Octopus

Octopus traces its beginnings to Hatfield, situated thirty miles outside London, where a mid-1960s foursome called the Cortinas—named after an English Ford compact—first assembled around Paul Griggs on guitar, Nigel Griggs on bass, Brian Glassock on drums, and Rick Williams on guitar. Shifting from British beat toward pop-psychedelia, the Cortinas issued a lone Polydor single, “Phoebe’s Flower Shop,” in 1967 that failed to register. The following year the quartet adopted a new name and direction, becoming Octopus. They secured an opening slot with the rising Yes and shared stages with Status Quo and Humble Pie; Troggs bassist Tony Murray then discovered them and arranged a deal through independent producer Larry Page, the Troggs’ manager.

Penny Farthing released the band’s first single, “Laugh at the Poor Man” backed with “Girl Friend,” in 1969. While cutting their debut album, Restless Night, Glassock and Williams departed; the reconstituted lineup, featuring John Cook on keyboards and Malcolm Green on drums, completed the sessions under Murray’s supervision. The finished LP found favor locally in Hatfield yet attracted no wider audience.

Despite Murray’s usual associations, Restless Night leaned toward polished, commercial pop, its psychedelic touches limited to fuzztone guitar and organ accents that complemented the overall melodic approach. The group earned a booking at London’s Marquee Club in 1969, although its trajectory proved far less steep than that of heavier contemporaries such as King Crimson. Two further years of activity followed, including European tours, before the band dissolved in 1972. Cook subsequently joined Mungo Jerry, while Green and Nigel Griggs later became members of Split Enz.

In the 1990s See for Miles reissued Restless Night with additional tracks drawn from the band’s singles. This Octopus bears no connection to the ESP recording act of the late 1960s or to any later group sharing the name.