Biography
Sunforest consisted of the trio Terry Tucker, Erika Eigen, and Freya Hough, yet details surrounding their brief existence remain sparse. The group had scarcely begun operating as a professional unit when an executive from Decca Records discovered them, leading to an immediate contract and a single album before they disbanded. Tucker handled vocals, keyboards, and arrangements, Eigen contributed vocals and percussion, and Hough supplied vocals and guitar. The three had arrived in London toward the close of the 1960s intent on establishing careers as vocalists, and while employed at a cafe they attracted attention from the label scout. An informal audition conducted on the premises preceded a formal tryout that resulted in swift signing to Decca’s fledgling progressive imprint Nova, an offshoot of Deram.
The decision to grant an untested act a full LP stemmed from conditions in 1969, when Decca found itself in an unusually vulnerable position. Having entered the decade on equal footing with EMI, the company lost ground after the rival label secured the Beatles and the resulting commercial momentum. By decade’s end Decca trailed in most popular-music categories. Its modest successes included domestic signings such as pop singer Cat Stevens and the band Honeybus, yet these proved insufficient to offset broader shortfalls. In progressive rock specifically, EMI’s Harvest imprint further widened the gap, prompting Decca to seek fresh talent possessing broad appeal. The newly christened Sunforest appeared to meet that criterion, prompting an expedited move into the studio.
Their sole release, Sound of Sunforest, enlisted guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, bassist Herbie Flowers, and an array of violinists and additional classical players. Vic Smith, later known as Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and later linked to the Jam as well as Black Sabbath, served as producer. The resulting work blended haunting sunshine pop with Renaissance touches, falling short of the complexity associated with Gentle Giant while exceeding the adventurousness displayed by the American ensemble Spring. Lacking a hit single, the album achieved only modest sales, and the trio issued no further commercial recordings. The members nonetheless secured a measure of lasting recognition when director Stanley Kubrick invited them to contribute to the soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange during its English production. One track, “Lighthouse Keeper,” subsequently appeared in a widely broadcast U.K. television advertisement. In 2005 the album received CD reissues across Europe, America, and Japan, the Japanese edition appearing in mini-LP format. Terry Tucker, for her part, maintained an extended career encompassing folk, rock, and soundtrack work in the ensuing decades.
The decision to grant an untested act a full LP stemmed from conditions in 1969, when Decca found itself in an unusually vulnerable position. Having entered the decade on equal footing with EMI, the company lost ground after the rival label secured the Beatles and the resulting commercial momentum. By decade’s end Decca trailed in most popular-music categories. Its modest successes included domestic signings such as pop singer Cat Stevens and the band Honeybus, yet these proved insufficient to offset broader shortfalls. In progressive rock specifically, EMI’s Harvest imprint further widened the gap, prompting Decca to seek fresh talent possessing broad appeal. The newly christened Sunforest appeared to meet that criterion, prompting an expedited move into the studio.
Their sole release, Sound of Sunforest, enlisted guitarist Big Jim Sullivan, bassist Herbie Flowers, and an array of violinists and additional classical players. Vic Smith, later known as Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and later linked to the Jam as well as Black Sabbath, served as producer. The resulting work blended haunting sunshine pop with Renaissance touches, falling short of the complexity associated with Gentle Giant while exceeding the adventurousness displayed by the American ensemble Spring. Lacking a hit single, the album achieved only modest sales, and the trio issued no further commercial recordings. The members nonetheless secured a measure of lasting recognition when director Stanley Kubrick invited them to contribute to the soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange during its English production. One track, “Lighthouse Keeper,” subsequently appeared in a widely broadcast U.K. television advertisement. In 2005 the album received CD reissues across Europe, America, and Japan, the Japanese edition appearing in mini-LP format. Terry Tucker, for her part, maintained an extended career encompassing folk, rock, and soundtrack work in the ensuing decades.