Mighty Baby
Mighty Baby

LA RECENSIONE

Cult band from the late 70s minor English scene, the Mighty Baby are the creation of guitarist-singer, Alan King.

Originally called The Action (a band with beat sounds and a slight psychedelic touch), they became known for a handful of singles between 1965-1967. In '67, multi-instrumentalist Ian Whiteman (vocals, flute, keyboards) replaced guitarist Pete Watson, and shortly after, Martin Stone, a highly skilled blues guitarist with a wealth of experience, also joined the band. There was a brief period when the band called themselves Azoth, before permanently changing their name to Mighty Baby.

With the name change came an important shift in style, the search for a more complex and elaborate sound began to emerge, moving away from the original beat-pop to focus on a guitar-based Prog (Indian Summer style) that would have few rivals. Based on these premises, their first self-titled album was released in '69, featuring an intricate and ever-evolving sound, yet remaining polished and refined, strongly characterized by the interplay between King and Stone's guitars, with long guitar jams, as in "Trials Of A City" or "House Without Windows". With compositions of veiled romanticism, "I've Been Down So Long" and the closing track "At A Point Between Fate And Destiny", or with beautiful psychedelic nuances, "Same Way From The Sun".
Each track highlights the excellent chemistry of the band and their remarkable performance technique, which makes the "record" one of the most successful in its genre.

Note1: the reissue includes 5 bonus tracks, also of good quality.

Note2: the splendid cover is designed by the renowned graphic artist Martin Sharp, who is also responsible for the legendary Cream covers, "Disraeli Gears" and "Wheels Of Fire".

Note3: after the low sales of this debut, Mighty Baby would go on to produce a second album "A Jug Of Love", before fading away completely.