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: LP: 1971 Neon. Gatefold. Online acquisition (2003). One of the rarest albums in my collection.
CD: 1994 Repertoire. Jewel box 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). Not recommended ;-)
1992 (first listen); 1995; 6/30/06; 1/17/24 (review/new entry)
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