Logos & AHVS

I moved briefly to Brighton, Sussex in 1974 and switched to playing bass in the extra-ordinary Logos band, with Mick Wilson, vocals and guitar, and Andy Gray on drums. Mick had written songs and instrumental numbers for the first part of a rock opera entitled The Garden of the Earth and was working on the second half. The general theme of the story was one person's journey across a strange and wondrous planet, towards an unknown goal and ultimate enlightenment. We played one gig doing a support for Global Village Trucking Co. I worked with them for several months. This proved, for me, to be a new direction in writing and playing, becoming aware of music as a more overall performance, and less of a collection of individual songs or tunes.

Later that year I spent the summer travelling around Cornwall with my brother and began writing pieces of music that were to become part of a complete 'suite' which reflected my all night experiences with nature at the Old Winchester Hill reserve near Petersfield, Hampshire. I attempted several times to record the entire piece, with the help of John Bland (drums), Paul Ellis (piano), Alan Shipgood (bass) and Norman Jon Kissoon's recording set-up from AHVS. Over the years I have made alterations to the music notes and score, and one day it may be possible to find time to sort through them all and try to complete the task.

ATOM HEART VISUAL SOUND

During the period 1974-75, I devoted much time to helping Norman Jon with the mobile recording side of AHVS, in and around London. Using a 10-inch reel-to-reel half-track, we recorded such bands as Henry Cow, Ian Carr's Nucleus, Steve Hillage and Gong, Robert Wyatt, Hatfield and the North, plus many theatrical events with Julian Glover, Isla Blair and Derek Jacobi.