LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

• Edition: Deluxe limited-edition vinyl reissue from the original master
• Packaging: Luxurious thick-cardboard tip-on gatefold sleeve

Originally released in 1971, Samurai was the sole album by the British progressive jazz-rock group formed from the final line-up of Web. Following the adventurous I Spider, keyboardist and vocalist Dave Lawson, guitarist Tony Edwards, bassist John Eaton and percussionists Kenny Beveridge and Lennie Wright continued under a new name, expanding their sound with a stronger woodwind presence and increasingly complex arrangements.

Dave Lawson’s keyboards and distinctive vocals provide the album’s centre, while Tony Edwards moves between electric and acoustic guitar and John Eaton supplies an agile, melodic bass foundation. Kenny Beveridge and producer Lennie Wright create a varied rhythmic framework using drums, percussion and vibraphone. The addition of Don Fay and Tony Roberts on saxophones, flutes and bass clarinet gives the music its unusually rich and colourful character.

“Saving It Up for So Long” opens the record with a compact mixture of progressive rock, jazz phrasing and rhythmic energy. The gentler “More Rain” introduces flute and atmospheric keyboards, while “Maudie James” and “Holy Padlock” combine Lawson’s theatrical songwriting with shifting instrumental textures. “Give a Little Love” adds a tougher guitar-led groove before the album enters its most expansive territory.

“Face in the Mirror” develops through dramatic organ, forceful vocals and complex woodwind arrangements, while the closing “As I Dried the Tears Away” moves from quiet, reflective passages into a powerful extended finale. The interaction between keyboards, guitar, vibraphone and woodwinds places the album between progressive rock, jazz fusion and the playful experimentation associated with the Canterbury scene.

Although Samurai existed only briefly, their sole album has become one of the most highly regarded rarities of early-1970s British progressive jazz rock. This definitive Cinedelic edition has been produced from the original master and presented in a luxurious thick-cardboard tip-on gatefold sleeve reproducing Victor Meara’s striking original cover painting.

Track listing:

Side A
A1. Saving It Up for So Long – 3:44
A2. More Rain – 4:27
A3. Maudie James – 4:55
A4. Holy Padlock – 4:44

Side B
B1. Give a Little Love – 3:40
B2. Face in the Mirror – 6:44
B3. As I Dried the Tears Away – 8:13