|
One
of the most brilliant obscure psychedelic singles of the late
'60s — indeed, one of the most brilliant obscure rock singles
of any kind from the era — was Dantalian's Chariot's Madman
Running Through the Fields. This 1967 effort was British pop-psych
at its zenith, strongly reminiscent of (and as good as) the classic
early sides by Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd. What made
it all the stranger was that it was the debut single by a group
of veteran musicians who, just a few months earlier, had been
playing jazz/R&B fusion as Zoot Money's Big Roll Band.
Money, a journeyman keyboard player and singer, had made
a few records without getting anything close to a hit; his band
featured a young Andy Somers, over a decade before the
guitarist would reach stardom with the Police (as Andy Summers).
Such was the impact of psychedelic music in 1967, however, that
by the middle of the year, Money had decided to totally
revamp his sound. R&B/jazz/soul had become passe; now it was important
to write your own material, and reflect the mind-expanding experience.
With Somers still in tow, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band
became Dantalian's Chariot. The music, written primarily
by Money and Somers, changed as radically as the
name, with airy melodies, spacy lyrics, and guitar/organ-driven
arrangements. The band hit the London underground circuit inhabited
by such acts as Pink Floyd and Soft Machine, and
made their debut recording as Dantalian's Chariot in the
summer of 1967. The single, innovative as it was, didn't make
any commercial waves. Although they were a respected live act,
their new direction wasn't supported by EMI, which dropped
the band. A psychedelic-minded LP was worked on, but not released.
Some of the material appeared on an early 1968 record, which the
Direction label assembled from various tunes cut over the
past year. The fact that the album was credited to Zoot Money
and the Big Roll Band, rather than Dantalian's Chariot,
was an indication that their psychedelic direction, again, would
not find support on the industry level. All of this was not as
great a tragedy as it might appear. A collection of psychedelic-oriented
Dantalian's Chariot tracks (several previously unreleased)
did emerge in 1996, and while it shows them to be an interesting
outfit, nothing comes close to the magnificence of Madman Running
Through the Fields. Dantalion's Chariot came to an
end in the spring of 1968, with Somers joining the Soft
Machine (and subsequently Eric Burdon's Animals); Money
would also join Eric Burdon's Animals around the same time.
Drummer Colin Allen went on to chalk up stints in John
Mayall's band.
— Richie Unterberger
|
