AFFINITY

At the end of January 1971 both lead vocalist Linda Hoyle and organist Lynton Naiff left Affinity. Although the other three initially decided to go their separate ways they missed playing together so much that they instead looking for replacements. Singer Vivienne McAuliffe was the first on board. She had previously been in Principal Edwards Magic Theatre, and the line-up was completed by ex-Tornados keyboardist Dave Watts. In Vivienne they had a much more folky singer than previously, so some of the jazz edges were knocked off. Her voice is reminiscent at times of Sonja Kristina, or even Sandy Denny.

However, for one reason or another, this line-up never recorded an album and imploded in 1972. But Mo Foster and Mike Jopp have worked through demo tapes and taped rehearsals and have put together this album. What is immediately apparent is that not only is this an enjoyable outing throughout, but that Vivienne had a wonderful voice and it is beyond belief that she wasn't a far better known singer. She died in 1998, aged only fifty, but after Affinity had performed with Gerry Rafferty and Patrick Moraz among others. If you enjoy good strong songs and great female singing then this is worth seeking out.

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

This album 'got to me' in my teens, when music was a sled, a seesaw, a white bicycle, a rollercoaster, a magic carpet ride-usually all in one album.

I was working in radio then, and would often dig through the stacks of LPs that never would get played, gather as many as I could carry down from the attic or up from the fallout shelter, camp out in a production studio, and listen for hours...

There was a lot of music I was not ready for then; but this album got me in its groove. It was the beginning of a lifelong enjoyment of what it creates in me when I listen.

My notion of this album? It's a richly satisfying journey through a timeless time in 1970, when the Muse worked Special Magic through these people, their instuments, and the supporting cast. Rough production values? I kinda love the roughness. Sounds real. Pre-Plastic.

I listen freshly eared each time, and it continues to weave its spell around me...

Thank you for reading this, if you got this far...

Sillybear969

P.S. If I could I'd give it a 6th star, for "Leaves me wishing they'd had enough material for at least one more album(s) at the time..."

P.P.S. This is a review of the original vinyl album. Haven't heard any other songs by the original group; not sure I'd want to after reading the other reviews.

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.

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.

Excellent early jazz-rock/blues/pop/psychedelic band recorded and released just one album during their existence. Really pity!

This album is compilation of their singles, outtakes and unreleased materials. As often with such releases, you can't compare it with regular album, but sometimes such releases contain interesting material for fans. Same case is there - if you never heard Affinity's music, just start from their excellent debut/only album. But if you listened it and love their music, as I am, then try to find this release. You wouldn't be disappointed.

Main thing which attracts on this album - even from such eclectic material you can hear how huge potency had this band! Linda Hoyle is great vocalist, a bit in a manner of Julie Driscoll, and compositions all are melodic, with fantastic atmosphere of their time. Being a eclectic compilation, no strange songs are too different to sound as regular album. But - you will find some brilliant moments here, between some average and raw songs.

Stylistically, album's music is eclectic mix or r'n'b, early bluesy jazz rock, psychedelic pop and rock. Main difference with debut album is there are some great songs and some average songs. On their only studio album there are no fillers at all. But as rare possibility to hear some additional materials, this album is great release for band's fans.

My rating is 3+

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.

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!

What I like here most is the late 1960's aesthetics, quite romantic approach, and of course the enchanting vocals of Linda Hoyle. It's certainly more entertaiment than "artistic" music.

The CD starts with a single presentation, A-side "Eli's Coming" ("sweats") is a nice brass backed-up brisky tune with multitracked vocals, I guess this could be a Laura Gemser movie soundtrack, heh. B-side song "United States of Mind" is a folky acoustic piece resembling the psychedelic-era Beatles songs (covered later on the disc). The comes the "prog songs" of the album, which can be spotted even from the name, "Yes Man". This longer piece starts with a groovy smashing, which transforms toward more opressing stoned wandering in the forests of dark keyboards and bass guitar layers. The vocals and main riffs reminds little heavier side of Jefferson Airplane, and there are strong medleys between main part reprislas and instrumental solos. The title song "If You Live" is a bluesy groover, quite nice but not mind blowing or anything. Following Lennon/McCartney classic "I Am the Walrus" is quite direct replication of the original song, and thus not brining much extra value for it. But I admit, that Linda whips it out very nicely though, and I preferred listening her than the guys on the original. "You Met Your Match" is a faster song resembling little brassless version of the sound of Mogul Thrash due its powerful fronted bassline and groove. "Long Voyage" is mellow, romantic and pretty ballad, with some orchestral wallpaper and raw sounds. Though not maybe an exceptional in it's merits, I still liked this song very much, a good track to be played when passing out or such event. Final tune "Little Lonely Man" has quite poor sound quality, but it is nice cathy funky strut with good vocals and a nice keyboard solo.

So, I would recommended this for fans of late 60's British bluesy jazz rock sound with strong keyboard presence, and those liking nice lady singers. But for those searching only art rock content from their music this is not probably very rewarding album. If you liked the original Affinity album much, then this certainly is not a misinvestement either.

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