GEORGIEs Page for TITUS GROAN one of the best unknown Bands from around 1970

updated 31.JANUARY.1999

original running Playlist from the 1970 LP

1 = 6 # 2 = 1 # 3 = 5 # 4 = 4 # 5 = 2

Titus Groan, the book, formed the first part of Mervin Peake's imaginative, haunting `Gormenghast' trilogy, one of post-war Britain's finest literary achievements. Titus Groan, the group, arrived some 20+ years after its first publication, and embraced, in music, some of the novel's gothic atmosphere while adding their own slice of English progressive rock. By 1970 at least two divisions of `underground' music had emerged. One included the likes of Family, the Pretty Things and Traffic; groups whose pedigree stretched back into Beat and Rhythm and Blues. In their wake came a succession of newer bands whose histories were neither as long nor as detailed but who welcomed the `new' music as an opportunity to stretch. In common with several labelmates, Titus Groan first came to prominence at the Hollywood Pop Festival of the weekend beginning May 23rd 1970. Here, the Red Bus Company, a London Agency, masterminded three days of `love, peace and music' on a site near Newcastle Under Lyme with a bill which included Ginger Baker's Airforce and the British concert debut of the Greatful Dead. The happening, however, is better recalled as the launching pad for Mungo Jerry, whose brand of goodtime skiflle was apparently received with wild enthusiasm; so much so that it carried their subsequent single into the charts. From there it soared to No. 1 and became a multi-million seller, in turn providing their record label, Dawn with its biggest success, a fact which was something of a paradox as it was set up by Pye as an `alternative' outlet, on a par with Harvest, Vertigo and RCA's Neon. Mungo Jerry were handled by Red Bus, as were several of the acts who appeared over the three days including Mike Cooper, Demon Fuzz and Titus Groan, all of whom were either already signed to Dawn, or would be in the post-`Summertime' euphoria. Indeed the first, most immediate plan was to compile a double set, `Live At Hollwood', which was to feature part of the live sets from each of these groups and Loudmouth (?), but was cancelled, possibly, when permission for inclusion by non-Dawn acts, such as Family, wasn't forthcoming. Instead they began recording and in October that year Dawn announced a major release package with albums and/or maxi singles by Demon Fuzz, Comus and Heron as well as the collection in question here, `Titus Groan'. However, as an added bonus, we've also included the three tracks which made up the Groan's only single, none of which has previously been on an L. P. The topside was `Open The Door, Homer', a Bob Dylan song also known as `Open The Door Richard', which the Groans may have picked up from the `Great White Wonder' bootleg. They do a nice folksy-cum-rock interpretation, emphasising the chorus in the hope of the hit it deserved to be while anticipating the kind of feel the group Coulson, Dean, McGuinness Flint would find on the same kind of interpretation. `Woman Of The World' continued an acoustic-mixed-with-rock perspective, sounding close to something Lindisfarne might have come up with, but the real meat of the single was `Liverpool', a driving slab of pseudo-R&B with a horn and organ passage mirroring that of the Graham Bond Organization and some `S. F. Sorrow' styled vocal harmonies thrown in for good measure. It provided the perfect taster for what was one of Dawn's most exciting and eclectic albums. `Titus Groan' was released the same month as their maxi-single. Consisting of a mere five tracks, it was abundantly clear that the group intended to continue the progressive aspects found on `Liverpool'. They were extremely powerful instrumentally, Stuart Cowell's guitar and keyboard work combined perfectly with Tony Priestland's sax, flute, oboe and assorted woodwind, creating, and indeed suggesting, the mockmedieval textures also found in Jethro Tull (albeit he Lee and Jim Toomey provided the supportive bass a~ particularly on the album's epic `Hall Of Bright Carv title from the opening chapter of the novel which ga~ it's here Titus Groan come most closest to their insp way through an ambitious, multi-part composition. T adds a continuity as the piece shifts in mood, embrac reference, `The Burning' on the way. The second sid either, Lee and Priestland offer contrasts on `It Can't ` `Fuschia', while `It's All Up With Us' is a collective interesting, listening format . . . efFective in live perfc promising first album" - such remarks contained in `N.M.E.' album review can only be echoed here. The reference to an in-concert prowess was indeed Red Bus Company had undertaken an ambitious proj only `Titus Groan', but the other corresponding Dau November 3rd and 26th, Demon Fuzz, Heron, Comt played at ten venues, including the Marquee, for the penny. Dubbed, unsurprisingly, A Penny Concert, it promotion, not just fiscally, but musically, and ofl~ere , sweep of styles; the Afro-rock of the 8-piece Fuzz, Hi Country/folk and the imaginative multi-layered rock c participants. Not only that, but it made Decca's `Noc London Lyceum, which showcased their new progres positively expensive. They charged a whole six shilling. The collective project offiucially ended on January ~ four groups performed in-concert on Radio 1. Sadly, mark an end to more than this co-operative atmosphe Heron managed to maintain something of a profile, (hear for yourself on SEE242 and SEE CD242) but the remaining trio found the going in the New Year somewhat tougher. Titus Groan just seemed to slip from the tentative prominence they'd achieved, despite the obvious potential of the music enclosed here. Of the four members, Jim Toomey cropped up in several groups, and drummed in one of Larry Wallis's post Pink Fairies exploits, while the rest, unfortunately, appeared to keep up a less active profile. It was an unfortunate, and undeserved demise,

its suddenness belied the individuality and imagination on offer here.

Dinnes Cruickshank.

TITUS GROAN MEMBERS FEATURED ON OTHER ARTiSTS RECORDiNGS

STUART COWELL

ROCKHOUSE BAND - 1969 * No Recording

SWEET PAIN - same (Mercury 1969)

PAUL BRETT SAGE - same (Dawn 1971 & 1972)

FISHBAUGH,FISHBAUGH & ZORN - (CBS 1975)

AL STEWART - Modern Times (CBS 1975)

Jaki Whitrex - Raw but Tender (Epic 1973)

Peter Wilisher - Steeds Seasons (PYE 1977)

JIM TOOMEY

Paul Brett - same (1973)

Harvey Andrews - Someday (TransAtlantic 1976)

Colin Bluntstone - Ennismore (Epic 1973)

Colin Bluntstone - Journey (Epic 1974)

Ronnie Paisley Band - Smoking Mirror (PYE 1979)

Tourists - 1979 - 1980

TONY PREISTLAND

Andy Leigh - Magician (Polydor 1970)

JOHN LEE

Luther Allison, Phillip Cathrine, Larry Coryell,Joachim Kühn

John Lee & Gerry Brown, Mike Mandel,Dutch Mason Blues Band

Alphonse Mouzon, Zbingnew Seifert & Others

PS. Melody Maker`s October 14 th issue states that Tony Priestland sufferd

broken legs & pelvis and that stableamtes MUNGO JERRY held a special

charity concert in his aid the following week I think that Priestlands accident

was undoubtely the cause of the bands demise.

Pete Sarfas