Biography
Originating as an offshoot from the Scaffold, the British comedy/pop trio that counted Mike McGear, Paul McCartney's brother, among its ranks, McGough & McGear took shape with poet Roger McGough and John Gorman completing the lineup. Stripped of Gorman's participation, the resulting duo issued a self-titled album in 1968.
Far from a mere Beatles footnote, the album stands as a strong and uncommon work that skillfully weaves together poetry, comedy, and a solid measure of pop-psychedelic rock. McGear handled most of the straightforward rock material, while McGough dominated the tracks centered on playful yet incisive poetry. Listeners drawn to the Bonzo Dog Band's comparable mix of humor and rock will find much to enjoy, though McGough & McGear tilts more toward a poetic, spoken-word approach. Tracks such as "So Much in Love" and "Ex-Art Student," however, deliver accomplished, upbeat British pop-psych that works equally well as straightforward, tuneful rock songs.
The sessions drew an impressive array of guests, among them Paul McCartney; his girlfriend at the time, actress Jane Asher; Jimi Hendrix, whose cool psychedelic guitar appears on "Ex-Art Student"; the remaining members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience; John Mayall; Zoot Money; Graham Nash; Spencer Davis; ex-Pretty Things drummer Viv Prince; ex-Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith; Dave Mason; Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers; and further figures familiar to swinging London aficionados, including Margaret Asher, Jane Asher's mother, and socialite Prince Stanislaus Klossowiski de Rola. The Beatles' official biographer, Hunter Davies, supplied the liner notes.
Most of the album was taped during the summer of 1967, yet completion and release waited until the next year. Reports indicate an intended launch on the Beatles' new Apple label, but the record ultimately appeared on Parlophone, the Beatles' regular label. It attracted little notice and received only a brief CD reissue before vanishing from print again.
Far from a mere Beatles footnote, the album stands as a strong and uncommon work that skillfully weaves together poetry, comedy, and a solid measure of pop-psychedelic rock. McGear handled most of the straightforward rock material, while McGough dominated the tracks centered on playful yet incisive poetry. Listeners drawn to the Bonzo Dog Band's comparable mix of humor and rock will find much to enjoy, though McGough & McGear tilts more toward a poetic, spoken-word approach. Tracks such as "So Much in Love" and "Ex-Art Student," however, deliver accomplished, upbeat British pop-psych that works equally well as straightforward, tuneful rock songs.
The sessions drew an impressive array of guests, among them Paul McCartney; his girlfriend at the time, actress Jane Asher; Jimi Hendrix, whose cool psychedelic guitar appears on "Ex-Art Student"; the remaining members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience; John Mayall; Zoot Money; Graham Nash; Spencer Davis; ex-Pretty Things drummer Viv Prince; ex-Yardbirds bassist Paul Samwell-Smith; Dave Mason; Gary Leeds of the Walker Brothers; and further figures familiar to swinging London aficionados, including Margaret Asher, Jane Asher's mother, and socialite Prince Stanislaus Klossowiski de Rola. The Beatles' official biographer, Hunter Davies, supplied the liner notes.
Most of the album was taped during the summer of 1967, yet completion and release waited until the next year. Reports indicate an intended launch on the Beatles' new Apple label, but the record ultimately appeared on Parlophone, the Beatles' regular label. It attracted little notice and received only a brief CD reissue before vanishing from print again.
Albums