Capability Brown - Voice (Arcangelo Records Japan Mini LP 2011) 1973

Capability Brown had and still have a cult following in UK music history as a "progressive" band, ultimately based on an outstanding piece from their second album, Voice. But largely their range covered mainstream pop music, treated in an "arty", alternative fashion. The band was a six-piece in which everyone sang and played instruments. The line-up consisted of Tony Ferguson (guitar, bass), Dave Nevin (keyboards, guitar, bass), Kenny Rowe (bass, percussion), Grahame White (guitar, lute, balalaika, keyboards), Joe Williams (percussion) and Roger Willis (drums, keyboards). Ferguson and Nevin wrote the majority of the band's material, and the band also excelled in covers of obscure material (Rare Bird's Beautiful Scarlet and Redman, Argent's Liar, Affinity's I Am And So Are You and Steely Dan's Midnight Cruiser). Capability Brown's forte was vocalizing. Together they sounded not unlike The Association: a massed choir of voices, ranging from baritone to high clean falsettos. Their first album, From Scratch, which included Liar, was average and unexceptional. The second album Voice, released in 1973, was their claim to fame, incorporating an over-20-minute richly melodic piece called Circumstances (In Love, Past, Present, Future Meet) - a stunning piece of music incorporating keyboards, a cappela voices, synthesizers and mellotrons, solo vocals, delicate harpsichord-like acoustic guitar sections, powerful electric guitar chords and massed vocal choirs. The band did not manage to record again after this, and in 1974 Tony, Roger and Graham were recruited by friend and Christie member Roger Flavell to join his group, Christie for a tour of South America. Thus Capability Brown was no more. progarchives.com

Tracklist:
01.I Am And So Are You 3:56
02.Sad Am I 3:51
03.Midnight Cruiser 4:01
04.Keep Death Off The Road (Drive On The Pavement) 6:20
05.Circumstances (In Love, Past, Present, Future Meet) 20:49

Capability Brown:
Tony Ferguson - vocals, guitar, bass
Dave Nevin - keyboards, guitar, vocals, bass
Kenny Rowe - bass, vocals, percussion
Grahame White - vocals, guitar, keyboards
Joe Williams - vocals, percussion
Roger Willis - vocals, drums, keyboards