Eyes of Blue - The Crossroads Of Time+In Fields Of Ardath (1968/69) Reissue 2003
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Artist: Eyes of Blue
Album: The Crossroads Of Time + In Fields Of Ardath
Year: 1968/69/2003
Genre: progressive rock, jazz, R&B, psychedelic, eastern and classical influences
Black Rose (two on one CD)
Part1:
Part2:
Tracklist:
TRACKS – CROSSROADS OF TIME
01. Crossroads Of Time
02. Never Care
03. I’ll Be Your Friend
04. 7+7 Is
05. Prodigal Son
06. Largo
07. Love Is The Law
08. Yesterday
09. I Wonder Why
10. World Of Emotion
11. Inspiration For A New Day
TRACKS – IN FIELDS OF ARDATH
12. Merry God Round
13. The Light We See
14. Souvenirs (Tribute To Django)
15. Ardath
16. Spanish Blues
17. Door (The Child That Is Born On The Sabbath Day)
18. Little Bird
19. After The War
20. Extra Hour
21. Chances
Line-up FEATURES MEMBERS OF MAN, WILD TURKEY & GENTLE GIANT and of course ANCIENT GREASE - look at Flogger's release: Link
PHIL RYAN – KEYBAORDS
RITCHIE FRANCIS – BASS/PIANO/VOCALS
JOHN “PUGWASH” WEATHERS – DRUMS/VOCALS
RYMOND “TAFF” WILLIAMS – GUITAR
GARY PICKFORD-HOPKINS – GUITAR/VOCALS
MELVYN DAVIES – GUITAR
DAVID THOMAS – DRUMS
WYNDHAM REES - VOCALS
Quote:
Starting out as a soul-based band from Neath, The Eyes Of Blue gradually turned to the American West Coast sound. All of their recordings are quite collectable.
In collaboration with Quincy Jones they contributed to the 'Toy Grabbers' film score and later appeared in the film, 'Connecting Rooms'. Their albums are diverse with pop, R&B, jazz, classical, psychedelic and Eastern influences. The best tracks on the first one are two Graham Bond-penned R&B songs (he also wrote the sleeve notes), "Love Is The Law" and "Crossroads Of Time". It also included good versions of Love's "7 And 7 Is" and The Beatles' "Yesterday". Also noteworthy are their own "Inspiration For A New Day" and "Prodigal Son", which feature some Eastern-sounding psychedelic guitar work.
Their second album is more progressive. The best tracks are: "Merry Go Round" (from the 'Toy Grabbers' soundtrack), which is a keyboard-dominated progressive piece with some good guitar breaks and much classical influence; Graham Bond's "Spanish Blues" with some jazzy organ; and "Door", with its spooky vocals, which, along with the dreamy title cut, indicated the band's interest in the supernatural and the occult (especially reincarnation).
They also recorded an album in October 1968 as the backing band to American singer-songwriter Buzz Linhart (Buzzy). Highlights included a very good R&B version of Tim Hardin's "Yellow Cab" and Linhart's "Willie Jean" and "End Song". There's a long track on side two, which they don't play on, that is also very good. On this, Linhart is backed by Big Jim Sullivan (guitar) and Keshav Sathe (tabla).
Phil Ryan later played in Man, whilst Weathers went onto play with Pete Brown and Piblokto! and Gentle Giant. Ritchie Francis later made a solo album in 1971. The band later recorded as Big Sleep and aided Ancient Grease on their sole album.
Quote:
The Eyes debut album 'Crossroads Of Time' was released early in 1969. It included two Graham Bond R&B songs (Bond also wrote the sleevenotes) 'Love Is The Law' and 'Crossroads Of Time' which was especially written for the band. It also included an interesting version of Love's '7 + 7 Is' while The Beatles' 'Yesterday' is given a treatment suggesting something of a jazz hymn. Ritchie Francis claimed the remaining songs of which 'Inspiration For A New Day' is noteworthy and 'Prodigal Son', which features some psychedelic guitar work from Ray 'Taff' Williams. 'Largo' is an arrangement of the Handel piece by Ritchie Francis and he claimed this was indicative of the way the group were going.
Following on from their earlier collaboration with Buzzy Linhart, the Eyes also worked with Quincy Jones when they contributed to the unreleased 'Toy Grabbers' film score. Later they also appeared in the film 'Connecting Rooms' as well as playing on the soundtrack, but the film wasn't given a general release in the UK.
Wyndham Rees was eased out of the Eyes Of Blue before the spring of 1969, having reputedly contributed little to the band. He was present during most of the Chappell Studios early recording sessions for the group's second album 'In Fields Of Ardath' but was gone by the time they gravitated to more modern eight-track facilities. It was released in November and is generally regarded as the more successful and 'progressive' of the two albums released under the Eyes Of Blue name. Quincy Jones supplied the sleevenotes this time, and commented; "All the ethnic qualities which I had recalled about the people of Wales were manifest in that tape. There was a native sensuality in their playing. Eyes Of Blue was musically curious." The record has also been described as having "Pop, R&B jazz, classical, psychedelic and Eastern influences." A fair sprinkling one must admit.
In a further collaboration, John Weathers and his co-Eyes Of Blue members Gary Pickford-Hopkins and Phil Ryan also helped out when Welsh based band Ancient Grease entered the studio to record the 1970 album 'Women And Children First'. After the album was released in July 1970 the band reverted to its original name, Strawberry Dust, and spent a short while in Hamburg.
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