A Whiff Of Patchouli

For most bands who came to the fore in the hippy / underground scene of the late sixties, it was no hardship to move to a much more hard nosed commercial environment as the seventies commenced. There were one or two bands who had bought into the lifestyle wholesale however and who stayed true to their roots and beliefs. One such was Quintessence, who genuinely believed in the spirituality that pervaded their music. Some of it may have been half baked and not fully formed but there was a real search for a viable communal way of living that embraced elements of Hinduism and Buddhism. Musically, there were elements of mystical chant and the jazzy flute of Raja Ram prompted superficial comparisons with Jethro Tull. But in reality, they were the closest that the London scene had to the Grateful Dead with guitarist Alan Mostert a known devotee of Jerry Garcia. Shiva's vocals were a rich mix of Jim Morrison and David LaFlamme from It's A Beautiful Day and made an interesting contrast with the blues shouter prevalent at the time. They were in their element as a live act, gigging relentlessly. But this disk In Blissful Company, which was their first studio album, is a decent representation of what the band was about. Look beyond the slightly risible lyrics of Notting Hill Gate and Giants and enjoy the musicality and picture the extended live workouts such tracks received. Brilliant in their own right are Gange Mai and the stunning Midnight Mode. It took some balls to end an album with about four minutes of slowly fading hypnotic drone and Tibetan cow bells.