Five Day Rain

ChrisGoes(Rock) Factory/Fleur de Lys connected early '70s UK psych monster with all the right moves. Sounds like the aforementioned bands with dash of Ogden's period Small Faces. Great guitar work particularly on the long trippy instumental "Rough Cut Marmalade".... Ace album. One of the rarest UK albums; just 15 copies of this album were put out but soon after someone circulated 'white label' copies of it so beware of these.

Factory/Fleur de Lys connected early '70s UK psych monster with all the right moves. Sounds like the aforementioned bands with dash of Ogden's period Small Faces. Great guitar work particularly on the long trippy instumental "Rough Cut Marmalade".... Ace album.

One of the rarest UK albums; just 15 copies of this album were put out but soon after someone circulated 'white label' copies of it so beware of these.

Graham Maitland had earlier been in Scots Of St James and Hopscotch. He was also in The Fleur de Lys in their final days. The album contained some adventurous pop compositions often with a taint of psychedelia but it was eventually put out as a private pressing in a plain white cover because no label was interested in it. Notable cuts are the 11-minute instrumental Rough Cut Marmalade, which is the album's most psychedelic offering; the catchy Sea Song and keyboard driven Leave It At That.

The CD reissue omitted Too Much Of Nothing and tampered with Marie's A Woman. Graham Maitland was later in Glencoe but the other members quit the music business.

Tracklist:
1. Marie's a Woman 2-46
2. Leave It At That 4-30
3. Don't Be Misled 2-18
4. Rough Cut Marmalade 11-04
5. Goodyear 4-01
6. Sea Song 4-12
7. Lay Me Down 1-16
8. Reason Why 4-42
9. Fall Out 4-12

Sharon Tandy & Five Day Rain

South African Sharon Tandy had already paid her dues with the psyche Fleur De Lys. Five Day Rain's first drizzle started with In Crowd keyboardist Graham Maitland who originated from Scots Of St. James headed by Allen Gorrie of The Vikings. Graham's initial plan was to form a keyboard dominated Prog band front lined by the sultry Sharon after watching her exhilerating live performances. Around 1966 Scots Of St. James evolved into Hopscotch and put out' two singles "Look At The Lights" and "Long Black Veil" resulting in a name change to Forever More. During these changes Graham formed Iron Prophet comprising Rick Sharpe, Clive Sheperd and Dick Hawks, that evolved into Five Day Rain with the added guitarist John Holbrook plus three members of America on backing vocals. In addition to feature on the album was Factory members Brian Carroll and Demon Lyon Shaw who had previously challenged the charts with "Try A Little Sunshine", Fairport's "Mr Lacey" and Family's "Second Generation Woman". Five Day Rain project was a superb slab of Prog way past any Vinegar Joe / Dada fusion, straight from the opening "Marie's A Woman" Sharon's crystal vox permeates the searing lead guitar and surging Hammond. Graham would also wade through a soulful version of Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing" which was never included on the album. Tender harmonies sweep through the dramatic "Leave It at That" until the seasons break through on the dimensional piano centered "Don't Be Misled". Holebrooke attacks splendidly on "Rough Cut Marmalade", a master battle between Hammond and guitar, plus ravishing breaks on "Sea Song" and "Fall Out". Five Day Rain were truly beautiful people stamped emphatically with Sharon's awesome "Goodyear".The phased vox of "Reason Why"and dynamic "Fall Out" comprise a more deserving appreciation. Sharpe, Shepherd and Maitland then formed the short-lived Studd Pump which disintegrated leaving Sharpe to join the glam Streak. Graham joined Glencoe alongside ex Living Daylights Stewart Francis, ex Forever More Mick Travis and Greatest Show / Fuzzy Duck veteran
Norman Watt Roy.

Rock Author Shiloh Noone

Excerpt from Seekers Guide To The Rhythm Of Yesteryear Shiloh@telkomsa.net