The Gods - To Samuel A Son (uk 1970) Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock
"The Gods" were an English group founded in 1965. The bandmembers included Mick Taylor (later
with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and the Rolling Stones), Brian Glascock and John Glascock
(later of Jethro Tull).
They were schoolmates from Hatfield and had been playing together as The Juniors (or The
Strangers), a band they formed in 1962.
Also part of this band were Malcolm Collins and Alan Shacklock. They had a record deal with
Columbia. Their first 7" single (Columbia DB7339) appeared in 1964 (There's a pretty girl/Pocket
Size). In 1965 the line-up was changed. Mick Taylor continued to play guitar and teamed up with
Ken Hensley (organ/vocals) (later guitarist with Uriah Heep). They also added Joe Konas (guitar/
vocals) and changed their name to "The Gods".
In 1966 The Gods opened for Cream at the Starlite Ballroom in Wembley, London. A single (Come On
Down To My Boat Baby/Garage Man) was recorded in early 1967. At this point the line-up included
Mick Taylor, Ken Hensley, John Glascock, Brian Glascock and Lee Kerslake.
In May 1967 Mick Taylor got a call from John Mayall who was looking for a new guitarist.
When Taylor joined the Bluesbreakers, he left behind a faltering bluesband. The band sought to
revive their fortunes on the club/college circuit. They relocated to London and secured a
residency at The Marquee.
John Glascock (bass) was replaced by Greg Lake in June 1967. The problem was that Greg Lake was
too talented for the background role the rest of the band had in mind for him and in the Summer
of 1968 he split to join King Crimson. The band had to re-group again and John Glascock was
asked to return.
With John Glascock back in the fold they recorded a couple of interesting progressive rock
albums and a few 45s. Of their 45s, "Hey! Bulldog", the Beatles track, is their best known,
and both sides have been included on compilation CD "The Great British Psychedelic Trip Vol. 3".
The band played an imaginative amalgam of psychedelia and progressivism. Tracks like "Towards
The Skies" and "Time And Eternity" from their 1968 album Genesis are full of heavy ploughing
Hammond organ and distorted guitar riffs and Ken Hensley's unique and rather dramatic vocals
add a further dimension.
Most of The Gods' material is pretty typical late sixties pop/rock, epitomised by songs like
"Radio Show" and "Yes I Cry". The compilation album The Best Of The Gods offers a good way to
get to know the band's music. There are shades of Vanilla Fudge on their cover of West Side
Story extract "Maria". On a few tracks like "Candlelight" and "Real Love Guaranteed" there is
an inkling of the heavier sound Hensley and Kerslake would propagate in their next venture,
Uriah Heep.
The Gods were the successors of the Rolling Stones at the famous Marquee Club in London
