AFFINITY

In the early 70's a number of Jazz/Prog rock outfits signed and recorded with Vertigo Records with AFFINITY being one of the stellar acts. AFFINITY were a 4 piece band led by lead singer Linda Hoyle (who has a gorgeous and powerful epic style voice) and keyboardist Lynton Naiff who plays some scrumptious 70's analog keys. Songs are nice and varied with the overall album posing a highly 70's styled music. Of instant attraction for me here was the fine bass, guitar and drum interplay which along with Hoyle vocals will make you drool. At times AFFINITY carries a "psychy" feel to their music and when combined with the orchestration gives the listener a wild connection. AFFINITY were a highly original band who wrote and recorded 1 fantastic album with great virtuosity and color. One of the finest examples of their musical competence is found on 12 minute version of "All Along The Watchtower". The fine folks at Repertoire have included a couple of bonus tracks from AFFINITY which nicely closes the chapter in this superb charming bands history. A great discovery...!

Highly recommended by collectioner around the world before Repertoire Records released it in CD , this prog-blues record is the only real release from the band and not a bad one really . I would've loved this had I discovered it in the 70's but I only like it as I found out in the mid-90's. Why would twenty years make a difference? Well for one I am twenty years older and my musical progression made forget a bit about blues and although I still love the bluesy rock albums that I dicovered at the time (souvenirs from my youth) , I have not the fond memories/nostalgia linked to it for this one . This is still a fine album well worth the discovery, as there are lots to please the 70's addict.

AFFINITY's self-titled album from 1970 is one of the best English progressive albums ever. This album has been available on CD before, but this new Angel Air edition contains no less than 8 bonus tracks. The original LP was released on the well-known Vertigo label, which at the time were one of the most interesting labels for progressive rock. The value of the original LP has reached £100.

Their music is a blend of blues, jazz-rock and progressive rock with lots of nice Hammond organ. The band had a fantastic female vocalist in Linda Hoyle. AFFINITY started writing for a second album, but in January 1971 Linda left the band and that was the end for the whole band.

If you're into 70's progressive rock this album should have its given place in your collection, and if you haven't already got it you should buy it immediately.

AFFINITY was a short-lived band that released one album and one single in 1970 and then spilt up. They were a highly regarded band and looked upon with much promise as the one of the new wave of jazz-rock fusion artists. With an effective blend of folk, jazz, soul, blues, and rudiments of modern-day psychedelia and progressive rock, it simply was not fair to put them into any one classification of music. With the powerful vocals of Linda Hoyle leading the way, it looked as though the band had quite a future ahead of them. It was not in the cards unfortunately. What they left for us was a superb achievement by any musical standards, and that includes the most important factors such as sound, production, and musicianship.

The original LP artwork is packaged and reproduced beautifully; it comes displayed on traditional gatefold sleeves with original reviews of the LP and liner notes. The180-gram virgin vinyl renders a gorgeous sound and highlights Ms. Hoyles' excellent vocals. What comes as a real surprise is their version of Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower." It runs for over 11 minutes and it stands as one of the very best versions I have ever heard, and that includes HENDRIX's classic version.

This is very progressive music for its day; in fact, logic dictates that it was more than likely considered a little on the extreme side in 1970. I cannot help but think how this group would have evolved if they had stayed together for a few more albums.

Rating: 4.5/5

The jazz influences of this charming album seem to come from bluesy soul music, so the rhythms are not chaotic, and the music is accessible and easy to listen to. The brass dominated orchestrations accompanied with the instrumentation of the early 70's create a pleasant sound texture, which resembles Uriah Heep's jazzy maneuvers on "Salisbury" and the music of Mogul Thrash. The beautiful voice of Linda Hoyle also shares the voice range of the male hard-rock singers of the 1970's certainly. What I found sad about this record was the fact that all of the tracks except "Three Sisters" and "All Along The Watchtower" ended up to a fadeout (I have been listening to a CD version with two bonus tracks). This felt annoying, especially on the fourth song, where Linda is just starting to get it seriously from Mr. Joy, and then her ecstatic voices are muffled by the engineer with a fade-out fetish. If you are not allergic to this kind of treatments, then the listening experience should be more rewarding. I'm certainly going to check out Linda's Solo album and the other posthumous instrumental recordings of this band, as the music sounds very good despite the mixing solutions.

Affinity's sole release in their lifetime is this S/T album. Originally on the famed 'Vertigo' label and highly collectable, the wonderful Italian label 'Akarma' is responsible for re-issuing this (and many other prog rarities) with an affordable price tag, and even pressing this one onto orange vinyl !! Stylistically, the album covers many aspects of music from straight forward pop/rock (I Am And So Are You, I Wonder If I Care As Much), to 'underground' groove with 'Three Sisters', soft rock (Cocoanut Grove, Mr. Joy), the more typically progressive tunes being 'Night Flight' and their rendition of 'All Along The Watchtower. The music is superbly performed, with loads of excellent Hammond organ soloing from keyboardist Lynton Naiff (funny how the organ isn't even credited in the gatefold), solid bass playing from future studio session ace Mo Foster, competent drumming from Grant Serpell and the seductive voice of Lynda Hoyle, which can be ever so soft and sweet, or fiery and aggressive. Even guitarist Mike Jupp gets a chance to shine.

The lengthy 'Night Flight' (7.15) is a beauty - a precisely composed piece, book-ended with soft, melancholic verses, with the mid-section Hammond solo sounding very much like Atomic Rooster's Vincent Crane and the vocals sung to perfection by Lynda. 'Watchtower' goes on for 11.36, and features extended Hammond work-outs, and a grand, GRAND finale. It's huge !! 'Mr Joy' is an excellent track, showcasing the dynamics of Hoyle's voice, backed by rather sombre music. Of the remaining tracks, only their version of the Everly's 'I Wonder If I care As Much' is a rather weak choice, and the bonus tracks of 'Eli's Coming' and 'United States of Mind' being firmly 'pop' oriented. Another album deserving a 4 star rating though.

Affinity were a short-lived group of quite talented musicians who played a style of music best described as blues-based but created by folks who knew more than a little bit about jazz, and certainly weren’t above ripping off some fat and funky B3 keyboards when the mood suited them.

Formed from the ashes of forgotten sixties act Ice, the quintet was fronted by the powerful and ranging vocals of Linda Hoyle, who runs the gamut between from heavy rock (“Three Sisters”) to the almost lounge-act jazz of “Cocoanut Grove” to an early version of new-wave with the peppy girl-band sounding “Eli's Coming”. Her voice suits the music very well throughout, although the one place it is nearly absent she isn’t necessarily missed; on the funky and clearly improvised cover of “All Along the Watchtower”.

The musicianship is top-notch on every track, even if the group does not seem to have any clear sense of what sort of band they want to be. Besides the tracks already described, there is the mostly acoustic and folksy toe-tapper “United States of Mind” with catchy guitar work courtesy of Mike Jupp (Hoyle sounds exactly like the Canadian singer Martha Johnson of the 70s group Martha & the Muffins (“Echo Beach”); there’s also the original jam composition “Night Flight” in which a very talented Lynton Naiff totally wails on the Hammond and a variety of other keyboards; and the wafer-light “Mr. Joy” that has a cool bass riff from famous session musician Mo Foster but is otherwise a bit too long and lacking a bit in spark.

I can’t really decide if I like this record or am simply mildly curious about it. Affinity is a band that is often mentioned as a lost ‘gem’ of the late psych days, but really I don’t hear much here that is striking or ground-breaking. The one thing I would say is they managed to put out a very solid album of well-played music in 1970 without being too dependent on either psych, folk or rocking blues; which is in itself a bit of a feat.

Hoyle would depart the band and the music business shortly after this album released, although she did first manage to crank out a solo record that included future Nucleus and Soft Machine member Karl Jenkins. Jupp would go on to play for Michael d'Abo, while Lynton Naiff would appear on a long list of artist’s albums and tours for years including Queen, Real Thing, Blonde on Blonde and Delegation. Drummer Grant Serpell moved on to the 70s pop group Sailor, and Foster, like Naiff, would enjoy a lengthy career in studio and tour work.

This isn’t a masterpiece and it isn’t indispensable, but it is a decent record. I’d probably go with two stars and consider it a curio more than anything, but the solid musicianship deserves more respect than that, so three stars and recommended to folks who are willing to spend a little time and money on music from the past that is worth the time to rediscover.

peace

The only album of short-lived British band. Not too many prog fans know this name, I think.

The music is excellent there, if you like cool,dreamy and melancholic sound. Songs are melodic and include mix of blues-rock, jazz-rock, soft psychedelia and early progressive.

Female voice (Linda Hoyle) are beautiful and both together with all music buid very pleasant sound dreamy pictures. All the music is based on r'n'b structures, similar to Trinity/Brian Auger's music of that time. And Linda Hoyle's voice is often similar to Julie Tippett's.

There are strong bass line , plenty of brass and rich Hammond line in all songs. If you like Auger/Julie Tippett/Trinity music ( as I am), you will really enjoy Affinity .

Original LP is great rarity, but there are some re-issues in the market. I own Vertigo/Repertoire CD re-release with two added tracks, but some re-releases can offer till 8 bonuses!

I absolutely enjoy this beautiful music and only pity is that the band released just this one album!

Very nice little known british band that released only one album during their brief career. If you ever wonder where those 80´s acts like Everything But The Girl, Basia, Swing Out Sister and others got their inspiration from, this CD is a good clue: soft singing female vocals, cool jazz, R&B, bossa nova, soul music, gospel and a little prog. It´s all there. Affinity was doing it more than ten years before any of those artists. And although the production is not top notch, is still adequate for the style.

It is only a pity that this group did not stayed around longer. Their mix would prove to be a successful one some time later. And those guys (and lady) were indeed very talented. I just loved the tasteful arrangements with heavy use of Hammond organ, a versatile rhythm section and nice jazzy guitar lines. And, above all, the cool voice of Linda Hoyle. She had a style of her own that combines the soft and the strong side of the woman in music. And even if their 11 minute version of Dylan´s All Along The Watchtower was not entirely satisfying, their self titled album proves Affinity as a strong force in the competitive british scene of the late 60´s. Night Flight, a powerful tune mixing all elements mentioned above in a 7 minute track, is the CD´s highlight. My copy has two short bonus tracks that sit well with the original ones.

A hard album to rate. In a progressive site like this I think this CD is very good, but not really essential, as the progressive element is present, but in a very subtle way. So I guess 3,5 stars is quite fitting.

Affinity - s/t (1970)

The review is based on the two bonus-tracks vinyl reprint of the album.

Affinity is one of the most famous infamous bands among vinyl collectors. There is little reason for being an unknown group, for there only albums is quite good. All musicians are professional, the recording is good for the time being, the artwork is strong and the mixture of styles that are presented is original. At first I was blown away by the great vocals of female vocalist Linda Hoyl with a low-pitched voice for a woman. Her jazzy vocal style gives the music a very 'classy' feel. The guitars of Mike Jupp are very good, he has a perfect 1970 hard rock sound and his solo's are good. The rhythmical section also strikes me as very professional. The wind-section reminds me a bit of Chicago, but Affinity uses is more functional in my opinion. The wind-section is often used to 'thicken' the harmonic structures. The key's remind me a bit of Colosseum.

The composition of Affinity are quite remarkable. Their mix of jazz and rock is perhaps better then Chicago on it's best. This is due to the stylish sound of the band. Mr. Joy stands out as a very provocative track about a 'toy', but the composition of the song is also very atmospheric. The performance of Linda Hoyl is very courageous here. Three Sisters is one of my favorite tracks of the album because it's a very catchy jazz-rocker with great vocals and powerful arrangements. The main riff reminds me a bit of Led Zeppelin. The long version of All Along the Watchtower is quite progressive and very atmospheric. The solo's are good.

Conclusion. This album features a warm combination of hard-rock, improvisational rock, jazz- rock, vocal jazz and some psychedelic vibes. Perhaps the album has no outstanding moments, but it's satisfying throughout and the two bonus-tracks are also a good extra. A very good addition for fans of early hard rock and jazz-rock. Also recommended to collectors of rare music. Four stars.

A pleasant enough showcase for the organ skills of Lynton Naiff - especially in the cover of All Along the Watchtower, which seems as though it's going to follow the Dylan version fairly loyally before his wild soloing appears - the sole Affinity album is a nice enough early Vertigo release which many prog fans will enjoy. It's an especially good pick if you like some jazz and very light psych touches in your prog mixture, though even then it's only good, not great.

In particular, I found that singer Linda Hoyle's vocals just aren't very interesting - it sounds like she's trying to be a fusion answer to Janis Joplin or Grace Slick at points, and she doesn't quite manage it. Anna Meek from fellow Vertigo act Catapilla succeeds much better, to my mind - and to be honest, I find Catapilla (or even Valentyne Suite-era Colosseum) to be a better example of organ-driven early jazz-prog than Affinity. Still, if you're into this particular seam of prog - one left comparatively abandoned after the early 1970s and seems to have been the sole purview of the Vertigo label - the Affinity's only album is worth a listen. But it's probably not quite worth digging out a super-expensive vinyl copy.

Of all the groups that came and went during the progressive rock boom of the early 1970's, Affinity were perhaps one of the most intriguing. With just one full-length studio album under their belts, this Sussex-based outfit seemingly came-and-went in the flash of an eye, the obvious quality of their self-titled debut ignored by the fickle record-buying public for reasons best known to themselves. However, as seems to be the trend with these things, Affinity's brief tenure in the British pop landscape has survived the intervening decades with impressive popularity, with much posthumous kudos heaped upon the six jazz-tinged tracks that make up this wholly eclectic album. The group themselves emerged from the beer-and- smoke stained concert halls of West Sussex, a green, homely and quintessentially British county South of London where the University of Sussex - the group's formative home - was, not surprisingly, based. Featuring a line-up comprised of Linda Hoyle(vocals), Mo Foster(bass), Michael Jupp(guitars), Lynton Naiff(piano, harpsichord, vibraphone) and Grant Serpell(drums), Affinity enjoyed limited success on the road, building up a small-but- enthusiastic following which eventually led to a deal with Phillips progressive imprint Vertigo Records(home to the likes of Juicy Lucy, Black Sabbath and an early, psych-flavoured version of Status Quo) which in turn led them to record their first, and only, album. The group were helped along their(short) journey by jazz-man Ronnie Scott, who was so impressed by the five-piece that he subsequently became their manager, booking them tours in jazz clubs across Europe and even snaring them a spot on the BBC's prestigious Jazz Club radio show, a spot usually reserved for more traditional purveyors of the genre. Perhaps spurred on by Miles Davis unique electronic excursions into the hither uncharted territories of jazz- rock fusion with his post-1969 albums 'Bitches Brew' and 'Dark Magus'(too name but a few), more and more groups were starting to merge the idioms of rock and jazz with increasing success on both sides of the Atlantic. Affinity, although leaning more towards progressive- and-psychedelic rock elements, sported a refined jazz-edge, prevalent on such tunes as their blistering, guitar-heavy version of 'Hey Joe' and the more relaxed, almost playful 'Night Flight'. These songs, along with the more conventional tracks 'Mr Joy', 'Three Sisters' and 'Coconut Grove', showcased a unique outfit who were willing to do things slightly differently, as evidenced by having a female lead-singer, a rare occurence in Western rock music at the time. Sadly, thought, despite the many interesting ingredients Affinity had to offer, it seemed their refined mixture of sounds and styles proved a touch high-brow for the era's rock fans, and not quite authentic enough for the jazz lovers. And it's a shame. 'Affinity'(the album, not the band) is great little release, filled with expert musicianship and stylish grooves, and the group's muscular version of 'Hey Joe', which clocks in at around the ten-minute mark, is still one of the defining versions of the oft-recorded song. Progressive rock fans who enjoy the similarly-styled jazz-flecked rock of Colosseum, Nucleus, Samurai or The Advancement should find much to admire here, with the only real disappointment being the lack of a follow-up. Otherwise, this is very Impressive stuff. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2011

The roots of Affinity go back in mid-60's and the friendship of classmates Lynton Naiff (keyboards) and Grant Serpell (drums), both students at the University of Sussex in Brighton.They played together in a band called Ice for a year or so after their graduation and continued to work together in a new band, for which old friend and bassist Mo Foster was called.Through auditions they found guitarist Mike Jopp from the act The Tridents and later teacher Linda Hoyle was brought in for the vocal duties.Since their official formation in 1968 Affinity became an instant call in various clubs of London, leading to a contract with Vertigo and an eponymous album in 1970.Actually ''Affinity'' was released through three different labels in 11 countries worldwide, from New Zealand to South Africa.

''Affinity'' was a collection of original compositions and personal cover versions with the absolute standout being the 11-min. reworking on Bob Dylan's ''All along the watchtower".The band in fact was formed out of the need of Naiff and Serpell to combine the accesible forms of Pop Music with the freedom given by Jazz improvisations, so reasonably the album is dominated by these sources of inspiration with a good bunch of bluesy and psychedelic colors along the way.The short tracks apparently are the most poppy ones as well with simplistic song structures and an instrumental background of nrass instruments, soft guitars and outdated organ, while the longer ones contain flashes of the Proto-Prog sound in early-70's Britain.''Night flight'' for example is a mix of soft Psychedelic Pop, organ-driven Psych Rock and a jazzy jamming section with nervous organ soloing and a rhythmic background.''Mr. Joy'' is pure poetry, a dreamy and lyrical piece of intelligent Art Rock with bluesy and jazzy vibes, driven by the electric piano of Naiff and the outstanding voice of Hoyle.''Three Sisters'' is closer to JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, an aggressive form of loosy Psychedelic Rock with another great performance by Hoyle and the electric guitars/organ in evidence.''All along the watchtower" clocks at almost 12 minutes and comes as a combination of tricky sounds from the past and future of British Rock, actually a very groovy track all the way, borrowing the freedom of Jazz, resulting to a vastly instrumental execution with quirky organ moves and solos, which remind me of old DEEP PURPLE.

Very much a product of its time, which has stood well in the sands of time, but the progressive content is rather limited.This is well-played, free-spirited Psychedelic Rock with a great female singer and an orgasmic keyboardist leading the sound.Rather dated but still recommended.