Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter

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 ...

Career

Abrahams left Jethro Tull after their debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, ''

This Was ''This Was'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released in October 1968. Recorded at a cost of £1200, it is the only Jethro Tull album with guitarist Mick Abrahams, who was a major influence for the sound and music ...

'', was released, due to a falling-out with Tull vocalist Ian Anderson over the direction of the band. He formed Blodwyn Pig with

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 guitarist Mick Abrahams and in the late 1970s he was a member of the British progres ...

(

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and flute), Andy Pyle (

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

), and Ron Berg ( drums). With Abrahams and Lancaster in the lead, Blodwyn Pig recorded two albums, ''

Ahead Rings Out ''Ahead Rings Out'' is the debut album by British blues-rock band Blodwyn Pig, 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 Tu ...

'' in 1969 and ''

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 ...

'' in 1970. Both reached the Top Ten of the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

and charted in the United States; ''Ahead Rings Out'' displayed a jazzier turn on the heavy blues–rock that formed the band's core rooted in the British 1960s

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

scene from which sprang groups like

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

, Free and eventually

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. Saxophonist–singer Lancaster (who often played two horns at once, like his idol

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. '' Grove Music Online''. '' Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The yea ...

) was at least as prominent in the mix as Abrahams; some critics thought this contrast bumped the band toward a freer, more experimental sound on the second album. The

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"Summer Day" failed to chart, but the quartet became something of a favourite on the underground concert circuit. Abrahams left the band and later developed another band or worked solo. Ex- Yes and future

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid F ...

guitarist

Peter Banks Peter William Brockbanks (15 July 1947 – 7 March 2013), known professionally as Peter Banks, was a British guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and producer. He was the original guitarist in the rock band Yes, and also the Syn, Flash, and Empire. ...

became one of several guitarists to succeed Abrahams after he left. Largely due to Abrahams's disillusionment with the business side of music, Blodwyn Pig eventually became an on-again, off-again concern; Lancaster at one point became a record producer, and Pyle eventually joined

Savoy Brown Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English blues rock band formed in Battersea, south west London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where t ...

. Over the years since their original formation, Blodwyn Pig reformed several times, usually with Abrahams and Lancaster leading the group, and recorded two more albums in the 1990s.

Discography

Singles

* "Dear Jill" / "Sweet Caroline" (Island Records WIP 6059), 1969 * "Walk On The Water" / "Summer Day" (Island Records WIP 6069), 1969 * "Same Old Story" / "Slow Down" (Chrysalis Records WIP 6078), 1970

Studio albums

* ''

'' ( AM/Chrysalis, 1969) * ''

'' ( Chrysalis, 1970) * ''Lies'' (

Angel Air Records Angel Air is an English independent record label established in February 1997, specialising in reissues of classic pop and rock albums originally issued in the 1960s and 1970s (and latterly new albums from known artists up to the 21st century) ...

, 1994) * ''Pig-in-the-Middle'' (1996)

Live albums/compilations

* ''All Tore Down: Live'' (1994) * ''The Modern Alchemist'' (Indigo Records, 1997) * ''All Said And Done'' (Shakedown Records, 2004) two- CD 1

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

boxed set * ''The Radio Sessions 1969 to 1971'' (Secret Records, 2012) * ''All Said And Done'' – Double CD recorded in 2001 at Audiolab Studios

Secret records ''Secret Records limited '' is a British independent record label based in London founded in 1980. The label specialize in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes ...

Repress 2020

References

External links

Mick Abrahams – Blodwyn Pig Official Site
{{Authority control British blues rock musical groups Musical groups established in 1968 Island Records artists A&M Records artists Chrysalis Records artists 1968 establishments in the United Kingdom Savoy Brown members