TITUS GROAN

Just get a load of that cover!

I scraped the barrel for oddities and boy did I found one. They use oboe, but in a rock context. They use flute, but not like Camel or Tull. They use lots of 'Saturday Night Live' sax, surprising for an early 70's record. Their sound is leaning toward the 60's, and especially in the vocal department (oooh's and aaah's are hippie-like).

While the songs are longer than pop acts, their approach is not groundbreaking at all; no musical epiphany here. It's mostly the more rockish approach of a flower-power band. There's no real desire for complexity or exploration, it's just just adding here and there a wind instrument solo to a rock song.

Glad to hear it but soon forgotten. But what is not easily forgettable? The art cover. I dare you to wear this visiting grandma.

3.5

Most of the songs I find pretty average nineteen seventy British blues influenced hard rock fare, however, one song is good.

In The Hall Of Bright Mountain Carvings is a nice song about the book series by Mervyne Peake, Gormenghast. A classic trilogy of books he released in his life and a novella form his contribution to the franchise. Unfortunately, due to mental illness he was unable to complete the envisioned series which would have spanned the titular characters life. Instead, the series was given a weird and deeply personal closing novel by the mans wife who cared for her partner as he lost his mind. Anyways yeah, Titus Groan (band) only released one album and I think choosing to be named after another artist who also never finished their life work is a very poetic beauty. This song has great vocals and woodwind soloes, a real classic track about something really cool.

The only other song I like is Lady Fuschia (A character from Titus Groan)

Anyways, yeah this is a solid debut by a band that never made anything else. Which is a shame the woodwind selection gives the album a really nice character that has gone unused in Progressive Rock since, making the release a fun listen for everyone.

TITUS GROAN were a short-lived British Jazz-Rock quartet, named after the first Gormenghast novel by Mervyn Peake. Their one and only self-titled album, released in 1970, contained five tracks all over five minutes long, including one extended suite "Hall of Bright Carvings" with a running time of nearly twelve minutes. The 1989 CD reissue added three bonus tracks to the album. Let's venture forth now into the fantastic fantasy world of Titus Groan.

The album opens in rousing and rollicking fashion with "It Wasn't for You", a lively saxophonic blast of good old-fashioned bluesy Jazz-Rock, very much in the style of those other fine purveyors of uplifting funky fusion, Ginger Baker's Airforce and the Graham Bond Organisation. The singer has the same kind of rough raucous voice as Graham Bond. In other words, they both sound like they eat gravel for breakfast in the morning, but that's no less than what we'd expect from the best of British blues singers. In fact, this is just the kind of energetic and spirited Jazz-Rock we could all do with listening to first thing in the morning to get us up out of bed and instil a spirit of vim and vigour and get-up-and-go energy to face the day ahead. Alternatively, you could listen to some gentle and relaxing New Age music and roll over and go back to sleep again. Now that Titus Groan have grabbed our attention with the lively opening number, it's time for the extended four-piece suite "Hall Of Bright Carvings". This epic song is a real musical tour de force, featuring flamboyant flutes, heavy guitar riffing, booming bass-lines and pounding percussion. The dynamic contrast between the gently melodic pastoral passages combined with sudden explosive outbursts of musical artillery fire are what really sets this music alight with power and passion. Titus Groan can really carve their names with pride for producing stunning Jazz-Rock like this.

Side Two opens with "I Can't Change", which ironically, is a song full of constant change. It's a resonant flute-driven refrain that draws obvious comparisons with Jethro Tull, although the song takes a very unexpected turn midway through with a pleasant Country Rock diversion, before a return to more familiar fluty Jazz-Rock pastures. Either way, it's a great song that barrels along relentlessly and features enough sudden tempo changes to delight devotees of Jazzy Prog-Rock. The next song "It's All Up with Us" is very commercially appealing, which would have made it an ideal choice for release as a single. The impassioned silver-toned singer is positively bursting with optimism here and the heart-warming music sounds as bright and uplifting as a radiant sunburst of rainbow colours after a summer shower. This is timeless evergreen music where all the brightly-coloured flowers in the garden are blooming. And talking of flowers, along comes "Fuschia" (a misspelling perhaps?), which is sadly the final song on the album, although all good things must come to an end, unless of course you're lucky enough to possess the CD reissue with three bonus tracks included. "Fuschia" refers to Miss *Fuchsia* Groan from the Titus Groan novel. The music is another flawless funky fusion of pounding Jazz-Rock energy, which is altogether upbeat, up-tempo and uplifting.

Titus Groan have delivered a memorable timeless Jazz-Rock classic with their one and only album release. This energetic evergreen album sounds just as good today fifty years on as it ever did back in the halcyon days of the proggy 1970's.

This English prog formation was rooted in the late Sixties, as the band Jon, they recorded two singles at EMI but both were ignored. Then Jon changed the name into Groan (derived from a Fourties fantasy book ) and the band succeeded to get attention from a record company during a festival. Titus Groan got the opportunity to release a maxi single in 1970, but again without success. The next year Titus Groan released an eponymous debut album, in 2010 reissued by Esoteric Records with the three maxi single tracks from 1970 as bonus tracks: Open The Door Homer, Woman Of The World and Liverpool, only the latter track can impress me, a kind of 'Santana jam'.

But Titus Groan its debut album from 1971 sounds to me as interesting, typical early Seventies progressive rock, blending rock, blues and jazz, with inventive compositions and strong interplay between guitar, brass and keyboards. We an enjoy variety and tasteful work on a wide range of instruments.

Swinging with powerful saxophone and lush organ in It Wasn't For You.

Again a swinging rhythm in Fuschia, now with flute and propulsive guitar riffs.

Dreamy with acoustic guitar, warm vocals and flute in I Can't Change.

A mellow atmosphere with wonderful interplay between Fender electric piano, saxophone and electric guitar in It's All Up With Us.

And lots of shifting moods and muscial ideas in the epic highlight Hall Of Bright Carvings (close to 12 minutes): outstanding work on the hobo (evoking early Roxy Music), flute and guitar (in the vein of 'former God' Eric Clapton), along exciting interplay, this is Titus Groan at its artistic pinnale!

After the release of their debut album Titus Groan went on tour, first shortly as support act for legendary Classic Prog trio ELP, and then in the province. Unfortunately halfway 1971 Titus Groan decided to call it a day. Because of a lack of attention, I think too much competition with all those emerging bands in the early Seventies. Keep in mind that even Genesis and Yes had to work very hard to earn money and to get gigs, along all those many interesting good bands from the Early British Progressive Rock Movement: from Gracious, Beggar's Opera and Spring to Rare Brid, Julian's Treatment and Bram Stoker, there was simply no room for Titus Groan.

If you like Colosseum and early Roxy Music or a fusion of rock and jazz, this CD reissue could be worth to discover.

My rating: 3,5 star.

This was my PA review # 1500.

When my eyes for the first time took a glance at the odd cover of this album I just couldn't believe it. I just loved the cover and still do. In it's foul ugliness there are so much beuaty and in part the music within equals that of the exterior. The only album by Titus Groan has followed me around for the good part of 25 years now and it is still as dear to me now as when first discovered in that dusty old basement of record store in the fair university city of Lund, Sweden.

Taking it's name from Mervyn Peake's novel they do not disappoint since they include an epic based on the novel, The hall of bright carvings. I would say that this is the center piece of the entire album. Clocking in at around 12 minutes it is the most progressive of the tracks and easily the best. Consisting of several pieces of quite intense horn-laden prog with a strong blues and jazz bottom it really lets my cop floweth over. The harmony vocals are all very typical for the era. Very, very nice indeed. The guitar is of special interest to me. It has a doomsday feel to it, as if hell is about to break loose. This track is easily 5 stars in my book. The title, the content, the lyrics... But it doesn't start there. The opener, It wasn't for you, is really a magnificent way to start off the album. Frantic jazz-rock with good horns and terrific riffing. I love this track, the way it shifts from the frantic opening to the slowed down vocal part and heavy playing.

The album works for me, from star to finish. Liverpool is a great song with great playing and time changes. The ballad on the album, I can't change, is a lovely piece of early progressive rock with beautiful flute and evocative lyrics. "It's all up with us" is a nice track but not on par with those coming before it. "Fuschia" offers yet again frantic jazz-prog with flute and fuzzed out guitar.

I won't say that it sounds "dated", because obviously it does. It's dated due to being recorded in 1970 and thus is a product of it's time. "Dated" sounds, to me, negative. The music of Titus Groan is very much of the early 70's and that is one thing I love about it. The warmth on display grabs me everytime. It's a great album that I really do like to listen to. If you're into classic and/or early prog this might be for you. I wouldn't call this "classic", because it isn't a classic album but it's a good one.

Actually this is a song review as I have not listened to the entire LP even though I own the original. I have a bad habit of only listening to the longest track on most any album. That said I will add that I've known the song "Hall of Bright Carvings" for years from listening to college radio in the middle of the night.

I listen to all kinds of music, not only rock & metal so I bring that perspective to the table. I am planning in short order on catching up on all my prog rock though. To get to the point "Hall of Bright Carvings" is a classic !! It has a very memorable melody and I love that oboe. Wish more rock groups used one.

There are several top-notch reissue labels at work today - Repertoire, Sundazed, Sunbeam, Revisited - all releasing wonderfully obscure material from a host of once-ignored progressive, psychedelic and jazz-rock groups from the late-1960's and early-1970's, but it is surely Mark Powell's Esoteric Recordings who have embraced the reissue market in the quintessentially true, hyper-enthusiastic fanboy style needed. Thanks to Esoteric's exhaustive efforts, great albums such as 'Space Shanty' by Khan, 'One Niter' by Eela Craig, National Health's 'Of Queue's And Cures' and 'Bundles' by Soft Machine have been re-branded and re-invigorated, complete with attentive sleeve notes, top-quality sound and a genuine respect for the material. And now it is the turn of Titus Groan, an obscure, jazz-hued British group who released their one-and-only self-titled debut in 1970, and, like so many before and after them, vanished into the big dark black hole of rock 'n roll. The group, before their premature split, was four-strong, featuring Stuart Cowell(keyboards, guitars, vocals), Jim Tooney(drums), Tony Priestland(sax, flute, oboe) and John Lee(bass). Their sound was a jazzier and much lighter variant on the Van Der Graaf Generator school of prog, just without the discordant rumblings and shrieking vocals, though elements of Egg, Nucleus, Chicago, Soft Machine and Gentle Giant are also evident. The jazz element is not all-pervasive however, and the album drifts from style-to-style, taking in country rock, bluesy breaks, King Crimson-style discordia and flecks of heavy psychedelia in an engaging, unfussy and highly melodic fashion. Fans of obscure British prog should feel right at home then, and there is much to admire on this fiercely eclectic album, but 'Titus Groan' was obscure for a reason - and despite the genuine musicianship on offer the album does mine a fairly workmanlike style that doesn't really deliver in terms of truly memorable tunes. Jazzy then, and nice, and full of good songs - but it's no classic. STEFAN TURNER, LONDON, 2010

Titus Groan is not a masterpiece (as sometimes advertised) but is not a bad album either. It has decent melodies, good dynamics and well arranged songs performed by skilful musicians. And it has loads of woodwind parts, which are actually the most distinctive and interesting aspect of the album. Tony Priestland's flute, saxophone and oboe feature prominently on all five songs on the album, and to great effect. In fact, his skilled use of the woodwinds is the most 'progressive' aspect of Titus Groan's music ? which would otherwise be better described as a sort of 'psychedelic hard rock' .

While the 11+ minutes long mostly instrumental "Hall Of Bright Carvings" might look like an obvious candidate for best song of the album, in my opinion Titus Groan's best moments are the first two pieces on side B: the dynamic "I can't change" and the mellower "It's all up with us". Stuart Cowell's rough but emotional singing is convincing in both songs, and Priestland does an excellent job with his flute in "I can't change" and with his sax in "It's all up with us". "Hall Of Bright Carvings" is also a good song, although it feels like it dragged a bit to me. But it has its moments too, with pleasant vocal harmonies and some nice oboe work. The other two songs on the album are "It Wasn't For You", which is a decent bluesy opener, and the disappointing and repetitive uptempo "Fuschia".

"Titus Groan ... plus" comes with three bonus tracks originally released as a single in 1970. These are rather standard psychedelic rock songs, which did not impress me a lot: "Liverpool" is an OK pscyh song with a decent instrumental section at the end, "Open The Door, Homer" is a Bob Dylan song which passes away quite unnoticed, while "Woman Of The World" is just a poor pop/rock song.

2.5 stars really, with another 0.5 for the woodwinds.

Here’s some fairly dated-sounding heavy prog from the UK made distinctive mostly thanks to the various wind instruments played by Tony Priestland. You won’t find a whole lot of prog albums that include an oboe, and especially not any where that instrument is featured prominently alongside Priestland’s saxophone and flute blowing as well. In fact, this may be one of the only records fitting that description.

I’ve read the overall impression of the music here described as neo-medieval, which despite being sort of an oxymoron is a pretty depiction. A lot of what leads to that impression is thanks to the flute and oboe playing, but bassist John Lee also contributes with an almost martial sound that isn’t very complex but gives the music a depth that serves to ground it in the sort of timeless setting that many of Jethro Tull’s albums also have. The harmonizing vocals are pure early seventies, particularly on the album’s longest song “Hall of Bright Carvings”. But despite it’s length of more than eleven minutes this isn’t a prog epic or anything; in fact, the band spends quite a bit of time just jamming in the middle and toward the end of the song and I’m left with the impression this was primarily meant as a crowd-pleasing live number.

The “heavy” part of the heavy prog here is due to Stuart Cowell’s intense electric guitar riffs, which along with his organ bleating on tracks like “I Can't Change” make for a hard-rocking sound that was quite popular at the time.

At times the harmonizing vocals serve to date the music even more definitively. “It's All Up With Us” is the best example of this, along with “Woman of the World”, which is one of the bonus tracks not on the original album but included on most of the CD reissues.

Same goes for “Open the Door Homer” (another CD bonus track), but this one is the closest the band would come to a commercially viable work thanks to an ear-friendly and accessible tempo and some BS&T-like saxophone. I don’t know if this one was released as a single, but in 1970 it probably would have charted had it been.

This album (and band) don’t do much for me personally, but their sound would have been quite acceptable at the time this record was released. The biggest knock is on the lyrics, which are sort of petty really and don’t do much to advance the music. A couple of extended instrumentals would have helped considering the fact that the three members of the band were all very decent musicians. I suppose the album deserves a bit more than a collectors-only label, if only because of the decent flute playing and unusual employment of a prominent oboe. So three stars it is, but recommended mostly to folks who have a fondness for pre-synthesizer era prog and don’t mind mediocre production.

peace

I first heard this band on a college radio program and was blown away. The thing that struck me was the vocals. Awesome! Strangely, the liner notes to the CD do not credit anyone for singing, and all of the tracks HAVE singing. Anyway, the first song, "It's All Up With Us", is IMO the best song. Second best is the mostly instrumental track, "Hall Of Bright Carvings". The only downer for me really, is the singing on "Woman Of The World", but it's still half decent. Too bad they only produced one album. Excellent. 4 stars.