Flying Machine

A British studio band called Flying Machine must be distinguished from an American outfit sharing a similar name and linked to James Taylor. Producer-songwriters Tony Macaulay, celebrated for his contributions to the Foundations, and Geoff Stevens assembled the group, drawing members in part from the remnants of Pinkerton's Assorted Colours, also known as the Pinkertons. Guitarist Tony Newman handled vocals, Steve Jones played lead guitar and sang, Sam Kempe supplied vocals, Stuart Colman covered bass, and Paul Wilkinson sat behind the drums. Their recordings moved between pop and light psychedelia, yielding several singles for Pye across 1969 and 1970 that led to the album Down to Earth with the Flying Machine in 1970. Sequel later gathered the entire catalog on the two-CD set Flight Recorder in 1998.