Twenty-Five Views of Worthing. 1972-1973; 1977 England (archival)

Twenty-Five Views of Worthing were like a lot of bands in the fertile early 70s - plenty of opportunities for live gigs, but no time for a proper recording. There were so many musically intriguing groups in those days, it was difficult to get noticed. And even when you did, such as the case with Twenty-Five Views of Worthing, the labels would often put you on the backburner. Had the band come around a couple of years earlier, most assuredly they would have been familiar to us all now. But by 1973, when it was show time, the label lost interest in their shiny new toy. They wanted more commercially oriented music that would sell copy, not another artistic band loved by the critics but the general populace could care less. That label in this case was Island, they of King Crimson, Traffic, and Jethro Tull fame most prominently (in the prog world), but of course many other big names too.

And the type of music that suddenly found itself out of fashion? That of Canterbury, or at least the sound the region is associated with. Twenty-Five Views of Worthing were very much entrenched in that genre. The psychedelic background, the pop sensibilities, the fuzzy analog instrumentation, and the jazzy instrumental breaks define their composition way. In looking for one best track to sample, I'd recommend 'Joke Without Words' which is, not surprisingly, the longest song on offer here. The first 3 tracks come from their earliest incarnation of 1972 to 1973 (including the above). This was to be the recording lineup that Island ultimately shunned. There's one track from 1973 (known as their Transition phase) that shows Twenty-Five Views of Worthing heading more towards a jazz career. Musically it's still not far from Canterbury, but having a full time trombonist will have that effect. The final 3 tracks do come from an existing (though incredibly obscure) 1977 EP entitled Rat Brain Incision. Of course with a name like that and considering the time and place, obviously this will be some sort of punk rock offering, right? Nope - more Canterbury. Never say die I suppose. And the material here is just as strong as what came before it. Remember that National Health were peaking during this era as well. So 48 years after we were to first hear of Twenty-Five Views of Worthing, we now have a proper recording. Hooray. Well worth your time in obtaining especially considering the overall package (see below).

Ownership: LP: 2020 Wind Waker. Gatefold with a lavish booklet filled with liner notes, photos, newspaper clippings, and concert bills. First class job all the way. Purchased this from our good friends at The Vinyl Archivist, who also first recommended it to me.