Captain Marryat - Captain Marryat (uk 1974),Prog Rock
Captain Marryat is a Scottish band, and have been playing together for just a year.
They used to play in pubs and clubs. I can say that it is a progressive rock band with psych
flourishes – doom-laden organ plus acid guitar riffs and strong male vocals.
Named after the 19th Century mariner and novelist, this Glaswegian band made just one privately-
pressed LP. Its back cover announces that ‘Captain Marryat is a Scottish band, and have been
playing together for just under a year. They already have a sizeable following in the pubs n’
clubs circuit and this, their first LP, is a sample of the music that brought them success’.
They were originally intending to record a single, but the engineer at the Glasgow studio they’d
booked told them that there was time enough to make a whole album. They therefore taped five
tracks they’d already written (‘Blindness’, ‘It Happened To Me’, ‘A Friend’, ‘Songwriter’s
Lament’ and ‘Changes’) and finished the LP with an improvised jam (‘Dance Of Thor’). The result
came in a drab flipback sleeve, and according to one dealer is ‘a progressive rock rarity with
psych flourishes – doom-laden organ plus acid guitar riffs and strong male vocals’.
The 250 copies pressed were sold at gigs, and two that surfaced on eBay in late 2008 went for
around £3000 each.
~ (RMJ).
Many people watching the ebay auctions where surprised seeing this album selling for the past
few month 3 times for nearly 3000 Euro each. Before that, this album was completely unknown.
Captain Marryat are from Glasgow, Scotland and recorded this demo album in 1974, released in a
tiny pressing on the Thor label, hopefully to get an EMI or Chrysalis deal.
They wanted to record only a single but came up with a complete album of self-composed tracks.
Since it was not that easy for a Scottish band to get attention down in London, this album was
the only pressing ever done and sold at band gigs only. 5 musicians, great organ, vocals, extra
heavy fuzz-guitar, drums and bass, amazing underground songs, influenced by Deep Purple, Uriah
Heep and Beggars Opera, a true lost classic. Where where lucky to find the band to made a deal
so this beauty can conquer the world of rock music.
Tracks:
01. Blindness 0:00
02. It Happened to Me 5:10
03. A Friend 13:13
04. Songwriter's Lament 17:48
05. Changes 24:05
06. Dance of Thor 26:52
Members:
* Tommy Hendry (vocals, acoustic guitar),
* Ian McEleny (lead guitar, acoustic guitar),
* Allan Bryce (Hammond organ, electric piano, vocals),
* Hugh Finnegan (bass, vocals)
* Jimmy Rorrison (drums, vocals).
