IN SPITE OF HARRY'S TOENAIL

Formed by the brothers Colin and Stewart Goldring, British outfit Gnidrolog(the name is meant to be an anagram of the brothers surname but if you look closely you'll find it isn't...) issued two albums in 1972 before a lack of commercial success saw the group fragment the following year. Their first, the oddly-titled 'In Spite Of Harry's Toenail'(who the hell is Harry anyway...?) found the group mining a weird, discordant brand of Crimson-and-VDGG-influenced prog, whilst the follow-up, the superb 'Lady Lake', is often mentioned as one of the genuine lost classics of the early prog age. So what the hell happened? Featuring a palpale lack of memorable melodies, a foreboding atmosphere and some oblique lyrical references to god knows what, 'In Spite Of Harry's Toenail' really is a bizarre and not particularly good album, closer in spirit to the likes of The Residents that it is to the likes of Yes, King Crimson and Gentle Giant. Of course, if slow, meandering songs are your thing then this shoud be right up your street, yet the real genius of Gnidrolog can be found on their second and final album, and it is with that record that the uniniated should really start. Unflinchingly weird, this deserves special mention for it's unique sound, but precious little else. And this is coming from a huge fan of 'Lady Lake'. STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2015