JULIAN JAY SAVARIN : WAITERS ON THE DANCE

Laurens Hammond was a natural born inventor: at the age of 14 he had already designed a system for automatic transmission for automobiles, at just 17 years old he successfully claimed his first patent for a barometer, and during the years Hammond created an array of other inventions, from clocks to cinema's first 3D glasses. But we progheads are of course very grateful for Hammond his invention of the electric tonewheel organ , this distinctive and powerful keyboard turned out to be pivotal for the development of the progressive rock. How would, to name a few, The Nice, ELP, Yes, Focus, Trace, Earth & Fire, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Brian Auger's Trinity and Camel have sounded without the Hammond organ? And on a smaller scale the Hammond organ was very important for the socalled Early British Progressive Rock movement: bands that made very melodic and harmonic progrock featuring an omnipresent Hammond organ sound, from Rare Bird, Bram Stoker and Fields to Quatermass, Beggar's Opera and Gracious. And Julian's Treatment, in this review I would like to put the focus on this interesting band, and their second album entitled Waiters On The Dance, from 1971.

The prime mover of Julain's Treatment was Julian Savarin who was born in Dominica. He moved to the UK in the early Sixties and was impressed by the London music scene. Soon Julian decided to found his own band, in order to start his ideas about a science fiction trilogy he was working on. He began rehearsing with the musicians John Dover (bass), Del Watkins (guitar), Jack Drummond (drums) and Cathy Pruden (vocals). In june '70 the label Youngblood released their first album A Time Before This. But due to problems with management, promotion and money Julian's Treatment had to demise. Julian returned to writing, concentrating on the second part of his trilogy he had in mind. But one year later Julian was approached by Birth Records to make a new album and Julian decided to form a new band, with only bass player John Dover from the first line-up. Other musicians of Julian's new band were Nigel Jenkins (guitar), Roger Odell (drums) and Jo Meek (vocals). In 1973 the second album Waiters On The Dance was released, not credited by Julian's Treatment but Julian Jay Savarin. Again, there was a total lack of promotion and exposure. Nowadays these two albums are very highly priced collector items. But we don't have to worry about what happened to Julian, he has became a famous writer. First in Japan and later worldwide he succesfully published lots of novels, for instance Waterhole, The Quiraing List, Naja and Hammerhead.

But back to themusic on Waiters On The Dance (1971), remarkably is that the new female singer Lady Jo Meek her voice is pretty similar to former singer Cathy Pruden, perhaps a bit more crystal clear and less 'occult inspired'. Four of the six tracks contain a catchy mid-tempo, powerful female vocals, harder-edged electric guitar and a propulsive rhythm-section: Stranger (subtle strings arrangements and piano work),The Death Of Alda (nice colouring with Mellotron brass and violins and exciting break featuring powerful drum beats and a fiery guitar solo), Cycle (fluent Hammond solo with hints from Brian Auger and jazzy guitar play) and Soldiers Of Time (layers of Hammond).

The two longer compositions are more varied, elaborate and adventurous. First Child Of The Night 1 & 2. The start is Vintage Keyboard Heaven: majestic Hammond waves with the Leslie tremolo sound and Mellotron flute, first soaring and then gradually more lush to a sumptuous outburst, goose bumps! Then flowing shifting moods between slow, hypnotizing and bombastic, with a long and raw guitar solo (accompanied by swelling Hammond) and a final part with exciting work on the Hammond and Mellotron, along harder-edged electric guitar work. This is all topped by splendid vocals, perfectly matching with the different climates. And second my highlight, the instrumental Dance Of The Golden Flamingoes: a very dynamic and compelling atmosphere, halfway a mindblowing Hammond solo (great use of the drawbars to create different moods), followed by a fiery guitar solo and in the end bombastic with a breathtaking Hammond ' and Mellotron sound. To me this evokes Japanese Cosmos Factory (psychedelic Hammond climate) and Museo Rosenbach (a blend of glorious Hammond and Mellotron eruptions), again goose bumps! Listening to this captivating composition I wish that he had written more of that kind of long Hammond drenched tracks, alternating between rock and psychedelia, with a running time of only 31.23 that should have been possible, perhaps an Esoteric reissue?

This second album is superior to the a bit more 'embryonal' sound of his debut album and especially recommended to the Hammond aficionados. But also to progheads who are into the unsurpassed 'aural warm bath' late Sixties/early Seventies sound, by Hammond inspired bands like Rare Bird and Bram Stoker, and Dutch prog pride Earth & Fire.

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