Raw Material ~ England

Time Is... (1971)

For Raw Material's debut I wrote: "Raw Material are one of the reference groups that define, for me at least, the English post psychedelic progressive rock sound... With Raw Material's debut you get the classic mix of psychedelic pop, jazz, and yes, what would later be known as progressive rock. A very enjoyable album where the attention can be focused on the songwriting more than the instrumental dexterity."

And no surprise that Raw Material's second album dived into the deep end of the progressive rock pool, leaving behind the pop and jazz elements. There were many English groups with the sound of Time Is... in the early 70s such as Diabolus, Gracious, Indian Summer, Tonton Macoute, and others. Saxophone and flute are the distinguishing characteristics from the usual guitar, bass, and drums. Keyboards are in the back seat. The vocals are appropriately rough-hewn, but not overtly so. Songwriting is dense but not stiff. In fact on this latter point, the two primary groups that Raw Material are frequently compared to are King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator. And there's truth to that, just listen to the final suite 'Sun God' and compare to KC. But Raw Material are a little more unprofessional and unpolished, leaving some room for a spare jam here and there. That's a plus.

Ownership: 

1971 Neon (LP). Gatefold 

1994 Repertoire (CD). Booklet with liner notes. These notes are kind of funny in that they essentially say: We can't find the band members, help!

The first copy I owned of this album was the bootleg LP.

1992 (acquired); 1997; 6/30/06; 1/17/24 (review)

Raw Material (1970)

Raw Material are one of the reference groups that define, for me at least, the English post psychedelic progressive rock sound. At the turn of the decade, England was arguably at the peak of creative thought in the world, and that mindset permeated throughout the globe in a very short time frame. The island was crawling with musical talent, each attempting to do more than the other - similar to what would happen two to three years later in Italy. The important thing to understand about this era is that the music itself is at the beginning of its journey, so it's nowhere near the Tales From Topographic Oceans logical conclusion. As such, music like this has aged better if one takes an historical outlook, rather than view every album as all things equal. With Raw Material's debut you get the classic mix of psychedelic pop, jazz, and yes, what would later be known as progressive rock. A very enjoyable album where the attention can be focused on the songwriting more than the instrumental dexterity.

What an absolutely outstanding reissue, and the way you wish all were done. Comes in a superb gatefold sleeve design (the original was a single flapback sleeve), with a booklet chock full of bio details, and a replica promo poster. Even better is that the second disc includes all three 45s's (six tracks) that they released from this era, plus a full album that I was completely unaware of by a pseudonym called Sounds Progressive. This latter album, titled Kid Jensen Introduces Sounds Progressive, is essentially Raw Material playing the cover tunes of the day. Perfect for bonus material. 

Ownership: 2020 Sunbeam (2xLP). Gatefold.

4/17/04 (Akarma CD acquired); 10/15/21 (review)

10/15/21 (new entry)