AARDVARK (AKA: PUT IT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT)

I am obliged to do this. Secondly because this album has always been in first position on my shelves (yup alphabetical and no A.R. & Machines are filed under 'AR') but firstly because I am responsible for correcting the mis-information on the bands biog....Simon Kirke* and Paul Kossoff were never ever involved with this crew...which has the spin off of making other reviews that mention it look a bit 'daft'. I apologise. That was not my intention. * I am a Free fanatic and have followed SK and Paul Rodgers on FB for many years. The odd time I have sent a message/asked a question they have quickly and courteously replied. On reading this bands biog and finding out 'new' information, I dropped a message to SK asking for confirmation. The gist of his reply was 'who?' In fairness he went away and did his research and got back to me and confirmed that he and Kossoff had had zero to do with them and he added that, being London based and back then all the musicians knew everyone else in the capital, none of the names in Aardvark even rang a vague bell so he (and Koss) couldn't even have done a 'sit in and jam at a rehearsal for an hour from which myths are made of'. Straight from the drummers mouth so to speak...

More importantly, the album in question. I have a theory (and if you don't like it, I have others!) that the true representation of what was going on re a genre at a certain time and place is not to be found in the agreed upon classics/best of the period in question but probably in the second and even third tier bands. Here in the crate digs will you find the most 'atypical' sounding 'prog' from that year or two....and Aardvark are it for 1970 in the UK. There is a psych hang over, a little bit of Beatle 'serious pop' and lashings of the burgeoning 'heavy' sounds here via the now and then rip roaring Hammond. The opening track says it all really. Concise and employing most of the above elements, The Nice and Atomic Rooster are probably most obviously referenced but am a fan of the keys freak out and you really don't miss a guitar, regardless of who had or hadn't been involved in the bands earlier life! Track 2 is piano led and Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and Trinity or Affinity are the touchstones. It has a jazzier/bluesier edge. Many Things To Do is a mellotron free Moody Blues with a stabby 'blues boom' solo in the middle. I assume you are getting the picture? There is nothing off putting here and if you had been told it was a library recording used as generic backing for films/tv progs/ads and so forth at the time ie sounding like what was 'happening' without having to fork out royalties you wouldn't have raised an eyebrow. There are parts of most songs (Greencap) where a keys solo hits the spot and here a bass to the forefront passage which reminds me of an East of Eden track. They even spin out ideas to the 6min+ length...because that was what was 'happening'! 'I am not being critical, just a critic' as I think Lester Bangs once said. It is an album that doesn't get played much (OCD meticulous recording of everything played. I would get out more but there is too much music to listen to!) but has never ever come close to the 'sell on ebay' box. I still feel bad about the myth busting but let's just say this is a solid one and done (who counts 40 odd years later reunions?) and if you heard it blind (err you know what I mean) you would ask 'is this from '69/'70?'. It is probably about right (current 3.44) as a 3.5 but it is not a 4 so I end up reducing the average even though I don't want to.

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