Frugal Sound - All Strung Out/ Miss Mary

Popsike collides with harmony folk and everything comes up roses

Label: RCA

Year of Release: 1968

Frugal Sound were Hampstead folkies who had a fruitful career on the live circuit but, in common with many British acts from that genre, didn't really have a career that translated into heavy vinyl sales. 

We briefly touched upon their excellent cover of The Beatles "Norwegian Wood" ten years ago on this blog, but this single demonstrates their evolution into folk-rock artists and shows how effective they were at translating their sound and ideas. By this point, the group consisted of Brian Stein on guitar and vocals, Rosalind Rankin on vocals and flute, Mick Berg on guitar and organ, Chris Johnstone on bass,  and Tony Hart (not that one!) on drums, which filled out their sound from the stripped-back London basement folk sound into something fuller and potentially more commercial.

This single demonstrates excellently how successful that move was creatively, even if it didn't bring the group further success. If the A-side "All Strung Out" is a good approximation of the West Coast harmony pop sound - and God knows plenty of British folk groups had a crack at that - the group-penned B-side always gives me the biggest thrills, sounding so popsike it's astonishing it wasn't compiled long ago. It focuses on the wearisome life of a floaty, dreamy lady who is "happier to sit and think than face reality", perhaps an early example of the flower-power dream turning sour. It deserved better than to be left lingering on a flipside, with its frilly harpsichord styled keyboard lines and warm harmonies creating something rich, full and intricate.

This turned out to be their final single. The group slowly disintegrated when Brian Stein's business interests began to take priority over the music, and he has apparently become very successful since, owning numerous restaurants in the Covent Garden area (a degree of wealth he'd have been unlikely to achieve by focusing on folk rock, we have to fairly conclude). At the point of last checking, Rosalind was working as a music teacher in Dorset, but has apparently been unwell since - if you're reading this, Rosalind, I hope you're back to good health. Mick Berg now lives in Santa Monica. None of the group are known to be "active in the biz" at the moment, but clearly had bagfuls of fond memories to share over at the old blog entry.

Previews below not working? Tsk, tsk. Go right to the source, my friends. 

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