TAPESTRY - ...And Other Lost UK Progressive Bands - British Radio Sessions 1969-1971 - FRA On The Air - LISTEN - VERY RARE

Excellent compilation CD released by a small French label. The driving force of this release is the sensational formation Tapestry - an excellent British progressive group resembling the folk-progressive Trees and a delicate, very early Genesis in one - with female and male vocals. For unknown reasons the group never signed a record contract, but in August 1971 it played a concert at the BBC's London headquarters, a 25-minute excerpt of which was recorded and released in 1971... in 100 copies! I stress: this is fantastic, sophisticated, airy, melodic, progressive playing that should delight every fan of this genre! AN ABSOLUTE Must! The remaining 55 minutes are filled with generally excellent recordings from BBC promotional vinyls (together with the announcements of Brian Matthew, whom I adore) by unknown, or completely forgotten, formations, such as the heavy, psychedelic Griffin (that is, post-Skip Bifferty with a young Alan White on drums), the folk-progressive Ora (here exceptionally with the later rhythm section... of Wishbone Ash), Wommet (that is, pre-Mick Abrahams Band with violin), Blodwyn (that is, the declining Blodwyn Pig without Mick Abrahams but with... Peter Banks of Yes), the excellent, guitar-driven, intense Sweet Marriage (not known from the one single released in Germany - it is on some compilation from the label Wooden Hill) or finally the completely unknown, hard rock Natural Gas (sounding like Leaf Hound or a heavier Humble Pie) and Welfare State - the psychedelic-electronic White Noise collaborating with a theatre group... The whole thing sounds very professional and very clean. This is a truly sensational CD - without a doubt one of the most interesting and, all in all, most surprising reissues of recent years! A MUST!