FOOLS MEETING

DELIVERY was founded in 1966. This is a reissue of their very rare 1970 album that has been out of print for close to 30 years. It has been a rare collector's item with a used price of $250 and up. The reissue contains the original album, a non-LP single, an alternate take and two live tracks.

The music is a mix between blues, Canterbury, Jazz, psychedelic and progressive rock. The musicians on this album has found fame in other bands since this release. This was their first recordings before they went on to band such as CARAVAN, GONG, HATFIELD & THE NORTH, MATCHING MOLE, NATIONAL HEALTH and SOFT MACHINE. My favorite tracks are "Blind To Your Light", "Miserable Man", "Is It Really The Same" and "Harry Lucky".

The CD-booklet is very informative with a full history of the band together with rare photos. I really enjoyed this album and I think that many of you will too, especially if you're into the Canterbury bands mentioned in this review.

It would diserve a third star if the personnel was not so star-studed. Also knowm as Carol Grimes's Delivery, all of these superb and crazy musicians along with not anyless superb and crazy guests should have done a real masterpiece. Alas , deception is around the bend as his appears to be just a bluesy rock album and not even wild at that. I expected much more of this album , so I resist the temptation to give a real low rating to draw your attention but because this is not bad in itself I will give it a For Fans Only.

Fools Meeting - and what a meeting it is !!! This album features an eclectic blend of Blues and Jazz with a very progressive approach. Starring an impressive cast of (future) Canterbury luminaries ; Phil Miller (Guitars), his brother Steve on Piano, Pip Pyle (Drums) Roy Babbington (Bass Guitar) - one cannot help but to expect something special. Add to this the sweet, sweet voice of one Carol Grimes (and boy, does she sing her heart out). Her vocal styling is full of tremolo, something akin to Grace Slick or Signe Anderson from the early Jefferson Airplane, and also special guest Lol Coxhill (Saxophones), whose contribution to the songs is priceless. Phil M's trademark style of Guitaring can be witnessed here, as he holds many solo spots, and is the main composer. Steve M's jazzy Piano playing has a unique air to it - at times his Piano doesn't have sustain, so his notes are short and sharp, making for a more interesting sound. The rhythm section is quite excellent - Babbington is already playing with amazing skill and dexterity, those that are familiar with the Karl Jenkins led Soft Machine should agree that he is quite a Bassist. Pyle's Drumming is very busy, and he shows often that he can play outside the confines of regular 4/4 beats. Coxhill is up there with the likes of Elton Dean and Gary Windo, with his lungs full of fury, blowing up a whirlwind of seldom heard sounds with his affected Sax. Of the 8 tracks on the LP (Tapestry re-issue, couldn't afford an original - been searching since around 1990) there is rarely a dull moment, each song is constructed in such a way that changes tempos regularly and never stays too long in one place. The music is not particularly indicative of 'Canterbury', the more Bluesy moments are when Grimes is singing, the instrumental parts suddenly take off in another direction, be it Jazz, Avant-Garde or Rock. I suppose if Steve utilised some fuzzy organs and e-piano it could be a genuine Canterbury sounding article. Best songs are possibly 'Miserable Man' (8.28), 'Home Made Ruin' (3.23), 'The Wrong Time' (7.50), and 'Fighting It Out' (5.48), but the album as a whole is an enlightening experience.

Another unknown act from the UK that I had never heard about it until recently. This group compromises of powerful singer Carol Grimes, backed by a dream team of musicians that would eventually become quite famous through the so called Cantebury Scene. Anyone vaguely familiar with that will recognise names like Steve Miller (Caravan), his brother Phil (National health and others), Roy Babbington (Soft Machine) and Pip Pyle (Hatfield & The North, among others). So it is an all star group, although no one knew it at the time. This rare LP was released in the CD format with a good remastering and four bonus tracks (two live tracks, one alternative track and one non LP track).

The music inside is very strong and impeccably played, of course, but nothing of what you might call groundbreaking or even too original. It is the blues rock style of the day, with some jazz influences. If you like this kind of music, then go for it! Carol Grimes may not have the most beautiful voices in rock but, boy, does she know how to deliver! (pun intended). She reminds me of early Jefferson Airplane´s singer Signe Anderson and does a great job here. What a pair of pipes! It makes you wonder how they were in front of an audience (the live tracks give a hint that they were very promising). This LP should have had better luck at the time it was released.

All tracks are good and the production is ok for the period (quite enhanced by the new remastering).

Rating: even for a non blues rock fan like me, it was obvious that this band could have gone very far if they stayed together a little longer. it is a shame they didn´t. And this release is proof of that. It deserves 3,5 stars at least.

Do you like jazz tinged blues rock? Then listen and judge for yourself. You won´t be disappointed.

'Fool's Meeting' - Delivery (70/100)

As was often the case for progressive albums released on the cusp of 1970, Delivery's one and only LP Fool's Meeting sounds torn between prog innovations and the blues and psychedelic obsession of the late 1960's. In the case of this Canterbury Scene proto-supergroup (most of the members would go on to great success with the likes of Caravan, Gong and Soft Machine, among others) it's the fetishized American blues rock that keeps them grounded in the past. Although they do it well, it ultimately holds Fool's Meeting from being as distinguished and memorable as some of the records these musicians would work in later incarnations of their careers.

When it comes to this late Sixties' British response to longstanding American blues tradition, I'm most inclined to point the finger at the first two records from Led Zeppelin's career; there was no doubting where most of Zeppelin's influence was coming from, but they added a new kick that made it interesting. Delivery does much the same on Fool's Meeting, with the notable exception that while Led Zeppelin amped up blues with the fuzz of hard rock and proto-metal, Delivery has imbued the style with the nuance and interplay of jazz music. It's an incredibly promising combination, and when Delivery successfully manage to pair the two, the result is significant. "Miserable Man" in particular is a fantastic example wherein Delivery nail the atmosphere of both styles. Disappointingly, as the album progresses, the jazz aspect becomes less prominent, leaving the dated blues rock to preside, complete with predictable 12 Bar songwriting patterns. Delivery's jazz rock still finds its way through the cracks in the form of the occasional saxophone solo (as is the case in "Fighting it Out", but the excellent promise of Delivery's style doesn't feel realized here. Very fortunately for after-the-fact listeners however, the scaled fusion of jazz with psych and rhythmic rock would found the basis of the Canterbury Scene.

While the musicianship on the album is appropriately strong, the most memorable element of Delivery's music is undoubtedly the smoky voice of Carol Grimes. Although she's the only member that wouldn't have a lasting impact on the Canterbury Scene past Delivery, her vocals are excellent, wrapped up in a confident vibrato and charismatic presence that might warrant comparison to Robert Plant's bluesy howling on the early Zeppelin albums. More common comparisons to Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick are not beyond reason, but Carol Grimes takes a fiercer approach to her vocals. She would go on to play with a host of blues and jazz acts as the years went on, and while her post-Delivery albums might be worth checking out for her voice alone, it's something of a disappointment that we didn't get to hear her voice in any more progressive rock. With a voice like hers, I'm surprised she didn't become more of a legend. There's a gaggle of female vocalists in the 'occult retro rock' scene today that are trying to sound exactly like her, most probably without ever knowing it. Of course, none have ever truly succeeded.

To my chagrin, the Canterbury Scene has generally alluded my progressive rock listening experience. For what it's worth, Fool's Meeting is more than enough to pique my interest in the style, with the full knowledge that the album has only scratched the surface. Carol Grimes and Delivery have earned their respective spots as quiet legends in the British rock pantheon. Especially if you're a fan of Caravan, Gong, Hatfield and the North, National Health, Soft Machine or any of the other bands these guys would play future roles in, Delivery should stand as an excellent history lesson.

Geez those Canterbury folk were a restless bunch. There's always another one shot band that someone put out and this one and only album by DELIVERY is a perfect example of that. It was originally released as Carol Grimes and DELIVERY but has since then dropped Carol from the billing. The band began in 1966 as Bruno's Blues Band and then changed to Steve Miller's DELIVERY and no, not the "Fly Like An Eagle" guy. The band is pigeon-holed into the Canterbury Scene because it features Pip Pyle (Gong, Hatfield, National Heap, In Cahoots, well everybody!) and Phil Miller (National Health, Hatfield And The North, Matching Mole) but really, there is really not much jazz-fusion going on here. This is rooted in 60s psychedelic rock with minor jazzy embellishments. It wouldn't be wrong to think of this as a slightly more progressive version of Jefferson Airplane, Kaleidoscope or even a jazzier take on Big Brother and Holding Company.

I have to say that the music on here is pretty good overall but what really keeps me from totally falling for this album is the vocals of Carol Grimes. She just doesn't DELIVER the goods for me. She sings her heart out but her range just doesn't match the brilliance laid out by the musicians involved. Throughout the album I keep finding myself wishing Grace Slick, Janis Joplin or even Dorothy Moskowitz (of The United States Of America) would be singing instead. They all had intense passionate vocal styles and a much greater range. When the music plays for a while on this release without vocals I find myself liking it much more but then Carol starts singing and it ruins it for me. Sorry Carol, I just can't get into your style :( If by chance you like the vocals on this album you will like it a lot more than me. It really is the only reason I am giving this 3 stars.