Biography
Among aficionados hunting down elusive psychedelic recordings from the tail end of the 1960s, the lone Arzachel long-player ranks among the most coveted and expensive items to surface from that era. First issued in the UK via the little-known Evolution imprint and subsequently stateside through Roulette, the set stands apart from similar collector favorites thanks to music that surpasses the typical standard of such rarities, along with the fact that its four players later secured modest recognition inside the progressive rock Canterbury scene of the 1970s.
The musicians originally operated under the name Uriel, coming together in December 1967 once guitarists Dave Stewart (distinct from the Eurythmics member) and Steve Hillage encountered each other during math class at the City of London School. After bringing in lead vocalist and bassist Hugo Montgomery Campbell, known as Mont Campbell, Stewart recognized Hillage’s superior guitar ability and moved to organ himself. Drummer Clive Brooks answered a Melody Maker advertisement. Uriel then landed a summer booking at Ryde Castle, a hotel on the Isle of Wight, appeared in footage for an English sex-education film, and nearly joined Jimi Hendrix for an impromptu session after crossing paths with him on a London street.
Hillage later described the album’s creation by noting it was “done for a laugh really. Somebody gave us a day in the studio, and we made a psychedelic album!” The release occurred only after Hillage departed Uriel to study at college in Canterbury, where he would subsequently perform with Kevin Ayers and Gong before launching a solo career. Stewart, Campbell, and Brooks continued as the classical-rock trio Egg. Issued in 1969 under the Arzachel name, the recording carried invented musician identities and biographies to sidestep contractual issues. Though it contained some of the most powerful English psychedelia of its time, the lack of any promotional push sent it into immediate obscurity, leaving collectors decades later to spend large sums on the scant original pressings.
The musicians originally operated under the name Uriel, coming together in December 1967 once guitarists Dave Stewart (distinct from the Eurythmics member) and Steve Hillage encountered each other during math class at the City of London School. After bringing in lead vocalist and bassist Hugo Montgomery Campbell, known as Mont Campbell, Stewart recognized Hillage’s superior guitar ability and moved to organ himself. Drummer Clive Brooks answered a Melody Maker advertisement. Uriel then landed a summer booking at Ryde Castle, a hotel on the Isle of Wight, appeared in footage for an English sex-education film, and nearly joined Jimi Hendrix for an impromptu session after crossing paths with him on a London street.
Hillage later described the album’s creation by noting it was “done for a laugh really. Somebody gave us a day in the studio, and we made a psychedelic album!” The release occurred only after Hillage departed Uriel to study at college in Canterbury, where he would subsequently perform with Kevin Ayers and Gong before launching a solo career. Stewart, Campbell, and Brooks continued as the classical-rock trio Egg. Issued in 1969 under the Arzachel name, the recording carried invented musician identities and biographies to sidestep contractual issues. Though it contained some of the most powerful English psychedelia of its time, the lack of any promotional push sent it into immediate obscurity, leaving collectors decades later to spend large sums on the scant original pressings.
Albums
