The Pink Fairies were from the same trashy underbelly of English underground rock as the Edgar Broughton Band, the Deviants, Hawkwind, Arthur Brown, and Gong. Twink, one of the band’s founders, had been in the beat era Fairies, The In-Crowd, Tomorrow, the Pretty Things, and he even managed to released a great solo album in 1970, prior to this.
The Pink Fairies were special, a truly dynamic band that was England’s very own MC5. They released 3 albums during the early 70’s, and while their true swan song, Kings Of Oblivion, is usually cited as their masterpiece, Never Never Land is nothing less than stellar. It kicks off with the misleading Do It. The album version of this tune begins with an acoustic intro than blasts into a hard punk rocker that should really be a classic radio anthem. War Girl engages in some cosmic blues rock soul with some fantastic wah-wah and a great spacey atmosphere. Say You Love Me and Teenage Rebel are more proto-punk/power pop highlights that show off the bands impressive instrumental chops which were honed at countless outside festivals. Surprisingly, Heavenly Man recalls early 70’s Pink Floyd, with slow profound drumming, dazed vocals and David Gilmour style guitar flourishes.
The band’s sound was a combination of the burgeoning progressive rock scene, the earlier psychedelic revolution, proto-punk/garage rock roots, a small hint of politics, and good ole fashioned rock n roll. All these elements make the 10 minutes of Uncle Harry’s Last Freakout a joy to listen to. This is an undeniably great album from an unsung band. Never Never Land shows a vital band fighting for its life, creating some of the hardest outdoor festival music of the time. Anyone into the early Flamin’ Groovies, the Stooges, MC5, the Coloured Balls, or the Amboy Dukes should do themselves a favor and pick this album up.
by Jason Nardelli
1. Do It - 4:15
2. Heavenly Man (John Charles Alder) - 3:41
3. Say You Love Me - 3:48
4. War Girl (John Charles Alder) - 4:34
5. Never Never Land - 6:55
6. Track One, Side Two - 4:41
7. Thor (John Charles Alder) - 0:58
8. Teenage Rebel - 5:20
9. Uncle Harry's Last Freak-Out - 10:51
10.The Dream Is Just Beginning (John Charles Alder) - 1:18
11.The Snake - 3:58
12.Do It (Single Version) - 3:04
13.War Girl (Alternate Extended Mix) (John Charles Alder) - 4:34
14.Uncle Harry's Last Freak-Out (First Version) (John Charles Alder) - 12:24
All songs by Paul Rudolph, Duncan Sanderson, Russell Hunter, John Charles Alder except where stated
Bonus Tracks 11-14
The Pink Fairies
*Paul Rudolph - Guitar, Vocals
*Duncan Sanderson - Bass
*Russell Hunter - Drums
*John Charles Alder "Twink" - Drums, Vocals
Related Acts
1968 Tomorrow - Tomorow
1969 The Deviants - The Deviants 3 (japan edition)
1970 Twink - Think Pink (2013 remaster and expanded)
1973-74 Robert Calvert - Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters (2009 remaster)
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