Last Straw hailed from that very un-rock'n'roll outpost, the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, renowned for being about twenty years behind the mainland at any given time. Kissing Spell have seen fit to exhume nearly an hour of the band's demos from the early '70s and give them a release as Alone on a Stone, although, unsurprisingly, the sound quality is rather inconsistent. There are some excellent moments.
Keyboards on some tracks; these were recorded at several different sessions over a course of three or four years, and I doubt if the band's lineup remained consistent. I think the strings on Life Without Rules and the title track are a string synth of some description, but it's definitely 'Tron on Terence, played by musician unknown. In conclusion, the disc does it well on his journey between space rock to progressive spin ..
1. Terence - 10:47
2. Life Without Rules - 5:24
3. Alone On A Stone - 7:12
4. Fools - 4:40
5. When August Breaks - 5:01
6. Fly - 3:44
7. Mirage - 5:45
8. Kings Return(live) - 7:47
9. Theme From Chance (live) - 3:45
Last Straw
*Jack Charles Toole - Drums
*Peyte Burnan - Guitar, Vocals
*Geoff Taylor - Guitar, Keyboards, Lead Vocals
*Steve Griffin - Guitar, Vocals
*Phil Truckel - Bass
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I didn't knew this album, that is a really nice surprise. Early recordings are in the Hawkwind vein, others more recent in the line of Wishbone Ash, the song "Fly" reminds me Epitaph period "Outside The Law". A lost gem issued from the vaults.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marios, for the discovery.
LAST STRAW with the Isle of Wight, which began his artistic career in 1972. They released their single Oh Lady / Fly in Y Nite in 1978 and toured extensively, but a full-length album, it never came. Only in the early 90's label Kissing Spell, specializing in the production of all kinds of rarities, a group of published work over the years in the form of historical record that album. Early studio tracks on this CD shows a brilliant talent musicians LAST STRAW in the performance of progressive rock for example somewhere between YES and HAWKWIND. Open the disk composition "Terence", in addition, has excellent lyrics, which brings it even to the category of classic. The last "live" tracks visible good guitar work in the style of WISHBONE ASH and the like.
ReplyDeleteThx Marios :)
Now I have had the chance to play this album a couple of times I have to declare it one of the best unreleased collections ever. Why this band didn't become huge is a complete mystery. Anyone who digs Wishbone Ash, Gong, Hawkwind or even Ozric Tentacles should snap up this album as soon as possible. Fantastic find. Many thanks for a real treat.
ReplyDeleteCould you please re-post this album? The link-safe link from freetexthost doesn't work anymore. Album impossible to find :-(
ReplyDeleteThanks, you are very kind :-)
ReplyDeleteThis must be the last straw of the Last Straw :-(
ReplyDeleteposterprofile, Last Straw fixed..
DeleteAppreciate all your hard work Marios!
DeleteHowever both links are for Hitfile.
Any chance of a turbobit link too? TY
Also, the link may be for Grapefruit as it reads Gra De Wa, however the specs seem different. A mix-up perhaps?
ReplyDeleteLast Straw links replaced..
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that. Unfortunately, they are both for Hitfile. Oh well...
ReplyDeleteI think it's OK now
DeleteIt's perfect. You are a saint! Merci mille fois!
Delete