WE WERE A HAPPY CREW

At first listen to this compilation of Spirogyra's 3 early 1970s studio albums, my impression was that of another INCREDIBLE STRING BAND, and it's true that Spirogyra is too overtly psych for its own good. It's a testament to the quality of the compositions and the musicianship that this group rises far above the primordial hippie haze of its time.

The group possesses several fine vocalists of both genders, particularly Barbara Gaskin; command of a variety of instruments, a chunky rhythm section, especially Steve Borrill's bass; and a yin yang blend of LINDISFARNE's tomfoolery with AMAZING BLONDEL's delicacy, or perhaps that of early FAIRPORT. This merging of seemingly incongruous temperaments has rarely worked so well.

Very little here is dispensable once you give it a chance, but "The Future Won't Be Long", "We were a Happy Crew", "Wings of Thunder", and pretty much the last 5 tracks (all sourced from their jaw-dropping final studio album) are all especially noteworthy, none more so than the multi part suite "Western World".

While I admit to preferring my prog folk with only sprinklings of trippy ambiance, I can't deny the existence of Spirogyra as being anything other than a happy highlight of my favourite subgenre.