01	I Could Never Be A Soldier						11:34
	02	Ship						06:44
	03	A Dog With No Collar						02:09
	04	Lady Lake						08:53
	05	Same Dreams						02:49
	06	Social Embarrashment						06:32

Gnidrolog (UK) - 1972 - "Lady Lake"
(39 min, "Gnidrolog")

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Tracklist:

1. I could never be a soldier 11:36
2. Ship 6:44
3. A dog with no collar 2:09
4. Lady Lake 8:53
5. Same dreams 2:49
6. Social embarrassment 6:30

Line-up: Stewart Goldring - Lead Guitar; Colin Goldring - Rhythm guitar, vocals, recorder, tenor horn; Nigel Pegrum - Percussion, flute, oboe; John Earle - Soprano, tenor, baritone saxes, flute, lead vocal on "Social Embarrassment"; Peter Cowling - bass guitar, cellos; Charlotte Fendrich - Piano on "Same Dreams".

Recorded at Morgan Studios, London, England. Produced by Dick Parkinson ang Gnidrolog. Produced and remastered for CD by David J Burrows for Disques Rue Bis and Gnidrolog Records.

The Album.

This is the second and last Gnidrolog album (not counting the 'Live' album of the same year) before they split for a long 17 years (read the "Gnosis" - Gnidrolog'2000 - detailed review). So, the only Gnidrolog album I haven't listened to is their debut. I remember just a few bands in the history of Progressive Rock that suddenly ceased to exist after they released a masterpiece or at least the best album in their discography. Apart from Gnidrolog, these first of all are UK (after "Danger Money"), Argent (after "Counterpoint"), Light (after "Light"), and a few more, maybe. There will be some new "Top" sections on Progressor, including "The Most Underrated / Overrated Bands In the History of Prog". I see, you are keen-witted readers, and you are quite right - you'll see these three forementioned bands exactly among the underrated ones...

First off, "Lady Lake" is the work of unique originality. In spite of the presence of already universally recognized (a lot of) Titans and (lots of) other quite strong and original bands cultivating the same fields of Progressive Rock, "Lady Lake" is full of Inspiration and free of influences.

Recently reissued on CD, this is an album of excellent sound quality, which is quite rare for those years. As a real Classic For the Future, "Lady Lake" today is even more than simply listenable work (of genius). While all its vocal themes are excellent, all the instrumental parts within each separate song are simply outstanding with their powerful (real!) jams, full of incredible, diverse interplays between all the instrument(alist)s but especially between saxophones / flutes and lead guitar.

As well as in the case of "Gnosis", (and in spite of the fact that they are) twin-brothers Stewart (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Colin Goldring (rhythm guitar, lead vocals) composed all these songs separately from each other, too, as they were / still are going quite diffferent ways in composing. And if instrumental arrangements (that are made by all the band members, though) in all their songs have some obvious similar structures, Colin prefers more melodic vocal themes, whereas Stewart uses his brother's lyrics for more adventurous singing. The final song is a purely instrumental piece played virtuostically by Stewart on acoustic guitar only. This is one a few real gems of that 'style' together with Mood For the Day (by Steve Howe, from "Fragile", Yes-1972-I), Horizons (by Steve Hackett, from "Foxtrot", Genesis-1972), ...

Of course, the fact that "Lady Lake" was performed with just a few piano touches (ie actually without keyboards), is maybe, even maximizing its distinctly original sound, but to be honest, I'd love if Nessa Glen (female keyboardist for the newest Gnidrolog album) could provide all across the "Lady Lake" (except for the last track, of course!) with her very effective keyboard passages for the next reissue (and I believe in it) of this - if not criminally (I consider it is simply impossibly to use such a word and all the likes at least with regard to Progressive / Classical Music - these being the best manifestations of the most constructive Energy in the world!), then inadmissibly - underrated masterpiece.

VM. September 11, 2000







LADY LAKE (1972)
Reviewed by: Tommy Schonenberg, Keeper of Tommy's Forest of Progressive Rock

"British band which combined ideas from Jethro Tull, Gentle Giant and Van Der Graaf Generator. A combination that hardly could go wrong! The opening track "I Could Never Be a Soldier" has some Gentle Giant-ish melody lines and some very Tull-ish flute playing. Awesome! "Ship" reminds a little of the more lyrical moments of Hammill/VDGG, and is another highlight on this obscure classic. The title-track seems to be more jazz-influenced, and is probably the least accessible track on the album. And "Social Embarrassment" sounds more Gentle Giant than GG themselves! And that's another incredible track! The album also features some shorter and more mellow pieces like "A Dog With No Collar". And yes, this is also one of the few progressive rock bands without any keyboards at all, but with such excellency as this you'll not miss it. Impossible to dislike if you like the three mentioned bands".
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Reviewed by: Peter Pardo from Washingtonville, NY, at Prog-Net

"I first heard of this band in the Gentle Giant newsletter, Proclamation, a few years back, and it piqued my interest enough to search around for this release. Recently I picked it up at Greg Walker's Syn-Phonic Records, and I must say it was worth the wait. For starters, the cover is quite good. A large, menacing hand sweeping over the horizon, while a swan swims in a lake looking up at the monstrous figure approaching.

The music is also very interesting. While not being overly complex, the band has a sound very similar to early 70's Jethro Tull and Gentle Giant. There are six songs, the standouts being "I Could Never Be A Soldier", a haunting prog epic filled with pumping bass and nasty guitar, and the closer "Social Embarrassment." ...... Sax, recorder and flute are prevalent throughout, but the only keyboards are piano on "Same Dreams."

Two members might be familiar to progsters - singer, rhythm guitarist Colin Goldring played recorder on "The YES Album", and Peter (Mars) Cowling went on to play bass for Pat Travers. This CD is a Japanese import and originally on RCA Records. Gnidrolog released an album before this that I don't believe is in print at this time (see our sales page!), but this 2nd release is highly recommended."
Gnidrolog: Lady Lake - Rating: ****
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Reviewed by: Greg Weeks for New Sonic Architecture

"I have a deep appreciation for this band's easy progressive feel, especially their ability to simultaneously soothe and energize the listener. I know for Matt this album elicits comparisons to the more rough'n'ready aspects of the first Gentle Giant LP. As for me, Lady Lake evokes Van Der Graaf Generator's refined blend of instrumentation, ambitious scope, and beguiling horn combinations. Discounting one very short but lovely acoustic guitar number that wraps up side one, the album rests on five substantial sonic pillars; songs that build from loose but complex arrangements to subtly anthemic choruses and sky-blue jams. Good vocals, acrobatic bass work, and seemingly incongruous yet perfectly sane arrangements help make this album a winner. Oh, the horns on "Social Embarrassment" will blow your mind".
GW - Reprinted by kind permission
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Reviewed by: The Freak Emporium

Gnidrolog - Lady Lake. LP, ?20.00. "Top 10 UK progressive rarity from the early '70s with flowing yet complex instrumental and vocal sounds. Great songs and arrangements. If you like T2, Van Der Graaf Genarator or more modern bands like Anekdoten this is for you. Exact Korean reissue from the master tapes".

Reprinted by kind permission
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Reviewed by: Keisuke Washida of Japan - cool progressive rock review in OFFICE CHIPMUNK

The progressive group of the 70's from England ....GNIDROLOG.

"Their sound is the progressive rock that simultaneously has some lyricism and heavy, dark and lunatic beauty of mayhem featuring flute and saxophone. If you look at the album cover of their second album, LADY LAKE, it will fascinate you immediately with the beautiful fantasy picture that clearly alludes to the sound inside. As to their sound, on the strong and tight rhythm section an alluring high tone vocal is supported by the melody of flute and saxophone. And they seem to put more emphasis on whole band ensemble than each solo playing. Particularly the flute is played with enthusiastic intensity, and the saxophone is rather functioning to lead the ensemble, giving the strong proceeding vector. Guitar also takes some solo part but it is better utilized as an accompaniment with compare to the wind. The ensemble of vocal and saxophone may remind you of the sound of Van Der Graaf Generator but the voice is quite different. GNIDROLOG has very unique and brilliant voice. Another small resemblance to VDGG is the fact that saxophone is more pushed to the front line of the ensemble than guitar. The album has a real variety of musical styles. They are the very melodious masterpiece, the lyrical and acoustic song with good arrangement, and the very aggressive song with some taste of maniac feeling. Some of the songs hint at the sound of King Crimson in their mid era, the lyricism and insecurity that causes your uneasiness. In most of them we may say the color of the music is painted mainly by saxophone ensemble. And in some songs guitar successfully pinpoints it with very good phrasing. Consequently the album is one of the masterpieces of the 70's that give you the feeling of the beauty of destruction. Although there is little amount of playing keyboard (just piano), the sound of ensemble is really colorful thanks to cello, flute and other wind instruments. You must be really impressed with this fact because you may be soaked in the synthesizer sound of the 90's."










Gnidrolog - A History
By Stewart Elliott Goldring

Chapter 1
In the beginning...

This history is based on my recollections about the band and discussions with Gnidrolog members over a long period of time. Let me state right from the off that I am not a writer or journalist so this history is going to be pretty painful for me in some ways. We all have good and bad memories about this period [1969 - 1972] and many of our friends aren't around now. Still, more about that later. A history of Gnidrolog really is a history of me and my twin brother Colin. The fact that we are still playing and thinking about music [and Gnidrolog] after all this time when everyone else ''grew up'' is quite amazing.

Colin and I are identical twins. We were born in Tottenham on 18 May 1950 to Rose and Harry Goldring and we have a sister, Deirdre who is 2 years older than us. Our family was a Jewish family, deeply religious and like a lot of Jewish families, everyone was expected to learn and play musical instruments. Neither mum or dad were musicians but our house was always full of music - mainly classical. Also, we were taken to see the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts and others from an early age so our initial musical influences were western classical and Jewish music. The Eastern influence is definitely still around in our music today.] Because the family was bombed out of London during the Blitz [1942 - 44] we moved to a housing estate called Debden in Essex when we were 2 years old. We exhibited extrovert tendencies from an early age and loved singing, playing, acting and dancing. At the age of 11 years, mum took us to audition for Lionel Bart's Oliver! which had opened at the New Theatre.

We passed the audition and began our professional careers in the 'entertainment industry!' So you could say we've been around the biz for 38 years! We met some interesting people including David Jones who was playing the Artful Dodger. He later became the lead singer in The Monkees. Someone also reminded me that Phil Collins started in the show at the time so it was a breeding ground for some useful musicians and artists.

Colin and I went on to do various movies and TV work, [too boring to list] but our real interest was in music. We were playing violin up to the age of 12 when we took up brass instruments and learned trumpet (Colin later played Eb Tenor Horn in the band and I played violin at the early gigs).

By the age of 13, Colin and I became much more interested in popular music and I bought my first guitar. It cost me _5 and the action was 8 inches off the fret board. Virtually unplayable - but I loved it! We began to do the rounds of the Folk Clubs at that time. I remember some great clubs in London like The Scots Hoose, Bunjies Folk Cellar, the CND club, New Merlin's Cave. In those days you could play regularly with great artists like, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy, Peggy Seeger, Davy Graham, Roy Harper, Ewan McColl, and of course the blues players like Sonny Terry, Brownie McGee, Sugar Pie DeSanta. The scene was very 'eclectic.' That is to say that anything went and there were no clear divisions in music styles and genres. The 60's were a great time to be young and interested in music. At that time the following bands were around all influencing and drawing from each other. The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Beach Boys and of course Bob Dylan. Wow!

Not only that, 'youth culture' was beginning to define its own place in Western Civilisation to the extent that being under 20 was synonymous with living on a different planet from everyone else. There was also the drug culture and we were aware at a young age of its presence and importance in young people's lives.

Also, we were very much involved in the political scene and were active in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament [CND] and with left wing politics. In 1966 both the Vietnam War and nuclear proliferation were important to many young people.

Colin and I left school [Brook County Secondary School in Loughton] and went to Loughton College where we studied drama and girls! We met up with Chris Ryan and teamed up to make a trio playing the clubs. We have kept in touch with Chris who later became famous as an actor in The Young Ones. Chris's claim to fame of course was that he had a top selling record with his hero, Cliff Richard when they re-released the 'Young Ones' for charity purposes.

We left college and home in 1967/8 when our father was killed in a road accident and went our separate ways for a year. Colin and I got back together and moved to South Woodford where we lived in poverty until one fateful day when we were to meet our future manager Will Sproule and began to think about Gnidrolog - but that's in Chapter 2.



Chapter 2
Early days...

So, there we were practically starving in this flat in South Woodford, 18 years old trying to keep the wolves from the door by playing folk gigs. Colin had been working in Colchester Repertory Company and I had been working at Birkenhead Argyle Theatre for Youth in a touring drama company. We weighed about 10 stone between us and survived by stealing milk and nicking broken biscuits from the grocers!

When I was on tour with the Drama Company one of the actors [Titch] was the ex roadie for Dave Dee, Dozy, etc and lived in Northampton. I remember that he was also a friend of the piano player of the Nashville Teens [remember Tobacco Road?] who turned me on to West Coast records and got me interested in bands like Lynne County, Spirit, Iron Butterfly, The Doors and the like. I was also becoming aware of some of the more interesting things that were happening here including Soft Machine, Family, Traffic etc.

At the house we used to live in was a guy called Lester Brown who was an ex bodybuilder and professional guitarist / singer (Lester now works out in Bermuda somewhere). Anyway, we 'borrowed' the electric guitars (as you do) and attempted to turn our folk material into a more dynamic rock based music.

One day when we were at just about our lowest ebb, there was a knock on the door and in walked our future manager. "Hiya boys, Will Sproule here - but you can call me Sir. I live over the road and I have been listening to you practice for some time now. You guys are great - but you need managing - that's where I come in!" Before us stood this balding beanpole in a suit speaking in a hurried Belfast accent, clutching a suitcase which obviously had money in it! "What d'ya need and how can I help?" " We need a PA, guitars, roadies, record deal, radio shows, gigs, rehearsal place, somewhere to live, retainers, studio, agency and about 6 months of hard work before we do anything!" I murmured through a haze of smoke. "One thing at a time boys, one thing at a time!"

So it was, that this became the start of an interesting and long-lived relationship. Within weeks, we had begun to put our ideas into practice. What we badly needed were other musicians to play with. After all, Colin and I knew each other fairly well but you couldn't be a band without a rhythm section. We advertised in the Melody Maker for people interested in the project but got no takers at first. I can't remember what we asked for in the advertisement but it obviously turned most people off. Retrospectively I cannot understand why we weren't overwhelmed with applicants. One of the few respondents was Nigel Pegrum. He had been spending some time in Turin Conservatoire studying flute but also played drums. He brought with him a small hand drum. Nigel's audition consisted of us singing the songs and him keeping time on his hand drum and breaking out now and again on his flute.

We got on well from the start; Colin and I liked his dry sense of humour and twinkling eyes. So we said yes even before we had heard him play. Later we found out that he had played with a good local band called Spice with Mick Box who later became Uriah Heep.

The next problem was to find a bass player from several who auditioned with us. Our first bass player was a guy called 'Doug' who we threw out pretty quickly for bringing home some under aged girls who had latched on to us. I seem to remember a certain young girl's father laying siege to the premises so he had to go. We auditioned again and narrowed our choices down to 2. One was the bassist of a nice little band called Hackensack. They were a lively entertaining band with a great singer I seem to remember. We heard him play but couldn't trace him after the auditions. We later heard that he had been involved in an accident and that's why we couldn't find him.

The second bass player was Peter Cowling who presented as a rather dour guy in his mid twenties. Ancient in comparison to us young things! However, he had an impressive moustache, northern accent and played with his fingers! I was most impressed! We asked him to join and immediately moved in together to a house in South Woodford. Why we decided to do that is also beyond me. If you really want to get on each other's nerves this is the best way to do it! I think it was because we were all broke and had no where else to live except Nigel, whose posh parents lived in Theydon Bois.

Rehearsals began in earnest at a room above a shop in Leytonstone High Road. Pretty soon it became evident that something rather unusual was happening.



Chapter 3
Something strange is going on::..

It certainly was. First of all, each of our backgrounds and our musical approach was quite different. I had been heavily influenced by the West Coast music; Colin was essentially a songsmith who tinkered with an infuriating range of instruments. He had (and still has) this uncanny ability to play anything! Sax, trumpet, Eb tenor horn, recorders, mouth organ, guitar, bang it, pluck it, blow it - it was all the same to him! Mars I think was impressed with this versatility and immediately took up the cello! Nigel had left Spice (who later became Uriah Heep) and had gone on to study flute and oboe at the Conservatoire in Turin. For my part, I was a particularly average violinist so between us we had this fantastic range of sounds to play with. Mars came from a rock background and Nigel had been playing soul music, and Colin was a folkie!

Our rehearsal schedule was punishing and we were entirely dedicated to playing. Rehearsals would some times go on for 6 hours without a break. I cannot envisage any band today having the same kind of rehearsal programme that we did. It wasn't that we were not aware of other bands at the time of course. King Crimson, Soft Machine, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Quintessence, Camel, Caravan were all gigging at the time. But who was influencing whom?

Perhaps what was so different was that our rehearsals were entirely democratic. Nobody led a session. Each individual would bring an idea to the work and off we would go. Colin and I would quite often bring the song type material to sessions and very quickly, the work would progress through improvisation until an arrangement had been built. I guess there were key musical themes and strategies in what we did that still play an important part in our work today. Drama and humour were essential to our live gig work but we found it difficult to translate that for recordings.

Quite often, we would exploit classical forms to extend our pieces. The longer pieces had repeating themes, sometimes taken by a different player. Each player having their own line meant that you had to concentrate all the time if the whole piece wasn't to break down completely. Perhaps if you listen to Long Live Man Dead, you'll see what I mean. If you listen to the fast movement following the introduction you will hear Colin playing solo recorder. He uses the same phrases but played much slower in the Skull section later on in the same piece. Each player would take a motif or theme from the main melody and expand upon it. The bass part in this section is like no part you have heard or will ever hear again. I recently tried to analyse it and gave up. Mars Cowling is and was one of the finest musicians ever in the rock world (he later went on to play with Pat Travers of course). It beggars belief or description.

Actually at the time I was hardly aware of what anyone was playing because my part was technically almost impossible to play. Colin still ribs me about my playing and says I play left-handed music. In a way he's right because although I am very left handed I play the guitar conventionally as a right handed player would play! As for Nigel, Mr flute and bashit himself, his parts cross all of ours. It was extremely taxing and exciting to play this way - never a let up or a dull moment I assure you. Energy, enthusiasm, anger, great playing and some ground breaking ideas.

Anyway, this went on without a break for about 6 months. At the end of this time, we were starving and emaciated, except for Nigel who had teamed up with a young woman who would bring the odd hamper of food in. I seem to remember Nigel working at night as a mini cab driver as well. That's why he got the nickname of 'The White Tornado!' It was the name of some awful cleaning product at the time and clearly describes him even to this day. His room was always spotless, he works / worked about 25 hours a day and was (and still is) a drug free musician. Quite rare in those days.

During all that 6 months, we never let anyone hear what we were doing, never recorded anything and didn't do a gig. It couldn't last of course and before we knew it our first gig loomed over the horizon. Before I continue, I think it is important to realise that in 1970 Colin and I were 20, Nigel was 21 and Mars was about 25 (I think!). Now being full time musicians and artists in those days was quite rare. For Colin and I, it was something we had been getting used to since we were in films and on the stage professionally from the age of 11. We already saw ourselves as being somewhat different from other people. Having left home at 15, we were also quite used to taking care of ourselves. What was a real shock was::. Well more of that in the next chapter!



Chapter 4
On Sex and drugs

This is the part of the history where readers could realistically expect me to describe at length the many sexual, drugs and other tendencies usually associated with musicians (I am reminded here by the webmaster that up to now this site has been characterised by its lack of adult xxx material!). After all, how on earth could good looking musicians, dressed in the finest crushed velvets, suedes, flowing Afghans, knee length black boots, hair, (lots of it!) and all the glitterama not be assaulted on a regular basis by gorgeous females (and males I guess) seeking to live out their sexual fantasies with young men at the peak of their physical development?

Easily, is the answer. The 'shock' referred to in the previous chapter refers to our reaction to others' excesses rather than our own. Not that we were prudes in any way, far from it! When we started gigging full time, the opportunities for this activity were severely curtailed. After all, who wants a quick liaison with a girl of dubious sexual morals and 'health' when we were actually sensitive, shy young guys looking for someone to love (Editor breathes sigh of relief!)? So if any of you thought I was going to describe lurid scenes of debauchery and excess, I am sorry to disappoint you. (Editor breathes even bigger sigh of relief!). The truth is that being on the 'road' is a painful, lonely job with very few perks other than the hour and a half you get to play!

It seemed therefore that everyone in the world was getting it on around us in a big way, that's everyone except us of course. Living out of suitcases, going from hotel to hotel, journey after journey, fatigue, bad food and travel sickness were the order of the day and night for us. We seemed to attract a lot of very strange people who may aptly be described as 'hangers on!' Mentioning no names of course, but they will know who they are! (If they are still alive to remember).

In the '70s the most commonly used drugs were Grass / Hash and LSD. Like many others I am still addicted to tobacco and I am nearly as good at giving it up as starting again! As a band we were surrounded by mists of dope and in many ways it was more common to our environment than oxygen. Luckily, we managed to side step the more dangerous drugs although people were dropping like flies around us from the excesses of hard drugs. There were several sad instances of friends taking the soft flight from a tall building or overdosing. Good friends that should be enjoying their lives right now.

There was an amazing array of different 'brands' of dope; black, Lebanese, temple balls, homegrown and you could buy as much as you wanted. There was always an abundant supply and much of it was free - courtesy of 'friends!' However the most used drug by musicians was alcohol. Don't ask me why, I like a half of cider in the summer evenings but there was definitely a culture surrounding drinking at that time and I don't suppose it has changed much.

I must say straight off that anyone who thinks they can play better when they are smashed are sadly deluding themselves. You certainly couldn't play in a band like Gnidrolog without your senses being fully operational. Furthermore I can put up with anyone who's had a bit of hash in preference to a drunk, every time!

You realise of course that all this is being written in the stream of my consciousness. I HAVE JUST REALISED WHAT A HUGE SUBJECT THIS IS. I haven't mentioned; musical instruments, fashion, record companies, managers and agencies, rock n roll excess, bands we knew, the motorway scene, - it just goes on and on. Well, my next subject therefore is.::::::...



Chapter 5
Gigs: gigs:.

Saint Peter is at the pearly gates waiting to receive applicants for the great beyond. He addresses the waiting multitude.

" Now listen up, I've got a very busy morning so I just want you to step up, tell me your average annual income and your profession and I'll hand you the key to your heavenly room."
The first applicant approaches; " $80,000 dollars a year, Doctor in Child Psychology."
" There you go. Room 23, round to your left. Next!"
"$45,000 dollars a year, TV Technician."
"Room 57, 1st right, 2nd left - have a good eternity! Next!"
"$5,000 dollars a year:.."
" Oh yeah! Which instrument did you play?"

(From Rick Kemp - a musician's joke!).

Gnidrolog was very much a gigging band. We played sometimes 2 gigs a day and would travel miles to get from town to town. We didn't work abroad much except for an aborted tour of Germany with The Kinks. [ More about that later!] We would often share the bill with other bands and the general trend in those days was that gigs sometimes had more than 3 bands playing. As always, everyone wanted to play last because that meant you were headlining and had a head start. Someone out there should write a ''where are they now'' book about some of those great bands. Gigs were eclectic and there was always a mix of styles and genre at each gig. For those of you old enough to remember or listening now to '70s music, here's a list. I have to admit on not remembering everything but some stuck in my mind.

Hackensack- great rock band with a heavyweight singer; Quintessence - hand me a joss stick somebody; Gypsy - the trumpeter sticks in my mind; The Groundhogs - with Tony McPhee - still around I hear; Patto - one of the very best, Happy Magazine - where are they now I wonder? Magma - weird, Man - one of my favourite all time groups, Gentle Giant - not so gentle!; Wishbone Ash - two guitars in 3rds, Terry Reid - with David Lindley would you believe; Thin Lizzie - with Eric Bell on lead - great player; Colloseum, Centipede - fusion orchestra experimenting with rock forms pre dating Tubular bells; Quicksand - another great little band from Wales; Stray, Uriah Heep (I could tell you a story about Mick Box and his white trousers - but not now), Family, East of Eden, Amon Duul, King Crimson, Soft Machine, Camel, Caravan, Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Graham Bond, Stackridge, Greenslade, Pink Floyd, And many more. . ( Maybe you could send me your own lists - I seem to have missed many that should have been included).

On the horizon of course was the complete antithesis of this anarchy, and the main reason why 'progressive music' was to fade almost as quickly as it bloomed . Gary Glitter, T Rex, Mungo Jerry, Leo bloody Sayer, Mud, The Bay Shitty Rollers, Sweet, Edison Lighthouse, Baccara and the rest. There were of course (IMO) some great pop acts as well like Blondie and Harry Nillson but all in all, there followed a succession of lowest common denominator clap trap that ensured that the record companies played safe.

It was a great time (1969 - 1972) when, as if by coincidence, all these ground -breaking acts were somehow playing the same venues around the same time. At the risk of being technical for a moment, it's worth mentioning that sound equipment was very different and had limitations and differences that modern equipment superseded (Editor - if you are bored by technical stuff - you can jump this bit!). Most PAs were columns and rarely had a separate mixer unless you were a big act. We were very proud of our 500 watt WEM with an Audiomaster mixer. Coool!

Bands didn't use monitors because everything went straight out - as loud as you could! This usually meant that anything in a radius of 30 yards of the speakers would be deaf within 10 seconds and the rest of the audience couldn't distinguish between any of the instruments. Then there were the standard on-stage mikes - Shure SM 57s or 58s, great warm sound much better than the very dry sounds used today (IMO). Guitar amplifiers used KT88 beacon valves and later EL34s. Great sounds but they didn't travel well and were superseded by transistors. Once again, that classic '70s sound was lost with the more modern equipment.

Gnidrolog were only the second band in England to use a stereo 'bin' PA. Kelsey Morris built it for us and it took a lot of getting used to. Now all bands use bin enclosures, monitor speakers, on-stage mixers, stereo panning etc. It tends to compartmentalise the individual sound which makes for good clarity and separation, but loses on the overall sound and intensity of the combined elements. Synthesisers were still very new and unused, the Mellotron or Hammond being preferred by keyboard players. Bass guitarists went for Gibson EBOs or Fender Precisions, Drummers - Slingerland or Premier, Guitarists - Gibson or Fenders and singers preferred the pair of socks down the left leg of the trousers (looked a bit strange on some of the female performers though!).

Early gigs are somewhat hazy but one does stick in my mind. It was at The Red Lion in Leytonstone High Road, a regular rock gig in those days. We were supporting Argent who had signed to Asgard Agency in the UK and we were following each other from gig to gig. It was true to say that early audiences were not quite sure how they should 'receive' us! Probably what stood out was that we were constantly switching instruments, and I remember that Colin was playing anything up to 6 different instruments in one piece. Being identical twins I suppose is also a bit of a novelty. Also it was very much a 'show' rather than just a musical performance. Later on we had our own light show but I also remember doing gigs with The Great Western Light Show. The light shows were a joy to behold in their own right and were artistically stunning and inventive. We always wanted to add dancers and actors but didn't have the available resources. We were however constantly followed by what were called 'idiot dancers.' We were always trying to do something different and challenging audience's normal perceptions of what a gig was and what groups actually played. When you aim high of course, you don't always reach there but it wasn't for want of trying. Also, we were very self critical in that we were constantly re-evaluating what we would play.

As gigs progressed, we began to formulate ideas that worked well live. The albums never truly represented what gigs were like but maybe the release of the Live 72 album will give people more of a flavour of our stage work. The first 6 months were therefore given over totally to rehearsing and refining our act and pushing out the boundaries of what was possible. Colin and I didn't drive at that time so we were ferried by Nigel and the roadies to and from rehearsals and gigs. Our main goal was to get signed to a recording company as soon as possible in order that we could expand our horizons.

Reviews of our live gigs were wide ranging from the abusive to the sycophantic. I tried not to read them but I remember that we were deeply hurt by some of the uncomplimentary ones. It may seem that during that period, anyone could get a contract from a major record company. This simply was not the case.

Chapter 6
"Just sign here please..."

We had begun to create quite a buzz around the business and no one was quite sure where we were "coming from," including us of course. It's been interesting to revisit some of these pieces now and try to play them. Actually, Colin and I are much better musicians now than we were then. Even so, some of this stuff is virtually unplayable but when you listen to 'Live 72' CD I think you'll agree that the band sounds really tight. Maybe it was the mixture of our folksy humour and songs with Nigel and Mars doing the arrangements that made it eclectic and interesting. However, the influences do shine through - Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd etc.

We were signed to our Manager, a charming guy called Will Sproule who currently manages piano players and later managed Ronnie's Upstairs (in Soho). He was determined to get us 'a good deal' and after several forays and try-outs with various labels, we were signed to RCA. In those days, RCA had Elvis Presley and David Bowie and that's about it! Head of RCA in the UK was Ken Glancy, a really nice guy who certainly took a risk signing us! They had just started their Neon label, which was where bands like us were supposed to reside. I shall never understand therefore why both our albums for RCA came out on the RCA label and not the Neon label!

Now their A&R person responsible for 'looking after' us was a complete idiot (allegedly) called Alan Sizer. Are you out there Alan? I sincerely hope you are not involved with musicians. I shall never forget a particular conversation I had with him. It was concerning a track on 'Lady Lake,'called 'A Dog with No collar.' The lyrics are: Sightless am I - cadaver born, By critic's pen - my task is torn, Remnants that once were principles Now but rags in a pauper's tomb. The Conversation went something like this.... Sizer: "What's all this about then? Who's going to understand all that? What does it MEAN anyway? What does the title have to do with the words anyhow? Why can't you just play rock and roll - that's what they want to hear.. Not all this deep and meaningful nonsense!" You are probably expecting me to report that I replied with a cutting riposte. I can only remember feeling totally undermined and demoralised that their opinion of us was so low.

Remember, not many progressive rock bands were signed up to major labels and the 1970's pre dates the rise of the independent labels. I should say here that Gnidrolog were signed to a huge deal with recurring options on the side of the record company. In other words, as long as we kept making albums, we could not sign to any other company. Even to this day, I do not know how many albums we sold or where all the advance royalties went. When BMG took RCA records over, they licensed two re-releases of Lady Lake and I still don't know how many of those were sold either! (more on this, later...)

Ken Glancy died soon after which left the rest of RCA not quite knowing what to do with us. When we came to make our first album 'In Spite of Harry's Toe-Nail' RCA insisted that we have a Producer, to keep an eye on us. His name was John Schroeder and to give him his dues, interfered very little in what we recorded. In fact, I can't remember him being there that much anyway! His claim to fame was that he was involved in a pop record by Helen Shapiro called 'Walking Back to Happiness' and was a 'close friend' of Britain's answer to Elvis Presley - Cliff Richard!

It's a small world - the music business - and what goes around comes around. Our drummer in the UK who will appear with us on UK and gigs in Europe is Steve Timms - currently playing with guess who - Helen Shapiro! There is another even more obtuse connection here. Our great friend who we played with in a folk group between 1966 - 1968 was and still is the actor Chris Ryan. We appeared with Chris in a movie called 'Santa Claus - The Movie' some years back. UK readers will know Chris from a great TV show called 'The Young Ones', a big hit over here in the '80s. He also appears in other TV shows such as 'Absolutely Fabulous' and 'The Vicar of Dibley' - he's the little one. It was always his wish to appear with Cliff - and he made a number one remake of 'The Young Ones' with him some years ago!

So there we were, signed on a huge deal to one of the biggest record companies in the world who were not at all interested in what we were doing and certainly unhelpful in bringing Gnidrolog to a wider audience. Meanwhile back at the camp.......



Chapter 7
Let's work together...

Colin and I suffer from an affliction not conducive to the tough world of the entertainment industry. Those people who succeed have to be made of extremely stern stuff and have an unwavering belief in everything they do. Colin and I have always started out believing that people are for the most part always well intentioned, dedicated to making the world a better place for all! Neither were we concerned about our financial futures or stability - only about how good the music could be. Sitting ducks really for anybody with a penchant for feasting off of others good fortune. Now I guess that once our advance had been paid by RCA, the manager must have recouped his debts and been able to pay for the rent of the property we all lived in. Looking back, we seemed to have moved at least 4 times in 2 years so maybe the rent never got paid!

Will, our manager, always seemed stressed but I have never discussed these matters with him (Colin and I met up with Will again only recently after a break of 20 odd years!). By this time each of us were 'shacked up' with women who were living with us in the band's house. So, that was a minimum of 8 people, (10 when John Earle joined us) plus a variety of others. Roadies, techies, their girlfriends and other 'friends' made this quite a collective. Do not imagine for a moment that this meant we all sat down to dinner together to eat our collectively purchased food - far from it! Each pair was responsible for their own space and looking after themselves. In fact, off stage or out of rehearsals we did not mix socially at all. I guess we were working too hard to have a social life anyway and Colin, Nigel and I have always got on well over the years. I should say here that Colin's girlfriend at the time, Helen, later became his wife and they have 3 lovely kids! None of the other relationships lasted anywhere near as long and we all found it hard to make long term relationships at the time.

Prior to the 'Lady Lake' album, we decided to augment the band with a 5th player. The thinking behind this was to produce a bigger sound and alleviate the problem of each of us having to double all the time - especially Nigel - who was playing flute, oboe and drums. I remember auditioning several musicians and ending up with John Earle, an affable and excellent sax player who was a close friend of Mars Cowling. Even before we had started work on the second album, there were personal problems between the band members. Firstly, Mars was not exactly an outgoing warm person and that often played on our sensitivities. Also, he liked the drink which could also cause problems. I think that from quite early on in Gnidrolog, Mars was determined to play with his own friends and his strategy to achieve this was to alienate Nigel and myself and to 'introduce' other players in the band. Not difficult to do as Colin and I trusted everybody, including the musicians who were friends of Mars that somehow decided to come and live with us!

Two of those musicians were Benny, the drummer from 'Warm Dust' and the guitarist John Knightsbridge. Where are you now guys I wonder? Several months before 'Lady Lake' was recorded, Benny, John Knightsbrige, John Earle and Mars Cowling, were rehearsing Gnidrolog music in secret waiting to pounce as soon as we had finished the album.

Even before the second album, Colin and I were discussing the impact of the end of the progressive era and the beginning of glamrock. We were convinced that Gnidrolog couldn't survive and we needed to think about recording something that was more accessible, whilst retaining ther progressive, eclectic side to our stage show. Retrospectively, we were absolutely right and the manager and record company were sympathetic to the change in recording strategy post 'Lady Lake.' Mars wanted to continue along the same continuum and I suppose that's why he thought it was right to do what he did.

This all came to a head one night when Nigel and I were 'told' that Will Sproule had 'decided' that we would be replaced by John and Benny and that Colin would have to stay in the band to promote Lady Lake. So it was that Nigel and I left and Gnidrolog carried on for about 6 months with this other line up. It was an utter and complete disaster. I remember going to se them play! John Knightsbridge had learned every note of my guitar solos without having any of the individuality, expression or talent. In short, he was technically proficient but a lousy musician. Benny was a nice guy but unfortunately he was an average drummer, in way over his head.

Colin looked like a bacon sandwich at a Jewish wedding and was refusing to write any new material. He was also becoming increasingly ill and demoralised with the whole process. One night, he packed his guitar away, and along with Helen, left in the middle of the night and that was the end of Gnidrolog! That should have been the end of the story really. But before the next chapter, I thought I might dwell on what possessed these people to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

I wish I knew what drove Will Sproule, Mars Cowling, Dick Parkinson, RCA, Alan Sizer and the others to do what they did. I guess Gnidrolog - even its name- was so strange and different that it was never going to become a mainstream act. Even the progressive bands at the time who met with success, Genesis, King Crimson and Yes were more accessible than we were. Gnidrolog was a one-off, a meeting of different minds, greater than the sum of its parts. The lesson learned here of course was that individuals make good teams and some people can never be replaced in a band. In Gnidrolog, that was Colin, me and Nigel Pegrum. We wrote practically everything, and Colin and I have a special understanding of each other because we are twins. They must have thought they were doing the right thing; history has proved them terribly wrong. I spoke at length to Mars Cowling several months ago but I don't think we made any progress as to why things happened as they did. Still, I'd like to think that they were genuinely sorry about what happened. It would be nice and tidy for everyone if this was the last chapter in the history of Gnidrolog, but I thought you might like to know about what happened next............



Chapter 8
These press cuttings have been sent to us by Tim Light - thanks Tim! They deal with the band shortly after Nigel and I left and make interesting reading!