EARLY ONE MORNING

What sounds like the perfect moniker for a San Francisco band that would've existed during 1967's Summer of Love was actually an Irish folk rock band that formed in 1970 Dublin and released a single yet popular album that made MUSHROOM one of Ireland's most popular acts from 1970 to 1974 before they broke up. The early 70s was a fertile era for the world of progressive rock blossoming into many new styles and splintering into varying subgenres and of course the world of folk and folk rock got in on the act. MUSHROOM followed the lead of the English folk rock acts that went in a more progressive direction such as Fairport Convention, The Pentangle or Strawbs and closer to home Roy Harper, Horslilps or Mellow Candle.

The band's only album EARLY ONE MORNING came out in 1973 and spawned the hit "Devil Among The Tailors" which raced up to the #2 position on the Irish pop hit charts. The album was a huge selling over 100,000 copies and enthralled the nation for its short run. MUSHROOM was a Celtic folk rock band that was rather unique in that it mixed traditional Celtic folk music and Irish jigs with a more progressive form of rock music all the while keeping a rather accessible crossover melodic catchiness to its sound. The album featured a beautiful diverse array of instrumentation by its five members which included not only guitar, bass and drums but recorders, tin whistles, violin, mandolin, the traditional bodhran, chimes and of course in the 70s the mandatory organ, harpsichord and moog sounds to make it progressive.

The album offered a diverse collection of tracks that alternated between more nonchalant mellow rockers that have been compared to slower mellower English bands like Cressida and Spring. The upbeat violin dominated tracks likewise have found comparisons to East of Eden's high energy approach only MUSHROOM was clearly rooted in its Celtic roots which offered a distinct and memorable style that perfectly married the contemporary world of progressive rock and psychedelia to the ancient Celtic sounds that have long defined Ireland as a unique musical force. The album starts with the title track and suggests a lazy laid back stoner affair reminding me of early Procol Harum or Rare Bird but the album doesn't waste any time picking up speed and bursts into high energy progressively infused Irish jig rock with the short track "Potters Wheel" offering the most authentic unadulterated Irish jig that serves as an interposing intermission.

The band's time may have been short but by 1974 MUSHROOM was embarking on European tours and selling out concerts all over the homeland. A second single "Kings And Queens" also hit the top 20 but wasn't included on the album but is now offered as one of the five bonus tracks on the newer CD reissues. After all the initial enthusiasm about MUSHROOM and its unique progressive take on the traditional Celtic sounds of Ireland, the band grew frustrated with the usual record label antics and stresses of being on the road. Band members began to quit and the band quickly called it quits leaving a short but fascinating display of high energy Celtic prog rock that was only captured on this sole album release. It's really too bad because the music on EARLY ONE MORNING is instantly captivating with excellent wah-wah guitar moves in cahoots with Celtic grooves and a plethora of unique instrumentation unknown outside of the Irish scene.

Overall this is a really cool album and no psychedelically laced fungi are required for enjoyment! The album showcases a nice variety of slower and faster numbers that celebrate Ireland's rich music history while weaving it all into a tapestry of progressively infused folk rock modernity. The band's sound most resembled the earliest works of Horslips which engaged in a similar approach yet MUSHROOM captivated with a charm all its own with more robust energetic performances. This band was more straight forward in its melodic approach and didn't take the progressive excesses into strange new territories. More of a crossover type band than full blown prog, MUSHROOM's sole release nonetheless is a dynamic powerhouse of 70s Irish folk rock that is engaging from beginning to end.