Biography
Among the psychedelic bands whose unreleased 1960s recordings surfaced only many years afterward, Canterbury Glass proved especially distinctive. Sessions from 1968 produced six tracks that integrated classical religious elements with psychedelic-progressive rock, achieving this fusion through genuine dignity and inventive skill rather than novelty. When the material finally appeared on CD in 2007, just four of those pieces could be located, yielding forty minutes of polished recordings that suggested what a complete album might have offered.
The group originated in the mid-1960s London folk-blues duo of Malcolm Ironton and Michael Wimbleton, who cut a pair of singles for Pye as Mick & Malcolm. Once that association ended, Ironton, Wimbleton, drummer Dave Dowle, and bassist Tony Proto formed a band. Ironton guided the direction toward psychedelia after absorbing influences from Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues. He and Proto then composed pieces, sometimes employing Latin lyrics, that echoed the classical-flavored choral music heard in cathedrals. Keyboardist-guitarist Mike Hall, whose organ playing supplied much of the classical and religious character, joined alongside singer Valeri Watson, who also performed on flute. The ensemble appeared at London venues such as Middle Earth and Eel Pie Island.
Arranger Harry Roberts encountered a two-song demo and, with his partner Cliff Adams, owner of Olympic Studios, secured sessions there for an album’s worth of material. The resulting six tracks merged guitar-centered psychedelia with choral vocal harmonies and melodies shaped by classical sources, aiming to attract larger labels. Polydor and CBS each showed interest yet ultimately passed. The band dissolved soon after, though future Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, who had contributed to one session track, played guitar with them briefly beforehand. Dave Dowle entered Brian Auger’s Trinity in 1969 and later performed with Whitesnake. Four tracks from the Olympic recordings form the core of the 2007 CD Sacred Scenes and Characters, which also includes one earlier demo as a bonus.
The group originated in the mid-1960s London folk-blues duo of Malcolm Ironton and Michael Wimbleton, who cut a pair of singles for Pye as Mick & Malcolm. Once that association ended, Ironton, Wimbleton, drummer Dave Dowle, and bassist Tony Proto formed a band. Ironton guided the direction toward psychedelia after absorbing influences from Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues. He and Proto then composed pieces, sometimes employing Latin lyrics, that echoed the classical-flavored choral music heard in cathedrals. Keyboardist-guitarist Mike Hall, whose organ playing supplied much of the classical and religious character, joined alongside singer Valeri Watson, who also performed on flute. The ensemble appeared at London venues such as Middle Earth and Eel Pie Island.
Arranger Harry Roberts encountered a two-song demo and, with his partner Cliff Adams, owner of Olympic Studios, secured sessions there for an album’s worth of material. The resulting six tracks merged guitar-centered psychedelia with choral vocal harmonies and melodies shaped by classical sources, aiming to attract larger labels. Polydor and CBS each showed interest yet ultimately passed. The band dissolved soon after, though future Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, who had contributed to one session track, played guitar with them briefly beforehand. Dave Dowle entered Brian Auger’s Trinity in 1969 and later performed with Whitesnake. Four tracks from the Olympic recordings form the core of the 2007 CD Sacred Scenes and Characters, which also includes one earlier demo as a bonus.
Albums