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BLODWYN PIG

Prog Related • United Kingdom


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Blodwyn Pig biography
Founded in Luton, UK in 1968 - Disbanded in 1970 - Reformed briefly in 1974 and again in 1987 through the 90's

BLODWYN PIG was one of the core bands of the underground music scene of the late sixties. Main man Mick Abrahams was involved with several R&B bands including THE HUSTLERS throughout the decade and he even played some gigs with SCREAMING LORD SUTCH. In 1967 he co-founded JETHRO TULL along with Ian Anderson but was then ousted from the band in November of the following year, shortly after the release of their debut album ''This Was''. After leaving JETHRO TULL Abrahams formed BLODWYN PIG, the unusual name apparently coined by a rather stoned friend of the band. The original line-up consisted of Abrahams (guitar, vocals), Jack Lancaster (saxophones, flute, violin), Andy Pyle (bass) and Ron Berg (drums). Pyle had played in Luton blues band McGREGOR'S ENGINE, a band that Abrahams had in fact formed earlier in 1967; it also included future JETHRO TULL and BLODWYN PIG drummer Clive Bunker.

BLODWYN PIG had an extensive live activity that included appearances at the Isle of Wight and Reading rock festivals. They also completed two US tours that took in performances at both Fillmores and the LA Forum. After recording two successful albums the dreaded musical differences resulted in Abrahams' departure from the band in September 1970. He was actually replaced by two guitarists; one was Barry Reynolds and the other was former YES guitarist Peter Banks, who went on to form FLASH. The quintet failed to see the year out and only managed three or four gigs. With the arrival of replacement guitarist Larry Wallis (UFO, PINK FAIRIES, MOTORHEAD) the band changed its name to LANCASTER'S BOMBERS (later simply LANCASTER) and toured with YES in 1971.

In the meantime Abrahams had formed WOMMETT and THE MICK ABRAHAMS BAND, the latter of which released two guitar-driven rock albums; Jack Lancaster featured on the second of these albums. Despite the fact that this group enjoyed success across Europe it also split due to some less than enthusiastic record company support. BLODWYN PIG then briefly reformed in February 1974 with the aforementioned Clive Bunker on drums, but old differences resulted in another split and a disillusioned Abrahams temporarily withdrew from the music business.

The two albums released by the original incarnation of BLODWYN PIG, ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) and ''Getting To This'' (1970), were a fusion of heavy progressive...
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BLODWYN PIG discography


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BLODWYN PIG top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.75 | 45 ratings
Ahead Rings Out
1969
3.08 | 32 ratings
Getting to This
1970
3.97 | 12 ratings
Mick Abrahams: A Musical Evening With The Mick Abrahams Band
1971
4.33 | 3 ratings
Mick Abrahams' Blodwyn Pig: Lies
1993
5.00 | 1 ratings
Mick Abrahams' Blodwyn Pig: Pig In The Middle
1996

BLODWYN PIG Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

2.13 | 4 ratings
Six Days On The Road
2006

BLODWYN PIG Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

BLODWYN PIG Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

BLODWYN PIG Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

BLODWYN PIG Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Getting to This by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.08 | 32 ratings

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Getting to This
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Artik

4 stars Wow, I'm surprised how little reviews and ratings this band has gathered so far. I assumed their Jethro Tull connection would help to promote Blodwyn Pig a bit more. Their second album is very fine example of early stages of rock music when many things were trown into one big melting pot. Blodwyn Pig speciality is a catchy mixture of rock, blues, jazz (with brass) showing band's musicality. There are occasinal guitar noodlings which could be shortened and the longest piece isn't cohesive at all (but still contains some great passages). The music is very energetic and with flute parts here and there it would fit nicely in one of early Jethro Tull albums. Very enjoyable stuff. Three and a half star rounded up to four to help upgrade overall grading which is currently below three which is to harsh.
 Getting to This by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.08 | 32 ratings

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Getting to This
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by sgtpepper

3 stars The second excellent album by Blodwyn Pig; had it come 1-2 years earlier, it could have been more successful. Compositionally and with instrumental chops, the chaps are in the top league of blues-rock. Ambitions beyond blues- rock are still apparent as featured on the masterpiece "San Francisco Sketches". Excellent dynamic drumming and guitar- saxophone tandem will immediately catch listener's attention. Busy bass guitar offers very good elasticity to the sound, listen to the instrumental "The Squirelling must go on" or "Variations on Nainos" where bass guitar can also play the lead melody. Flute is a welcome addition to a couple of songs and might be a Jethro Tull reference. Abrahams is a brilliant blues-rock guitar player but has no hesitation to dabble in jazz world with jazzy chords. "See my way" is a great example of a tight bass/drum collaboration, one that others could envy.

The most sophistication comes with with a strong and ambitious tandem of "The Squirelling must go on" and "San Francisco Sketches", the latter cone composed of multiple sections. A quiet flute-led folk part followed by jazz-prog part, then comes a short hippie-vocal inspired moment that turns into a jazz saxophone soloing. Incredible piece of music.

On another hand, having "Toys" as a intimate guitar-vocal piece and fitting Abrahams vocal. "Send your son to die" has vocals that remind me of Cream.

I am in the opposition but find this album at least as good as the debut Blodwyn Pig album.

 Ahead Rings Out by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1969
3.75 | 45 ratings

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Ahead Rings Out
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by sgtpepper

3 stars A very impressive debut of already seasoned musicians offers a perfect bland of blues-rock with jazz influences. Drums and bass are agressive and intensive and to be enjoyed equally with guitar and saxophone.

"Sing me a song that I know" is for me a highlight with its bass and drums execution. "The modern alchemist" is the most experimental piece on the album with lovely jazzy guitar colours in soloing and chords. It has beautiful saxophone soloing, too. The composition feels more like a loose jam rather than fixed composition. "Leave it with me" is a tasty Jethro Tull flute led busy track with plenty of bass guitar and guitar jazz soloing; it is more coherent then "The modern alchemist". The last track "Ain't ya comin' home babe?" is one of the heaviest ones on the album touching hard rock edge sometimes.

This is a very impressive blues-rock album that will fill you with dynamics, enthusiasm and longing for more.

 Ahead Rings Out by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1969
3.75 | 45 ratings

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Ahead Rings Out
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Blodwynpig1971

5 stars Masterpiece 5/5 My favourite LP of all times. Fantastic fusion of hard rock (yes!), jazz, blues and folk - typical 1969 year. Everything is played with big passion, power and energy but the band also can easily change mood and tempo. Sometimes it sounds like a jazz big band It's Only Love, sometimes like avantgarde jazz The Modern Alchemist, british traditional music or american blues Dear Jill, hard progressive Ain't Ya Comin' Home, Babe? but every time it rocks. I think this album is not very well-known and underrated because they breaks steoretypes and rules. You can't rate them in one this: hard rock, blues rock or jazz-rock. GREAT ALBUM !!!
 Getting to This by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.08 | 32 ratings

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Getting to This
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Conor Fynes
Prog Reviewer

2 stars 'Getting to This' - Blodwyn Pig (46/100)

It's funny to think that, as is certainly the case for many lovers of rock music, I have a more informed idea of the popular music of the 60s and 70s than I have with my own decade. For the reason that music has become much more accessible to make, there's never been so much music coming out as there is today, but it usually takes some hindsight and distance in order to know what records will stand the test of time, and which ones will be forgotten by next season. By contrast, the golden age of rock (beginning in '66, when it ended will depend on who you ask) has been heavily codified and studied by now; more than that, the artistic renaissance evolved blindingly fast- to current ears, the difference between something that came out in 1966 and 1969 (or 1973, etc.) might sound a world apart from each other. That Blodwyn Pig's sophomore Getting to This sounds three years late to the party might not sound like a big thing nowadays, but it might go to indicate that these bluesy proto-proggers were inclined to borrow tested ideas, rather than innovate any of their own. Add to that the pretence of anti-Vietnam US west coast flower power (they were actually British), and the album feels a bit like a has-been regurgitation of other bands' ideas, in spite of Blodwyn Pig's talent and interplay.

1970 (and, to a lesser degree, 1971) could be viewed by rock historians as an extension of the late 60s' fascination with psychedelic and blues rock- even bands like Yes (Yes' original guitarist Peter Banks would later play with Blodwyn Pig for a stint) had their origins playing this sort of thing. Even though the British were fetishizing what was largely an American innovation, some of the bands managed to take the style across the Atlantic and do something fresh with it (IE: Led Zeppelin). In the case of Blodwyn Pig, the band's bluesy foundation is well-performed, but lacks the independent sense of character and identity some of the better-remembered bands had. Barring Mick Abrahams' soulful vocal performance, it's little wonder that their 1969 debut Ahead Rings Out sounded so lukewarm to me. The soul and ingredients were there, but damnit- I wanted to hear something refreshing, not a facsimile of something guys on the other side of the ocean had been doing to far greater effect!

If anything may be said to its credit, it's that Getting to This certainly sees Blodwyn Pig attempting to spread their wings, broaden their horizons and diversify their music. Unfortunately, few of these stylistic adventures are very engaging; rather, Blodwyn Pig's second album seems like a more eclectic rehash from the same US-based well as before. As a result of this variety, Getting to This has higher highs, and far lower lows than Ahead Rings Out. While the opener "Drive Me" is very much the sort of psychedelic-tinged rhythm and blues Blodwyn Pig had cut their teeth on, most of the following pieces take an approach of their own. "Variations on Nainos" draws flute in amidst the hard rock (a nod to Blodwyn Pig's natal ties with Jethro Tull?), "Long Bomb Blues" is a 12 string acoustic that's to the point and a refreshing change of pace from the driving rock of the album's first side.

I think it's nigh-indisputable that Getting to This (and possibly Blodwyn Pig's career as a whole) reaches its peak with "San Francisco Sketches", a collection of great (and highly eclectic) musical snippets. Though it starts off in a very prog rock-ish note with acoustic guitars and flute, it builds up into a blues-infused hard rock jam that conjures pretty striking images of that city's vibrant culture. Surprisingly, the blues-rock drifts away for a vocal-heavy passage that recalls the carefree harmonies of The Beach Boys. Although this twist is still in keeping with the band's refitting of American tropes, it was enough to catch me off guard; even so, the best was yet to come. From there, Blodwyn Pig segue fluidly into an incredible jazz fusion jam, headed by Jack Lancaster's impressive sax observations. It doesn't matter that the track lacks coherence; the fact that Blodwyn Pig manage to impress and surprise me so many times during the same song is a major surprise. It also casts a disappointing light on the rest of the album; if they were able to conjure up something like this, why is the rest of Getting to This such a lukewarm affair?

The state of things declines pretty quickly thereafter. "Toys" is among the more memorable songs Blodwyn Pig wrote, but the second side is severely hurt by "To Rassman", a painfully bad song that doesn't even pass for a bad joke (did you ever wonder what British proto-proggers sound like imitating Rastafarians? Neither did I!). There's no getting around the feeling that Getting to This is an absolute mess of an album. In spite of its impressive successes, the album sees fit to congeal into something satisfying. I can appreciate Blodwyn Pig wanted to explore new avenues in their sound, but the initiative's resulted in fewer hits than misses.

If nothing else, check out "San Francisco Sketches".

 Ahead Rings Out by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1969
3.75 | 45 ratings

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Ahead Rings Out
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Conor Fynes
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 'Ahead Rings Out' - Blodwyn Pig (54/100)

Though they're far removed from the sounds of progressive rock (or progressive anything-else), you can't go into a late-60s exploration of the genre without Blodwyn Pig being mentioned. Sure, the surge of British bands fusing blues rock and psych with jazz could be seen as a precursor to the prog movement, but listening to Ahead Rings Out, a modern listener would much sooner liken them to Cream than King Crimson. Instead, Blodwyn Pig is most relevant to the contemporary progressive rock listener as a sign of what Jethro Tull may have turned out like. It's all in the lineup; Murray Abrahams started Tull with Ian Anderson a short time before. Ultimately, the two had stark disagreements concerning the musical direction they wanted to take. More famously, Ian Anderson kept Jethro Tull rolling into a folkishly progressive hard rock direction- the rest is history. In contrast, Abrahams was more interested in playing a sort of psych-tinged blues rock, far more in keeping with the time. Especially compared to Jethro Tull's distinctive grasp of style, Blodwyn Pig seems to blur into a mess of British bands that had their own sights set on this exact same sound. For the style and period, Ahead Rings Out is a fairly above-average submission, with bluesy licks aplenty and the occasional jazz segment to keep it fresh. All the same, Blodwyn Pig aren't impressive enough to separate them from their hordes of stylistic neighbours.

I was actually thinking a few days ago that an entire book could be written on the British heavy blues explosion of 1969-70. Led Zeppelin is easily the most visible from that scene to current eyes. Many more, however, seems to have disappeared from the public's attention. Blues rock has never had the same sort of pull since, though blues rock fans are bound to be at least aware of Blodwyn Pig. Unlike the 12-bar throwaway would-be blusters, I am pretty sure that Blodwyn Pig had the potential to become bigger than they were. Listening to the album's jazziest moments in "The Modern Alchemist" and "Leave It With Me", the band pulls off some tight interplay. Even the omnipresent blues licks enjoy the soulful punch that only sincerity can provide. Murray Abrahams' vocals are probably more typical, less inviting than the instrumentation, but the potential for great things was still there.

If there's anything that seems to hold back Blodwyn Pig from said potential, it's the band's fixation with blues tropes. Granted, the blues style has a very specific mood and set of tools in its favour, but when Ahead Rings Out suggests alternatives to this (such as their sax-infused jazz rock), I'm left thinking the music would have benefited from some more diversification. The pentatonic scale worship comes in droves. And, of course, Abrahams is here singing his heart about his familiar troubles with a two-timing woman. Especially since the British blues zeitgeist has long since ended, these tropes are more difficult to see as quaint blues staples than as a distinct lack of personality and original contribution.

On the other hand, Blodwyn Pig's greatest successes on Ahead Rings Out come forth in the form of their blues-jazz fusion. While their heart's still clearly in the blues camp, the unexpected merge of styles works surprisingly well, with a sound not unlike some of the 'brass rock' bands that shared the same period. In the case of Blodwyn Pig, it's not that I don't appreciate their love of blues so much as I feel like the way they've approached this genre has precluded their ability to have a strong identity. The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Led Zeppelin each carved out a sound for themselves with many of the same ingredients, but in the case of Blodwyn Pig, they lacked the forward-thinking nature to take their sound out of a now-dated late 60s timestamp, and turn it into something immortal. It is worthy to note, however, that Blodwyn would emphasize their jazzy half by the time of Getting to This, their second LP.

 Mick Abrahams: A Musical Evening With The Mick Abrahams Band by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1971
3.97 | 12 ratings

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Mick Abrahams: A Musical Evening With The Mick Abrahams Band
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars Abrahams, Sargeant and Walt..and Dharma

Having left Jethro Tull and recorded two solid albums with his new band Blodwyn Pig, Mick Abrahams decided it was time to move on again, albeit temporarily. He put together a new band, choosing the moniker the Mick Abrahams Band. There is though a degree of confusion over the use of name, as this album is simply credited to Mick Abrahams on the sleeve, but to the band on the LP. Likewise, the album title is not entirely clear either, the front of the sleeve bearing the notation "A musical evening with..." but the spine and the actual LP showing no album title at all.

The band is a four man line up, but is more rock orientated than that of Blodwyn Pig with no brass at all. The multi-talented Bob Sargeant is the second principal musician (after Abrahams), his organ and piano contributions being the main alternative to Abrahams fine lead guitar. In keeping with his band leader status, Abrahams writes all the songs here, with Sargeant receiving two co-writing credits.

The opening "Greyhound bus" reflects Abrahams growing ambitions Stateside, where Blodwyn Pig had enjoyed a degree of success on tour. The song is a mid-paced slice of blues rock. Probably identified early on as a potential single, the track boasts a decent vocal melody and some excellent lead guitar. "Awake" is the first of the two feature tracks, running to almost 9 minutes. The song is a majestic blues anthem featuring a killer vocal performance by Abrahams and some wonderful Ken Hensley style organ playing by Sargeant.

"Winds of change" changes the mood completely, this soft acoustic folk style ballad being Tim Buckley like in its beauty and simplicity. "Why do you do me this way" is almost onomatopoeic, the title betraying a simple blues funk rock number. The song is far from original, but enjoyable nonetheless. "Big queen", which opens the second side of the LP, is a variant on "Greyhound bus", Abrahams fine vocals being the focal point. Bob Sargeant co- writes and takes lead vocals on "Not to rearrange". The song has a country blues tinge, but while the performance is competent the song is the weak point of the album. The problem with it has more to do with its anonymity, the steel guitar only serving to distance the song from its peers on the album.

The final track is a 15 minute monster entitled "Seasons". Here, Abrahams vocals bear comparison with the great David Clayton-Thomas. The piece has a fine multi-part progressive structure, and is by far the most ambitious thing Abrahams had done up to this point. The extended nature of the track gives both Abrahams and Sargeant ample space to add a variety of solos, all of which are consistently high in quality and appeal.

Overall, an excellent album which benefits from Abrahams taking tighter control over the content and sympathetic production by Chris Thomas.

While the LP sleeve is at best prosaic, the rear image of Abrahams is nicely embossed like a mosaic.

 Six Days On The Road by BLODWYN PIG album cover Live, 2006
2.13 | 4 ratings

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Six Days On The Road
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

2 stars Recorded six rows back

"Six days on the road" is one of those obscure releases for which it is virtually impossible to garner any reliable information. Apparently only released in digital format (albeit on legitimate download sites) in 2006, the track list has a significant overlap with "Live at the Lafayette", which captures a performance by the reformed line up in the early 1990's. Whether or not the tracks on this album are the same as those on ".. Lafayette" I cannot say, but I would assume that these recordings date from around the same time. It also seems safe to assume that Mick Abrahams, Alan Lancaster and Andy Pyle are in situ, but the occupier of the drum stool is less clear. I am working on the assumption that it is former Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker.

Whatever the source, this is one of the few releases to capture Blodwyn Pig playing live, and is therefore of interest regardless of where and when it was recorded. That may be the plus side, the down side is that these recordings are truly awful, clearly originating from bootleg tapes which have now taken on semi-official status. The album consists of nine tracks only a few of which appeared on Blodwyn Pig's two early studio albums. Each track is self contained, removing any feel that this is a continuous recording of a gig.

The opening "Slow down" is one of many bonus tracks which appear on expanded versions of the band's first album. A decent blues rocker, this version, when you can hear it through the fog, captures the energy of the band playing live. "It's only love" was the first track on that same album, this version removing any fineness which might have existed there.

"Cat's squirrel" is a song written by Mick Abrahams during his brief tenure with Jethro Tull. This 10 minute rendition is an extended blues rock jam very much in the way of bands such as Creedence Clearwater revival and Ten Years After from around the same time. The main focus is on the lead guitar of Abrahams, with even Alan Lancaster taking a back seat, or perhaps even a comfort break! The blues funk of "Baby girl" continues the CCR overlap, while the 8 minute "Cosmogrification" is simply an opportunity for Lancaster to take centre stage for one of his fusion based outings.

"See my way" from the second album is kept comparatively tight, while "I know" begins in similar fashion before veering off into something of a shambolic jam. The title track is a straightforward cover of a rock and roll standard. The album closes with the 13 minute "Dharma for one", which is little more than a vehicle for Clive Bunker to display his prowess in the time honoured but oh-so-dull manner of a tedious drum solo.

Overall, it is just about possible to appreciate some of the dynamic nature of a Blodwyn Pig gig, despite the truly bad sound quality which prevails throughout. Clearly this is one for fans only, and even they should approach with considerable caution.

 Getting to This by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1970
3.08 | 32 ratings

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Getting to This
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

3 stars They also served

Less than a year after the release of their début, Blodwyn Pig returned with what would prove to be their final album (although further material would eventually appear in the Blodwyn Pig name as a result of a reunion many years later). Once again, the band revolves around the blues leanings of Mick Abrahams and the jazz influences of Alan Lancaster.

Abrahams dominates the early song-writing, composing all the tracks (one with Andy Pyle) on the first side of the LP release. The opening "Drive me" mixes jazz rock with blues rock to come up with a catchy up-beat introduction to the album featuring a gritty vocal. The contrast with the vocal style on the following "Variations On Nainos" is quite stark, the latter being more in line with Abrahams subsequent solo album. In an obvious effort to out -Tull Abrahams former band, "Variations On Nainos" features prominent flute alongside some good lead guitar. The singing through a glass of water verse is an indulgence too far though!

"See My Way" is the longest of the Abrahams songs at a shade over 5 minutes. There is a bit of an American feel to this steam-rolling blues rocker, which makes it among the most appealing of the set. The brief "Long Bomb Blues" takes the American feel south, with picked guitar dominating. The relentless pace of the Abrahams songs continues on "The Squirreling Must Go On", another powerful slice of guitar rock. The lack of a vocal leaves the song feeling a bit like an unfinished backing track, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

Alan Lancaster is restricted to writing a single track, but he comes up with an eight minute suite in four parts entitled "San Francisco Sketches" . The sections feature mainly San Francisco related sub-titles, setting off with a a semi-improvised jazz workout. Surprisingly, the "Telegraph Hill" section features a Ray Conniff singers style vocal, but apart from that the track is instrumental. Many will probably find this to be the high point of the album, but for me it is prosaic. Andy Pyle receives a rare sole writing credit for "Worry", a song which sounds for all the world like another Abrahams composition. "Toys" is something of an oddity, being a soft reflective acoustic number. The singer-songwriter feel to the track makes for a pleasant contrast.

Drummer Ron Berg also gets a writing credit for the brief "To Rassman", a nonsensical calypso song. The album closes with "Send Your Son to Die", a track which featured on the Island records sampler "Bumpers". The track sums up the band well, blending the blues rock and the jazz rock with an infectious rhythm section.

Overall, an album which is the equal of its predecessor. Blodwyn Pig were never going to be the most original band of the early 70's, or the best. As bands who also served go, they were however one of the better ones.

Following the release of "Getting to this", Mick Abrahams left the band. While the name was briefly retained and later resurrected, Blodwyn Pig's bacon was effectively cooked.

 Ahead Rings Out by BLODWYN PIG album cover Studio Album, 1969
3.75 | 45 ratings

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Ahead Rings Out
Blodwyn Pig Prog Related

Review by Easy Livin
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

4 stars Thickening out the sound

Blodwyn Pig will probably forever be considered an offshoot of Jethro Tull, as the band was put together by Mick Abrahams. Abrahams was a co-founder of Tull, but his desire to retain the direction that band took on their début album "This was" was at odds with that of Ian Anderson. Anderson prevailed, Abrahams left after just one album, and as far as Tull are concerned the rest is history.

Abrahams did not sit on his hands though, and quickly put together a band to take his vision forward, and indeed initially to rival Jethro Tull in terms of success. We should not though consider this Abrahams plus backing, the rest of the line up is strong including Andy Pyle ex of the Kinks and a future member of Wishbone Ash. The multi-talented Saxophonist Jack Lancaster brings to the band the opportunity for a diversity of sounds, Lancaster going on to become an accomplished session musician.

This, Blodwyn Pig's first album, consists of 9 tracks primarily written by Abrahams and/or Lancaster, with the other band members (including drummer Ron Berg) receiving co- writing credits on a couple of tracks. The music is firmly rooted in the blues which Abrahams had grown to love, the opening "Its only love" being an upbeat blues rocker with a big band style sound. Abrahams recalls that at the time of recording, he exploited the recent availability of 8 track recording to "thicken out the sound".

If the first track is unashamedly commercial, the second "Dear Jill" is a delightful downbeat blues with sleepy sax and atmospheric slide guitar. Abrahams vocals here are among the best he has performed. "Sing Me a Song That I Know" is relatively prosaic, and very much of its time (over 40 years ago!).

Without even checking the credits, it is apparent that "The Modern Alchemist" is the first of the Jack Lancaster compositions, the track being a jazz based instrumental with sax and guitar leads. It is hardly original, even for back then, but the frantic pace does allow the band to let their hair down. "Up and Coming" is the first of the songs to be credited to all the band members. Here they revert to the atmospheric blues of "Dear Jill", the track being similar to Uriah Heep's "Lucy blues" recorded around the same time.

"Leave It With Me" is the second of the Lancaster written instrumentals; once again the track is a semi-improvised workout for the band, Lancaster's tracks being noticeably different from the main blues pull of Abrahams. "The Change Song" opens with some undecipherable cockney chatter before settling down to a folk tinged acoustic ditty. The USA version of the album differed from the UK release through the inclusion of "See my way", a song which would appear on the band's second album in the UK. The track certainly has a bit of an American feel, being a driving blues rock number. Abrahams is in good voice on the track, which benefits from an adventurous arrangement, including what Abrahams refers to as a "Bolero" section.

The album closes with the 6 minute "Ain't Ya Coming' Home, Babe?", where Lancaster's jazz drive meets Abrahams blues thrust head on. The result is an oddly progressive melting pot of sounds which works in the main, but can sound a bit messy.

Overall, an impressive début from a band who failed to achieve all they were capable of. One of the highlights of the album is the stereo separation of the main instruments, which makes for a wonderfully clean, uncluttered sound overall. Not necessarily an album for Jethro Tull fans, but those with a bent towards blues, perhaps through bands such as the Groundhogs, should find much to enjoy here.

The CD remaster has a fine supply of bonus tracks. As most of these are written by Mick Abrahams, they inevitably lean towards the blues side of the band, but most would have made for worthy additions to the original album. "Walk on the Water" shines particularity well, although the sudden fade implies a work in progress.

Thanks to seventhsojourn for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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