JULIAN JAY SAVARIN : WAITERS ON THE DANCE

The brainchild of this musical project is Julian Savarin. He was born in Dominica but moved with his family to Britain in the early Sixties. He was a writer and a keyboard player and longing to fullfill his musical ideas. Julian recruited his own band with John Dover on bass, Del Watkins on guitar, Jack Drummond on drums and Cathy Pruden on vocals. They started rehearsing and gigging round London as Julian's Treatment. In june '70 the label Youngblood released their first album "A Time Before This". Two years later Julian was approached by Birth records to make a new album. Only bass player John Dover came from the old line-up, other musicians of Julian's new band were Nigel Jenkins (guitar), Roger Odell (drums) and Lady JoMeek (vocals). And in '73 the second album "Waiters On The Dance" came out, credited by Julian J. Savarin (nowadays a famous SF writer!).

The music on this second album sounds very dated and relatively simple but the atmospheres are often very compelling, due to the warm and powerful voice of Lady JoMeek (with echoes from Annie Haslam but with more emotion), the omnipresent floods of Hammond organ, some majestic flute - and violin Mellotron drops, fiery guitar play and a fluent rhythm-section. The album contains six compositions, all are on the compilation A Time Before This .. Plus except the track Dance Of The Golden Flamingoes (wonderful interplay between Melotron and Hammond organ), that's why I have bought this CD!

Julian's Treatment their melodic and tasteful sound has echoes from Earth & Fire, Rare Bird and Bram Stoker, blended with some psychedelic undertones and harder-edged guitar work. In my opinion this is one of the most overlooked gems on Prog Archives!

Julian Jay Savarin natural born Dominican but moved to GB later on may be considered another named that gone under the radar in prog circles maybe because of lack of exposure or bad management. One of the proeminent figures from ealry '70 in prog both if we speak as a solo artis or with Julian Treatment, he is not regarded among well known composers and keyboard playes of his time. The one and only album under his name saw the light in 1971 named Waiters on the dance and is an excellent album all around, better then many well known releases from that era. He was more known as a writer, specially in Japan , for publishing novels. Back to the album, there is a lot to like here, fuzzy guitars going into psychedelic prog terrytory, lots of mellotron and inventive keyboards, very nice vocal parts, in some places is similarity with lets say dutch Earth & Fire. Al in all more then great and quite underrated in my opinion, all pieces standing as almost excellent with a plus on opening Child of the Night 1 & 2, an 8 plus min of pure delight. 4 stars easy, and recommended one of the better psych/prog albums from early years of that decade..

To me, this improves on A Time Before This. Julian Jay Savarin decided to drop the Julian's Treatment name, probably due to everyone in that group leaving aside from the bassist, John Dover, with new musicians in their place. Of note is Jo Meek, sister of Anna Meek of Catapilla (in fact Jo was originally in Catapilla, but jumped ship to Julian Jay Savarin before Catapilla recorded). I found it rather amusing some sources stating "Anna Jo Meek" sang on this album, which is silly, since Anna and Jo were two separate people. To be honest, Waiters on the Dance is basically another Julian's Treatment album. Jo Meek's vocals aren't too terribly different from her predecessor Cathy Pruden (I was expecting Jo to do similar screaming her sister did on Catapilla's debut, but to be fair even Anna tamed herself on Catapilla's second and final release Changes, more similar to Jo's singing on Waiters on the Dance). Also of note is future Shakatak drummer Roger Odell, who, some progheads, like myself, know from CMU (his wife Larraine Odell handled the vocals on CMU).

Here's how I felt Waiters on the Dance improved on A Time Before This: more mature compositions, and that groovy '60s vibe has been thankfully toned down (that groovy '60s vibe on A Time Before This got me thinking of the 1968 movie Barbarella, even though the music on that film was basically easy listening kitsch and nothing like Julian's Treatment). The music takes on a harder edge, with more upfront guitar, but Julian's organ is ever present and recognizable as ever, and what I really love is he includes the Mellotron on half the songs, and does it quite nicely. Favorites of mine include "Child of the Night 1 & 2", "The Death of Alda", "Cycle" and "Soldiers of Time". "Cycle" has an organ that reminds me of the intro to Web's "I Spider" (the title track from the 1970 album of that name), but faster pace, and I love that jazzy break (almost reminds me of the Doors' "Light My Fire" with Brian Auger-like jazzy Hammond organ playing).

What I also love of Waiters on the Dance is the cover. Had I seen this in the flesh at some record store, I would have not hesitated to buy a copy (had this been 1971, that is, unfortunately I wasn't alive in 1971, the prices asking for an original these days are downright criminal - thank God for reissues). I am not familiar with Julian Jay Savarin's novels, I do know that both A Time Before This and Waiters on the Dance were part of his Lemmus trilogy. Regardless, of the two that became albums, I definitely prefer Waiters on the Dance, it's great stuff I highly recommend.

Me and this album has been going through the years together like an old couple and just as love fades the fire could rekindle, given the right time and effort. The stormy passion of our first time together was replaced by lukewarm affection for some years but then something happened. I returned and found something completely different, a Cosmic reunion that sort of caught me off guard.

On the surface this album has Always provided the things I love the most about early progressive music. There's the Hammond organ, obviously, and it comes in abundance. The glorious Power of the ever so Mighty organ strikes down like the hammer of the Gods. Then there's the fuzzed out guitar, the sort of dry drum sound and great bass playing. To top things off the singer, lady Jo Meek, offers great passionate vocals. Oh, and then there's the sci-fi or fantasy lyrics. Just amazing.

But then I sort of grew tired of it. I now know that I did not spend as much time listening to all the songs as I did with the opening, Child of the night 1&2. Now there's a song, ef ever there was one. Dramatic and climatic with an organ that simply overwhelms you. Now, the years passed and listening to the album seemed less important. But then I picked it up again and to my surprise I found it was way better than I remembered.

Apart from the amazing opener the remainder of the album is really outstanding. The music shifts and turns but retains the overall feel. I will not go through every track but "Dance of the golden flamingoes" is really Worth mentioning. It is by far the heaviest track on the album with a brutally simple but effective riff played by the guitar. It's got some of that groovy sound of London in the early 70's but not without a serious amount of prog. The ending "Soldiers of time" leaves the listener in a desire for more but from what I can gather Julian Jay Savarin never made another album, which is a shame.

If you are into early 70's prog rock with fantasy lyrics, demanding but not that overly complex, this album is a real treat. Earthy, powerful, emotional, dramatic, surging and passionate. Great stuff and one of my favorite albums. My love for it endured and grew over time. Top stuff.

'An early Seventies Hammond driven gem'

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.