DESCRIPTION:
Although this group is hailing from Canterbury, they are not to be classified as such. Those musicians developed one of the better examples of prog-folk or folk-prog. The original line-up consisted of main writer Martin Cockerham as singer and guitarist, the beautiful and well known to progheads Barbara Gaskin on vocals, Steve Borrill on bass and Julian Cusack on violin. Although Dave Mattacks (of FAIRPORT CONVENTION fame) played drums on all three SPIROGYRA albums, he was never a member but a guest on the albums. Their first album, "St-Radiguns" was quite successful and very adventurous and can compared to COMUS's First Utterances. Very moody, politically conscious songs full of great interplay (much like THE TREES) and with a great duo of voices in the COMUS or JEFFERSON AIRPLANE manner are the main assets of the highly recommended album. The follow-up "Old Boot Wine" however did not manage to succeed quite as well and Cusack appear only as a guest but they had a keyboardist instead. By the time of the third album "Bells, Boots and Shambles", the band was down to just Cockerham and Gaskin with both ex-member Cusack and Borrill appearing as guest. This album was quite a return to form and there are some real epics full of cello for great melancholy moments. Sadly, this proved to be their last album. Barbara will go on with local bands as HATFIELD AND THE NORTH as one of the Northettes, than work with NATIONAL HEALTH and in the 80's work with Bill Bruford and Dave Stewart. Highly recommended and much more so than some other folk band (FOREST, HORSLIPS) especially regarding the prog contents.

Lyrics :

Magical Mary
She looks like a fairy
And waves her wand around
Points at an earthman and says Hallelujah
Just look at what I've found
At what I've found
Magical Mary
She shivers her timbers
And lays you on the ground
Strikes up a rhythm in fifty two tempo
And says hey man your found
Hey man you're found
I gotta come with you
I gotta come with you
Got got to, got got to
I gotta come
Madrigal Mistress has seventy sisters
And every one's the same
They come with assistance
To break your resistance
And man your brained
You're like to wind up maimed
I gotta come with you
I gotta come with you
Got got to, got got to
I gotta come
Don't ask me no questions
Don't ask me no questions
I got to, got got to
I gotta come
Always the same, I don't know how you do it
Just a game, no matter how you view it
Always the same
You're gonna be alone, you're gonna need someone
You're gonna find it hard to get yourself a man
Whose gonna take your hand, or even understand
Just what you're into.
Mr Brown, he thought he'd found salvation
Using words to try to calm the nation
What a shame
He didn't have a notion how to use the lotion
Gotta spread it thin to give each one a portion
Gotta make it clear they're gonna get a portion
So's they're happy
Always the same, you never seem to falter
Make a slip, you'll have me at the altar
Never mind, it doesn't matter much
Because you've got the touch
You've really got it made
You're gonna make the grade
And you can try your hand
Another time around
That's if you want to