Andromeda

Formed as a psychedelic and progressive rock trio, Andromeda brought together singer-guitarist John Cann, also known as John Du Cann and formerly of the psychedelic garage band the Attack, with Mick Hawksworth on bass and vocals plus Ian McClane on drums and vocals. The group appeared at London venues including Middle Earth and the Marquee Club, where Cann’s guitar served as the central force guiding listeners through classically based psychedelic and progressive directions laced with creative dissonances that strengthened their impressive live sets. Andromeda merged their own original material with passages drawn from familiar classical works. They reached an agreement with RCA in 1969, yet had already performed live on the BBC’s Top Gear program in 1968, and further live recordings from their Middle Earth shows surfaced in the 1990s. Their first single, “Go Your Way,” appeared in 1969, followed quickly by a self-titled album which featured some impressive vocals. The group disbanded late that year; Cann then joined Vincent Crane in Atomic Rooster and revived Andromeda with him at the end of the ’70s, while Hawksworth played with Alvin Lee, became a member of Ten Years After and Ten Years Later, and also worked with Matthew Fisher. Compact disc reissues of Andromeda’s recordings began appearing in the ’90s on the Kissing Spell label.