''Ahead Rings Out'' is the debut album by British blues-rock band

Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock musical ensemble, band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull after their debut album, ''This Was'', was released, due to a ...

, released in 1969. The band had been formed in 1969 by Mick Abrahams, the former guitarist of Jethro Tull, and sales of ''Ahead Rings Out'' rivalled those of Jethro Tull’s next album, ''

Stand Up Stand Up may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Stand-up comedy, a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience Film * ''Stand Up'' (2007 film), a film featuring Modi Rosenfeld * ''Stand Up'' (2008 film), a Brit ...

'', reaching No. 9 on the British album chart. The album contained a healthy mixture of various styles of progressive blues and “The Modern Alchemist” displayed the jazz influence and saxophone skills of Jack Lancaster. It was voted number 15 in the All-Time 50 Long Forgotten Gems from

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

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All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...

''.

Background

In liner notes for the 2001 re-issue of the album, songwriter and singer Mick Abrahams recalled: About “See My Way”, he comments: “It was a solid two days work to get it just how we felt it should be with all the odd changes of tempo and feel, i.e. the section that sounds like

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...

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Boléro ''Boléro'' is a 1928 work for large orchestra by French composer Maurice Ravel. At least one observer has called it Ravel's most famous composition. It was also one of his last completed works before illness forced him into retirement. Co ...

'' ... That song didn’t go on the UK version of ''Ahead Rings Out'', but instead the powers that be decided in their wisdom to put it on the USA version and left it until we recorded the second album, ''

Getting to This ''Getting to This '' was the second album by British blues-rock band Blodwyn Pig, released in 1970. The album was the band's last until a brief reunion in the 1990s. Peter Banks joined from Yes after the recording of ''Getting to This'', but th ...

''.” He described “The Modern Alchemist” as “a great composition of Jack Lancaster’s that brought a mixture of hard hybrid jazz-rock flavour to the album.” The album art inspired the mascot and art for the

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Track listing

;UK release #“It's Only Love” (

Mick Abrahams Michael Timothy Abrahams (born 7 April 1943) is an English guitarist and band leader, best known for being the original guitarist for Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968 and the frontman for Blodwyn Pig. Jethro Tull Abrahams was born in Luton, B ...

) – 3:23 #“Dear Jill” (Abrahams) – 5:19 #“Sing Me a Song That I Know” (Abrahams) – 3:08 #“The Modern Alchemist” (

Jack Lancaster Jack Lancaster is a British composer, record producer and musician. In the late 1960s, Lancaster co-founded the British rock group Blodwyn Pig with Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams and in the late 1970s he was a member of ...

) – 5:38 #“Up and Coming” (Abrahams, Lancaster,

Andy Pyle Andy Pyle (born 15 July 1946, Luton, Bedfordshire, England) is a British bassist. He played with The Kinks from 1976 to 1978. Prior to that, he was in Blodwyn Pig (1968–1972) and Savoy Brown (1972–1974). Later, he played with Wishbone Ash ...

Ron Berg Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut album, ''This Was'', was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian ...

) – 5:31 #“Leave It With Me” (Lancaster) – 3:52 #“The Change Song” (Abrahams) – 3:45 #“Backwash” (Abrahams, Lancaster, Pyle, Berg) – 0:53 #“Ain’t Ya Comin’ Home, Babe?” (Abrahams, Lancaster, Pyle) – 6:04 * Bonus tracks on 2006 EMI Digital Remaster reissue CD: :10. “Sweet Caroline” (Abrahams) – 2:51 :11. “Walk on the Water” (Abrahams) – 3:42 :12. “Summer Day” (Abrahams, Pyle) – 3:44 :13. “Same Old Story” (Abrahams) – 2:36 :14. “

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Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

) – 4:20 :15. “Meanie Mornay” (Abrahams) – 4:45 :16. “Backwash” (Abrahams, Lancaster, Pyle, Berg) – 0:53 NB: CD reissue has track 8 as "See My Way", as per comments above regarding US track listing, hence track 8 from the UK release "Backwash" being included as a bonus track 16. ;U.S. release #“It's Only Love” (

) – 3:23 #“Dear Jill” (Abrahams) – 5:19 #“Walk on the Water” (Abrahams) – 3:42 #“The Modern Alchemist” (Jack Lancaster) – 5:38 #"See My Way" (Abrahams) – 5:00 #“Summer Day” (Abrahams, Pyle) – 3:44 #“The Change Song” (Abrahams) – 3:45 #“Backwash” (Abrahams, Lancaster, Pyle, Berg) – 0:53 #“Ain’t Ya Comin’ Home, Babe?” (Abrahams, Lancaster, Pyle) – 6:04

Personnel

– guitar, vocals, seven-string slide guitar *

– flute, violin,

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

baritone sax The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

soprano sax The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

, brass arrangements *

– electric bass, six-string bass *

– drums

Reception

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'' stated, "An excellent debut with lots of exciting music. The album has direction and thought and gives a great deal of hope for the future of the often maligned progressive pop scene." ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote, "Hooting grunting blues mingled with snorts of jazz adds up to an excellent debut album from one of our most promising groups.""Got the lot!" ''

''. August 9, 1969. 10.

References

External links

Blodwyn Pig – ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) album review by Mike DeGagne, credits & releases
at

AllMusic.com AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Blodwyn Pig – ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) album releases & credits
at

Discogs.com Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the l ...

Blodwyn Pig – ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) album credits & user reviews
at ProgArchives.com
Blodwyn Pig – ''Ahead Rings Out'' (1969) album to be listened
as stream at Play.Spotify.com {{Authority control Blodwyn Pig albums 1969 debut albums Island Records albums Albums produced by Andy Johns Albums arranged by Jack Lancaster