.___________________________________________________________________________. |========================-==-..:.::. SOUNDz .::.:..-==-=====================| | ___________/_ _______ /\ |\/\/| _\___________ | : |_ /_ _( )_ \/ .---. _|____//> __ /\ _\ _| : . | __ / | |____ | |___\_ | /_____\ \ \/ \ __ | . ! | /___/_ | ___ | | | || \ | \/ |_ \ _\___\ | ! . | \ ! \ / | | | || \| \ | \ / | . <>!_______ \ / | | | || \ \ | |\ \ _______!<> ==\-----. \ \ \ | )_( || \ \ \| |_\ \ / .-----/zNr .==/\ /___\ |_ _| || \ \ \ /___\ /\dS! :=/ |'-------'/_________\! |\ \_________/ \= /____/\_________|===================='-\-'=\________|=====|_________/\____\ ___\/_______________________________/_\___________________________\/___ //// // // // // // // // // / \ \ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\\\ /// // // // // // // // // / /\\ \ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\\ /___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/_//\\\_\___\___\___\___\___\___\___\___\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \ \\_// / // // // // // // // // \\\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \\ \ \\/ / // // // // // // // /// \\\___\___\___\___\___\___\___\___\___\ \ /___/___/___/___/___/___/___/___/// . ------------------------------------\ /-------------------------------- . : \ : | / \ | | | | | | R E L E A S E D E T A I L S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> | | ----------------------------- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< | | | | Circus-Circus-WEB-1969-SOUNDz | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | Artist______________ Circus | | Title_______________ Circus | | Label_______________ Sanctuary Records | | Genre_______________ Progressive Rock | | Year________________ 1969 | | Release Date________ 2021-05-20 | | Street Date_________ 1969-00-00 | | Source______________ WEB | | Encoder_____________ MP3 / LAME | | Quality_____________ CBR 320kbps 44.1kHz | | Size________________ 92.5MiB | | Playtime____________ 0:40:09 | | URL_________________ https://amazon.com/dp/B07G45RHT5/ | | | | | | 1. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) 07:20 | | 2. Pleasures Of A Lifetime 08:19 | | 3. St. Thomas 03:37 | | 4. Goodnight John Morgan 01:50 | | 5. Father Of My Daughter 03:21 | | 6. II B.S. 06:34 | | 7. Monday, Monday 04:23 | | 8. Don't Make Promises 04:45 | | | | | | R E L E A S E N O T E S >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> | | ------------------------- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< | | | | | | Amongst the earliest traces of progressive rock already fully | | gestated in the 60s alongside the likes of Pink Floyd, Soft Machine | | and King Crimson were a few smaller but similarly minded acts that | | didn't quite end up in the history books the same way. One of these | | short-lived bands was CIRCUS that spent most of the 60s as The Storm | | Shakers part of the clumsily named Philip Goodhand-Tait and the | | Stormsville Shakers before changing the moniker in 1967 when Philip | | parted ways. These days the band is more famous as the first project | | of saxophonist / flautist Mel Collins who would play on some of the | | earliest King Crimson albums ("In The Wake of Poseidon," "Lizard," | | "Islands," "Red"). | | | | CIRCUS was a tight jazz-rock band that crafted some high quality | | musical workouts that mixed the heavier aspects of late 60s rock with | | the nuances of jazz modulations, folk, pop and psychedelia. Add to | | that a stellar Latin influenced percussive flair that added an | | impassioned mix of jazz and ethnic drive to create an innovative | | melting pot of juicy jazz-rock yumminess. Collins is the star of the | | show here with sizzling hot sax and flute solos but with the addition | | of the musical virtuosity of the rest, Kirk Riddle kills it on bass, | | Ian David Jelfs delivers some excellent blues / jazz guitar workouts | | while Chris Burrows creates his own tapestry of drumming diversity. | | | | After Goodhand-Tait left to write material for a band named Love | | Affair, the newly named CIRCUS began to focus less on the pop side of | | music and joined the ranks of the more experimental progressive bands | | emerging such as The Nice, Soft Machine, Caravan, Colosseum and the | | brand spanking new King Crimson. The band experienced some minor | | success as The Stormshakers and as CIRCUS landed on the Transatlantic | | record label which began in 1961 as an import label of American | | blues, folk and jazz to the UK market before signing new talents. | | CIRCUS found themselves debuting the one and only self-titled album | | on Transatlantic in 1969 and joined the nascent progressive rock | | scene. | | | | While CIRCUS crafted a brilliant mix of tracks with uplifting musical | | performances, the choice of tracks was rather strange. It was | | customary of the day to include covers but for a progressive band | | trying to break free from pop influences, CIRCUS took the bold step | | of including four with the most puzzling decision of beginning the | | album with a cover of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood." While this feat | | that easily could've been an instant death sentence for most, the | | band pulled it off so extremely well as they not only faithfully | | nailed the melodic aspects of the song but augmented it with a | | stealthy jazz improv performance and ample doses of art rock | | creativity thus essentially making it their own in many ways. | | | | Of the eight tracks, only half were originals written by Mel Collins | | whereas the other half were covers which included not only the The | | Beatles but also "Monday, Monday" from The Mamas & The Papas, "Don't | | Make Promises" from Tim Hardin and a feisty interpretation of "I I | | B.S." from Charles Mingus. An odd combo effect for sure but somehow | | saved by the sheer musical prowess of the musicians involved. The | | album comes off as a rather bizarre mix of genre shifting with | | jazzified pop rockers existing with calypso-tinged Latin rock, | | progressive folk and more heavier rock sections. What sounds awkward | | in writing actually works in practice which is utterly amazing. | | | | The name of the game in the music world is that for every band that | | made it to the big time possibly 100 did not so while King Crimson | | and Soft Machine have gone down as pioneers of the progressive rock | | scene that burst onto the scene, CIRCUS on the other hand has been | | relegated as a mere footnote in a more detailed study of the era. | | It's quite unfortunate that despite the band having written material | | for a second album couldn't make it all work out and soon disbanded | | leaving their one and only musical artifact a desirable collector's | | item for hardcore sleuths of vinyl obscurities. It's quite sad that | | this band didn't experience more success because they clearly had the | | talent. | | | | | | Mel Collins - flute, tenor saxophone | | Chris Burrows - drums | | Kirk Riddle - bass, guitar | | Ian Jelfs - guitar, vocals | | | | Produced by Ray Singer. | | Recorded at Morgan Studios, Willesden, North London, UK. | | | | | | YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS SHIT IF YOU LIKE IT RIGHT?! | | | | | | . . | | |\/\/| | | |____| | |------------------------------=---=-======-=---=-------------------------| |===/\===============================SOUNDz==========================/\===| '--/__\--------------------------=-2013-2021-=----------------------/__\--'