Tractor

Tractor emerged in the mid-'60s as a progressive band distinguished by intricate songwriting and textures stretching from heavy metal to psychedelia. Guitarist/vocalist Jim Milne and drummer Steve Clayton first united inside the Rochdale beat group the Way We Live. By 1970 the original quartet, which had also included bassist Mick "Slim" Batsch and founding lead vocalist Alan Burgess, had reduced to just Milne and Clayton. The pair kept recording inside the bedroom studio owned by their friend, sound engineer John Brierley, and soon evolved into a heavy psych rock unit, Milne handling every guitar, bass part, and lead vocal while Clayton supplied drums and bass.

Elektra U.K. A&R executive Clive Selwood signed the duo to Dandelion, the label he had launched with BBC Radio One DJ John Peel, after hearing their demo tape. The musicians entered London's Spot Studios and completed their initial album sessions inside two days. Dandelion issued the Way We Live's debut, A Candle for Judith, named for Clayton's girlfriend, in January 1971; the album received strong critical notice despite modest sales. Peel and Selwood persuaded the pair to adopt a new name, and Peel suggested "Tractor" after spotting the vehicle from his farmhouse kitchen window. Tractor's opening Dandelion release was the EP "Stoney Glory"/"Marie"/"As You Say." The duo also supported the Dandelion artist Beau, fronted by C.J.T. (Beau) Midgley, on the album Creation.

Their first proper follow-up album, Tractor, appeared in 1972 and drew enthusiastic reviews by January 1973. Former the Way We Live vocalist Alan Burgess eventually succeeded longtime engineer John Brierley; together with Milne, Clayton, and new road manager Chris Hewitt the musicians constructed a studio in Heywood. Tractor departed the financially troubled Dandelion imprint and cut a demo for CBS Records, yet no contract materialized. The band therefore placed its next single, the reggae-tinged "Roll the Dice," on Jonathan King's UK Records. In summer 1976 Milne and Clayton added bassist Dave Addison and reunited with Brierley, by then proprietor of Cargo Records. They cut one further single, "No More Rock 'n' Roll"/"Northern City," issued on Cargo, before disbanding after its November 1977 release.

Milne, Clayton, and Addison reconvened in 1980, this time enlisting blind musician Tony Crabtree on keyboards and guitar. Another single, "Average Man's Hero"/"Big Big Boy," followed on Roach Records, yet Tractor disbanded by the close of 1982. Their two original albums later resurfaced on multiple reissue labels including Repertoire and See for Miles, and Milne and Clayton continued performing as Tractor well into the 21st century.