Future members of Prelude tackle Paul Simon number
Label: Columbia
Year of Release: 1967
While Simon and Garfunkel sold monstrous amounts of records, they really were the exceptions rather than the rules where folk and folk rock were concerned; the Mumford and Sons of their day, if you will (only with greater amounts of talent and lyrical dexterity). Most folk artists - honourable Byrds and Mamas and Papas-shaped exceptions aside - struggled to gain attention outside their bar cellar circuit, though some (The Overlanders) managed to have one lucky breakaway hit.
The Carnival, sadly, were no exception and this was their only single. The A-side is an agitated, pinch-faced rush through the Paul Simon song which is actually a solid performance. It's a tough song to ruin anyway, but the group add a few irritated embellishments which make the single sound like an itchy, rebellious poke at mainstream society.
The flipside "Silver Dreams and Scarlet Memories" is a group penned effort which is also a pleasurable listen, harking back slightly to the Everlys and early sixties pop.
The groups members were apparently only Brian Hume and Ian Vardy, both of whom later went on to form the significantly better known Prelude, who had a huge underground and FM Radio hit with their cover of Neil Young's "After The Goldrush". There's clearly other players on this track, though, which leads me to think that at the very least a session drummer was called upon for this release, or we're not quite being given the full story. If anyone knows if there were additional members to the group and who they were, please do drop a line.
Following the failure of this single to attract much attention, Prelude were swiftly formed, adding Hume's wife Irene on vocals and Chris Ringer on bass guitar. The group went on to become a highly respected folk outfit and mainstays on the live circuit, attracting international attention in the process.
If the previews below aren't working for you, please go right to the source.
No comments:
Post a Comment