Byzantium

The adaptable British ensemble Byzantium pursued commercial breakthrough during the opening years of the 1970s, issuing three wide-ranging albums that won praise from reviewers while leaving both the public and their label uncertain. Looking back, their fusion of psychedelia, progressive rock, country-rock, and West Coast pop seemingly guaranteed the devoted following that later emerged. A rotating cast of skilled composers backed by matching instrumental skill, the group delivered energetic concerts marked by robust singing and intricate, technically demanding arrangements. After A&M let them go in 1973, they carried on alone to produce their scarce and well-regarded final album in private before disbanding in 1975. Reflecting their broad tastes, the musicians soon dispersed across pop, pub rock, and new wave. Overlooked at the time and seldom celebrated afterward, they received recognition in 2021 when Grapefruit Records issued an elaborate box set containing their complete recordings plus additional material.

Byzantium originated at University College School in Hampstead, where Jamie Rubenstein (vocals, guitar), Nico Ramsden (vocals, guitar), Chaz Jankel (vocals, guitar), Robin Lamble (bass, vocals), and Steve Corduner (drums) all took part in the school’s emerging late-’60s music community. Rubenstein had already achieved modest success fronting the progressive pop outfit Ora, which released a single on London independent Tangerine Records in 1969. That experience made him hesitant about a full-time career, so when the band coalesced in 1970 he contributed songs from behind the scenes while Jankel took the onstage guitar position. Their distinctive sound and lively shows drew limited industry attention, leading the core quartet of Ramsden, Jankel, Lamble, and Corduner to record several demos at Tangerine studios under former Ora member Robin Sylvester, now working as producer. Billy Gaff, Rod Stewart’s manager, signed them and secured an A&M contract in 1972. Equipped with management, label support, and strong material, they toured with Rory Gallagher, the Faces, Man, and Hawkwind. Engineered by future Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker, they tracked their self-titled debut at Trident Studios for a September 1972 release.

Youthful, gifted, and driven, Byzantium arrived with a striking mix of hard progressive rock, jazz, funk, folk, and American West Coast pop. Reviewers responded favorably, yet A&M struggled to promote the album to wider audiences. Compounding the difficulty, Ramsden departed before the record appeared, allowing Rubenstein to rejoin as vocalist and introducing lead guitarist Mick Barakan. While supporting the debut alongside Status Quo, this five-piece configuration grew still more diverse, a development that surfaced on the 1973 follow-up. Beyond their elaborate symphonic prog-rock pieces and forceful guitar-driven tracks, Seasons Changing incorporated further American elements, notably country-rock and the extended improvisational approach associated with the Grateful Dead. Every member except Corduner wrote and sang lead, underscoring the band’s creative range, though their refusal to settle on one style again puzzled listeners and the label, which dropped them. Manager Gaff and vocalist/guitarist Jankel also departed.

Rather than collapse, Byzantium absorbed the losses and entered their final period as a streamlined quartet. Concentrating on live performance, they independently recorded an album meant to highlight their strengths. Privately issued in 1974 in an edition of only 100 copies, Live & Studio served as a promotional item sent chiefly to labels and managers. Despite being their most focused and compact work, it reached almost no one and, aside from a positive notice in Let It Rock, failed to attract offers. Continuing to perform extensively into 1975 while barely solvent, they were joined onstage by longtime associate and producer Robin Sylvester, who handled sound and captured remarkably clear board recordings. In a final effort they cut four strong demos for Atlantic Records that summer. When the label declined, the band disbanded.

In subsequent decades Byzantium acquired cult esteem while their former members remained active in music. Barakan later performed in the U.S. as Shane Fontayne, Jankel became a mainstay of Ian Dury’s Blockheads, and Lamble played with Al Stewart. Corduner drummed for Kirsty MacColl and Nico among others, and Rubenstein moved into business affairs, eventually heading legal and business operations at Virgin Records. Their limited catalog stayed scarce until Grapefruit Records assembled everything on the five-disc Halfway Dreaming: Anthology 1969-1975 in 2021, encompassing the three studio albums, the earlier Ora LP, and numerous live and demo tracks.