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The Artwoods — Art’s Gallery
British label Top Sounds Records is releasing an album compiled from the three BBC sessions of The Artwoods: Saturday Club — 13th March 1965, Holiday Pop — 19th April 1965, and Jazz Beat — 8th January 1966.
The ARTWOODS — Art Wood, Derek Griffiths, Malcolm Pool, Keef Hartley and future Deep Purple organist Jon Lord — recorded for Decca, Parlophone and Fontana from 1964 to 1967 and their Decca back catalogue in particular has been well documented by retrospective re-issues and compilations. The thirteen canvasses in ‘Art’s Gallery’ however are sourced completely from three live radio sessions that the ARTWOODS recorded for the BBC during 1965 and early 1966 and were not known to still exist. The British Broadcasting Corporation saved a number of tracks the group played for the Beeb and these have since appeared on the Cherry Red ‘Steady Getting It’ set, the rest of the ARTWOODS’ radiophonic output however was not kept by the BBC with the tapes being erased or junked. Thanks to diligent home taping by a particularly keen fan at the time, the ARTWOODS’ music for radio on ‘Art’s Gallery’ can again be heard in public for the first time in over fifty years. And besides welcome live takes of familiar favourites such as ‘Oh My Love’, ‘She Knows What To Do’ and ‘Don’t Cry No More’, there’s a spoil of cool numbers that the band never committed to disc. There’s the upbeat jazz of ‘That Healin’ Feelin’ and ‘Smack Dab In The Middle’, the slow burning blues of ‘How Long, How Long Blues’ and ‘Black Mountain Blues’, the soulful grooves of ‘Out Of Sight’ and ‘I Got A Woman’ and the pure mod suave of ‘Comin’ Home Baby’ (and more!).
The vinyl version features a profusely illustrated 16 page ‘Radio Times’ sized booklet with a story featuring contributions from lead guitarist Derek Griffiths, and the CD comes with a 24 page edition. The music has been restored to the highest possible standards from the only known surviving reel to reel recordings and Top Sounds feel sure there’s a splendid time for all to be had from a visit to ‘Art’s Gallery’!
Track list
- GEORGE MELLY introduces the ARTWOODS
Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966 - WORK, WORK, WORK (Naomi Neville)
Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966 - OH MY LOVE (Terry Fox, Brian Smith)
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - OUT OF SIGHT (Ted Wright)
Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965 - I AIN’T GOT NOTHING BUT THE BLUES (Duke Ellington, Don George)
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - I’VE GOT A WOMAN (Ray Charles)
Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965 - SHE KNOWS WHAT TO DO (Gump)
Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965 - SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE (Charles Calhoun)
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - THAT HEALIN’ FEELIN’ (Les McCann)
Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966 - BRIAN MATTHEW reads a request
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - COMING HOME BABY (Tucker, Dorough)
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - BLACK MOUNTAIN BLUES (J.C Johnson)
Broadcast on SATURDAY CLUB – 13th March 1965 - HOW LONG, HOW LONG BLUES (Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell)
Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965 - OH MY LOVE (Terry Fox, Brian Smith)
Broadcast on HOLIDAY POP – 19th April 1965 - DON’T CRY NO MORE (Malone)
Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966 - GEORGE MELLY ends the programme
Broadcast on JAZZ BEAT – 8th January 1966
TSLP 007 VINYL album with 16 page booklet
TSSCD 007 COMPACT DISC with 24 page booklet
Vinyl:
UK £21.00 including postage
Europe £24.00 including postage
USA / Canada £28.00 including postage
CD:
UK £14.50 including postage
Europe £17.50 including postage
USA / Canada £18.50 including postage
The album can be ordered directly from the label through a rather convoluted process.
Thanks to Nigel Young for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
No thankyou….do not need for my collection.
June 26th, 2019 at 13:50Wow, that’s a fantstic news. I Hope the soundquality is listenable.
June 26th, 2019 at 18:58I ordered mine should be here in a day or so. Really love Jon’s early work! The steady gettin it box set was a treat.
June 27th, 2019 at 16:15I’ve received mine – absolutely recommended. Yes it’s mono, but the recordings are really warm and vibrant with good instrument separation, Lordy can be heard excellently throughout. Plus: Whatever the Artwoods lacked in star quality and own songwriting prowess, they played really well, much better than a lot of early 60ies bands did.
I would have never dared to expect that those recordings would be so clear, balanced and non-noisy. Get that CD and find out what an excellent organ player Jon already was before he donned purple ruffle shirts!
And of course the BBC announcements are real period pieces!
August 16th, 2019 at 23:52