LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

During the heady days of 1969 the ubermusos such as Keith Emerson and Steve Howe were flexing their dextrous fingers to “boldly go, onwards and upwards, where no rock had gone before”. Prog was born. Within this scene a duo developed their act from the embers of the Spencer Davis Group, where they’d had their own spot during the middle of shows, and finally left to go it on their own. Multi Keyboardist and contemporary of Keith Emerson, Eddie Hardin had gelled with Jazz drummer turned R&B for the sake of the SDG, Pete York to form the world’s smallest big band. Like contemporaries Colosseum, Hardin & York’s jazz inflected prog met with huge critical and commercial favour on mainland Europe, especially Germany where they regularly sold out 15,000 seater venues. Their lasting effect there means that they are still able to draw an audience today when playing periodical tours. Their debut LP ‘Tomorrow Today’ was so ‘out there’ its front cover design won prestigious art awards in New York. The cover artist obviously so pleased with himself he omitted to put the music artists name on the front! Reviewers called it a “cross between Procul Harum and Traffic”, to which we would add The Nice. Released on the decidedly un prog like Bell label it did nothing in the UK but charted in Europe. Although they set out to wholly rely on their own keyboard/drums virtuosity, whilst recording at Olympic Studios the duo were joined by Herbie Flowers (in a next door studio helping Bowie with Space Oddity) and backing singers Sue and Sunny, fresh from backing Joe Cocker. Our reissue, presented in a digi pack, is augmented by four unreleased tracks from the album sessions at Olympic Studios in 1969.
Track listing: Tomorrow Today / 100 Years From Now / I’m Lost / Drinking My Wine / Candleight / Beautiful Day / Mountains Of Sand / Can’t Keep A Good Man Down / Listen Everyone Bonus All I See Is You / Mullberry Place / Sunday Morning / Rock’n’Roll Music