Showing posts with label David Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Lewis. Show all posts

Friday, June 18, 2021

Andwella - Every Little Minute (1970)

The Method were a heavy psyche/blues trio who were led by David Lewis, with Nigel Smith on bass and Gordon Barton on drums, and who played around the Belfast area in the mid to late 60's. When the band moved from Belfast to London and signed to CBS Records they changed their name to Andwellas Dream, and recorded a stunning debut psychedelic album 'Love & Poetry' in 1968, with its consistently strong melodies and killer Hendrix-style guitar elevating it to classic status. The band also released three singles for the label, two of which were not taken from the album, and both 'Mrs. Man' and 'Mister Sunshine' are excellent period pieces. In 1970 Dave McDougall joined on keyboards, and the band name was shortened to Andwella, with the band moving to the CBS's Reflection imprint for subsequent releases. The first band-related release on the new label was a privately-issued publisher's demo album of songs that Lewis had recorded solo, in order to raise his profile and hopefully get other artists to ask to record his songs, and it included two tracks that had previously been recorded by the band. Andwella released two albums on Reflection, with the first, 1970's 'World's End', being underpinned by McDougall's lush Hammond organ, and although its sound is less psychedelic than 'Love & Poetry', it's more consistent and contains several outstanding songs. Before the third Andwells album, Lewis produced a record by hippie poet David Baxter, with 'Goodbye Dave' being comprised of instrumentals played by Andwella over which Baxter recited his poems. After replacing the rhythm section with Dave Struthers on bass and Jack McCulloch on drums, the final Andwella album proper was 1971's 'People's People', which was a step closer to mainstream rock, but still an enjoyable album. The band split following its release, with Lewis going on to record a couple of solo albums for Polydor in the 70's, and he also wrote 'Happy To Be On An Island In The Sun', which was a hit single for Demis Roussos in 1976. This album collects together the non-album and rare singles and their b-sides, a couple of out-takes, a brace of tracks from Lewis's publishers album, and an example of Andwella's work on David Baxter's poetry album.



Track listing
           
01 Mr. Sunshine (single 1969)
02 Shades Of Grey (b-side of 'Mister Sunshine')
03 Mrs. Man (Single 1969)
04 Felix (b-side of 'Mrs. Man')
05 Every Little Minute (single 1970)
06 Michael Fitzhenry (b-side of 'Every Little Minute)
07 Miles Away From My Baby (previously unreleased)
08 Paradise Isle (previously unreleased)
09 Hold On To Your Mind (single 1970)
10 Shadows Of The Night (b-side of 'Hold On To Your Mind')
11 Because Of The Love You've Give Me (from 'Songs Of David Lewis' 1970)
12 Holding On (from 'Songs Of David Lewis' 1970)
13 Doors (from 'Goodbye Dave' by David Baxter)