Mirkwood - Mirkwood (1973 Uk. / 2008 GoD.edit)
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Artist: Mirkwood
Album: Mirkwood
Released: 1973 U.K.
CD 2008 Thors Hammer / Garden of Delights (THCD 004)
Genre: Art Rock, Prog Rock
*** Mirkwood were from Dover, Kent, in England. They played progressive rock with two guitars and a thought-provoking text. They owed not only to their musical abilities, but also to their capacity of transforming new ideas into music that they were among the leading bands in Kent. Their one and only LP (Flams Ltd. PR 1067) was recorded on 17 January 1973. It still was released in the very same year in a number of only 99 pieces. Thus, today it is worth about 1000€ when in mint condition. New legal releases appeared on Tenth Planet in 1993, and on Amber Soundroom in 2004. A CD was yet to come. The one here on hand comes along with a 32-page booklet full of information. It holds among others a gripping review by the guitarist Jack Castle which makes those times come alive. By the way, from 1973 on Nick "Topper" Headon - later with The Clash - performed as drummer with Mirkwood.
( Garden of Delights )
Track List:
01. Take my love
02. Love's glass of sunshine
03. Just because
04. The leech
05. The vision
06. Clockwise
07. Lavendula
'Mirkwood' the band was formed in early 1971 by Jack Castle and Mick Morris. They had known each other since attending the local Grammar school in Dover, Kent where both had led their own bands, playing together for the first time when Jack stood-in with Mick's band. That particular outfit had started as far back as 1957 (Mick joined in 1961) and was called the 'Rolling Stones' until 1962, when a certain Mick Jagger and friends made the name famous with a different group!
By 1971 heavy rock had become the predominant musical force: Jack and Mick resolved to form a new band that would play entirely original material and feature dual lead guitars, three-part harmony vocals and a tight rhythm section. The outcome of their endeavours was named Mirkwood, with an initial line-up of Derek Bowley (lead vocals), Jack Castle and Mick Morris (both guitar and vocals), Steve Smith (drums) and Andy Broadbent (bass). In early 1972 D.Evans was brought in to replace Andy Broadbent, who had moved away from the Dover area.
The only 'proper' recording that Mirkwood made was originally licensed for an album on the Flams Ltd Label (catalogue No PR1067) a local record label owned by John Scott Cree. Recording commenced on 17 January 1973 (not 1971 as reported elsewhere) at Jack's house in Whitfield, Dover on a Revox reel-to-reel tape recorder! The machine was operated by Ron Nunn (hence the initials 'REN' on the back sleeve), he also designed the album's cover.
Steve Smith had moved to London by then to engage in session work, but he returned to the band for recording purposes. A mere 99 copies of the album were pressed, the majority ending up with family, friends and local supporters.
The equipment used in recording the Mirkwood album consisted of:
Burns Short-scale Jazz guitar (with various John Birch mods.) /Sound City Amp (Jack)
Gibson SG Deluxe/Fender Stratocaster guitars/ Carlsbro Amp (Mick)
Fender precision Bass (with John Birch mods)/ HiWatt Amp (D.)
Premier Drums with Paiste & Zildjian cymbals (Steve)
The material utilised on the album was culled from the band's first batch of songs: sadly their later material, including many of their finest songs, was not recorded. All that remains of the many compositions written and performed between 1973 and 1975 are some lyric and music sheets and a few very poor quality cassette tapes of live performances.
In 1993 The Mirkwood album was pressed in a limited edition of 500 numbered copies utilising the original artwork by 10th Planet.
By 2003 the original Flams vinyl copies were changing hands at between £600 and £700 per copy and the 10th Planet limited copies depleted.
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