Amazing Blondel - Amazing Blondel & A Few Faces {England} [1970] @192 ( Extraordinary and Unique Medieval Rock, Maybe)

Mr hitmewithit asked for this one and as Amazing Blondel is one of our favorite secrets I decided to help him get this, their furst album.

In other words, anyone who likes Amazing Blondel is my friend.

They began as a duo, (and later became a trio) in the late 60's, doing an excentric re interpretation of the Middles Ages musical heritage of the British Islands.

Althogh they used instruments from Elizabethian times, they are considered a "rock" band, although I have never understood why.

Maybe the songs they play were too antique to be considered "folk", and the band looked (like Incredible String Band) too excentric and joyful to be considered an "Academical Middles Ages Music Ensemble"

So they ended not being classical, and not been exactly folk. As they happened to show up in the middle of the psychdelic explosion they were fairly well received as another weird act, and were also well swallowed by the acid drenched public of England. What they did was acoustical and delicate but playful and funny, so it was labeled as "rock".

This was Amazing Blondel's line -up and instrumentation:

John David Gladwin (lute, oboe, cittern, double bass), Terry Wincott (pipe organ, harmonium, cittern, recorders, flute, crumhorn, tabor pipe, ocarina, guitar), and Edward Baird (guitar, guitern, percussion).

As you can see they missed electricity by far.

The one we post here is Amazing Blondel first homonimous album and it was released in 1970 They got help from guitarrist Big Jim Sullivan in some tracks.

This was the begining of an interesting career that lasted until 1977 after half a dozen good albums. They achieved cult status although they were always an underrated band, specially out of England.

I still think that along with gentle Giant and Gryphon they form the Holy Trinity of Medieval Influenced Rock.

In 1997 they reunited briefly to make an excellent album titled Restoration.

Amazing Blondel is a great band wating to be rediscovered by enlightened people like you.

Enjoy and..

Keep Listening...!!!