rep>>> Ars Nova - Fields Of People • The Elektra And Atlantic Recordings (1968-69 us, magnificent psychedelia with baroque and some latin tinges, 2020 double disc remaster)

If you name your band “Ars Nova” you have to be: a) Serious Artists; b) Sarcastic reactionaries; c) Into psychedelic drugs; or d) Japanese. It’s Latin, for goodness sake, and means “New Art.” This particular manifestation, hailing from New England in the late 60s, is probably type a and possibly a bit of c. But in 1968, it was okay to be a Serious Artist, so Ars Nova ended up on Elektra with support to record an ambitious album of psychedelic rock.

Prominent use of trombone and trumpet set the band apart from the run of rock bands of their (or any) era. They also borrowed liberally from Classical music, either directly by adaptation or stylistically, using of guitar and organ parts reminiscent of eras from Baroque to Romantic. Badly done, such things could be disastrous, but in this case the result is almost universally successful. The Beatles had used trumpet (think “Penny Lane”) and here was a band with two trained brass players as members, and no need to hire outside musicians. In additional to the Classical shadings, there are elements of West Coast country rock and vaudevillian swagger, which makes for a unique whole. It holds together amazingly well due to the sophistication of the writing and imagination in the arrangements. Management and label difficulties left this outstanding album without the backing it deserved, and the band only recorded one other (with different personnel for a different label) before dispersing. Lovers of elaborate psych, don’t miss this one. 

by Jon Davis

Ars Nova's first album was intermittently intriguing eclectic psychedelic rock with a slight classical influence, as well as some unusual instrumentation in the bass trombone of lead singer Jon Pierson and the trumpet and string bass of Bill Folwell. The songs --often linked by brief interludes -- are a mixed bag, though, that seem to indicate a confusion over direction, or a bit of a psychedelic throw-in-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. There are haunting tunes with a folk-rock base and a faint Renaissance ballad melodic influence; jaunty narratives with a vaudevillian air that bear the mark of then-recent albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band; and harder-rocking period psychedelic tracks with a bent for unpredictable bittersweet progressions and vocal harmonies. 

It's unusual, and in some senses attractive. But to be less charitable, there's a sense of listening to a generic psychedelic band that sounds better than many such acts mostly by virtue of benefiting from Elektra's high-class production, here handled by Paul Rothchild of Doors fame. Put another way, the songs themselves aren't as good as their arrangements. "Fields of People," about the best of those songs, might be the most famous one here due to getting covered in an elongated treatment by the Move, who did a better job with it than Ars Nova. The 2004 CD reissue on Sundazed adds historical liner notes by Jon Pierson.

by Richie Unterberger

Tracks
Disc 1 "Ars Nova" 1968

1. Pavan For My Lady (Wyatt Day) - 2:45
2. Genral Clover Ends A War (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 2:44
3. And How Am I To Know (Wyatt Day) - 5:07
4. Album In Your Mind (Wyatt Day, Jon Pierson) - 3:02
5. Zarathustra (Maury Baker) - 3:32
6. Fields Of People (Wyatt Day, Jon Pierson) - 3:39
7. Automatic Love (Wyatt Day) - 4:52
8. I Wrapped Her In Ribbons (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 2:37
9. Song To The City (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 3:04
10.March Of The Mad Duke's Circus (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland) - 3:19

Disc 2 "Sunshine And Shadows' 1969

1. Sunshine And Shadows (Gail Collins, Wyatt Day) - 3:11

2. I Was Once  - 2:59

3. Temporary Serenade (Wyatt Day, Gregory Copeland)  - 3:03

4. She Promises Everything (Gail Collins, Wyatt Day)  - 3:21

5. Well, We’ll, Well - 2:59

6. You Had Better Listen (Jimmy Owens) - 4:07

7. Round Once Again - 3:21

8. Walk On The Sand  - 6:25

9. Rubbish - 3:32

10.Please Don’t Go Now - 5:52

All songs by Wyatt Day except where stated

Ars Nova
1968

*Maury Baker - Keyboards, Organ, Percussion
*Wyatt Day - Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Organ, Piano, Vocals
*Bill Folwell - Bass, String Bass, Trumpet, Vocals
*Jon Pierson - Trombone, Vocals
*Jonathan Raskin - Bass, Guitar, Vocals

1969 

*Sam Brown - Lead Guitar 

*Wyatt Day - Guitar, Vocals

*Joe Hunt - Drums, Percussion 

*Art Koening - Bass

*Jimmy Owens - Trumpet

*Jon Pierson - Bass Trombone, Vocals 

*Warren Bernhardt - Keyboards

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rep>>> Fields - Feeling Free The Complete Recordings (1971-73 uk, fascinating prog rock, 2022 double disc remaster)

The list of worthy 1970s bands who have remained largely unsung and, worse, unheard by most people is a long and unfortunate one. Even within those annals of obscurity, however, there can be few bands more unlucky to find themselves in that unenviable position than Fields. As if to prove the veracity of that opening statement, a great many reading this will, at this point, be asking ‘who?’, and that would be entirely understandable as, until 2015, I myself was in that same position. Fields were, as an explanatory note to the band name, formed by keyboard player Graham Field in 1971, after he had left the early configuration of Rare Bird following a dispute over what must rank as one of the worst recording contracts of all time (fascinatingly delved into in the accompanying booklet). With Rare Bird having unusually featured two keyboards and no guitars, Graham was still unwilling to cede all of the spotlight to the six-string option, but not to the point of omitting he guitar altogether. Therefore he put together a three-piece band which, in a quite similar way to ELP, Andy McCulloch (fresh from King Crimson’s Lizard album) came in on drums while Alan Barry joined on guitar, bass and vocals. Concentrating more on bass than guitar, for live work he would play a double-neck to be able to switch from one to another mid-song.

The self-titled Fields debut album appeared on CBS records in 1971, and it remains a superb listen. It is more usual for a band flying so far under the radar to have produced recordings which tend to be described using words such as ‘promising’, ‘potential’ and ‘flawed but fascinating’. It is very unusual to find one such as this where the first (and only, for a long time) recording is absolutely the finished article. This is the work of a confident, varied and exciting band. There are ELP influences aplenty, unsurprisingly, with Field often drawn to the huge, heavily bombastic sound of Keith Emerson in full flight, but that isn’t the whole story. Opening track A Friend Of Mine is an absolute barnstormer of a beginning, with that massive Emerson wall of keyboard sound hitting the listener right between the eyes, before it settles down as it progresses, to be a perfect marriage of ELP with the very differently keyboard-led influence of Procol Harum. Indeed, the track contains a repeated two-line melody which is so close to the later Procol classic Pandora’s Box that it is hard not to imagine the late Gary Brooker casting an approving ear over this back in 1971, subconsciously squirrelling it away for reference! 

There is so much great stuff here – there is more driving ELP rock with the likes of Over And Over Again, but elsewhere there is the ecologically minded and thought-provoking Not So Good, the slightly psychedelically-swirling keyboard showcase Slow Susan, and the stunning showcase for Alan Barry’s guitar and vocals which is the beautifully moving Fair Haired Lady. The rather oddly folky Three Minstrels, telling of the titular trio who came ‘out of the sun’, one playing lute, one playing drums and one ‘the organ sound’, could almost be a tip of the hat to ELP, even if totally different musically. It’s off-kilter but still quite charming. The closing instrumental The Eagle is a big proggy conclusion, marred only by the oddly dissonant breakdown towards the end. The only weak moment on this otherwise superb album is the lugubrious and bluesy A Place To Lay My Head which, while initially pleasant enough, drones on in an increasingly dull manner.

There are no long epics among these ten tightly composed tracks, but that matters not to an album which is utterly bursting with good, old-fashioned Golden Age prog rock. It is, genuinely, an unsung classic. Four bonus tracks are added to this first of two discs, two of which are alternate takes of Slow Susan and, infuriatingly, A Place To Lay My Head – which is not at all improved. Far more interesting are two songs recorded for a BBC radio session (for Sounds Of The Seventies), which reveal just how good Fields might have been as a live force. A Friend Of Mine is possibly even more dynamic and forceful than the album version, while the non-album track Wouldn’t You Agree would certainly have turned the album into a near flawless gem had it ousted A Place To Lay My Head in the running order, as it is a great song which seems, scandalously, to be receiving its first ever release here, after five decades. A shocking situation – Wouldn’t You Agree…

A year later, in 1972, Fields returned to the studio to record the follow-up album, Contrasts (subtitled Urban Roar To Country Peace), referencing Graham Field’s relocating in the meantime from Battersea to a country residence in leafy Buckinghamshire. Alan Barry had sadly left the band in the interim, returning to session and solo work, which he preferred to the band dynamic, but he was more than ably replaced on the same instrumentation by Frank Farrell, who had come from an early line-up of Supertramp. Sadly, an ill wind swept through the CBS corridors before the album was due to be released, with new American owners coming in with a dismissive attitude to progressive rock in general, and Fields were informed in no uncertain terms that their services were no longer required and their music would not be released. The band then folded (McCulloch going on to join another twin-keyboard band in Greenslade, interestingly), and the album languished in the vaults until 2015 when it was finally allowed to escape into the public arena – and consequently your humble scribe being introduced belatedly to the band.

So, how is that would-be follow up in comparison to its excellent predecessor. Well, ‘not as good’, is the short answer. However, ‘still blessed with much in the way of strong material’ is the more positive longer one. Opener Let Her Sleep is another fine beginning, cut very much from the debut cloth again, and even the dismally-titled Wedding Bells following it up manages to be a very strong track. Storm is an impressive closer, while the profoundly depressing tale of The Old Canal (that old chestnut, tragic suicide of a loved one) packs an emotional punch whilst making you hang your head in weary sorrow. Put Out To Grass invokes the heady spirit of ELP again, while Wonder Why possesses a sprightly jazzy feel, and they are good, entertaining stuff. The weak material is poor though, with Someone To Trust being rather an over-earnest trudging plod and, worst of all, Music Was Their Game setting its sights on the quirky rustic Three Minstrels area again but spectacularly failing. It’s still a strong record overall, but my word, that bar was raised high by the debut. Three tracks recorded at the album sessions have been added, and all are reasonable efforts without any being especially memorable.

The release is nicely presented with a trifold digipak design (though the front cover image is not for the easily offended bunny-lovers among us, as the unfortunate animal is being swept away to its presumed doom by a rather fearsome looking bird of prey – presumably, the eagle of the first album). Having only previously been aware of the second album, discovering the quality of the debut release was an eye-opening experience for me, and I really cannot recommend it highly enough. All in all, this is two discs of quality vintage prog listening. Of all the myriad forgotten avenues and cul-de-sacs in the estate signposted ‘The Forgotten ’70s’, this is one of the best you could wish to find. Rediscover it, you won’t be sorry.

by Steve Pilkington, April 27, 2022

Tracks

Disc 1

1. A Friend of Mine - 4:29 

2. While the Sun Still Shines (Alan Barry) - 3:16 

3. Not So Good - 03:09 

4. Three Minstrels - 4:29 

5. Slow Susan - 3:44 

6. Over and Over Again - 5:56 

7. Feeling Free - 3:15 

8. Fair-Haired Lady (Alan Barry) - 3:05 

9. A Place to Lay My Head - 3:38 

10.The Eagle (Alan Barry, Graham Field) - 5:28 

11.Slow Susan - 3:45 

12.A Place to Lay My Head - 4:26 

13.A Friend of Mine - 3:59 

14.Wouldn't You Agree - 4:17

All compositions by Graham Field except where indicated

Tracks 1-9 from "Fields" Originally Released As CBS Records In 1971

Bonus Tracks 11-12 Alternate Versions

Bonus Tracks 13-14 BBC Radio One Sounds, Recorded 23rd December 1971 

Disc 2

1. Let Her Sleep - 5:01

2. Wedding Bells - 4:00

3. Someone to Trust - 3:49

4. Wonder Why - 3:38

5. Music Was Their Game - 3:01

6. The Old Canal - 4:17

7. Put Out to Grass - 3:29

8. Storm (Frank Farrell, Graham Field) - 4:36

9. Set Yourself Free (Frank Farrell, Graham Field) - 4:35

10.The River - 2:32

11.Spring - 1:49 

All compositions by Graham Field except where noted

Tracks 1-8 from "Contrasts Urban Roar To Country Peace", Recorded 1972

Bonus Tracks 9-11, Recorded 1972

Fields

*Alan Barry - Bass, Classical, Electric Guitars, Mellotron, Vocals 

*Frank Farrell - Lead, Acoustic Guitars, Bass,  Vocals

*Graham Field - Electro-Acoustic Piano, Keyboards, Organ

*Andy McCulloch - Drums, Percussion, Talking Drum, Timpani 

Related Acts

1969-75  Rare Bird - Beautiful Scarlet The Recordings (2021 six disc box set)  

1967-71  Breakthrou - Adventures Highway  

1973  Greenslade - Bedside Manners Are Extra (2015 japan SHM and 2018 bonus tracks remasters)  

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