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You can say that the Attack were
in fact, at least a couple different groups for the fact that
vocalist Richard Sherman had to regroup Attack from
almost scratch 3 times. The Attack's beginnings lie in
a group called The Soul System. With members coming and
going, once a stabilized 5 piece arouse, the band came attention
to Don Arden, a top agent who signed them, found their
first single (Try It, a Standells tune), and changed
their name to Attack. Issued in January 1967, the single
didn't do much on the charts. However with it's heavy garage sound,
it is considered a minor Freakbeat classic. The flip side We
Don't Know is a rather strange jazz/soul and freakbeat hybrid
with some silly lyrics. This same lineup stayed for the recording
of their next single Hi-Ho Silver Lining before disbanding
due to the lack of success with both 45's. Hi-Ho Silver Lining
was met with fierce competition as Jeff Beck, who presumably
heard The Attack's version and rushed out his own version
as his first single after only a few days of The Attack's
single. The result was Jeff Beck getting the hit with Hi-Ho.
The B side to Hi-Ho was an awesome piece of freakbeat,
Any More Than I Do. This number, apart from being featured
in recent compilations of the years, was used by John Peel
for a radio jingle for the pirate Radio London. The guitarist
responsible for the powerful riffing on Any More Than I Do,
David O'List left to join the Nice in breaking new ground
for a while, whilst drummer Alan Whitehead went back to
the Marmalade and the others faded into obscurity. Richard
Sherman, now the only one left, regrouped The Attack
with Scottish organist George Watt, drummer Chris Allen,
guitarist Geoff Richardson and bassist Kenny Harold.
Their follow up to Hi-Ho was another kinda cheeky and very
English affair, Created By Clive. In a very ironic coincidence,
two versions of Created By Clive were released the same
day, by The Attack and The Syn! The result was neither
got any attention that the song was meant for which was probably
better off as the liner notes of their posthumous compilation
Magic In The Air notes "Clive, a fashion designer
who specialized in dressing debs in see-through mini-dresses,
would have probably sued anyway". The new guitarist Geoff Richardson penned their B side, the slow tamped raga
Colour Of My Mind. With the single just barely in the shops,
a new guitarist John DuCann was added and the drummer and
keyboard player were replaced too. With this lineup, The Attack
went about playing all the venues available, Middle Earth,
Tiles, the Speakeasy etc. However personnel changes
shifted once more in the summer of 1967, and Geoff Richardson
and Kenny Harold left being replaced by Jim Avery.
The recorded the two sides of their next single, Magic In The
Air/Lady Orange Peel but the A side was rejected by
Decca for being too heavy and the band were sent in to
record the harmless Neville Thumbcatch. Two more tracks
were recorded in October 1967, covers of Morning Dew and
Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever, but the single that was
eventually released in January 1968 was Neville Thumbcatch
backed with Lady Orange Peel. Thumbcatch was very
similar to Cream's Pressed Rat And Warthog with
it's narrative verses and trumpet melodies. With this single,
the group disbanded again. DuCann and Sherman kept
Attack alive, recruiting bassist Roger Deane and
drummer Keith Hodge and continued on as a four piece. This
last lineup recorded tracks for a future album and single, all
left in the can. Before their split in mid 1968, the group recorded
many songs, including Winding Up Clocks, Feel Like Flying,
Strange House, Just Waiting, Freedom For You,
etc. Unfortunately, not all of these tracks survived when the
Magic In The Air album was being compiled. But featuring
all their singles (with one exception, Created By Clive)
and a handful of unreleased tracks from their 1968 album sessions,
the compilation gives a better look at who The Attack were
really about. Tracks like Magic In The Air, Strange
House, Freedom For You & Colour Of My Mind
justify their high place in British freakbeat/psych history. Perhaps
with a more stable lineup, the band would have reached farther
than they did.
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