Reeling in the Years

The Neon Philharmonic (formed 1967) was an American psychedelic pop band led by songwriter and conductor Tupper Saussy and singer Don Gant. They released their only two albums (The Moth Confesses and the eponymous The Neon Philharmonic) in 1969, and they scored a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "Morning Girl", when it hit the Top Forty in May of that year and rose to number 17 on the chart.^[1] The band hit the charts again with "Heighdy-Ho Princess" in 1970. The group was produced by Saussy, Gant, and Bob McCluskey, and engineered by Ronald Gant, Don's brother. The group disbanded in 1975 after releasing numerous non-album singles. Although the first album stated Borges Forever!, the group's concertmaster is really Pierre Menard, and it is not a reference to the Jorge Luis Borges story Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote - Saussy was not conscious of the connection.^[2]

The bulk of the groups' output was released by Warner Bros./Seven Arts Records. In 1972, they moved to TRX and produced another single, "Annie Poor" / "Love Will Find a Way", after which the group disbanded. The Neon Philharmonic name was sold to producer David Kastle, who put out additional singles released by MCA Records and London Records. At least one Saussy song, "Making Out the Best I Can" was recorded by this group, and engineered by Ronald Gant. Along with its flipside recording, "So Glad You're a Woman", written by Ray Williams and Ron Demmans (MCA-40158 (MC 4810), 1975), the instrumentation was limited to synthesizers, guitar and drums. These later singles have no other connection to the original group.

Shaun Cassidy, David's younger brother, did a cover version of "Morning Girl, Later" (simply titled "Morning Girl") in 1976, which did not chart in the U.S., but did well in the Low Countries.^{[citation needed]} The song was also covered by The Lettermen.

Michael Timothy 'Mick' Abrahams (born 7 April 1943, Luton, Bedfordshire, England) was the original guitarist for Jethro Tull. He recorded the album This Was with the band in 1968, but conflicts between Abrahams and Ian Anderson over the musical direction of the band led Abrahams to leave once the album was finished. Abrahams wanted to pursue a more blues/rock direction, while Anderson wanted to incorporate more overt folk and jazz influences. He was replaced first by Tony Iommi who would leave Tull after only a few weeks and would later go on to form Black Sabbath, and then by Martin Barre who remains with Jethro Tull to this day.

Abrahams went on to found Blodwyn Pig and the group recorded two albums, Ahead Rings Out and Getting to This before breaking up in 1970. Abrahams soldiered on with the short-lived Wommet, then the Mick Abrahams Band and has continued to release albums by himself and with reunited versions of Blodwyn Pig. He has worked as a driver, lifeguard and financial consultant, occasionally playing gigs, especially to support causes in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.^[2]

Abrahams caused some controversy in Tull fan circles for his formation of a band called This Was in the late 1990s, which reunited the members of the first incarnation of Jethro Tull (with the exception of Anderson) to perform songs from that era of Jethro Tull's music. Tull fans disapproved but Anderson apparently was not too offended, as in recent years Abrahams and Anderson have guested on each other's records. Abrahams has also participated in Jethro Tull reunions, as well as one-off projects and gigs over the years.

The Sorrows are considered perhaps to be the archetypal freakbeat band. They were formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.

The band was formed in 1963, and toured Germany for a month, playing several sets each day.^[1] The band's first recording was a version of "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", recorded in Joe Meek's bathroom.^[1] They were signed by Pye subsidiary Piccadilly Records, and began working with producer John Schroeder.

The Sorrows released their first album, Take a Heart, in 1965 on Piccadilly. The Sorrows were at the time the hardest, most aggressive and contemporary R&B band of that time, although later this brand of music was eventually termed "Freakbeat". One of the most overlooked bands of the British Invasion, the Sorrows offered a tough brand of R&B-infused rock that recalled The Pretty Things (though not as R&B-oriented) and The Kinks (though not as pop-oriented).^[2]