STRING DRIVEN THING

STRING DRIVEN THING were a Prog Folk contraption who were first assembled in Glasgow, Scotland in 1967. The two vital cogs in the machine were husband and wife duo Chris Adams and Pauline Adams with added power provided by Graham Smith on electric violin. The band were apparently lacking inspiration for album titles in their early years as their first two albums released in 1970 and 1972 were simply titled "String Driven Thing". There were three further album releases in the mid-1970's:- "The Machine That Cried" (1973); "Please Mind Your Head" (1974); and "Keep Yer 'and On It" (1975). The machinery then ground to a halt and the band took a VERY long hiatus before cranking it up again over thirty years later with two comeback albums:- "Moments of Truth" (2007) and "Songs from Another Country" (2009). Their first album - reviewed here - featured twelve songs on the original album with another five bonus tracks added on the CD re-issue.

It's time to wake up and smell the coffee for the album opener "July Morning", which is no relation to the rowdy Uriah Heep classic. No, this is an altogether Folkier tune. It's an upbeat feel-good song which is positively bursting with the joys of summer. There's enough joyous optimism here to inspire you to make an acrobatic leap out of bed in the morning, instilled with energy and enthusiasm as you bathe in the warm glow of the vibrant music. Yes, this exuberant song has more Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go energy than a steaming mugful of cappuccino latte coffee. We're travelling down country roads next for "Say What You Like", which is very reminiscent of Buffalo Springfield and The Byrds. This is a virtually unknown "lost classic" which could potentially have been a big hit, given enough radio airplay at the time. Sadly though, this first independently-released album by String Driven Thing disappeared without trace and the original LP album is now like gold dust to record collectors. It's rumoured there were only around a hundred pressings made of the original album, making it about as rare as finding a diamond in the dust. "Magic Garden" is the next song on our musical adventure. This is an all-round good Pop song with a touch of String Driven magic, featuring a driving chug-along beat and an energising electric guitar. It's a wonderful fifty year trip back in time to the days when everything was fabulously hip and groovy, which inevitably brings to mind the old cliche:- "They don't make music like this any more!" - and more's the pity too. Continuing with our wonderful nostalgia trip comes "Wonderful Places", which features a truly heavenly chorus from Pauline Adams. This gorgeous song includes the lyrics "Wonderful places I'm taking you to" - and this lovely song will indeed transport you back to wonderful places where the birds were always singing and everything in the garden was lovely. There's no chance of getting the Bell Bottom Blues listening to this lively piece of music. This is without doubt, a flowers and beads late 1960's sun-drenched summer of love song, so put on those mini-skirts, culottes and go-go boots and get up on the groovy dance floor - and maybe the girls can join in too! The following song "I Don't Wanna Wake Up" will have to be put quietly back to bed, as it's not currently available on YouTube, so we'll move swiftly onto the next song, which is: "City Man". This exhilarating Folk-Rock number about a man making big money in the big city could quite easily have been a "Greed is good" tribute to Gordon Gekko of Wall Street fame. And on the subject of big money, this incredibly rare debut album from String Driven Thing is now worth a Fistful of Dollars, and For a Few Dollars More, you can buy their second self-titled album too!

The Side Two opener "Another Night in This Old City" sounds as lively and colourful as a busy London street filled with trendy Carnaby Street fashions. It's a typically joyous 1970's Folk Pop tune that could have come straight out of The New Seekers songbook. The 8th song "That's My Lady" sounds like a Folk Rock classic that could well have been written and sung by Bob Dylan, even though the song is barely known by anyone other than ardent fans of String Driven Thing. It's another sparkling crystal of a song in an album that's turning out to be a marvellous nostalgia trip. The 9th tune "Catch As Catch Can" appears to be the one that got away as it's not currently available on YouTube, so we'll quickly skip that elusive song and move onto Song No. 10 which is: "No More You and I". The song title implies the sad break-up of a relationship, although the music itself turns out to be the complete opposite. It's another pleasant Folk Pop song with a cheerful vibe that chugs along nicely on a wave of exuberant String Driven energy. Just like the album as a whole, it's a celebratory song imbued with radiant happiness and the joys of being alive. The feel-good vibe continues with "Lie Back and Let It Happen", so just lie back and think of England (or Scotland) and let this glorious sunny music happen to you. This is cheery music designed to brighten up the dullest and darkest of days and it's just the tonic we need right now in our troubled times. We're slowing the pace right down now and ending the album on a sad note with "One of the Lonely People", a melancholic and thought-provoking song about those of us who are unlucky enough to end up spending the rest of our lives living Home Alone.

Take a nostalgic trip back in time to 1970 with the (mostly) cheerful Folk Pop of String Driven Thing. Just wind it up and let the music play!