Steamhammer was yet another band from the second wave(or third?) of the British blues revival. Thier s/t album(1969) was the standard blues rock with prog leanings. Led by vocalist/harp/guitarist Keiran White and guitarist Martin Pugh, the band made some line up changes for thier second album Mk. II(1969) adding the great technical drummer Mickey Bradley and Steve Jolliffe(woodwinds, brass, harpsichord) who both would bring some prog/jazz influences to this album.
Quite different from thier first album this recording has some excellent melodic and instrumental textures. Martin Pugh's guitar work is astounding working and blending well with Jolliffe's jazzy sax and flute. The drumming of Bradley rivals any of the greats of the day.
Jolliffe left the band to join Tangerine Dream as a result the third album, Mountains(1970) went back to the blues rock formula of thier first album. Kieran White left the band as did the original bassist and enter bassist Louis Cennamo(The Herd, Jody Grind, Colesseum, Renaissance) as the band was now a trio and released the experimental,sonic, hard rock/heavy psych Speech(1972), with Cennamo incorporating a bow on his bass.
Sadly, Mickey Bradley died of leukemia and Martin Pugh and Louis Cennamo went to the US and teamed up with former Yardbird's vocalist Keith Relf and ex-Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell to form Armageddon.
This is one of the best instrumental acoustic tracks I've heard:
Quite different from thier first album this recording has some excellent melodic and instrumental textures. Martin Pugh's guitar work is astounding working and blending well with Jolliffe's jazzy sax and flute. The drumming of Bradley rivals any of the greats of the day.
Jolliffe left the band to join Tangerine Dream as a result the third album, Mountains(1970) went back to the blues rock formula of thier first album. Kieran White left the band as did the original bassist and enter bassist Louis Cennamo(The Herd, Jody Grind, Colesseum, Renaissance) as the band was now a trio and released the experimental,sonic, hard rock/heavy psych Speech(1972), with Cennamo incorporating a bow on his bass.
Sadly, Mickey Bradley died of leukemia and Martin Pugh and Louis Cennamo went to the US and teamed up with former Yardbird's vocalist Keith Relf and ex-Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell to form Armageddon.
This is one of the best instrumental acoustic tracks I've heard: