2 records on 1 cd!Tracks 1-14 Mono
Notes
Artist: July
Title: July & The Second Of July
Label: Mason Records
Format: CD
Catalog: MR 56457
Orig Release: 1968
This Release 2006
Line-up/Musicians
Tom Newman - lead vocals
Tony Duhig - lead guitar, organ, vibes
John Field - vocalist, tabla & conga drums
Chris Jackson - drums, piano, organ
Alan James - bass
Graham Harrop - bass, acoustic guitar, vocals
Tracklist
1. My Clown
2. Dandelion Seeds
3. Jolly Mary
4. Hallo to Me
5. You Missed It All
6. The Way
7. To Be Free
8. Move on Sweet Flower
9. Crying Is for Writers
10. I See
11. Friendly Man
12. A Bird Lived
13. Hallo Who's There
14. The Way (Alternate Version)
15. You Missed It All
16. My Clown
17. Dandelion Seeds
18. The Stamping Machine
19. The Bird Lived
20. Look At Her
21. The Way
22. Friendly Man
23. I See
24. The Girl In The Cafe
25. You See Me, I See You
26. Man Outside
27. Move On Sweet Flower
28. Hallo To Me
Tracks 1-14 Mono
From their Myspace page-
July started out in the early '60s as an Ealing-based skiffle act working under the name of the Playboys, and then metamorphosed into an R&B outfit known as the Thoughts and then the Tomcats, through which John "Speedy" Keen passed as a drummer. The final Tomcats lineup, which evolved out of a band known as the Second Thoughts which included future NIRVANA and Hat & Tie man Pattrick Campbell-Lyons, found some success in Spain when they went to play a series of gigs in Madrid in 1966. They returned to England in 1968, the group's lineup consisting of Tony Duhig on guitar, John Field on flute, percussion and keyboards, Tom Newman on vocals, Alan James on amazing zoom bass, (made to sound like the indian tabla drums woop! sound) and Chris Jackson on drums, and changed they their name to July. The band lasted barely a year, leaving behind one of the most incredible LPs of the British psychedelic boom. Their sound was a mix of trippy pop, eastern tinged psychedelic meanderings, eerie vignettes , and strange, bright electric-acoustic textured tracks, with some heavy grooves and dazzling fuzz guitar workouts for good measure, all spiced with some elements of world music, courtesy of Tony Duhig, and time spent in Morrocco. To the layman it might sound as if Pink Floyd, Sgt. Pepper, and Jimi Hendrix all collided one evening at the Middle Earth, with a bit of Maroccan brick and curry...but July have a feel that is all their own and quite unique. Surprisingly,pop chart success eluded them, despite 2 singles on Major Minor and Epic records and an LP deal with Epic/Major Minor. The band separated in 1969, with Tony Duhig & John Field moving on to Jade Warrior (representing the ancient samurai disciplines of art & war) and releaseing some excellent LP's on Vertigo then on the Island label. Jade Warrior's first few lp's will be of interest to the July fan as they mix more ambient eastern and oriental modal styles with a hard acid rock... Tom Newman became a well-respected songwriter and engineer and set up Richard Branston's Virgin studios, with Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells to his credit, and bassist Alan James later working with Cat Stevens and Kevin Coyne, among others. July stands as an amazing group that surely deserves more credit retrospectively than was given them at the time. their musicianship, instrumentation and songwriting are as innovative, interesting as any of the top groups of the day, and in their sole album there is much magic to be discovered by those who seek such things...
excellent re-issues of their only LP are available on Bam Caruso, Acme-Essex and on CD from Aftermath and Acme-Essex.
AMG Review of "July" by Steven McDonald
July has come to be highly prized, mainly for the presence of "My Clown," which is considered to be one of the great psychedelic singles of all time. Tom Newman, who went on to glory as the engineer of choice for Mike Oldfield, handles the vocals for the majority of the album (the exception being Chris Jackson's "Crying Is for Writers"), as well as the majority of the songwriting. Tony Duhig, who later moved on to start Jade Warrior and Assagai, provides guitars and a strong sense of Indian music, although the greater part of his participation is via warbling and groaning guitars, and a fortunately blazing solo in the midst of the otherwise painful "Crying Is for Writers." Very good psychedelia, for the most part, but a bit dated in places and heavily influenced by much of the music coming from the direction of San Francisco at that time. The first six cuts are perhaps the most essential, going by the original vinyl release: "My Clown" and "Dandelion Seeds" are delightful, while "Jolly Mary" is simply good fun. [/size][/quote]
Note:
July is also somewhat of a historical curiosity, since guitarist Tony Duhig moved onto Jade Warrior, singer Tom Newman became an engineer who notable worked with Mike Oldfield and bassist Alan James later played with names such as Cat Stevens, Kevin Coyne, Showaddywaddy and Neil Innes.
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