Uriel - Arzachel (1969 uk, psych prog rock

Uriel - Arzachel (1969 uk, psych prog rock

Initially released by the obscure Evolution label in 1969, the self titled album by Arzachel has long been regarded as one of the best lost gems of the British psychedelic and progressive rock scene. The album bombed when it first came out due to lack of promotion, and the surviving copies of the original LP can command ridiculous sums of money.

Confusingly enough, the Arzachel record was not recorded by a band called Arzachel at all. The grooves on this record were put down by Uriel, a group which contained guitar virtuoso Steve Hillage along with the three members of the progressive group The Egg: Dave Stewart on organ, Mont Campbell on bass and Clive Brooks on drums.
Uriel - Steve Hillage / Dave Stewart

Formed by Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart in 1967, Uriel were a straight psychedelic outfit with a summer residency on the Isle of Wight. When Hillage left for University in 1968, the remaining remembers stayed together and started playing original material. This subsequently led to a contract with Decca records and a change of name to The Egg.

Shortly after they had signed to Decca, they were offered a day in the studio to record a psychedelic album by Zackariya Enterprises. Since they were already under contract with Decca, Hillage was brought back and Uriel was reformed.

The album they recorded was later released in 1969 under the name of Azachel, and for contractual reasons all of the musicians on the album were given fake names and biographies in the notes.
It’s incredible that this album was put together in just one day and recorded “just for a laugh” as Hillage once remarked. The musicianship never falls below awe-inspiring throughout, which is an extraordinary feat in itself as not one of the players was in their twenties.

The sense of fun is evident throughout the album, especially on side one. “Garden of Earthly Delights” kicks things off with some very Deep Purple sounding organ swathes under crunching power chords and fat drum breaks, before descending into pleasing psych-pop territory, with decidedly English, whimsical vocals and a soaring guitar workout from Hillage.

“Azaroth” is more sinister, with Stewart’s organ set to “church” and some melodramatic vocals. 1. Garden of Earthly Delights (00:00)

- Azathoth* - (2:50)
- Soul Thing* - (7:15)
4. Leg - (11:48)
5. Clean Innocent Fun* - (17:38)
6. Metempsychosis* - (28:12)
Bonus Tracks:
- Introducing the Bass Guitarist
7. Egoman - (45:32)
8. Swooping Bill - (49:44)
9. The Salesman Song* - (53:04)
10. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age - (56:02)
11. The Stumble - (59:47)

Uriel
*Dave Stewart - Organ, Piano
*Mont Campbell - Bass, Vocals, French Horn, Tuba
*Clive Brooks - Drums
*Steve Hillage - Guitar, Vocals