In the late-1960s British psychedelic landscape, Junior's Eyes rank among the more recognized yet obscure acts. Their limited visibility largely derives from a brief stint as David Bowie's backing ensemble. Mick Wayne, the band's lead guitarist and chief songwriter, supplied guitar on Bowie's "Space Oddity" and additional early recordings. Earlier, Wayne had passed through the Hullaballoos, a lightweight British Invasion group that secured modest American chart success. He next appeared in the Bunch of Fives with Viv Prince, the ex-Pretty Things drummer. While with the Tickle, Wayne composed their sole 1967 single, "Subway (Smokey Pokey World)," widely regarded as one of the strongest obscure psychedelic 45s, and he also contributed acoustic guitar to James Taylor's Apple album.
Expectations that Junior's Eyes' 1969 release Battersea Power Station might constitute a hidden psychedelic treasure prove unfounded. Although certain cult followers hold the album in esteem, it ultimately disappoints, offering an unremarkable yet somewhat wide-ranging set of songs—all written by Wayne—that mirror the British scene's shift from psychedelia into hard rock and progressive territory. The melodies fail to linger, the elaborate structures encourage mental drift rather than engagement, and an air of routine plodding undercuts the evident ambition in Wayne's compositions.
Beyond Wayne, the group's membership shifted frequently during its short run. Drummer John Cambridge, who later joined another David Bowie unit called the Hype, guitarist Tim Renwick, who much later worked with Pink Floyd, and Steve Chapman, who subsequently played drums with Poco, all passed through the lineup. After Junior's Eyes disbanded in early 1970, Wayne turned to session work and a brief association with the Pink Fairies. Castle reissued Battersea Power Station on CD in 2000, appending three non-album singles, four demos, and both sides of the Tickle's 1967 single.
