LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Edition: Archival collection of rare and previously unreleased recordings
• Packaging: Period-style hard-cardboard sleeve
• Extras: Illustrated insert with rare photographs and track-by-track annotations by original member Jimmy Hush

Lucifer Corpus collects rare and previously unreleased material by Writing on the Wall, one of the most powerful groups to emerge from Scotland’s late-1960s psychedelic and progressive underground.

The band formed in Edinburgh during 1966 under the name The Jury. Initially inspired by American soul and rhythm and blues, they gradually developed a darker and more theatrical style built around heavy guitar, dramatic vocals, organ and imaginative stage performances.

After relocating to London and changing their name to Writing on the Wall, the group became closely associated with the Middle Earth psychedelic club and record label. Their intense concerts established a formidable live reputation, leading to the release of their sole original album, The Power of the Picts, in 1969.

Despite strong reviews and considerable live popularity, management disputes, unsuccessful label negotiations and repeated changes within the music industry prevented the group from building on the album’s promise. A substantial quantity of recorded material remained unreleased or appeared only on exceptionally scarce singles and acetates.

This collection opens with early recordings that reveal the group’s progression from melodic psychedelic pop towards a heavier and more ambitious sound. “Words and Music,” “Felicity Jane” and “Flight of the Mind” combine memorable vocal melodies with organ, distorted guitar and the adventurous arrangements characteristic of the British underground.

“Child on a Crossing” and the title track originally formed the two sides of the band’s rare 1969 single. “Lucifer Corpus” is an especially powerful mixture of sinister organ, biting fuzz guitar, abrupt rhythmic changes and theatrical vocals, capturing the dark atmosphere that made Writing on the Wall unique.

The second side contains the previously unreleased “Buffalo,” an extended Mellotron-driven performance lasting approximately seven minutes, followed by a rare television recording combining “Lucifer Corpus” with “Hill of Dreams.” Together, these recordings document the group’s raw stage energy and progressive ambitions beyond their only original studio album.

Track listing:

Side A
1. Words and Music
2. Felicity Jane
3. Flight of the Mind
4. Child on a Crossing
5. Lucifer Corpus

Side B
1. Buffalo
2. Lucifer Corpus / Hill of Dreams (live television recording)