must Be Joking (1970) [0:03:59.37]
07. A Day In Shining Armour (1970) [0:03:28.62]
08. The Loves Of Augustus Abbey, Part I (1970) [0:01:07.06]
09. Rain (1970) [0:03:25.35]
10. The Loves Of Augustus Abbey, Part II (1970) [0:01:29.11]
11. Comin Down, Love Song For The Dead Che (1970) [0:04:29.33]
12. The Loves Of Augustus Abbey, Part III (1970) [0:01:22.32]
13. Time Of Light And Darkness (1970) [0:04:34.38]
14. Mr Armageddon (Mono) (Bonus) [0:04:38.49]
15. There´s Got To Be A Way (Bonus) [0:03:45.58]
16. I´m Never Gonna Let You Go (Bonus) [0:03:14.40]
17. You Must Be Joking (Mono) (Bonus) [0:04:01.15]
18. Movin´ Down The Line (Bonus) [0:02:45.74]
19. Roll Over Mary (Bonus) [0:03:02.72]
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