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Review from December 1970

Richard Morton Jack has found and kindly emailed this review from "Music Now" from 5 December 1970:

Images from Roger

Roger Hope in full flow at Wimborne in 1968. Steve with small-necked Rickenbacker in background.

Thanks to Roger Hope for these pictures.

Re-release

Recorded at the Decca studios in the summer of 1970, Room's "Pre Flight" was an ambitious blend of rock, blues, jazz and classical influences. The album was critically well received but unfortunately like many strong releases of this genre at the time on the classic DERAM label, did not achieve the hoped for breakthrough to greater commercial success. Room's only recorded work, the album has been remastered from the original analogue tapes and is now presented in this definitive edition from ESOTERIC RECORDINGS.

Due for release on 1 April 2008...

Preflight - the album

The album was called "PRE-FLIGHT" after the first track (The song as written had no hyphen according to the composer).

The recording was made at the Decca studios in West Hampstead in the summer of 1970.

Mickey Clarke (enjoying a rave success at the time with "Two Little Boys" by Rolf Harris) was the producer, and engineered by Peter Rynston and Simaen Skolfield.

The strings and brass arrangements were by Richard Harvey.

The sleeve cover was designed by Roy and featured yet another of his Rotring plane drawings!

The Tracks
Side One
1 Preflight (Edge)

2 Where Did I Go Wrong (Room)

3 No Warmth In My Life (Williams)

4 Big John Blues (Williams)

Side Two

1 Andromeda (Williams, Putt, Kevern)
2 War (Williams)
3 Cemetery Junction (Williams, Putt, Jenkins)

The Sleeve Notes
The sleeve notes were written by Mickey Clarke...

Steve Edge: Lead and Rhythm Guitar

Outwardly a happy placid guy and always willing to learn. Inwardly a mystery. The musical brain. (In the room)

Chris Williams: Lead Guitars

Should have been a jazz violinist the way he plays his guitar. A really fine writer and musician. (In the room)

Bob Jenkins: Drums, Congas and Percussion

Must be a descendant of D'Artagnan the musketeer. (He looks like one). Sword fencing on the cymbals, he moves his sticks as though fighting all the king's men. He hits his bass drum like a cannon-ball being fired and his snare drum cuts through like a knife. A really great drummer. (In the room)

Jane Kevern: Vocals and Tambourine

The sort of girl you like as soon as you meet her. Her friendly and understanding eyes put you at ease, like her sad voice when she sings blues (In the room)

Roy Putt: Bass and Artistic Design

Like his bass, a very deep and cool sort of guy. Everything he writes and plays is like poetry to music (In the room)

1970 and all change again...

The Melody Maker contest at the Lyceum was a bit of a laugh, tho it proved quite a learning experience.

The day started early with a trip to Orange Recording Studios - a grandiose title for a couple of small rooms - with a couple of numbers cut for a demo for EMI. This was the first visit to a recording studio.

Later, the group moved on to the Lyceum. Having played at similar sized venues, the place did not intimidate the gang.

My, there were some serious people there. Bands with noses stuck up in the air, other quite happy to chat and discuss guitars and amps, and bossy organisers trying to muster the hairy mob into some kind of order.

Most bands were actually very very good, and the group felt somewhat inadequate in the "image" department. Poor we were with no cash for glitzy stage gear, so we appeared in our old bluesy stuff instead.

I cannot recall all the numbers we played but we did end with "Vehicle", an Edge song in fast 3/4 time written in October 1969 (not the CTA song of the same name that appeared about time of the contest).

Above: Steve with his trusty Telecaster...

Our "Vehicle" had a heavy drone on D, which allowed some searing guitar harmonics to be placed alongside. The harmonies were once unkindly likened to Pearl and Teddy Carr (if you can remember them you are old), and the song had some sweet quiet bits which then erupted into v-e-r-y loud swooshing, and an almost classical ending. Went down quite well that one, even if I say so myself!

We came second. and were offered a contract with Decca. Heard "Vehicle" on the Orange tape much later - volume way up, loads of bass and...wow.

Gigs on the college circuit began to roll in. In Coventry, the band supported Fleetwood Mac, who still had Peter Green (still rated as my favourite blues guitarist), and who were probably the friendliest group the band met.

Before the recording session, I went to "Tin Pan Alley" to work out the strings and brass arrangements with Richard Hartley, the musical director destined for our album. I had mixed feelings cos I felt good in such exalted surroundings, yet it seemed a bit "cosy" and weird to a country boy.

The recording session for "Preflight" took just one day (some now say it was a two day job) in the old Decca studios in West Hampstead. I recall restringing my trusty Telecaster before the session. And it did sound good.

Most songs went down first or second time. Double tracking on some harmonies and extra guitars also. The studio guys were most patient.

There were some songs recorded that didn't see the light of day...what happened to those tapes?


Above: Photo shoot with Dezo Hoffman