Biography
Despite an enigmatic moniker and tangled backstory, the Mike Stuart Span managed to capture a quintessential example of British psychedelic music with their 1967 single “Children of Tomorrow.” Driving power chords, squealing guitar leads, and haunting harmonies placed the track squarely between hard mod-pop and the early psychedelia pursued by such UK acts as the Pink Floyd and Tomorrow. Only 500 copies were pressed on a tiny independent label, however, so the record reached almost no listeners.
Formed in Brighton during the mid-’60s, the group issued several earlier singles on Columbia and Fontana that favored a straightforward pop style. No member was ever named Mike Stuart. By 1967 the band had shifted toward self-penned psychedelic songs, yet most remained confined to demo or Peel-session status. Management pressure led to an unabashedly commercial 1968 single that failed commercially and further diminished any chance the musicians might establish themselves in the British psych or prog scene.
Late in the decade the Mike Stuart Span appeared in the BBC documentary A Year in the Life (Big Deal Group), which followed their fluctuating fortunes across twelve months. When the program finally aired in September 1969 the musicians had already renamed themselves Leviathan, signed with Elektra, issued a handful of singles, finished an unreleased album, and disbanded. No subsequent recording approached the quality of “Children of Tomorrow,” although much of their original material conveyed a similar longing for an unattained utopia. The surviving demos nevertheless revealed a consistent talent for pairing forceful psychedelic guitars with melodic and harmonic invention. Renewed interest surfaced in the ’80s once “Children of Tomorrow” appeared on several psychedelic anthologies, and a full album compiled from singles, demos, and a BBC session finally emerged in the mid-’90s.
Formed in Brighton during the mid-’60s, the group issued several earlier singles on Columbia and Fontana that favored a straightforward pop style. No member was ever named Mike Stuart. By 1967 the band had shifted toward self-penned psychedelic songs, yet most remained confined to demo or Peel-session status. Management pressure led to an unabashedly commercial 1968 single that failed commercially and further diminished any chance the musicians might establish themselves in the British psych or prog scene.
Late in the decade the Mike Stuart Span appeared in the BBC documentary A Year in the Life (Big Deal Group), which followed their fluctuating fortunes across twelve months. When the program finally aired in September 1969 the musicians had already renamed themselves Leviathan, signed with Elektra, issued a handful of singles, finished an unreleased album, and disbanded. No subsequent recording approached the quality of “Children of Tomorrow,” although much of their original material conveyed a similar longing for an unattained utopia. The surviving demos nevertheless revealed a consistent talent for pairing forceful psychedelic guitars with melodic and harmonic invention. Renewed interest surfaced in the ’80s once “Children of Tomorrow” appeared on several psychedelic anthologies, and a full album compiled from singles, demos, and a BBC session finally emerged in the mid-’90s.
Albums