viernes, 15 de julio de 2022

1973: Spirogyra, rock-folk progresivo

Contenido de esta entrada:

Introducción

El primer álbum St Radigunds

El segundo álbum Old Boot Wine

El tercer álbum Bells, Boots And Shambles




Este artículo lo dedicamos a los tres primeros álbumes del grupo de rock-folk progresivo Spirogyra correspondientes a su primera época.

Spirogyra fue una banda británica de folk rock/prog que lanzó tres álbumes entre 1971 y 1973. Los miembros más conocidos del grupo son el cofundador, compositor y guitarrista Martin Cockerham y la cantante Barbara Gaskin. Su sonido ha sido descrito como "caprichosamente inglés" y su tercer álbum, Bells, Boots and Shambles, ha llegado a ser considerado como "una obra maestra perdida". Aunque eran del área de Canterbury y tuvieron relación con otros grupos de la escena de Canterbury como Caravan y Steve Hillage, su sonido no se circunscribe al típico de dicha escena. 

Una encarnación posterior de la banda se formó a principios de la década de 2000, con más álbumes de estudio en 2009 y 2011. La banda dejó de existir de manera concluyente con la muerte de Martin Cockerham en 2018.

Spirogyra c. 1971. Desde la izquierda: Steve Borrill, Julian Cusack, Martin Cockerham, Barbara Gaskin


Spirogyra se formó originalmente como un dúo por Martin Cockerham (voz / guitarra) y Mark Francis en Bolton, Lancashire en el verano de 1967. Esta encarnación original de la banda no produjo grabaciones, y terminó cuando Cockerham se fue para asistir a la Universidad de Kent en Canterbury.

Spirogyra


En diciembre de 1969, Cockerham reclutó a varios compañeros de estudios para una nueva Spirogyra. Esta iteración del grupo fue expansiva, incluyendo más de diez miembros. Eventualmente, la banda se redujo a cuatro miembros: el propio Cockerham en la voz y la guitarra, más Barbara Gaskin (voz), Steve Borrill (bajo) y Julian Cusack (violín). La banda pronto fue descubierta por Max Hole, quien se ofreció a administrar el grupo, y "usó su posición como Secretario de Entretenimiento de la Unión de Estudiantes para establecer conciertos en universidades de todo el país". Grabaron demos en la sala de música de Keynes College, parte de la Universidad de Kent, que sería lanzado en la compilación Burn the Bridges en 2000.


Enlace a la lista de reproducción de Burn the Bridges: Spirogyra - Burn The Bridges

Lista de temas de Burn the Bridges

Turn Again Lane 7:10

Bring Me Back 3:01

She's The One 3:27

Nothing To Hide 2:35

Where There's A Will There's A Way 4:03

I Gotta Woman 2:41

Counting The Cars 2:49

We're Going Over 4:55

Mackerels And Fishes 2:51

Defender Of The Faith 4:10

Hey Lady 2:58

Sing It Simple 2:54

The Forest Of Dean 4:23

A Northern Lament     3:45

Jerusalem 3:14

I Hear You're Going Somewhere (Joe Really) 2:24

Burn The Bridges 4:04


Inusualmente, el grupo pudo persuadir a los funcionarios de la universidad para que permitieran a los miembros, a su gerente y a un roadie que tomaran una licencia de un año de ausencia de sus estudios. El grupo tocó en vivo con frecuencia, siendo teloneros para grupos como Traffic y completando dos giras por los Países Bajos. Después de casi firmar con Apple Records, el mánager Max Hole arregló un contrato de grabación de tres álbumes con B&C Records en el Reino Unido. Mientras tanto, se anunció un acuerdo para la distribución europea y estadounidense con Polydor, pero aparentemente fracasó; los álbumes fueron lanzados en Alemania en Brain, y no estaban disponibles en los Estados Unidos. En los tres álbumes, Dave Mattacks de Fairport Convention tocó la batería. Aunque todos los álbumes se vendieron mal en ese momento, han desarrollado un seguimiento de culto en las décadas posteriores. Las copias originales de los tres álbumes son raras y caras hoy en día, pero han sido reeditadas varias veces.

Spirogyra en la Universidad de Kent, 1971.





Su álbum debut, St Radigunds, fue grabado en el estudio Sound Techniques, producido por Robert Kirby y diseñado por Jerry Boys. Llamada así por la calle de Canterbury en la que vivían los miembros, sus letras expresan la orientación anticapitalista y antimaterialista de la banda y de la escena más amplia de Canterbury. El álbum ha sido descrito como "efectivamente un documento del bien perfeccionado repertorio en vivo de Spirogyra". Lanzado en septiembre de 1971 con B & C Records (CAS 1042), recibió críticas positivas en NME y otras publicaciones de rock, y fue apoyado por una gira de 24 conciertos por el Reino Unido.

El primer álbum St Radigunds 


Una revisión retrospectiva en Record Collector dijo de St Radigunds: "Muy originales en términos de composición y entrega, y fundamentados por la hermosa voz de Barbara Gaskin, forjaron, en la parte posterior de este debut, un gran culto en el circuito underground".



Lista de temas y créditos

Enlace al álbum completo: 



Enlace a la lista de reproducción del álbum completo: St. Radigunds


Lista de temas y enlaces individuales



Créditos
  • Bajo‎‎ – ‎Steve Borrill
  • ‎Diseño, Fotografía Por‎‎ – ‎‎Penny Graeme-Barber‎, ‎Pete Rhodes
  • ‎Ingeniero‎‎ – ‎‎Jerry Boys
  • ‎Guitarra, Voz, Escrito por‎‎ – ‎‎Martín Cockerham‎
  • ‎Productor, Arreglado Por [Cuerdas, Trompeta, Flauta Dulce]‎‎ – ‎‎Robert Kirkby‎
  • ‎Sintetizador [EMS VCS 3]‎‎ – ‎Tony Cox
  • ‎Violín, Teclados‎‎ – ‎‎Julián Cusack‎
  • ‎Voces‎‎ – ‎‎Bárbara Gaskin‎
Contraportada del álbum



Letras

Lado A

A1 The Future Won´t Be Long 4:27

"Do you mind a question? Please sir, stay
What was life like in the olden days?"
"Long ago, ago, ago, ago before the war"

"Contractors to Her Majesty's Government we were
Dealers in honest trade, aye
There were some mighty queer folk about
But most were honest workers and knew their place
I was a skilled craftsman, mark you
The work was hard and the hours, they were long
Ah, but there was a maiden
And her name was Marjorie

Long black hair she had like a gypsy
And the prettiest smile I've ever seen
And I called her an angel
And I was right, she was

Then there was the war
The war...

Forging a pathway for freedom
Using resources we need them
Though our foes are human beings
We stand between them
And the life we do condone

Shipped out to Belgium to stop them
Plastered and shelled them
But lost ground
Bombs and rockets, V2s over London city
And the world at their command

And back in Yeadon, Marjorie
Stood beneath a factory
I was assured she felt no pain

Withdrawn from Dunkirk in cruisers
Who cares says I, we're all losers
No-one wins – both sides the victims of our nature
May the future learn
And back in Yeadon, Marjorie
Died beneath the factory
A Messerschmidt her destiny

You who think the rest are wrong
And stand so tall and feel so strong
Please be sure that you yourselves are not mistaken
For the future won't be long"


A2 Island 3:39

If you're gonna be a mountain
Let me see you thrust your snows
In innocence through clouds of doubt
That try to keep your reason out
In these times of glaciated slaughter

If you're gonna be a legend
Let it be a tale whose telling
Is a state of mind that's dwelling
Far beneath the words that capture
To fill the heart alone with rapture
In these days of circles

If your gonna be an island
I will be a sailing ship
Who like a speck at total distance
Looms beyond your headland breakers
Till the oceans mighty plunder
Bids me seek the gentler shelter
Of your inland waters

Have you never seen beyond the moon?
Don't you know that we will be there soon?
Have you no eyes to see
That you are only me and we are only
Travellers upon a sea of time
Trying very hard to make it rhyme


A3 Magical Mary 6:20

Magical Mary
She looks like a fairy
And waves her wand around
Points at an earthman and says Hallelujah
Just look at what I've found
At what I've found

Magical Mary
She shivers her timbers
And lays you on the ground
Strikes up a rhythm in fifty two tempo
And says hey man your found
Hey man you're found

I gotta come with you
I gotta come with you
Got got to, got got to
I gotta come

Madrigal Mistress has seventy sisters
And every one's the same
They come with assistance
To break your resistance
And man your brained
You're like to wind up maimed

I gotta come with you
I gotta come with you
Got got to, got got to
I gotta come

Don't ask me no questions
Don't ask me no questions
I got to, got got to
I gotta come

Always the same, I don't know how you do it
Just a game, no matter how you view it
Always the same
You're gonna be alone, you're gonna need someone
You're gonna find it hard to get yourself a man
Whose gonna take your hand, or even understand
Just what you're into
Mr Brown, he thought he'd found salvation
Using words to try to calm the nation
What a shame
He didn't have a notion how to use the lotion
Gotta spread it thin to give each one a portion
Gotta make it clear they're gonna get a portion
So's they're happy

Always the same, you never seem to falter
Make a slip, you'll have me at the altar
Never mind, it doesn't matter much
Because you've got the touch
You've really got it made
You're gonna make the grade
And you can try your hand
Another time around
That's if you want to


A4 Captain's Log 2:00

Look at the ocean go rolling by slowly
We're on the waves and it's ever so lonely
How very strange that I think that there's something wrong

Captain's Log, the first of June
Have run into a bad monsoon
I'm 54, I've sailed before
This is not the sea, it's war

Grab the rigging, man the sail
Secure the hatches start to bail
I do not think we will survive
I do not think we will survive

Cloud in the distance appeared like a mushroom
Then came the heat and the rage of the ocean
We're going down and I don't think I'd rather stay

Captain's Log, the first of June
Have run into a bad monsoon
I'm 54, I've sailed before
This is not the sea, it's war

And to those who cause the pain
I only hope you will remain
I'm going down with what was good
I wouldn't stay if I could


A5 At Home In The World 2:40

Though I may whisper words
You don't understand, understand
Though I'm in need of help
You can't lend a hand, lend a hand

To be at home in the world
To be at home in the world

Though I may come and go
It is not from you that I flow
Wild though the world may be
It's inside of me, inside of me

To be at home in the world
To be at home in the world

This is all that a man can need
Cannot you see
This is all that a man can need
Cannot you see

Though I may act unkind
I don't mean to be, honestly
It's just that it's hard to see
The reality, reality

To be at home in the world
To be at home in the world

This is all that a man can need
Cannot you see
This is all that a man can need
Cannot you see

Don't ask me to move away
I will never go
Don't ask me to hide away
I will never leave


A6 Cogwheels Crutches And Cyanide 6:00

Holy John
Give me food
Tonight I am so hungry
Tonight my eyes are searching for a way

Holy John
Give me shelter
Tonight I am so weary
Tonight my eyes are open wide

Well the first man was a juggler
And his skill was very great
But he said that he was leaving
He said he couldn't wait

And the second came with jewels
That flickered on his hand
As he spoke about tomorrow
As if it were another land

But a lady caught between them
Said she should be free
And they just looked bewildered
And said "Yes, so should we"

"How on Earth," yelled the author
"Does the tale make its sense?
It's alive with a truth
But we must have a proof
How can we open the door?"

Well the next man had religion
It made him very proud
He said he'd found his inner bliss
He said it very loud

But a group of men surpassed him
With science, skills, and speed
They hurled down his conceptions
And dug up all his weeds
The lady, she was worried
She asked if this was wise
"Of course it is
It's logic, brains, and enterprise!"

"How on Earth," yelled the author
"Does the tale make its sense?
It's alive with a truth
But we must have a proof
How can we open the door?"

Well the last man had no number
And didn't say a word
He didn't even answer them
When they said he was absurd

They made him sign a treaty
To give up all he owned
And searched his pockets anxiously
To see if he had gold

The lady was enchanted
And said they ought to see
So they charged her with subversion
And made her watch TV
I'm a man with no future
With no past and no time
And I live for their war
Lord, I live for their war
I won't be back no more

We are fighting a losing battle
No one is winning
No one's beginning

We are looking for something that's missing
Dark all around us
Darkness Surrounding

We are on the doorway of knowledge
Have we the wisdom
Have we the wisdom

La
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la

We are fighting a losing battle
No one is winning
No one's beginning

We
Are
Come on [?] Earth, let me see you smile
You are the ones for me, yeah
You are the ones for me

Come on [?], let me see you be
You are the ones for me, yeah
You are the one for me
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah


Lado B

B1 Time Will Tell 5:32

If you don't like lying in the sun you might as well not be here
What's the point of always working?
Shut your eyes and let the colours come
And blot out all the black and white and dirty grey and damp and dust and dry rot in the roof

On the beach we lit a fire a Frenchman gave us wine and whiskey
Out to sea the British navy
Keeps an eye on foreign shipping
To keep us safe from war the hope of which is all that keeps our soldiers sleeping through the night

If you don't like lying in the sun you might as well not be here
Let the sea come up and cover you
You will feel a new dimension
Like sleeping on a feather bed and dreaming of a world in which you do not have to work

You suffer, you cry
You labour, you die
Things will change, Time Will Tell
Things will change, Time Will Tell

In the courtyard children play
In their lives, the sun is shining through

They'll all be socialists, atheists
They'll all be, scientists, humanists
Egalitarian, vegetarian, internationalists

They'll all be mystics, they'll all be gods
They'll all be famous, they'll all be sods

Things will change, Time Will Tell
Things will change, Time Will Tell
For what you want to be, you must try to be
You will all be free

Things will change, Time Will Tell
Things will change, Time Will Tell
For what you want to be, you must try to be
You will all be free


B2 We Were A Happy Crew 5:29

Here on our road are gathered we
To see our lives unfolding
Though others stay
We pass away
Just as the tide goes rolling

This is a time of change
A parting of the ways
Though others stay
We pass away
Just as the tide goes rolling

And I'll remember you
Beyond these hopes and these fears
That account for the years
Like the wind in the reeds I will miss you

And I will think of you
When the past comes along
To remind me what's gone
Like the wind in the reeds I will miss you

Can we go back and start again?
Can we go back and start again?
Can we begin where we came in, came in?
Can we go back and start again?
Can we go back and start again?
Can we begin where we came in, came in, came in?

Some travellers passed
As we stopped for a moment in peace
With blood on their fingers
They spoke of a cloud in the East

And we were a happy crew, me and you
We were a happy crew, me and you

Speaking with words
We were sure that the truth had been banned
We'd buried the martyrs
And walked off to work on the land
And we were a happy crew, me and you
We were a happy crew, you and me

Some riders appeared from the sun
As it fell with a blaze
They passed like the wind
And were lost in the dust to the East

And we were a happy crew, me and you
We were a happy crew, you and me


B3 Love Is A Funny Thing 2:00

I tried so hard
To keep our love alive
To keep you by my side
But the winter and my pride
Dissolved into the Spring

Oh love is a very funny thing
I'm sure you know
And though you lose someone
You keep your soul

The fresh unfaded green
Makes my heart to dream
And the April rain
Washes me clean again
Of the soils that held me down

Oh love is a very funny thing
It lingers on
And a part of me is always here

Love is a very funny thing
It lingers on
And a part of me is always here


B4 The Duke Of Beaufoot 8:02

The Duke of Beaufort
Is not at home today
He's very tired
He thought he'd go away
You wait for him
Your eyes are on the door
You know no other way

The Duke of Beaufort
Is very kind to cats
Keeps them in his cellar
To help him catch his rats
He's very noble
And his lineage is pure
But you, you're a whore

The Duke of Splendour
Just wasn't much amused
And nor were you
You knew you'd been abused
If you'd had help
You might have buggered up his fuse
But alone, you're too confused

"He picked me up, I was on the street
He made it clear he would use me
My parents died, I was three years old
I had to make a living"
Close your eyes, close your eyes

"In a lot of ways, I'm close to him
Though he may seem to ignore it
I'm sure he cares
At least, I think he does
It's just he's very busy"
Close your eyes, close your eyes
Here's today says the ‘Telegraph'
It's the world, it's the world!
Gone away on a phonograph
Riding high, riding high

There's a way says the Cenotaph
You will find, you will find
Gone in search of an Epitaph
Running wild, running wild
You saw them coming forward
Asking you to be kind
You couldn't face their council
They were men full of greed
In your position nothing's sacred
You have only the wine

You stand alone
But not alone in your loneliness
And yet there must be more
I can't believe that all has been in vain

And if there is it's
Be sure of friendship
As the hours grow long
Rest assured that this phase is passing
Give yourself a chance





Su continuación, Old Boot Wine, publicado en junio de 1972, fue producida por Max Hole y lanzada en el sello subsidiario de B&C, Pegasus Records. Este álbum mostró al grupo "con sus bordes ásperos eliminados y un sonido más elegante casi comercial", sin embargo, generalmente es menos considerado que sus otros álbumes. Parte del cambio de sonido se debió a la presencia reducida del violinista Julian Cusack, que había regresado a la universidad, y al regreso del cofundador original Mark Francis.

Portada de su segundo álbum Old Boot Wine

Un sencillo fue extraido del álbum con la canción Dangerous Dave en la cara A y Captain's Log de su anterior álbum en la B.



Lista de temas, créditos y enlaces 


Enlace a la lista de reproducción del álbum completo: Old Boot Wine


Lista de temas

Lado A

Créditos
  • Arreglos por‎‎ – ‎‎Spirogyra‎
  • ‎Bajo‎‎ – ‎Steve Borrill
  • ‎Violonchelo‎‎ – ‎Alan Laing
  • ‎Batería‎‎ – ‎Dave Mattacks
  • ‎Ingeniero, Mezclado por‎‎ – ‎‎Robin Black
  • ‎Mandolina, Otros [Dormobile]‎‎ – ‎Rick Biddulph
  • ‎Fotografía por, diseño, pintura‎‎ – ‎‎Pete Rhodes
  • ‎Productor‎‎ – ‎‎Max Hole
  • ‎Violín, teclados, arreglados por [cuerdas adicionales]‎‎ – ‎‎Julián Cusack‎
  • ‎Voces‎‎ – ‎‎Bárbara Gaskin‎
  • ‎Voz, Guitarra Acústica‎‎ – ‎‎Martín Cockerham‎
  • ‎Voz, Guitarra Eléctrica, Teclados‎‎ – ‎‎Mark Francis
  • ‎Escrito por‎‎ – ‎‎Martín Cockerham‎ (pistas: A1, A2, A4 a B2, B4), Steve Borrill (pistas: A3, B3)



Letras 

Lado A

A1 Dangerous Dave

He's got a gun he really thinks he's something
He don't have to run he got a sub machine gun
He told his Mum he's gonna join the army
Look at your son he's gonna be a man Ma
He got a uniform
Over the seas he's gonna fight for freedom
Waving a flag he's gonna be a hero
Never afraid, he's gonna conquer evil
Do as he's told and make a perfect soldier
He got a uniform

Watch yourself soldier boy you missed the point son
Discipline soldier boy, you disappoint me
You just do not, you just do not see

You're needing a skirt to hide your lack of brain boy
Don't it just hurt to have to think yourself boy
A clear right and wrong, there'll be no complications
No need to think or write those disertations
He got a uniform

Watch yourself soldier boy you missed the point son
Discipline soldier boy, you disappoint me
You just do not, you just do not see

Caught in a crumbling castle, who are we
Torn by salvations dragon, hope lives on
And so down into a time
Where Liberty and Freedom have no significance
In the current economic crisis


A2 Van Allen's Belt

[Verse 1]
Looking I opened wide
Daring my eyes to find
Standing on the edge can we go forward
Living in fear of it
And yet too near to return

Slipping, I fell inside
Crumbling walls collide
Breaking preconceived ideas like matchsticks
No rock to stand on it
No sure reality world
[Chorus]
It's so wide
It's so wide
It's so wide

[Verse 2]
Come a little closer to me
If you think you dare
Nothing else can matter to me
All the rest is air

Magic has drawn me in
Giving my eyes to you
Herein lies a message
Keep it secret
I have no chains for you
There are no ties in the world

[Chorus]
It's so wide
It's so wide
It's so wide


A3 Runaway

Run, run, run, runaway
Today's a holiday
Today we needn't worry
About the clothes we wear
No more ‘geog' on the old school bog
No cracks about our hair
Janitor Giles, you cannot see me
Janitor Giles, it's great to be free

Hide, hide, hide, hide away
Today it's truant we play
Dodgy school inspectors
Will not suspect we're here
No more French on the old school bench
No clouts behind our ears
Janitor Giles, you cannot see me
Janitor Giles, it's great to be free

But life is what you make it
And you missed school today
Good old Smithy and his pals
What keeps them away

We're going round
We dare not make a sound
To the house of my best friend
To a shed that he has found
And oh you'll have to gasp
As he takes out and shows to you the photograph
Takes out and shows to you the photograph

What the picture shows
Is awfully clear to me
My friends older than I
Fest their eyes so greedily
But I shall run away and go upstairs and play with my model railway

What goes on at night
When there is no-one else around
Is the strangest part of growing up that I've yet found
Though what the doe and rabbit did today at school was real
It failed to answer questions about the way I feel
Maybe I'm a queer?
It could be by tomorrow
The answers will be found
In these pages of a magazine
The Vicars left around
And late into the night
We will wonder if the dialog was right
We will wonder if the dialog was right

Wonder if my parents worry about this kind of thing
Or am I artificial, has my dad lost his sting?
A lovely girl lives up the road
She's much older than I
I'd really like to know her
Give the whole theory a try
To see if it is real
To see just how it feels

Hush now the boy is sleeping
And we don't want him to wake him until the morning
He's got a hard day to take
At the school that he hates
And so let's leave him dreaming
Until the morning sun shines through his window
Let's leave him dreaming
Until the morning
Let's leave him dreaming


A4 Grandad

Stuck in an old
Home for lonely folks
Gazing from his window at the snow
Where did you go so wrong?
You struggled all your life
To keep your children warm and safe
Make the world a better
World a better place

Stuck in an old
Home for lonely folks
Gazing from his window at the snow

Through two long wars
And many years of strife
What is the value of a life?

Men well oiled and functioning
Is science in control?
You're better off now where you are
I hope you rest
I hope you rest in peace


A5 Wings Of Thunder

I'm 21, but gosh I do feel old!
Too much concerned
With things which shouldn't worry me
Or hurry me, or make me rush

I'm really flash, but gosh I do feel bad!
Completely smashed
Careering down life's avenues
I'm out of place and out of touch

Rolling over on Wings of Thunder
We're riding out to the Sun
Haring over on Wings Of Thunder
We're bound to make it the Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun
We're gonna make it the Sun

Now I'm in love, and she has got me hooked
But things are good
With poor old me delirious
She takes it all so serious

Rolling over on Wings of Thunder
We're riding out to the Sun
Haring over on Wings Of Thunder
We're bound to make it the Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun
We're gonna make it the Sun

My head has spread, it won't stay in one place
Confused and laced
I'm liking going haywire
And I find I have a taste for the pace

Rolling over on Wings of Thunder
We're riding out to the Sun
Haring over on Wings Of Thunder
We're bound to make it the Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun
We're gonna make it the Sun


Lado B

B1 World's Eye

World's Eyes – see for miles
Light
We are gonna help you
(We are gonna nail you)
We are gonna help you

Each man is human, we all need each other
And walls burn eyes

Light
We are gonna help you
(We are gonna nail you)
We are gonna help you

I'm not a person, my cells are exploding
I'm you, yearn, insane?

Go from this room
Leave right away
There's nothing here
There's nothing here to make you stay

It's not so sad
You'll find another
You'll find someone who needs a home
That you can share
You're very young
There's time to put away your cares

But don't forget
We were together
And through forever
I will know that you were there
You need to laugh
So go to where the light is clear

As for understanding
If there's such a thing existing
There's a sparkle in your eyes
I find it hard to put in words
And you take me to the depth of sorrow
Pleading for no more tomorrow
Hanging on the edge of moments
I can't bear to end
I'd have loved you if you'd seen beyond the time
You gotta know we're waiting here
You gotta know we're waiting here
You gotta know

All things will flow
As sure as water
As sure as silence
I will meet you once again
Nothing will change
There are no changes
There's only pages
Where the book remains the same
Give fortune time
And we will meet between these lines

As for understanding
If there's such a thing existing
There's a sparkle in your eyes
I find it hard to put in words
And you take me to the depth of sorrow
Pleading for no more tomorrow
Hanging on the edge of moments
I can't bear to end
I'd have loved you if you'd been beyond the line

You gotta know we're waiting here
You gotta know we're waiting here
You gotta know, You gotta know
You gotta know


B2 Don't Let It Get You

The facts of life are very simple
A job some money, settle down
There's lots of things that may distract you
Ignore them, lest they do you harm

They say a dreamer always stumbles
They say a dreamer has to fall
Onto the rocks of what is solid
Into the arms of what is all

Don't let it get you

My eyes were cracked my body broken
My thoughts all bent my seam was torn
Stood lost in space with no direction
When suddenly I heard a call

Don't let it get you

What is this point of no returning
Where I am standing with my friends
There is no basis left for learning
There is no start or end

Don't let it get you


B3 Disraeli's Problem

Just seen the soldiers on patrol in Derry
What they thinking?
Bet they wish they could stay at home
Go out drinking in the evening

Just seen the newsprint tonight
Violence increasing, an explosion
Suddenly a public house went off bang
Foul play suspected, someone's cheating

Surely you see at the top of the stairs
A young mother cries
Convinced that her husband lies bleeding, defying
While 13 more died
See how her eyes glow
She's going insane
And you tell me enquiries will show
Who's to blame
But next Sunday at 2, it will happen again, again

So you think you can get away
Go down to Brighton for a season
Discuss the issues from day to day
Looking for reasons on paper

Surely you see at the side of the road
What looks like a bomb
Shoppers with children lie bleeding and dying
But what have they done
See how our eyes glow
We're going insane
And you tell me enquiries will show
Whose to blame
But Maudling, you fool, it will happen again, again

B4 A Canterbury Tale

There's smoke in the hills
And dust in the valley
They're burning candles now in Canterbury
And there's roads that go East
And roads that go West
And roads to the sea to see where the seagulls fly

And there was a group who played in the country
And sang through the changes
Young hearts must needs be finding

I see dispersion
New roads are calling us
And though that means a parting
It is not for always
You should not be lonely
How I'm going to miss you

What do you think of yourself
Do you think of yourself
As a lion or a tiger?
Do you have eyes for the dark
Can you play in the park
With no fear of the strangers?

We will not be frightened

How do you handle your life
Are you conquered by strife
Are you wholly receptive?
Are you surrendered to doubt
Do you keep a look out
Are you open to changes?

We will not be frightened



Poco después del lanzamiento de Old Boot Wine, la banda se redujo al dúo de Cockerham y Gaskin, que ya estaban involucrados románticamente. Su último álbum, Bells, Boots and Shambles, fue grabado en Morgan Studios en Londres y producido una vez más por Max Hole. El álbum fue publicado por Polydor en 1973, B&C Records había cerrado el año anterior. El álbum contó con varios músicos invitados, incluidos los ex miembros Cusack y Borrill, y Henry Lowther en la trompeta. Jeanette Leech escribió que este álbum "realmente marca [a Spirogyra] como un faro del folk progresivo. [...] Bells, Boots and Shambles se aleja de los elementos más rockeros de sus dos primeros álbumes hacia el clasicismo lloroso y las bandas sonoras de art-house al estilo Eno-esque". Con su "sensación de desesperanza" y "angustia existencial", ha sido descrito como un precursor de Joy Division. Aunque el álbum se vendió mal, ha llegado a ser considerado como "una obra maestra perdida". 

Portada de su tercer álbum

Lanzaron un sencillo con la canción I Hear You're Going Somewhere (Joe Really) que no se incluyó inicialmente en el álbum con Old Boot Wine de su anterior álbum en la cara B. En 2013 se incluyó como bonus track en la edición en CD remasterizado (40 aniversario).


Spirogyra - I Hear You're Going Somewhere

Letras

When I was a young man
They said you know a young man
Should always keep his head out of the clouds
And head for sunny weather
To keep himself together
In case forever complicates his brain
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe

And when I was a good man
So completely should man
There were no mistakes I could have made
Oh but fate she's evil
Oh she's really evil
Dealing double trouble, no-one's safe
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe

I haven't got the luck it takes
You've got me wrong
It's your mistake
So if when you're coming down
You see in the late night film queue
Someone who looks like me - you're wrong!

Though we all move on sir
Reasons there are none sir
I suppose that's how it's meant to be
Hey, nothing's what it seems from far away
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe
I hear you're really going somewhere Joe



Gira final (1974)

En marzo de 1974, Spirogyra emprendió su última gira, con Martin Cockerham (voz y guitarra), Barbara Gaskin (voz y piano eléctrico), Rick Biddulph (bajo y guitarras) y Jon Gifford (vientos de madera). Cockerham ha dicho que consideraba que esta alineación era la mejor del período clásico, y que su canción favorita de Spirogyra, "Sea Song", fue escrita durante este tiempo.

Aunque no existen grabaciones de estudio de esta alineación, se hicieron varias grabaciones en vivo. Varios de estos fueron recopilados en un lanzamiento limitado llamado Swan Songs 69-74, autoeditado por Cockerham en 2008.

Portada del CD Swan Songs 69-74



Ruptura y reencuentros

La banda se disolvió en 1974, cuando Martin Cockerham se mudó a Irlanda. Cockerham vivió en el extranjero durante muchos años, con períodos en Irlanda, India, Bali, California y Hawai'i. 

Después de la ruptura, Barbara Gaskin pasó tres años viajando por Asia, pasando tiempo en Japón, Java, Bali e India, cantando profesionalmente y enseñando inglés.

En las décadas posteriores a la separación de la banda, cada uno de sus tres álbumes fue relanzado en CD. Cockerham recordó que se vendieron mejor en este formato que nunca en vinilo. En 2000, Burn the Bridges fue lanzado, mostrando los demos originales de la banda que habían sido grabados antes de St. Radigunds. 2005 vio el lanzamiento de A Canterbury Tale, que incluía los tres álbumes de estudio de la banda, su sencillo "I Hear You're Going Somewhere (Joe Really)" y varias grabaciones de ensayos. 




En 2006, Cockerham regresó a Inglaterra. Comenzó a publicar en privado nuevas ediciones de material antiguo de Spirogyra y algunos trabajos inéditos. Se había reunido con Mark Francis usando su nombre original de Spirogyra, y de 2004 a 2006 grabaron un nuevo álbum que fue lanzado en CD en 2009, titulado Children's Earth. Este fue el primer lanzamiento de Spirogyra que no contó con Barbara Gaskin. 



Al mismo tiempo, otro nuevo álbum llamado Rainbow Empire, aunque oficialmente un lanzamiento en solitario de Martin Cockerham, contó con las mismas colaboraciones y es musicalmente afín.

El 6 de junio de 2010, Spirogyra se reunió para "A Psychedelic evening with Spirogyra" en The Union Chapel Islington, presentado por Ron Brand y Tiffany Vivienne Brown de Ron Brand Management. 

El dúo de Cockerham y Francis, con varios colegas, se combinaron para otro álbum de Spirogyra en 2011, llamándolo Spirogyra 5. Este álbum reunió a Cockerham y al trompetista Henry Lowther, quien anteriormente había contribuido al álbum Bells, Boots and Shambles.

Martin Cockerham, quien nació en 1950, murió el 5 de abril de 2018, lo que indica un final permanente para el grupo.



Lista de temas y créditos de Bells, Boots And Shambles

Lista de temas y enlaces individuales

Créditos
  • Arreglado por [violonchelo, flauta, trompeta]‎‎ – ‎Dolly Collins (pistas: A1, A2), ‎Julián Cusack‎ (pistas: B1, B3a to B3d)
  • ‎Bajo‎‎ – ‎Steve Borrill
  • ‎Violonchelo‎‎ – ‎‎John Boyce‎
  • ‎Batería‎‎ – ‎Dave Mattacks
  • ‎Ingeniero‎‎ – ‎‎Robin Black
  • ‎Flauta‎‎ – ‎Stan Sulzman
  • ‎Notas – ‎Austin John Marshall
  • ‎Fotografía por‎‎ – ‎Keith Morris
  • ‎Piano, Violín‎‎ – ‎‎Julián Cusack‎
  • ‎Productor‎‎ – ‎‎Max Hole
  • ‎Trompeta‎‎ – ‎Henry Lowther
  • ‎Voces‎‎ – ‎‎Bárbara Gaskin‎
  • ‎Voz, Guitarra, Compuesta por‎‎ – ‎‎Martín Cockerham‎
  • ‎Silbato‎‎ – ‎Steve Ashley

Letras 

Lado A

A1 The Furthest Point

Body and matter just flow
Into an infinite number of variables
Which can be meaningless or false
Or disproved by scientific negotiations
Whilst Love, Mind and Limb
Are easily interchangeable
In the hands of physicians
Perfectly equipped
With all the modern devices
So you stand there, merely bewildered
And looking at the Moon
We are the stars
We are the furthest point you can see
We are we
Don't be sad if I should say
That once upon a time I was a young man
Filled with thoughts of special beauty
Living well on hopes
But nothing solid
Life, Life
Turn away and make a million
Gather all you can and make it your land
But remember at the end
You'll look and see you're nothing but a dead man
Life, life
But ee, we started off so wide eyed
Never doubting success
But it were foolish to undertake such a mammoth task
As re-organisation of molecular history
And there's absolutely no basis
For any particular currency of thought
When living in
McLuhan's Media, awareness area
Communicating with each atom that explodes
We are the stars
We are the furthest point you can see
We are we
Who can you trust
To be your friend in this division
When standing in the middle of
A mighty bad collision
It's always best to stay amused
Well us lot here
We're waiting for a big salvation
Someone whose gonna stop decay
And get on with creation
Someone whose gonna save the world
The sort of chap who bridges gaps
And sorts out muddles
A smashing bloke who'll help the dregs
And drag big heads in puddles
I wonder if it might be me
But no that's daft
You're nowhere near to being that super
No our chap, he'll be just the job
The sort to have in clinches
We'll know him cause he'll be alive
We'll know him cause he'll be alive
We'll know him cause he'll be alive
If you are old, you may be moved
You'll know all things must pass
And you will think about the song
You sang when you were young
And there was glory

A2 Old Boot Wine

Don't be scared of shadows
Nasty man who lurk
Lots of rotten bullies
Pushing you around
They will never steal
What it means to feel
The wonders of being without

Where I stand it seems that existence
Is resistance to despair
Now I know my life's not been easy
But at least it has been there
Sometimes there'll be good times
Some folk can be kind
But the wind that blows inside us
Will be blind

For this time I have waited for ages
All my pages have been dry
I've been lost in the swelling of oceans
All my motions have been high
Over every molehill
Under every mile
For the essence of motion is devotion
To the wheel

So you see I'm not going to mind it
Or define it in degrees
Every inch of being is like old time
Is the right time to be free

A3 Parallel Lines Never Separate

The lights were high and burning
The room was filled up with men
Some playing cards for higher stakes
Some looking into telescopes pointed within them

Be with me
It's you and me
I feel you're on my side
Be my space
A trace of lace
A face that's near to mine

They're going back, they've had it
They're slipping up on their ends
These foolish men with eyes of ice
A culmination of things that were never inevitable

Be my wing
My everything
My platform to the sky
Be my gem
A star for them
Upon the other side

I'm caught on a cloud
Feeling mortified
I'm floating away
A stranger with no eyes
A loser with no ties
A laughter rings

With plenty to do
I never would complain
Feet losing the ground
I'm always out of time
I always miss the line
That doesn't count
But oh no, no, no no
Why must I always be far away
Gone astray, caught like a bubble in the wind?

They took him away
They said that he was bad
He told them the truth
They said he had to pay
They said he couldn't stay
They always choose

But oh no, no, no
Why must I always be far away
Gone astray, acting like traitors trapped in time?

A4 Spiggly

Love so easy
Love so fine
Into our lives
The time we always needed
No more to strange shadow
I feel us make it
Hope we make it over

Lado B

B1 An Everyday Consumption Song

I asked him to take me upstairs where the music was loud
He said things have changed, I'm consumed, I belong to the crowd

My life's an echo
Where do I stand in relation to you
And the world spins round
They say the world spins round
Am I alive?

And my head spins round
I say my head spins round
I've been confined

Feelings defying description are troubling me
I'm in a vacuum, a nameless statistical sea

My life's a number
Seeking a factor to treble its value to
Three times three
Equals the point where there's
Maximized me

Three blind mice
At an amazing price
Come here and see

Here with the swingers
I never make it
I'm out of date

My life is useless
Rupert refuses
To be my friend

We will think of you
Think of you

Rupert's gone funny
He's got a boyfriend
I'm out of place
Faces keep changing
Nothing is stable
I've lost the race

We will think of you
Think of you


B2 The Sergeant Says

The sergeant says you got to turn down the lights
It's the things you keep concealed that make you safe in the night
Not the stars

The sergeant says that if there's room at the top
He'll be sure to let you through to give the things that you've got
If you fit

We've been living on air, oh yeah
We've been living on air, oh yeah

The sergeant says that if you're nearing the phone
Will you kindly check transmission as the metres have gone
Out of phase

And I suggest that if you're thinking of her
Then the best thing you can do is to forget she exists
And get on

You've been living on air, oh yeah
You've been living on air

And she lives in her block or flat
She's always on her own
I try to get in touch with her
But she's not on the phone

And every path in you you lead
It's never where you are
The stars that blow into the night
Are never very far

And so I play the game of the gone insane
And the never-never-never-can-tells
And I try my best to get on through the test
Of the never-never-never-can-tells
I'm becoming aware, oh yeah
I'm becoming aware, oh yeah

So this may well be the last song I write
Cause I can't touch the truth when the words don't seem right
Well who cares

I leave you now with a silent salute
To the man dressed in armor who has stolen your youth
And your charm

We've been living on air, oh yeah
We've been living on air

And one day I will find a way
To save her from a plight
It may well take a million years
But she will see the light

Because I've had enough of the hootchie-coo
And the never-never-never-can-tells
Yeah I'm going back to the human zoo
To see if animals are relatives of mine
To see if animals are relatives of mine
To see if animals are relatives, if animals are relatives, if animals are relatives of mine

B3 In The Western World

In the Western World

I wake my days, look at the world
How it laughs at a man who can have no place
Put on a smile, into the streets
How they ache for the smell of a sunny field
But still machines, they grind
And life is harder now than it has been before

They say you're mad, look at the wealth
In the western world for a boy with brains
Please come with us, we'll buy your soul
With the privilege of a chosen few
And so machines, they grind
And life is harder now than it has been before

Jungle Lore

We came away from the sea
There was you, there was me, there were others
We made a home on the land
Where we found we could stand in the sunlight
Nearly there, nearly there

We fought for life in the gap
Where we found we'd a knack for survival
All forms of life were controlled
They were bought, they were sold, they were smothered
Nearly there, nearly there

If life is a plight in a jungle fight
Must we now turn on our brothers?
If life is a case of strong and weak
Will the strong now devour all the others?
Or themselves?

There is no room anymore
Nowhere left to escape, no evasion
There is no choice anymore
We must now learn to live with each other
Or implode, or implode
If life is a plight in a jungle fight
Must we now turn on our brothers?
If life is a case of strong and weak
Will the strong now devour all the others?
Or themselves?

Hey look at the race:
I wonder who is winning?
I wonder if they know it doesn't mean a thing?
Hey look at the pace:
Stability is spinning
But then it doesn't matter to a clown
A clown

Coming Back

A knight in arms, a knight in dark
As he turns we are digested
A face lit up, beyond despairing
This voice that was rejected

Give it back to the shores of Albion
Where the mills were first abused
Give it back to the folk in search of hope
Give it back the will to live
A strange recluse, this thought elusive
We cheated with excuses
Amid the rush of evil forces
Abusing our resources

Coming back the tide that can't be stopped
The wheels that always roll
Coming back beyond the eyes of greed
Coming back inside your soul

A nearer man was never feared
Than the one who is within you
The voice you heard before you died
As your mind was most receptive

Coming back from below through all these years
At last I hear the bells
Coming back with winds that fill the sails
Of rags, defeat and fools

Coming back the tide that can't be stopped
The wheels that always roll
Coming back with winds to fill the sails
Of rags, defeat and fools

Western World Reprise

Instrumental

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