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THE LAST OF THE JUBBLIES

England

Symphonic Prog


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England The Last of the Jubblies album cover
3.28 | 60 ratings | 11 reviews | 10% 5 stars

Good, but non-essential

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Studio Album, released in 1997

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Creepin Instrumental (6:44)
2. A One-Legged Day Tale (9:01)
3. Sausage Pie (5:17)
4. Tooting Bec Rape Case (8:49)
5. Mister Meener (3:45)
6. Nanogram (4:14)

Total Time 37:50

Line-up / Musicians

- Frank Holland / guitars, piano (1) vocals
- Robert Webb / keyboards, piano (5,6), vocals
- Geoff "Jaffa" Peckham / bass (1-4), vocals (3)
- Martin Henderson / bass & vocals (5,6)
- Jode Leigh / drums, percussion, vibes, vocals

Releases information

Collection of previously unreleased tracks, first recorded in 1976 (tracks 5-6) and 1977 (1-4)

Artwork: Graham Williams (Amathus)

CD Vinyl Tap Records ‎- MABEL 1 (1997, UK) Remastered by David Beevers
CD Garden Shed Music (2005, UK) Remastered by Tony Arnold
CD New Music - Green Tree ‎- GTR 159 (2017, Germany)

Thanks to ProgLucky for the addition
and to projeKct for the last updates
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ENGLAND The Last of the Jubblies ratings distribution


3.28
(60 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(10%)
10%
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(45%)
45%
Good, but non-essential (35%)
35%
Collectors/fans only (10%)
10%
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)
0%

ENGLAND The Last of the Jubblies reviews


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Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by mystic fred
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator
3 stars Garden Shed Part 2 ?

Having enjoyed the "marmalade" from England's debut album "Garden Shed" this follow-up was too tempting to pass by - recorded in 1977 the music does sound very similar to the material from "Garden Shed" though the sound quality seems patchy, especially on "Creepin Instrumental" so these could well be outtakes and demos from that album - the style of writing and performance is the same, and contains some good songs, most notably "Tooting Bec Rape Case", "Sausage Pie" and "Nanogram".

Those of you who were around in England in the 60's and 70's will recognise the old-style Pound note on the cover - though rather irreverently Her Majesty is smoking a pipe! Also you will remember a "Jubbly" ("luvverly Jubbly..") was a fruit drink in a triangular-shaped wax paper carton ( a brilliant example in efficient storage design ) which contained frozen orange juice costing fourpence - Jubbly drinking, especially frozen, became a playground skill fully explained in the cd booklet - no wonder we all lost our teeth!

The excellent musicianship, the Genesis and Yes influences are all here, and the tongue-in- cheek humour - song titles such as the aforementioned One-legged Sausage Pie , "Tooting Bec Rape Case" and "Nanogram" all beg to be heard.

"One-legged Day Tale" contains some great Prog elements, time changes interspersed with good guitar and organ solos, overall a very dramatic piece which would have been better placed at the beginning of the album - a good opener. "Sausage Pie" kicks off with some atmospheric plodding keyboards and bass which break into a solid beat before getting into the song, "pie in the sky" and feeling high" - oh those wonderful sausage pies ...this could only have been written in England! "Tooting Bec Rape Case" has an atmospheric eastern style intro with clashing cymbals and tinkling bells, covers the dangers of girls late walking home, prey for the stalker. This track would not have been out of place on "Garden Shed" it's that good, and includes some good guitar/keyboard solos and some great mellotron moments, the sound quality is great here too. "Mister Meener", as you may have gathered, is a play on the word misdemeanour (duhh..), a simple 60's style song complete with fuzz guitar and child-like school chorus, this seems like it could have been written in 1966, the end of the song goes into a Genesis- style gallop - good stuff! The last track, the instrumental "Nanogram" is another outstanding track which contains some harpsichord and galloping rythms - this also would have fitted perfectly on "Garden Shed", the sound quality is brilliant but is too short, something great could have been developed from this I'm sure!

Overall a good follow-up to their debut and following in the true England tradition, if you own "Garden Shed" you should like this, but is not strictly for completists - the music is much too good!

Review by ZowieZiggy
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars I was not really enthusiast about their ''Garden Shed'' album. Nothing than derivative music available. Not bad but nothing creative either.

The question here of course is to know if it was necessary to restore some old songs some twenty + years after their conception. The sound of some of these tracks are not particularly top notch to say the least. The worse being ''Creepin' Instrumental''. If you would exclude a wonderful mellotron section, there is actually little to be remember in this track (same prevails during the long ''Tooting Bec Rape Case. It is the most ''Genesis'' oriented song available.

The shadow of ''Yes'' is undeniably present while ''A One-Legged Day Tale'' is being played. But gosh! This is tasteless music and the lead vocalist here performs rather poorly (to be polite). It is not a good song and it lasts for about nine minutes! Cliché and useless.

According Robert Webb, their keyboard player, the songs available on this album were recorded in '75 / '76 (prior to ''Garden Shed''). Most (if not all) tracks sound as if they are still in an embryonic and unpolished state. Production is almost non-existing and this work can hardly be recommended.

Once in a while as I have already mentioned, there are some fine instrumental passages, but too short. All vocal appearances are extremely bad and are a real shame.

Two stars. This is how far this album can be rated to my old ears.

Review by Tarcisio Moura
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars This is not really Englandīs second album like so many of my friends thought at the time. it is really a collection of demos and out takes that did not made it to their debut Garden Shed and it was released some 20 years later. Of course there is no surprise to find this collection to be a patchy affair with ups and downs. There are some fine musical parts here and there, along with others that seem to be unfinished and/or underarranged.

Strange as it seems I liked several parts more than the bandīs debut. Maybe because they sound less Yes clones here than when they hired Martin Henderson as bassist and singer. Not that the vocals are much better: most vocal parts are weak, but at least they are not imitating Jon Anderson. And some instrumental parts are again less derivative. Still itīs hard to think about spending your hard earned money getting this CD when there are so many other fine stuff we have in the market nowadays, new or old (in this case, a friend lended me his copy).

If you liked Englandīs Garden Shed then you should check this out. But only if liked that album a lot. The last Of The Jubblies is not a bad CD. But certainly this collection of demos is only good enough for hardcore fans and collectors. Two stars.

Review by GruvanDahlman
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Now, let me first speak a little about the term "masterpiece". I find it to be sort of a troublesome word. What is the definition, really, and what does it mean? Is it purely an album of flawless material? An album where every song is as brilliant as the other, seemingly made of gods? Well, partly. To me a masterpiece means an album where all songs are great, yes, but one has to, I think, also bear in mind the overall feeling, such as originality and vision. All put together I would say that there are many albums I could rate a masterpiece, though the rating five stars only apply to a certain few. The difference can sometimes be thin as the hair of an atom but still, isn't that an integral part of the musixal experience, to feel something sublime, a twitch and sensation to special to put down in words? I would say so.

Anyway... I think that the first, or only real as it were, album by England ("Garden shed") is a testament to the thoughts starting this review. In my opinion it is a masterpiece, though not necessarily a five star album. I love it to bits. So, with that feeling of love within me I had to get a hold of this album, "Last of the jubblies". Some say it is a follow up to "Garden shed" and while I respect that notion I would rather not. It is completely made up of demos and outtakes and these songs were really not, as far as I am aware, intented to constitute the next album. But that is not important, at least not in any big way. The importance of this album lies in something else. What could have been and furthermore as a testament to the brilliance of the guys in the band, sadly neglected in it's time.

The sound quality of the album is so and so at times. Though I need to say that the sound really does not get that bad. I enjoy every second and never is the audio an issue. The issue is rather that the vocals aren't always in key. The recordings are demos and outtakes, so if you're looking for flawless recordings you won't find it here. I have come to find peace in the flaws and mistakes. If you give this album a go, I think you will to.

Now to the songs...

The first track, Creepin', is surely everything you'd expect from England. Great pompous, symphonic prog. From the very beginning it is clear that you are listening to one of the best bands around from the mid 70's. It holds a great pace and shifts and turns in a very pleasant way. The next track, A one-legged day tale, is one of the longer tracks on the album. A fantastic number with a raw riff and good melody line. Would not have been out of place on Garden shed. Sausage pie is a shorter piece, about five minutes in length, and is really one of the quirkier songs on the album. It is a great track, showcasing all that is England. The amazing keyboards, humorous lyrics and sense of melody.

The other lengthy track is Tooting Bec rape case and starts off ominous with percussion before the keyboards enter the scene. It is also an intriguing piece of music which would have been great to hear in a more worked through version, put on a follow up to Garden shed. Mister Meener is a raw sounding track with very distorted guitar and lovely organ. A nice little titbit indeed.

The only track I was familiar with prior to getting "Last of the jubblies" was Nanogram, which appears as a bonus track on my "Garden shed" album. Now there's a piece! Beatiful! A lost classic, if you ask me,

All of the tracks would have fit nicely into "Garden shed" which is quite an effort, or rather they would have made up the contents of a follow up. As a collection of demos and such, it is such a full bodied album. The best of the rest, as it seems, are gathered here making this more than just a visit to the curiosity shop. It is a visit to the very halls of England, the very heart of the garden shed (as it were). These tracks aren't throw-aways. These aren't refuse meant to be theown away on the dung heap. These tracks are the very produce of the muscial harvest made during the mid 70's. Though there are some flaws and mistakes it does not matter. This album is a collection of lovingly crafted songs which by itself would be just enough to render England the title of a lost classic. It is that good. If you are new to England I would, though, recommend you to explore "Garden shed" first.

So, is it a masterpiece? Well... No. Maybe not. Or could it be a minor one? I can't put the label masterpiece on "Last of the jubblies". Primarily due to fact that it is a collection of demos and really not an album as such. It is however a precious testament to the brilliance of England a to me it is worth four stars. Just like that.

Review by VianaProghead
PROG REVIEWER
3 stars Review Nš 689

England was a British progressive rock band formed in 1975. England came a little late in the UK prog scene, coming at a bad time as punk rock was on the rise. So, imagine the following situation. We are in England in 1977. Punk rules. Bands like Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers, The Damned and other bands dominate the music world. Everything that was before, suddenly doesn't seem to exist anymore, or at least mercilessly kills everything else. The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and so on, are all just considered the old dinosaurs of rock.

Just precisely in this explosive time comes a new unknown band, which calls itself cocky England, a progressive rock band that plays exactly in the musical interface between Yes and Genesis. After all, they had full page ads in some of the major music magazines of their debut studio album 'Garden Shed', which also appears on the well known and well acclaimed record label Arista. But what good is that? It's absolutely nothing. The album sinks like a stone in the water.

So, England only released one album in the 70's, 'Garden Shed', despite the major label Arista Records. But, ten years later in 1997, England released a second studio album 'The Last Of The Jubblies', which is a collection of unreleased tracks, including material from 76 and 77 and also some demo recordings. The band was reactivated around 1983/1984 and was reformed in 2005. In 2017 they released another studio album, their third studio album named 'Box Of Circles'.

The line up on 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is Frank Holland (vocals, guitars and piano), Robert Webb (vocals, keyboards and piano), Martin Henderson (vocals and bass), Geoff 'Jaffa' Peckham (vocals and bass) and Jode Leigh (vocals, drums, percussion and vibes).

Yes, this is England, the same band that released 'Garden Shed' in 1977. I think it have all the recordings the band ever made, besides 'Garden Shed'. England is known for their very Yes and Genesis influenced style. However, there are some differences. England paid more attention to the music than the lyrics. But when it comes to singing, I think England is more diverse in lead vocals as well as harmony vocals. Most of the music isn't as good as the songs on 'Garden Shed'. They've a bit more song structured tunes and less of the good bits with many things going on at once.

'The Last Of The Jubblies' has rough versions, because some things sound a bit bumpy and unfinished. Thus, one stands in sound technology in the shadow of the previous album and it's likely that the band broke apart during the recordings. While 'Garden Shed' still offered an ingenious blend of the style of Yes and Genesis, they had already broken away from these models a year later. The song material seems very spontaneous and the elements of the very complicated and sophisticated structures that characterize the classic progressive rock or artrock music are almost completely absent. Unfortunately, the unique magic of their debut has also been lost. It wasn't like many other bands.

So, 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is the second studio album of England and was released in 1997. The album has six tracks. The first track 'Creepin Instrumental' introduces the album in a fast-paced way, but basically consists only of a repetitive melody that varies only slightly. Only the middle part of this title gains some structure and has pretty nice Mellotron sounds. Nothing against spontaneity, but at such a piece one would have to file something else. The second track 'A One-Legged Day Tale' has a relatively memorable chorus that joins the song with the distinctive sounds of the clavinet. This is a brisk rock song, indeed. The third track 'Sausage Pie' actually has nothing to do with progressive rock anymore. In part you can even hear light reggae guitar chords. Thus, here it's just a very nice pop rock. The fourth track 'Tooting Bec Rape Case' annoys a bit with his high refraining vocals, but it can convince instrumentally. A guitar playing supported by a Hammond organ characterizes the instrumental passages and also the good Mellotron work comes to his deserved employment. The fifth track 'Mister Meener' sounds more like it was recorded just in 1970 and can't convince me totally. It's not bad but I can't see anything special on it. The sixth track 'Nanogram' has to be an outtake track from the recording sessions of the 'Garden Shed', since it still is, for me, a celebration of unadulterated progressive rock. Unfortunately, after just over four minutes, this fragment disappears and looks more like a fragment.

Compilation: Best known for their classic 'Garden Shed', England will forever be remembered as one of the few 'new' bands of the late 70's of the United Kingdom brave enough to make unadulterated, symphonic prog, on a major record label, at the height of punk. As I said before, 'The Last Of The Jubblies' consists of demo recordings made after the band found themselves without a label. I know that many people like to compare a lot of this album to England's original work. But let's face it. There's nothing else to compare with it. This album isn't as essential as 'Garden Shed' is. But, if you really like that album, you should get this one as well. It's not a bad album and you willn't lose your time really. 'The Last Of The Jubblies' is a worthwhile progressive rock artifact from this dark period of prog rock history.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Latest members reviews

4 stars England has a distinct sound (distinctly English, I might add), with strong influences from both Yes and Genesis. The tongue-in-cheek humor that was evident in many of the "Garden Shed" album's songs is in full bloom on "The Last of the Jubblies" as well. This is music from 1976 and 1977 that was ... (read more)

Report this review (#2440061) | Posted by Squire Jaco | Friday, August 21, 2020 | Review Permanlink

4 stars I found this album when I surfed the internet and my "mentor" Mr. Gatot W. enlightened me with his review in this site. Later on, I got a copy of this album from a friend of mine in Metalbleedingcorp, and it's wonderful to listen to their music as I can hear the influence from early 70s Genesi ... (read more)

Report this review (#1150571) | Posted by Novri Leonard | Wednesday, March 19, 2014 | Review Permanlink

4 stars I believe that, judging by the small number. of reviews related to this disk, that he is little known... and I find a waste. Although it is not so well recorded like "Garden Sheed", I consider it a disk (musically speaking)) at least close of that and that it deserved to be knowner than seems. A ... (read more)

Report this review (#284764) | Posted by maryes | Thursday, June 3, 2010 | Review Permanlink

3 stars The second album from England............ or better make that some studio-outtakes from the recording of the first album. A bit harshly written, but still the truth. Their debut album (with it's iconic cover artwork) is rightly regarded as a classic album within the pastorial end of the symph ... (read more)

Report this review (#260960) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Friday, January 15, 2010 | Review Permanlink

4 stars While this album may be a bit more difficult to get into than garden shed, after a few listens it does become a very rewarding album. The sound quality is a bit iffy on a few of the tracks with the vocals suffering the most but you have to take into consideration that this was an unfinished albu ... (read more)

Report this review (#178188) | Posted by British Tradition | Friday, July 25, 2008 | Review Permanlink

4 stars I don't know much about this album, but I think these are the outtakes from the Garden Shed album. This album, therefore, is also a bit weaker than their debut, but still is pretty good and has some interesting tracks. If you liked the great Garden Shed album by England, then you should give this a ... (read more)

Report this review (#97130) | Posted by Autoband | Sunday, November 5, 2006 | Review Permanlink

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