Despite their Canterbury origins, this group is not a follower of a similar style, as they performed acid folk. Its founders, students of the same Bolton school, Mark Francis and Martin Cockerham first began working together in the blues band William Shakespeare's Magical Miracle Makers. The ensemble was equal to "Cream", but when young people heard Bob Dylan and the "Incredible String Band", their tastes changed and in 1968 they formed the folk duet "Spirogyra" (in the original the name "Amoeba" was planned, but for the group it was was too "single-celled"). For about two years, the guys performed relatively regularly on the stage of the Bolton Octagon Theatre, and in 1969 Martin entered Canterbury University and there he assembled a new version of the group with vocalist Barbara Gaskin, violinist and pianist Julian Cusack and bassist Steve Borrill. In 1971, the band released their debut album, St. Radigunds, named by the musicians after the street where their student hostel was located. The sound of the album was based on acoustic guitars framed by violin or keys, as well as a combination of male and female vocals from Cockerham and Gaskin. The record sold relatively well and earned Spirogyra a cult following in the club underground.
Tracks:
(00:00) 01. The Future Won’t Be Long — 4:15
(04:15) 02. Island — 3:39
(07:54) 03. Magical Mary — 6:17
(14:11) 04. Captain’s Log — 2:05
(16:16) 05. At Home In The World — 3:03
(19:19) 06. Cogwheels Crutches And Cyanide — 5:52
(25:11) 07. Time Will Tell — 5:35
(30:46) 08. We Were A Happy Crew — 5:29
(36:15) 09. Love Is A Funny Thing — 2:07
(38:22) 10. The Duke Of Beaufoot — 8:03
Personnel:
Barbara Gaskin — lead female vocals
Martin Cockerham — guitar, vocals
Steve Borrill — bass
Julian Cusack — violin, keyboards
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Dave Mattacks — drums
Tony Cox — VCS3 Synthesizer
Robert Kirby — arranger, producer
