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.

The Frugal Sound - Norwegian Wood

Label: Pye
Year of Release: 1966

It wasn't completely unheard of for English folk artists to cover The Beatles - The Overlanders did just that with "Michelle" and took it all the way to the top spot in the British charts.  In fact, by the time the sixties were up, The Beatles had been covered by all and sundry from soul singers to reggae artists to easy listening superstars, so the existence of some gentle acoustic pondering of their finer moments from musicians of a more traditional style should be no real surprise.

"Norwegian Wood" always did have enough of a vaguely mysterious, pastoral feel to it to be a relatively easy fit for any self-respecting folkie, and so it proves - this version is gentle, whimsical and decidedly Autumnal sounding single (enough for it to end up on the "Autumn Almanac" compilation put out by Sanctuary Records a few years ago).  It doesn't tear the original to pieces, but the vocals are less nasal and slightly warmer, the close harmonies sounding well suited to the song.  It's a record to play whilst lounging around the fireside with a glass of something intoxicating, or perhaps whilst sitting around the three bar fire if you're really stuck.  

The flip "Cruel To Be Kind" gives a better impression of what The Frugal Sound could create when away from the Lennon-McCartney songbook, being a heartfelt ballad with a female vocal lead from Rosalind Rankin which knows exactly where to draw the line.