Prog Music Lounge

Fuchsia - Bio

Not to be confused with the flower (fuschia), this group took its name from Mervin Peake’s book Titus Groan (just like the proto-prog group of the same name, Steerpike and Gormenghast) and was the project of Tony Durant. Having dabbled in the music business since 66 (he started with Henry Cow’s Chris Cutler in a band called Louise), but leaving it for a University spell, he started writing again eventually forming a trio with drummer Gregory and bassist Day. But Durant was interested in using and integrating string instrument in another fashion than using them as a string section for embellishment, so they joined forces with a truio of classical music student babes (what a coincidence, them being a trio too ;-). The project was contemporary of the start of ELO and Jan Dukes De Grey. The music developed then very charmingly as a folkish trio with extended strings arrangements integrated fully in their music.

The album was well received by the critics but insufficiently promoted, sank without a trace and the group did not manage to tour the university circuit to promote it either. The group disbanded a little later that year, but Durant revived it for further sessions in 75. The albums with all of those side-sessions got a release in 05. This historical album got a re-issue in the Cd format in 01

Line-up

Tony Durant / ac & el guitars, vocals
Michael Day / bass
Michael Gregory / drums, perc.
Janet Rogers / violin, backing vocals
Madeleine Bland / cello, piano, harmonium, backing vocals
Vanessa Hall-Smith / violin, backing vocals

Fuchsia – Fuchsia – 1971

While I would not call this double trio group as revolutionary as KC’s incarnation during the 90’s, this group is made of the basic guitar trio and another trio of classical musicians interacting fully. The resulting music is not only charming but also quite interesting for progheads.

In 71, there were plenty of musical possibilities yet unexplored and Tony Durant thought about integrating the strings developing soothing rather between ELO’s first three album and JDDG’s superb, haunting spine-chilling Sun Symphonia. Rather closer to ELO’s sweeter sounds (circa Eldorado) than JDDG’s crazed sounds, the album is a pure pleasure for progheads enjoying string works that is precisely between ELO’s first three album and JDDG’s superb, haunting spine-chilling Sun Symphonia, the album is a pure pleasure for progheads enjoying string works. Although you can sense the inexperience of the group (only Durant had actually recorded before) and therefore an underlying naiveté, the album operates full-charms out on the unsuspecting proghead, even though the album’s inventiveness might not appear at first listen.

Although you will probably their music very symphonic, the real feel pervading is a rather soft folk rock with intricate (almost medieval) string arrangements. From the opening Gone With The Mouse (in JDDG’s loft? ;-) and its marvellous naïve pastoral feel, to the fabulous mini-epic A Tiny Book with its exuberant feel reminding the better ELO days, where the wise-at-first strings dare go in adventurous demoniac/fiendish grounds. The lyrics throughout the album are hardly innocent or hippy dippy rather concentrating on Mervin Peake’s oeuvre, but do not hold much wickedness, but the album is a must for anyone into Titus Groan.

Another Nail is one of two tracks that come from their Durant’s Louise days (the other being the sub-par Kite), but it is definitely the first inside the coffin of your sanity. Here the girl trio provide a hellish intro before the group takes over, but Bland’s harmonium keeps popping up and the girls come into the group to provide delicious licks on their strings and then outro the track as well.

The second side of the album starts softly on Shoes and Ship, with the whole thing definitely progressive but staying calm and featuring haunting cello drones (I was not sure I could place this line for 100 points ;-) on the closing section. When listening to the extensive mini-epic Nothing Song, one can wonder if Lynne and Wood had not laid their hands on a copy of this album. The album is not always even as there are tracks when the string section is used in a conservative manner: Kite and are hardly more than songs where a strings synths could suffice nowadays. However the closing Just anyone holds a tense suspense where the women are more discrete than on other parts of the album.

While it does not hold the insanity of Tea And Symphony, the pagan savagery of Comus and the extraordinary enthusiasm of Jan Dukes De Grey, this album is yet another just unearthed gems from the early 70’s, just waiting for progheads to stumble on it and carve out a 24-carat reputation.

definitely